Could we make our teaching and learning a process based on love and enchantment – love not as a flaccid feel-good generality, nor as a substitute for rigour nor as an excuse for mediocrity, but love as a way of engendering in our students and our colleagues, and (crucially) maintaining in ourselves, an unwavering commitment to the process of growth through learning? When we learn, we become greater, more capable, more resilient. Perhaps the greatest gift we can offer our students is that they take that knowledge with them through their entire lives.

Put simply, our approach to education might be: "OK, you've had your fun, now let's have some fun."


Thoroughly revised and updated with some 500 new entries-including the addition of pertinent Internet sites-this is the only bibliographic guide to information sources for linguistics. Coverage spans from 1957, the publication date of Chomsky's seminal work, to the present, with emphasis on English-language resources. DeMiller's detailed citations describe and evaluate each work, often offering comparisons to similar titles. Its broad coverage and in-depth reviews make this work essential to the research and study of general or theoretical linguistics. The book is also indispensable in the related areas of anthropological linguistics, applied linguistics, mathematical and computation linguistics, psycholinguistics, semiotics, and sociolinguistics, which are all treated in separate chapters, as well as the study of language and languages from a linguistic perspective. A must for any library supporting the study of linguistics or its related fields, this is a valuable reference and research tool. It i


Siphovalvulina is among the first foraminifera that appear on carbonate platforms of the Lower Jurassic, forming a conspicuous element of low-diversity assemblages prior to recovery after the end-Triassic biotic crisis. The high morphologic variability of species of this genus is usually not documented, which makes the determination of species difficult and subjective. We demonstrate the variability in five morphotypes of Siphovalvulina in Sinemurian and Pliensbachian carbonate rocks from the Dinarides and the Southern Apennines. Due to the different interpretation of its architecture, an emendation of the genus Siphovalvulina is proposed. One morphotype has been left in open nomenclature and could belong to either S. variabilis Septfontaine or to S. beydouni BouDagher-Fadel & Noujaim Clark. Three morphotypes, differing in apical angle and/or size belong to S . ex gr. gibraltarensis BouDagher-Fadel, Rose, Bosence & Lord. We also describe a new genus and species, Radoicicina ciarapicae gen. n., n. sp. from the lower Sinemurian of the Southern Apennines. We suggest a close phylogenetic relationship between the two genera and introduce a new family, Siphovalvulinidae fam. n. of the superfamily Eggerelloidea.


This paper presents a detailed analysis of the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) and converters by taking into account magnetic saturation of both DFIG and step-up transformer under symmetrical and asymmetrical faults. 2.5 MW DFIG is modeled through Finite Element Analysis software package and coupled with circuit and dynamic system simulators for accurate electromagnetic, drive and controller simulations. The effects of different type of utility grid faults on the DFIG rotor fluxes are analyzed and the FFT analysis of the rotor fluxes is carried to correlate the harmonic content of the rotor fluxes with the fault types. The study would provide guidance in developing advanced control and protection techniques for the DFIG system during fault conditions. The simulation results are verified with the 7.5 Hp experimental DFIG system.


Introduction: The global burden of paediatric mortality is high and majority of the deaths are preventable by providing timely access to specialised emergency care. An appropriate triage in a busy emergency department can identify the sickest patient for early intervention. Aim: To develop a simple score based on physical variables alone and assess its validation so as to predict Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission. Materials and Methods: This prospective hospital based study included 936 children, aged 1 month to 18 years. Baseline demographic data along with clinical variables were noted in a pre-designed proforma at the time of admission. A scoring system was developed based on severity of various clinical variables i.e., heart rate, respiratory rate, respiratory effort, Oxygen Saturation (SpO2), Capillary Refill Time (CFT), temperature, level of consciousness and behaviour. The outcome i.e., admission to ward or Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of the patient was correlated with the study variables and total score. An association of modified PETS with the PICU admission was done using Chi-square test. A p-value of <0.01 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The modified Paediatric Triage Score (PETS) which is developed based on eight physical variables, is reliable in discriminating the children with ward and ICU admission. A score of ≥6 leads to 14.8 times higher risk of getting admitted to ICU as compared to a child with score of <6. A cut-off of ≥6 for modified PETS score has a sensitivity of 79.6% and specificity of 79.2% in predicting ICU admission. Conclusion: This simple clinically developed scoring system based on physical variables alone with an optimal cut-off of ≥6 can predict severity of illness and need for PICU admission in Emergency Department with acceptable validity and can serve as a potentially excellent screening tool.


In this paper, the evolution of mobile radio network is presented. First of all, the network life cycle is considered. A mathematical modeling of these life periods is developed inside an optimization problem: optimal location of base stations. It is a combinatorial optimization problem. A multi-period model is built on a concentrator link approach. Finally, three different multi-period techniques are identified, they are based on using the genetic algorithm (GA) to tackle this problem of the design of microcellular networks.


Amphoteric copolymers composed of hydrophilic poly(dimethyl acrylamide) and hydrophobic poly(dimethyl siloxane) formed phase-separated membranes. The hydrophilic and hydrophobic components formed continuous phase-separated domains in the membranes. The hydrated poly(dimethyl acrylamide) domains formed membrane-spanning pathways, which permitted an ionic salt to permeate the membranes. The permeability of the ionic salt through the amphoteric copolymer membranes was studied. On the basis of the results, the mechanism of salt transport could be explained by the free-volume theory, which was used for the analysis of diffusive transport in the hydrated, homogeneous membranes. The diffusion coefficient of the ionic salt increased exponentially as the volume ratio of the hydrophilic polymer to water [(1 − H)/H, where H is the degree of hydration] decreased in the membrane. It was possible to postulate that the diffusion of the ionic salt through the membranes was dependent on the free-volume fractions of water and hydrophilic poly(dimethyl acrylamide) domains in the membranes. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011


The recently developed method for the analysis of microstrip antennas on hemispherical structures has been applied to derive the input impedance characteristics of quasi-rectangular microstrip antennas. By using corresponding full-wave equivalent circuits, the dyadic Green's functions of this structure and the system equation for the tangential field components at the interfaces can be analytically derived in a simple way. The Galerkin method-of-moments approach is used to solve the unknown current distribution on the patch, where the system equation involving the impedance matrix and the excitation vector can be set up and solved in the spectral domain. The computation data is verified with commercial software codes. Some advantages over commercial codes are also given


Objectives: We performed a prospective study to assess respiratory function and voice quality before and after laser microsurgical bilateral posterior cordectomy performed for chronic airway obstruction in patients with bilateral vocal fold paralysis. Methods: In 17 patients a laser microsurgical posterior cordectomy was performed as an immediate bilateral approach. Roughness, breathiness, hoarseness, and dyspnea were evaluated both subjectively (on a scale from 0 to 3) and objectively (body plethysmography, computerized voice analysis: Göttingen Hoarseness Diagram). Results: After laser surgery, the patients' respiratory function was significantly increased and was sufficient for all activities of daily living. The body plethysmographic measure of airway resistance had superior descriptive power and correlated significantly with the clinical degree of dyspnea (scale 0 to 3). Pretreatment and posttreatment impairment of voice quality was objectively documented with the Göttingen Hoarseness Diagram; the phonatory results measured with it correlated significantly with the subjective clinical evaluation of hoarseness. Aphonia did not occur. Conclusions: A bilateral approach for laser microsurgical posterior cordectomy combines excellent airway improvement and satisfactory voice preservation. In bilateral vocal fold paralysis, pretreatment and posttreatment clinical data should be evaluated by objective measures.


Secondary dentine formation is one of the vital physiological age-related change
that occurs in the permanent dentition throughout life. This physiological agerelated factor can be used for dental age estimation and identification of unknown
deceased persons.
Aims
To investigate the strength of association between chronological age and pulp/tooth
volume ratio among the Malaysian population and to find which amongst these 3
types (Maxillary right canines, maxillary left canines, maxillary right central
incisors) of investigated monoradicular teeth had the highest strength of correlation.
Materials and Methods
Three hundred CBCT scanned data of 153 males and 147 females' belonging to
either Chinese or Malay ethnicity, stored in the Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging
Division, Faculty of Dentistry University of Malaya were selected according to the
quality, image acquiring parameters and age of the patients at the time of
registration. The subjects were divided into 5 age groups (10 years interval each
group), ranging from 16 to 65 years to ensure balanced sample distribution across
the 5 groups. Subsequently 100 maxillary left canines, 100 maxillary right canines
and 100 maxillary right central incisors having no pathology and fully developed
roots were selected from the database of 300 CBCT scans. Hence, one tooth per
CBCT scan was selected. Maxillary right and maxillary left canines were selected
for the study in order to investigate if any significant difference in the strength of
correlation occurred between two similar types of teeth belonging to different
iv
subjects. CBCT data was acquired using the i-CAT Cone Beam 3D Dental Imaging
System (Imaging Sciences International, Hatfield, USA). The scans selected had
exposure parameters of 120 KV, 18 mA and the scans were acquired using voxel
size of 0.30 mm and scanning time of 20 sec. Volumetric analysis was performed
with MIMICS software (Materialise NV, Belgium, version 16.0). Data was analysed
using SPSS version 20.
Results
The Pearson correlation and regression analysis showed a significant inverse
association between pulp/tooth volume ratio and chronological age for all the 3 types
of investigated teeth (p<0.01). Results showed the highest coefficient of
determination (R2) values for maxillary central incisor (R2=0.696) followed by
maxillary right canine (R2=0.545) and maxillary left canine (R2=0.527). The
strength of correlation for both male and female was found to be very good. Fisher
Z test results showed no significant difference in the correlation coefficient values
between genders for all the 3 types of investigated teeth and for the whole sample
(Z critical 1.96 for p < .05). Fisher Z test indicated no significant difference in the
correlation coefficient values between maxillary right and maxillary left canines
(P=0.88), despite these teeth being selected from different individuals.
Conclusion
The present study reinforced that pulp/tooth volume ratio with age is a valuable
indicator for dental age estimation for Malaysian population. Maxillary right central
incisor has shown the highest coefficient of determination value among all 3 types
of investigated teeth. Furthermore, the results have showed that this method of
dental age estimation is indeed gender independent.


Since 1950 six expeditions from the U. S. Navy Electronics Laboratory and Scripps Institution of Oceanography have added detailed information to the marine geology of the Hawaiian area.

The Hawaiian Islands are peaks on a great ridge which is flanked, in the southern part, by the Hawaiian Deep beyond which is the Hawaiian Arch. The Deep is about 400 fathoms deeper on the east side. Echo-sounder profiles across the Arch on the east side indicate that it is faulted and more asymmetrical than at first supposed (it is steeper to the west) and has a width of about 200 nautical miles and a relief above the Deep of 300–500 fathoms. Downslope northeast of Oahu the normal structure is interrupted by linear volcanics along the same trends as the Honolulu Series formed by Pleistocene and Recent volcanism on Oahu. The Hawaiian Deep and Arch continue to the northwest past Oahu. Off Molokai and Hawaii the Arch has been faulted.

The sediments off Oahu are mixtures of volcanic sand and silt and planktonic Foraminifera; the latter are dominant down to about 2300 fathoms where the sediment is a clayey silt with relatively large amounts of volcanic sand. The sedimentation off Oahu is apparently controlled by submarine canyons which funnel the material to form delta-like features.

The structure around the southern end of the Hawaiian Islands is due to the response of the earth's crust to the great load of the Hawaiian Ridge; this response is thought to be due mainly to elastic downbowing, but actual foundation failure cannot be excluded from consideration.


Carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) II deficiency is a long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorder. It manifests as (1) a lethal neonatal form, (2) a hypoglycemic form, or (3) a myopathic form. The second form can cause sudden infant death and is more common among Japanese people than in other ethnic groups. Our study group had earlier used (C16 + C18:1)/C2 to conduct a pilot newborn screening (NBS) study, and found that the use of C14/C3 for screening yielded lower rates of false positivity; in 2018, as a result, nationwide NBS for CPT II deficiency started. In this study, we evaluated the utility of these ratios in 71 NBS-positive infants and found that the levels of both C14/C3 and (C16 + C18:1)/C2 in patients overlapped greatly with those of infants without the disease. Among the levels of acylcarnitines with various chain lengths (C18 to C2) and levels of free carnitine (C0) as well as their ratios of various patterns, C12/C0 appeared to be a promising index that could reduce false-positive results without missing true-positive cases detected by current indices. Although some cases of the myopathic form may go undetected even with C12/C0, its use will help prevent life-threatening onset of the hypoglycemic form of CPT II deficiency.


The poetics of modern literature can be divided into two broad spectra - the linguistic and the extra-linguistic principles. According to Abrams (1973:4), whatever the language of all critical theories, they discriminate four elements in the total situation of a work of art. These four elements are: the mimetic theory, the pragmatic theory, the expressive theory and the objective theory. Since the advent of the Objective theory in the 19th century, exponents of this school regard art as non-didactic, that is, one whose end-purpose or intention is within itself and not dependent upon the achievement of objectives outside the work such as the fact of its composition, the actuality it imitates, its author's stated intention, and of the effect it produces on it audience. This view of art is what has come to be termed art for art's sake. This paper looks at the tenet of art for art's sake in literature and how it greatly manifests itself in the language centered theories of literature which relates a work of art to the linguistic elements that make up such a work. It also looks at the effect of this tenet on the author as all extrinsic issues affecting a text no longer matter in its evaluation. The paper argues that since there are other theories and schools of criticism which still believe in extrinsic factors in the evaluation of a work of art, this has obliterated the total "death of the author".


The conformational energy differences have been determined for ethylene glycol, 2- chloroethanol, and 2,2- dichloroethanol in the neat liquid, DMSO, and H20 with Raman spectroscopy. Spectra in the 0-H valence region were utilized to determine the energy difference between interand intramolecularly hydrogen bonded species. It was found that the solvent effect on the relative stabilities of the gauche and trans rotamers of the alcohols differ significantly. The results also indicate that, unlike ethylene glycol, there is significant intramolecular hydrogen bond formation in the halogenated alcohols in the neat liquid phase. Stronger intramolecular hydrogen bond formation was observed in dichloroethanol than in 2-chloroethanol.


Due to difficulty in recognition, many true species have been covered under the synonyms of wide-spread species. To justify the identification of a widely distributed species, Sillago sihama from the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, an integrated approach including morphology and DNA barcoding was used. Two unrecognized species of Sillago, i.e., Sillagomuktijoddhai sp. nov. and S. mengjialensis sp. nov., were identified from the coastal area of Bangladesh. S. muktijoddhai sp. nov. has marked differences in the body color, anal fin color, number of gill rakers, snout length, and swimbladder. S. mengjialensis sp. nov. has notable differences in the anal fin color, snout length, and swimbladder and is distinguished from S. muktijoddhai sp. nov. by the body color and swimbladder. The morphological characters of 14 documented Sillago species with two posterior extensions of the swimbladder were referenced and distinguished to accredit the two new species. Genetic analyses of partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I and 16S ribosomal RNA also supported the validity of the new species. This study has increased the number of recognized species of Sillago in the world and confirmed the prevailing misidentification of these two new species in Bangladesh as so-called S. sihama. Moreover, the study confirmed the misidentification of S. mengjialensis sp. nov. in Indonesia as S. sihama and the identification of unknown Sillago sp.1 in India.


A full-length cDNA of the rpb8+ gene encoding a common subunit Rpb8 of nuclear RNA polymerases I-III only specific for Eucarya was isolated from an expression library of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The primary structure of the corresponding fragment of the Sz. pombe genome was also established. The rpb8+ gene contains two short introns, 59 and 48 bp long. Only short segments of homology were found upon comparing the Rpb8 subunit homologs from various eukaryotic species, and substantial differences exist between the corresponding proteins of unicellular and multicellular organisms. Subunit Rpb8 of Sz. pombe proved to be the smallest one among the known related proteins: it lacks the 21-aa fragment corresponding to amino acids residues 68-88 of the central part of the homologous subunit ABC14.5 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Accordingly, subunit Rpb8 of the fission yeast was not capable of substituting in vivo subunit ABC14.5 in nuclear RNA polymerases of the baker's yeast.


Background
Treatment of established postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is difficult and often disappointing. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of repetitive intracutaneous injections with local anesthetics and steroids in acute thoracic herpes zoster (HZ) pain, herpetic eruption, and incidence of PHN.

Methods
Ninety-three patients with acute thoracic HZ were randomly assigned to receive a standard treatment of antiviral medication with p.o. analgesics or the standard treatment with the addition of repetitive intracutaneous injections of a local anesthetic and steroid mixture. Patients were permitted to take tramadol when the visual analog scale (VAS) ≥ 4. Pain assessment using VAS was conducted at the initial visit, as well as 1, 2, 4, 12, and 24 weeks after the end of the treatments.

Results
In comparison with the standard treatment group, the VAS scores of the intracutaneous injection group were significantly lower during the study. The intracutaneous injection group also reported shorter duration of pain and skin eruption than the control group ( P  = 0.005 vs P  < 0.001, respectively). At 1 month post-therapy, 12.8% patients in the intracutaneous injection group reported zoster-associated pain, compared with 47.8% in the standard treatment group ( P  < 0.001). At 3 and 6 months post-therapy, the incidence of PHN was still significantly lower in the intracutaneous injection group than the standard treatment group. EuroQol VAS scores were significantly higher in the intracutaneous injection group vs standard treatment group (P < 0.001).

Conclusion
Repetitive intracutaneous injections with local anesthetics and steroids along with standard treatment significantly reduce the duration of pain and herpetic eruption and incidence of PHN.


This article aims to fi nd a new format of education based multicultural reality in Indonesia. For that purpose, the authors conducted a literature study, especially those related to the concepts of multicul tural education for the development of education in Indonesia. As it is known that the current Indonesian society is still in the process of forming a national culture. This is not an easy task, because of the heterogeneous ethnic cultures that have each own character. When the formation of a national culture has not been successful, the peopl e of Indonesia also have to deal with the increasingly intense global culture. Pressures of today's global culture is sometimes met with reactionary and primordial attitude. As evidence, the emergence of a kind of spiritual religious movement radicalism and fundamentalism form of Sufi sm on youth. Meanwhile, the traditional sentiment which is basically a consequence of the structural changes and cultural changes inkosisten, resulting in the emergence of symptoms of chaos in the system of local cultural values that exist. These conditions are necessary  to fi nd a way out so that the process of interaction between local cultures remain in harmony with the national cu lture. Format suitable for the purpose as it is through multicultural education.


The sheriff (small boy) and his deputy (scruffy dog) have a mission: "to bring a dozen donuts safely home." On the way home, concern leads the sheriff to check the contents, and upon finding one donut is "a little smushed," he does what we would all do—he neatens things up until there's no donut left. Much to his bafflement, however, everybody he meets along the city street seems to know his shameful secret ("How was that donut?" asks a neighbor); once he arrives home, his parents immediately know the truth as well, and when the boy looks in the mirror he sees why: a telltale powdered-sugar ring around his mouth. McGhee, co-author of the Bink and Gollie titles, has an enjoyably stagey flair to her text that will make it a readaloud treat ("Phew. All was well in donut world"), and many youngsters will understand the temptation and the responsibility of transporting such precious cargo. The digital art balances a big-eyed cartoonish sensibility with delicate linework and muted complex colors. The revealing powdered-sugar marks could be a little more visible, but the figures are a treat, with the protagonist a pint-sized, big-hatted sheriff and the canine deputy offering some stealthily skeptical expressions. This is a stylish Western-lite picture book with an enjoyable twang, and viewers will develop a powerful hankering for their own box of treats. DS


Introduction Some time was spent during the month of August, 1901, in a field examination of the Virgilina copper district, and the specimens of the rocks and ores collected were subsequently studied in the laboratory. Study was principally confined, both in the field and laboratory, to the rocks of the area, to determine their nature and origin. The ores were given only secondary consideration. The rocks have been designated slates by the earlier workers, which, according to present usage, would imply a metamorphosed sediment. In many instances the characteristic field appearance of the rocks is that of slate or schist, but in their altered phases they are shown, by structural, chemical, and petrographic evidence, to be igneous in origin. Their subsequent alteration developed a schistose structure and an abundance of chlorite, epidote, and a limited quantity of hornblende. These impart to the rock its uniform green color and give the . . .


This paper describes the GlottHMM speech synthesis system for Blizzard Challenge 2011. GlottHMM is a hidden Markov model (HMM) based speech synthesis system that utilizes glottal inverse filtering for separating the vocal tract and the glottal source from speech signal and models both components individually. In this year's entry, stabilized weighted linear prediction (SWLP) is used to yield more robust estimates of the vocal tract filter of the high-pitched female voice. After the inverse filtering, the resulting source signal is parameterized into excitation features and a glottal flow pulse library, consisting of the variety of different glottal flow pulses. In the synthesis stage, a unit selection scheme is used for reconstructing the source signal: by minimizing the target and concatenation costs, best matching glottal flow pulses are selected from the pulse library in order to create a natural voice source. Finally, speech is synthesized by filtering the excitation signal by the vocal tract filter. Index Terms: speech synthesis, hidden Markov model, glottal inverse filtering, glottal flow pulse library, unit selection


Connection ability is the ability to associate between topics in mathematics, associate mathematics in other sciences, and with everyday life. This research aims to find out the ability of mathematical connections by using the realistic mathematical education of the concept of Social Arithmetic in class VII of SMP Negeri 209 Jakarta. This type of research is qualitative descriptive with the selection of subjects based on the results of interviews. The main instrument in the study was the researchers themselves. Instruments for discovering mathematical connection skills are tests and interviews. Data collection techniques with observation guidelines, tests, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis used is qualitative analysis i.e. data collection, presentation of data, and withdrawal of conclusions. The results of the analysis showed that subjects included students who had the ability of mathematical connections that met 4 indicators of mathematical connections, namely recognizing the equivalent representation of the same concept, recognizing the relationship of a mathematical procedure of a representation to an equivalent representation procedure, using and assessing the relationship between topics with other disciplines, using mathematics in everyday life


All agents being informed and the virtual leader traveling at a constant velocity are the two critical assumptions seen in the recent literature on flocking in multi-agent systems. Under these assumptions, Olfati-Saber in a recent IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control paper proposed a flocking algorithm which by incorporating a navigational feedback enables a group of agents to track a virtual leader. This paper revisits the problem of multi-agent flocking in the absence of the above two assumptions. We first show that, even when only a fraction of agents are informed, the Olfati-Saber flocking algorithm still enables all the informed agents to move with the desired constant velocity, and an uninformed agent to also move with the same desired velocity if it can be influenced by the informed agents from time to time during the evolution. Numerical simulation demonstrates that a very small group of the informed agents can cause most of the agents to move with the desired velocity and the larger the informed group is the bigger portion of agents will move with the desired velocity. In the situation where the virtual leader travels with a varying velocity, we propose modification to the Olfati-Saber algorithm and show that the resulting algorithm enables the asymptotic tracking of the virtual leader. That is, the position and velocity of the center of mass of all agents will converge exponentially to those of the virtual leader. The convergent rate is also given.


Objective: To report our institutional experience onhyperthermicintraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) at the time of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) for ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancer. Methods: We reviewed charts of patients who underwent CRS and HIPEC. Optimal cytoreduction was defined as residual disease < 1cm. HIPEC was administered using closed technique. The postoperative complications were graded using the Clavien-Dindo classification. Grade III and IV complications were considered as major. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: During the study period, we identified262 patients who underwent HIPEC and CRS. Fifteen of those patients (6%) were diagnosed with gynecologic tumors. Five patients (33%) had primary CRS and HIPEC for primary peritoneal carcinoma and ten patients (66%) had CRS and HIPEC for recurrent ovarian tumors. The median OR time was 327 min.Optimal cytoreduction was achieved in all patients (100%) and 7 patients (47%) had no gross residual disease. Major postoperative complications were reported in five patients (33%). The median follow up was 34 months. The median progression free survival (PFS) was 7 months (95% confidence interval (CI), 1-15 months) for recurrent disease. For the primary disease the median PFS was 26 months (95% CI: 7-26 months) comparable with IP arm in GOG-172. Conclusion: Combination of CRS and HIPEC is a feasible therapeutic modality for patients with ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal malignancies. Addition of HIPEC to CRS does not seem to increase the rate of grade III and IV postoperative complications and may be associated with survival benefit.


The dissolution properties of hydrochlorothiazide ‐ PVP 10 000 mechanical mix and co‐precipitate systems were qualitatively similar to those previously reported using hydroflumethiazide. Quantitative differences were dependent on the proportion of PVP present, its molecular weight and method of incorporation. Cumulative urinary excretion data from test capsule preparations showed that bioavailability was enhanced by the presence of PVP. However, the degree of enhancement was less than that expected from constant surface area disc rate studies. Dissolution tests on the capsule formulations, using the U.S.P. basket stirrer assembly, did not correlate with in vivo results. Using the Levy beaker method and a stirring speed of 40 rev min−1, good correlation between amount dissolved in 30 min and amount excreted in urine after 24 h was obtained. The dissolution tests revealed that PVP retards the initial dissolution from capsule dosage forms, probably by retarding deaggregation and dispersion of drug particles.


Radiocarbon dates associated with engraved stones from sealed archeological deposits at Wonderwerk Cave in the northern Cape Province indicate that rock engraving in South Africa is at least 10,000 years old.


The application of electrical resistance tomography (ERT) technology has been expanded to the field of agriculture, and the concept of TERT (Tuber Electrical Resistance Tomography) is proposed. On the basis of the research on the forward and the inverse problems of the TERT system, a hybrid algorithm based on genetic algorithm is proposed, which can be used in TERT system to monitor the growth status of the plant tubers. The image reconstruction of TERT system is different from the conventional ERT system for two phase-flow measurement. Imaging of TERT needs more precision measurement and the conventional ERT cares more about the image reconstruction speed. A variety of algorithms are analyzed and optimized for the purpose of making them suitable for TERT system. For example: linear back projection, modified Newton-Raphson and genetic algorithm. Experimental results showed that the novel hybrid algorithm is superior to other algorithm and it can effectively improve the image reconstruction quality.


A comparative analysis of optical diffraction of electron micrographs of F-actin from normal and athyreosic myocardia showed abrupt changes of relative intensities of the reflexes nearest to the meridian in the athyreosic actin pattern. It indicates that under athyreosis changes in the actin globules or in their location in the fibril take place.


At the start of the 21st century those who are workless or on low incomes often must negotiate multiple and fragmented transitions in a landscape beset by continuing change in employment, demography and social structures. The welfare settlements created in the era of Keynesian full employment are being adapted to create services and supports to better meet the challenges posed by new social risks. Governments of OECD countries are implementing changes to their social security and employment systems and to their public sector bureaucracies. This paper assesses Britain's employment first strategy which, in two decades, has gone from being the sick man of Europe to the country with the highest employment rate and lowest unemployment rate amongst the G7 economies. It considers the new combinations of employment assistance, labour market regulation, tax and benefit reforms, and learning entitlements, which have redefined the rights and responsibilities of those making transitions between worklessness, caring and employment. It discusses the strengths and weaknesses of this new British settlement and explores the contemporary challenge to build on employment first and promote job retention, skill progression and advancement in the labour market


This paper describes a security-aware cache targeting field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology. Our design is based on an architecture with a remapping table, which provides resilience against side-channel timing attacks. We show how this cache design can be optimised for FPGA resources by an index decoder with content addressable memory structure, which can be customized to meet various requirements. We show, for the first time, how our security-aware cache can be included in the Leon 3 processor, and its performance and resource usage are evaluated.


Nanodielectrics is an emerging field with applications in capacitors, gate dielectrics, energy storage, alternatives to Li‐ion batteries, and frequency modulation in communications devices. Self‐assembly of high k dielectric nanoparticles is a highly attractive means to produce nanostructured films with improved performance—namely dielectric tunability, low leakage, and low loss—as a function of size, composition, and structure. One of the major challenges is conversion of the nanoparticle building block into a reliable thin film device at conditions consistent with integrated device manufacturing or plastic electronics. Here, the development of BaTiO3 and (Ba,Sr)TiO3 superparaelectric uniform nanocrystal (8–12 nm) films prepared at room temperature by evaporative driven assembly with no annealing step is reported. Thin film inorganic and polymer composite capacitors show dielectric constants in the tunable range of 10–30, dependent on composition, and are confirmed to be superparaelectric. Organic thin film transistor (TFT) devices on flexible substrates demonstrate the readiness of nanoparticle‐assembled films as gate dielectrics in device fabrication.


ABSTRACT In-depth investigations of major offshore accidents show that technical, human, operational and organisational risk influencing factors (RIFs) all have crucial effects on the accident sequences. Nonetheless, the current generation of quantitative risk analysis (QRA) in the offshore petroleum industry has focused on technical safety systems while applications and findings in the non-technical fields are to a large extent missing. There have also been parallel efforts to develop methods for the formal inclusion of human and organisational factors (HOFs) into QRA. Examples from the offshore petroleum industry include ORIM, BORA, Risk_OMT, etc. This paper presents a review of QRA models that have been developed for the offshore petroleum industry, allowing HOFs integrated in a systematical way. The main intention of this study is to summarise and evaluate how these QRA models effectively seek answers to the key questions in this line of research: (i) What are the RIFs that affect the risk? (ii) How do these factors influence the risk? (iii) How much do these factors contribute to the risk? Further, the weakness and challenges of the reviewed models are pinpointed based on a substantial data set of actual leaks that have occurred in the Norwegian sector. Following the close scrutiny of these models, their progress, limitations, validity and suitability are addressed and discussed in detail. Based on these insights, future work is suggested to enhance and improve the QRA framework for including the installation specific conditions of technical and non-technical RIFs in a more comprehensive and defensible way.


This paper examines the planning of Ariel Sharon Park, Israel's largest metropolitan park, in light of the emergence of environmentalism in Israel. It identifies four periods of significance in the park's planning. First, during the first half century of statehood (1948–1998), and in accordance with the state's general environmental oversight, the area served as a derelict backyard for the evolving metropolis of Tel Aviv, with the Hiriya landfill as its focus. The second period started with the closure of the landfill in 1998. It followed the emergence of an environmental paradigm that emphasizes preservation of open spaces for recreation and human use, and resulted in the planning of the area as a 'green lung' or a recreational area. Following international trends, the third period (mid-1990s) is characterized by ecological planning, perceiving the park as a locus for various environmental services such as soil and water purification. Currently, the planning process refines the social and spatial connections between the park and the adjacent urban fabric, in accordance with the current discourse on social/ecological sustainability. Discussing Ariel Sharon Park as a case study, the paper traces the broad and general connections between planning and environmentalism within the unique social, political and ideological setting of Israel, and questions the limits of the current social sustainability discourse.


Novel 3-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy- and 2-ethoxy-4,9-methanocyclopentacycloundecenes 12 and 13 are synthesized by the reaction of 9-chloro-1,6-methano[11]annulen-8-one 8, a 10π-electron vinylogue of 2-chlorotropone, with 2-ethoxy-3-(ethoxycarbonyl)prop-2-enylidene- and 2-ethoxyprop-2-enylidenetriphenylphosphorane, 7a and 7b, respectively. The reaction pathways involve a Michael-type addition of phosphoranes 7a,b onto ketone 8, subsequent proton migration regenerating the phosphorane moiety, which undergoes intramolecular Wittig reaction, and aromatization, eliminating HCl. The 1H NMR spectra show that compounds 12 and 13 are aromatic molecules having a diatropic 14-electron cyclic π system. The UV–visible absorption spectra of compounds 12 and 13 exhibit extended cyclic conjugation of the aromatic perimeter according to a bathochromic shift of the longest absorption maxima as compared to those of the related azulene derivatives having the same substituents. In addition, the first example of an aromatic substitution reaction of the methanocyclopentacycloundecene ring system has been studied, and shows that the compounds 12 and 13, like azulene, undergo trifluoroacetylation under exceptionally mild conditions and exhibit the same site-selectivity as does azulene. The electrochemical properties of compounds 12 and 13 as well as the related azulene derivatives are also analyzed and discussed on the basis of MNDO calculations.


This study aimed to investigate the participative administration of schools under the Office of Ranong Educational Service Area. To compare the levels of participative administration of school classified by the status to occupy. Sample consisted of administrators, teachers, Commitees of Basic Education were 63 persons. Instruments used was a set of rating scale questionnaires. Statistics employed were percentage, mean standard deviation, F-test (One-Way ANOVA). The Results of Research 1) The participative administration of school in overall was at high level. 2) The result of comparison of participative administration of school found that different the status to occupy were not different.


We demonstrate a label free optical biosensor based on macroporous silicon microcavity. The biosensor is tested and characterized by using the streptavidin-biotin couple as a model system.


45 patients aged 6-18 years, with bilateral (17) and unilateral (28) obstruction of the nose, were analysed and divided into two groups in which nasal pressure ranged from 20 to above 60 mm H2O. The following examinations pertaining to pulmonary function were performed: partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) and carbon dioxide (PCO2), pulmonary ventilation at rest and under charge (VC, FEV1, MMF25-75, IGV, FRC, RV, TLC, Rt). The investigation of the heart functions included the pulse rate, BP, and ECG at rest and under charge. According to our findings, nasal obstruction in children has less influence on the lower respiratory tracts than contended in previous reports in the literature. In no single case have we found any alterations in the function of the cardiovascular system at rest or during charge.


Three species of commercially important penaeid prawns, viz. Metapenaeus dobsoni, M. monoceros and Penaeus merguiensis occur in the Pilerne mangrove swamp of Goa. M. dobsoni was the dominant species contributing 42.66% followed by M. manoceros (35.02%) and P. merguiensis (22.32%). Premonsoon season (February-May) sustained their maximum abundance in this mangrove. Juveniles (10-30 mm) constituted the largest portion of the penaeid population. M. dobsoni grows to 50-60 mm length within 5-6 months and M. monoceros attains a length of 70-80 mm in 7-8 months. P. merguiensis stays in this environment for 6-7 months and reaches a length of 80-90 mm. Maximum abundance of juveniles occurs from December to June which would be the most appropriate time for a large scale collection


Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) has become a widely used method in molecular cytogenetics to screen for copy number aberrations in human malignancies. Although the hybridization protocol is relatively simple, the validation and quality control of CGH have remained difficult. We describe here a new modification of CGH, four‐color CGH, which is based on conventional CGH with an added Cy5‐labeled second reference DNA, that serves as an internal standard in every hybridization. The internal standard aids in identifying inconsistently hybridized chromosomal regions (such as 1pter, 19, 22). When using a special second reference DNA (from a sex‐mismatched trisomy 13 cell line) for four‐color CGH, it is possible to standardize the dynamic range of hybridization. The four‐color CGH modification is simple to adopt, requiring only the addition of Cy5‐labeled reference DNA to the existing hybridization protocol. The principles and the modifications of the CGH image analysis software are described in detail. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 24:112–118, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


We present here a patient with acute myeloid leukemia (M2) who developed fatal infective endocarditis. On admission, the patient (67-year-old male) had mitral stenosis and atrial fibrillation. Complete remission was achieved after induction chemotherapy. During the course of consolidation therapy, he developed sepsis caused by coagulase-negative staphylococcus, which was successfully treated with antibiotics. Thereafter, blood culture yielded multidrug-resistant staphylococcus epidermidis. An echocardiogram revealed mitral valve regurgitation with vegetation. He was diagnosed as having infectious endocarditis. In spite of prolonged antibiotic therapy, destruction of the mitral valve progressed, and the patient underwent valve replacement therapy. He died of cardiac tamponade 5 days after the surgery.


The clinical trial of BNT162b2 at age 12-15 years reported 100% effectiveness in preventing COVID-19 after 7 days from dose-2, which is administrated at day 21. We reanalyzed the data and found 100% effectiveness also after 14-20 days from dose-1 administration. This could relate to studies showing increased dose-1 effectiveness at younger ages. Our findings support the possibility of vaccinating younger ages with the United Kingdom regimen, which delays dose-2 to day 84 to allow more dose-1 vaccinations.


Background The incidence of factor IX inhibitor development in congenital haemophilia B is low (3–5% depending on the population) and usually occurs in the first days of treatment. Guidelines suggest that, after 150 days exposed to the drug (ED), testing is only required if clinically indicated. But we detected two cases in which the inhibitors developed on long term treatments. Purpose To describe all worldwide reported cases in which patients developed inhibitors when they were treated with Nonacog alfa. We focused on the time it took to develop the inhibitors since the treatment started. Material and methods We searched on VigiBase and FEDRA (global and Spanish pharmacovigilance databases, respectively), including all spontaneous reports in patients with Nonacog alfa who developed inhibitors in the past 20 years. All patients who did not have laboratory confirmation were excluded. Age, gender, reporting country, Nonacog alfa treatment starting date, EDs and confirmation inhibitor testing date were recorded. Results 52 cases of inhibitor development were reported globally: 29 in the USA, 8 in Japan and 15 in Europe. They were primarily in men (45/52) and gender was unknown in 5 cases. Their ages ranged from 9 months to 50 years (age was unknown in 19 cases). It was not possible to confirm the EDs in any of the cases. Half of the notifications (26/52) did not correctly record the chronology of inhibitor development. Of the remainder, 19 notifications were made in the first year of treatment (12 in the first 100 days), 2 notifications between the first and second year, 1 notification between the second and third year, 1 notification between the third and fourth year, 2 notifications between the fourth and fifth year and 1 notification between the sixth and seventh year. Conclusion These results show that patients treated for several years are also susceptible, although to a lesser extent, to developing inhibitors. Despite the major limitations of this study, it is not wrong to think that patients with longer treatments have been exposed to more doses which might even exceed 150 ED. Hence it is important to monitor all haemophilia B patients throughout all of their treatment. No conflict of interest


A liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method based on multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was developed for the simultaneous quantification of markers representing two potentially competing pathways, the Maillard reaction and the dehydroalanine pathway. The two pathways involve the same residues in the proteins to some extent, namely, the essential amino acid lysine, as well as free-amino terminals available on proteins and polypeptides, competition between the two pathways in food systems may occur. The developed method comprises the following markers of the Maillard reaction: furosine, N-ε-(carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL) and N-ε-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), together with the dehydroalanine reaction pathway markers; lanthionine (LAN) and lysinoalanine (LAL), as well as lysine itself. The validated method was then used for the absolute quantification of heat-induced protein modifications in model systems of micellar casein and whey protein isolates (MCI and WPI, respectively) in the presence or absence of lactose. As expected, the Maillard reaction markers furosine, CEL and CML increased during the applied heat treatment in the presence of lactose, whereas the dehydroalanine markers, LAN and LAL increased with heating in both MCI and WPI, both in the presence and absence of lactose, although at lower levels in the presence of lactose, confirming the competing state of the two pathways.


This poster was presented on day 2 September 2014 in the sesion "A12 Detecting the Landscape(s) - Remote Sensing Techniques from Research to Heritage Management congress" of the XVII World UISPP Congress, celebrated in Burgos.


Asset Retirement Obligation (ARO) is becoming the focus of many oil and gas companies around the world. It is a critical aspect of the Exploration and Production business which has suffered professional neglect for too long. As a subject matter, the principles of ARO owe credence to both national and international legislative perspectives. Its future impact equally draws from visible and disruptive environmental dimension. It is one link that connects the obligation of oil companies to their host governments and surviving communities.
ARO will play a major role in valuation of Nigerian petroleum assets. It can also provide a regulatory mechanism to hold a licensee accountable to Nigerian legislation governing environmental liability for field reclamation and retirement of oil & gas installations by end of useful (economic) life of a project. Viewed as the potential elephant in the room, this lifecycle environmental liability can sometimes exceed terminal asset value, unless it is carefully managed. Experts believe that Nigeria's ARO liability may exceed $9 Billion USD if properly assessed.
More so, establishing ARO will help the regulator manage and enforce the law as well as bind the licensees to their contractual obligation to Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and various lenders. To define ARO, certain legislative, financial, technical, environmental and commercial criteria must be considered when estimating and assigning liability. The objective is to identify existing gaps in the Nigerian fiscal, legislative and regulatory practices and proffer ways to improve the situation going forward.
This paper therefore reviews the key issues relating to Nigeria's ARO, ranging from international to domestic legislative provisions, which include, but not limited to laws, regulations and guidelines. On one hand, it highlights relevant global best practices on the subject and makes policy recommendations as suggestions of what can be done to close existing compliance gaps. On another hand, it also outlines various schemes that Nigeria and its operators can adopt to safeguard their long-term economic and environmental interests. Consequently, the proposal could form one of the cornerstones upon which a future abandonment blueprint can be developed for Nigeria starting from proactive and retroactive implementation of the proposed framework.


Algae as a biodiesel feedstock are more productive per unit area than traditional feedstock options, but currently algae production is not economical without high-value co-products. Lipid-extracted algae (LEA) may be useful as a soil amendment; however, research is needed to determine the feasibility and management strategies required. The objective was to determine salinity-associated effects of LEA as a soil amendment on a range of salt tolerant forages [foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.), and a sorghum-sudangrass hybrid (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench)]. Forage seed were planted in columns containing sandy clay loam soil amended with the following: (1) control [nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizer added], (2) 1.5% LEA by weight, (3) 3.0% LEA, (4) 1.5% LEA + 1.5% wheat straw (WS), and (5) 1.5% WS (+N, +P). Seedling emergence and total herbage mass (HM) from sequential harvests was determined, along with forage mineral uptake. Soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were analyzed after the final harvest. Seedling emergence of pearl millet was negatively affected by LEA application, but not foxtail millet or sorghum-sudangrass. Pearl millet emergence was most reduced in 3.0% LEA treated soil, however, this treatment produced greater HM by the third harvest. Soil pH and EC were greater in 3.0% LEA-treated soil than the control and 1.5% WS treatment. Production of salt tolerant forages such as sorghum-sudangrass is possible in LEA-amended soil; however, with repeated applications soil salinity may reduce productivity and sustainability.


Avian reoviruses (ARV) are a group of poultry pathogens that cause runting and stunting syndrome (RSS), a condition otherwise known as "frozen chicken", which are characterized by dramatically delayed growth in broilers. It has been known that p17, a nonstructural protein encoded by ARV, prohibits cellular proliferation by halting the cell cycle at the G2/M phase, the result of which is directly associated with the typical clinical sign of RSS. Nevertheless, the mechanism by which p17 modulates cell-cycle progression remains largely unknown. Here, we screened the interactome of ectopically expressed p17 through a yeast two-hybrid assay and identified Bub3, a cellular mitotic checkpoint protein, as a binding partner of p17. The infection of the Vero cells by ARV downregulated the Bub3 expression, while the knockdown of Bub3 alleviated the p17-modulated cell-cycle arrest during ARV infection. Remarkably, the suppression of Bub3 by RNAi in the Vero cells significantly reduced the viral mRNA and protein abundance, which eventually led to diminished virus replication. Altogether, our findings reveal that ARV p17 impedes host cell proliferation through a Bub3-dependent cell-cycle arrest, which eventually contributes to efficient virus replication. These results also unveil a hitherto unknown therapeutic target for RSS.


Electron-beam induced deposition is employed to build three-dimensional nanostructures like supertips for electron field emitters and microtubes. This is a novel technique rendering supertips with 15 nm tip radius and 50 nm length with 7.2 degree emission angle. This is a 25 fold increase in brightness if compared to conventional tungsten field emitters. Miniaturised microtubes are constructed under computer control with a cathode to anode separation of less than 700 nm and a cathode-grid capacitor in the fF range. Tubes with 5 parallel cathodes can have an estimated transconductance of 50 /spl mu/Siemens and can be switched with 30000 electrons at 5 V in the 100 GHz range.


Using monoclonal antibodies, we demonstrate that the phosphoprotein of measles virus and a protein of herpes simplex virus type 1 crossreact with an intermediate filament protein of human cells. This intermediate filament protein, probably vimentin, has a molecular weight of 52,000, whereas the molecular weights of the measles viral phosphoprotein and the herpes virus protein are 70,000 and 146,000, respectively. Crossreactivity was shown by immunofluorescent staining of infected and uninfected cells and by immunoblotting. The monoclonal antibody against measles virus phosphoprotein did not react with herpes simplex virus protein and vice versa, indicating that these monoclonal antibodies recognize different antigenic determinants on the intermediate filament molecule. The significance of these results in explaining the appearance of autoantibodies during virus infections in humans is discussed. Many mechanisms have been proposed to account for the induction of autoimmunity in humans. One plausible explanation is infection by virus. Viruses may induce autoimmune responses through shared determinants on molecules normally present on host cells, by altering the host immune system, or by causing the expression or release of "normally sequestered" self antigens. Autoantibodies are a frequent finding in the sera of virus-infected individuals, both during and after infection. For example, after infection with Epstein-Barr virus (1, 2), antibodies reacting with intermediate filaments of cells, immunoglobulin, or thyroglobulin were detected. Similarly, humans infected with hepatitis, herpes, mumps, or measles viruses can develop antibodies to their own cytoskeletal components (3-5), although the antibodies that reacted with cytoskeletal proteins were not shown to bind to viruses (5). Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) provide probes to analyze unique determinants on viruses and on self constituents. Using such probes, we have described (6, 7) a MAb against herpes simplex type 1 virus (HSV-1) that reacts with a variety of uninfected mammalian cells. Furthermore, we have noted that a large proportion of MAbs originally derived by immunization of mice with measles virus polypeptides react with self constituents of human cells. We describe here two MAbs with dual specificity; one recognizes the phosphoprotein of measles virus and the intermediate filament protein, Mr 52,000. The other binds to and immunoprecipitates a protein present during the late phase of HSV infection (7) and reacts with a similar intermediate filament protein. The intermediate filaments are a normal component of uninfected cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cells, Virus, and Virus Infection. HeLa, Vero, BHK21, CV1, HEp-2, and human astrocyte cells were maintained in Eagle's minimal essential medium containing 10% fetal calf serum, 1% glutamine, and antibiotics. These cells were cultured in T75 flasks (Falcon) at 370C in 5% CO2 and passed twice weekly. Astrocytes derived from a human brain biopsy sample were positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein by immunofluorescent


A review of quantitative methods for electromyography is given. Background information about motor unit anatomy, physiology, and pathology is provided to explain some of the presented electrophysiological phenomena. Different aspects of quantitation, such as motor unit action potential parameters, automatic analysis methods, reference values, and findings in abnormal conditions, are discussed.


Aphidicolin is an antibiotic of novel structure produced by the mold Cephalosporium aphidicola. It is a potent inhibitor of cellular deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis, and it also strongly inhibits the growth of herpes simplex virus both in tissue culture and in the rabbit eye. Aphidicolin is active against iododeoxyuridine-resistant herpes virus, and does not itself readily induce the formation of drug-resistant strains of herpesvirus.


A widely assumed limitation on the distribution of negative polarity items (NPIs) is that they must be c-commanded by a trigger. Scrutiny of this limitation reveals, however, that c-command by a trigger is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition on the distribution of NPIs. The failure of ccommand to serve as the basis for an account of the syntactic distribution of NPIs is taken here as the impetus to pursue an alternative approach, one in terms of scope and linear order instead of c-command. A particular concept of scope is established that serves as the key notion for characterizing the syntactic relationship between NPIs and their triggers. Scope is defined in a dependency grammar (DG) theory of syntax in terms of scope domains. The catena unit plays an important role. Given the notions of scope put forward, it is possible to discern two conditions on the syntactic distribution of NPIs.


This paper focused on the importance of revisiting the traditional method of settling peace in our society. It also examined the activities of the European method of settling peace as was introduced to African Leaders during the era of colonization of African Nations. The paper also expressed the challenges posted to the local and international community as the evolution of institutions and strategies for attaining world peace and security. This paper seen peace as one of the humanity highest values and there are many definitions of what peace is; its meaning is multilateral and multi-disciplinary depending on which notion is central in the determination of peace as a concept. The paper looked at peace concept politically, within a state, and the conditions for which peace are created and maintained when the leaders and the citizens carry out their constitutional, political, social and economic roles by providing the needed security for all. The Article suggested that, the African methods of settling peace within the framework of African Continent should be maintained, while the Euro-centric idea of inviting people for peace settlement through police and court orders should be rejected. Article visualizations:


Prosthetic implants, periprosthetic and osteoarticular tissues are specimens of choice for diagnosis of bone and joint infections including prosthetic joint infections (PJIs). However, it is widely known that cultures from prostheses and tissues may fail to yield microbial growth in up to one third of patients. In the recent past, treatment of prosthetic implants have been optimized in order to improve sensitivity of microbiological cultures, while less attention has been addressed to tissue samples. For these latter homogenization is considered the best procedure, but it is quite laborious, time-consuming and it is not always performed in all laboratories. Dithiothreitol (DTT) has been proposed as an alternative treatment to sonication for microbiological diagnosis of PJIs. In this study, we evaluated the applicability of MicroDTTect treatment, a closed system developed for transport and treatment of tissues and prosthetic implants with DTT. For evaluation of applicability of MicroDTTect to tissue specimens, samples (tissues and, in case of PJI, prosthetic implants) from 40 patients (12 PJIs and 5 osteomyelitis and 23 not-infected) were evaluated. MicroDTTect system consists of a sterile plastic bag containing a reservoir which allows for release of a 0.1% (v:v) DTT solution, once the sample is placed into the bag. Comparison of MicroDTTect treatment of prostheses with sonication included samples from 30 patients (14 with aseptic loosening of the prosthesis and 16 with PJIs). Of two tissue samples from the same region, one was placed into MicroDTTect bag and the other was collected in a sterile container with addition of sterile saline. After agitation and centrifugation of the eluate, aliquots of the pellets were plated on agar plates and inoculated into broths which were incubated for 48 hrs and 15 days, respectively. Treatment of prosthetic implants with MicroDTTect showed a higher specificity and sensitivity than sonication (specificity 92.8% vs 85.7%; sensitivity: 87.5% vs 75.0 % DTT vs sonication). When used for tissue treatment, MicroDTTect showed a sensitivity of 82.3% and a specificity of 97% which were higher than that observed when saline was used (sensitivity: 64.7%; specificity 91%). Treatment of tissues and prosthetic implants with MicroDTTect may be a practicable strategy to improve microbiological diagnosis of osteoarticular infections, reducing sample manipulation and therefore limiting sample contamination. Moreover, use of MicroDTTect does not require dedicated instrumentation, and is time and cost saving.


Vascular endothelial cells are constantly exposed to wall shear stress generated by blood flow. Endothelial cells act as mechanoceptors sensing and responding to shear stress, and play a role in flow-dependent phenomena such as angiogenesis, vascular remodeling and atherosclerosis. Numerous recent studies have demonstrated that endothelial cell functions change in response to shear stress, and that the responses are often accompanied by changes in related gene expression. More recently there has been evidence that genes known to be regulated by shear stress may have a common cis-element (shear stress responsive element; SSRE) in their promoter regions. A molecular mechanism for endothelial cell responses to mechanical stress is close to being elucidated. In this paper, shear-stress-mediated regulation of endothelial gene expression is reviewed.


Renal cell cancer (RCC) is responsible for a small percentage of total cancer cases and deaths throughout the world, but the incidence rates of RCC have been steadily increasing over the past decade, whereas numerous other cancers have stabilized or even decreased in number. Even in countries that were observed to have a lower incidence of this disease many are now experiencing large increases in the rates of this cancer. Most kidney cancers are RCC, and blacks are currently experiencing RCC rates that are higher than any other race. Older individuals are also at a higher risk compared with young individuals, but this observation may also be changing. The reasons for these potential increases are not understood beyond the partial impact and greater use of newer diagnostic procedures. Other reasons for higher rates of RCC and a better understanding of which individuals may be at the highest risk need to be examined to provide the clinician with possible clues as to who should be tested and what prevention measures should be offered. Most of the past investigations into risk factors have been case-control or retrospective studies, but some generalizations can still be made. Family history and genetics seem to increase risk, but overall are responsible for a small number of the total cases. Smoking, obesity, and even hypertension seem to be risk factors for RCC. Reducing these behaviors and conditions may also reduce the risk of RCC. Healthier eating habits (fruits and vegetables, and a lower caloric intake) and more physical activity may also reduce the risk of RCC. Therefore, it is possible that the increases in RCC may also be due, in part, to unhealthy lifestyle factors that have been on the increase over the past several decades. Recommendations for cardiovascular disease prevention should also be applied to patients or clinicians concerned about RCC risk. Finally, numerous occupations, occupational exposures, reproductive and hormonal changes or manipulations, and a variety of other factors may impact risk, but overall their contribution seems small compared with other more consistent risk factors.


We have studied the mechanism of Na+ deprivation-induced catecholamine secretion from freshly isolated bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. Na+ deprivation-induced catecholamine secretion depended on free extracellular Ca2+ concentrations and was almost parallel to 45Ca2+ influx into the cells under various experimental conditions. Furthermore, Na+ deprivation-induced 45Ca2+ influx and catecholamine secretion were actually induced by a relative Na+ concentration gradient across the plasma membrane, but not by simple omission of Na+ from the medium. These results indicate that the deprivation of Na+ from the medium changes the relative Na+ gradient across the plasma membrane and results in Ca2+ influx via a reverse mode of Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchange rather than by inducing Ca2+ entry through Ca2+ channels by eliminating the competition between extracellular Na+ and Ca2+.


The success of inclusion initiatives for students with learning difficulties (LD) in regular classrooms depends on the teaching skills of general educators and to what extent these skills affect their teaching performance. Hence, this investigation examines the relationship between teaching skills and teaching performance among general educators (GEds) who teach students in intermediate schools in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 401 GEds in regular intermediate schools in Riyadh. GEds completed the questionnaire containing items related to teaching skills, and they also completed a teaching performance questionnaire. The data collected in this study were analysed using a structural equation modelling approach (SEM) via analysis of moment structures (AMOS). The findings from the structural analysis indicated that GEds' skills were significantly correlated with their performance. Moderation analysis confirmed the significant effect of years of teaching experience on the relationship between GEds' skills and their teaching performance. Specifically, the influence of GEds' skills on their teaching performance was greater among those with either very little or a lot of teaching experience. Hence, the findings of the present study will contribute to the growing body of literature in the KSA regarding the teaching skills of GEds and their teaching performance in inclusive practice. Moreover, the findings will be beneficial to policymakers in the Ministry of Education (MOE), as well as the educators in the field of LD. This study also has the possible positive reflection on the GEds' teaching performance, thus enhancing their teaching of student with learning difficulties (SLD). Finally, the recommendations from the study and the suggestions for further researches are discussed.


This paper presents a prototype of a transverse flux homopolar linear machine system, along with a systematic and generalized 3-D approach which is capable of analyzing three kinds of these linear machines: the transverse flux linear induction machine; the homopolar linear synchronous machine; and the transverse flux linear reluctance machine; all in one compact mathematical model. A novel methodology which combines the state-space technique with the statistical saliency effect superposition method is proposed. With such a detailed and generalized modelling approach, the capability of analyzing the saliency effects induced by the distributed windings in practical linear machine systems is enhanced, and the representations of all the related linear machine system equations can be manipulated in compact matrix forms. Experimental verifications confirm that this comprehensive theoretical approach is a convenient and reliable mathematical basis for computer-aided analysis and design studies on linear machine systems. >


Achondroplasia is a genetic mutation of fibroblast growth factor receptor resulting in impaired growth plate development in long bones due to lower collagen turnover. Despite the characteristic shorter stature and lower strength in Achondroplasic groups, little is known of the tendon mechanical properties under loading. The aim of this study was therefore to conduct a between measure design of patella tendon (PT) mechanical properties (stress, strain, stiffness and Young's Modulus) in 10 men with Achondroplasia (22 ± 3 years) and 17 male controls (22 ± 2 years). PT mechanical properties were measured during isometric maximal voluntary contraction (iMVC) of the knee extensors using ultrasonography. The Achondroplasic group produced 54% less stress at iMVC than controls (29.4 ± 8.0 v 64.5 ± 14.0 MPa, P < 0.001, d = 3.12). Maximal excursion of the Achondroplasic PT was 22% less than controls at iMVC (7.4 ± 2.1 v 5.5 ± 1.7 mm, P < 0.001, d = 0.99), but there was no difference in strain between groups (13 ± 4 v 13 ± 3%, P > 0.05). Achondroplasic PT were 47% less stiff (748 ± 93 v 1418 ± 101 N·mm−1, P < 0.001, d = 6.89) and had a 51% lower Young's modulus (0.39 ± 0.09 v 0.77 ± 0.14 GPa, P < 0.001, d = 3.46) than controls at iMVC. Achondroplasic PT are indeed more compliant than controls which may contribute to lower relative force production. The causes of higher Achondroplasic PT compliance are unclear but are likely due to the collagen related genetic mutation which causes Achondroplasia.


Introduction: Headaches have been posed to be a common occurring complaint being as frequent as 66% in general population. One the common types of headaches is Cervicogenic Headache which is considered as a secondary headache wherein the symptoms occur due to cervical spine and its bony components, disc or soft tissue structures. Cervicogenic headache is a syndrome described as pain felt on one side of the head, relating same side neck, shoulder and arm pain that is aggravated by neck movements or sustained head posture. Objectively, Cervicogenic Headache is diagnosed by Cervical Flexion Rotation Test (CFRT) or Passive Accessory Intervertebral Movements (PAIVM).
Material & Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst students of Rehman Medical Institute and a valid questionnaire was distributed amongst all participants. Informed consent form was obtained from all participants prior to their recruitment into this survey. Objectively measuring tools CFRT and PAIVM were used to assess CGH amongst all participants. The responses from these participants were recorded and analysed through SPSS version 22. Data was presented through mean, standard deviation and X2 test was used to see differences between categorical variables.
Results: A total of 187 participants with mean age 20.93 ± 1.79 years were included in this cross-sectional survey. On the basis of subjective diagnostic criteria, the frequency of CGH amongst these students was found to be 21.9% (17.6% males and 25.5% females). The common age of students suffering from CGH was 21 years. Out of total population, 36.8% had a positive CFRT and subjective diagnostic criteria for CGH, while 26.1% had positive CFRT alone. More than 1/3 (37.1%) of the population had positive test results for both PAIVMs and subjective diagnostic criteria.
Conclusion: Students in medical institutes are prone to developing cervicogenic headache which might be due to wrong posture during their studies


From the perspective of slack resources, this paper studies the relationship between human resource and technological innovation. We develop a nonlinear inverted N-shaped relationship model between human resource slack and technological innovation, and subsequently test this model using samples of 283 Chinese firms. The empirical results show that too little human resource slack is negatively related to the technological innovation, moderate human resource slack is positively related to the technological innovation and too much human resource slack is negatively related to the technological innovation.


The scope of this project is to study the effect of coating thickness on 316L stainless steel on application of thermal cycling using finite element modeling and SEM results. Due to its ability to take high thermal loads the substrate, 316L stainless steel is commonly used in high temperature applications (power plants). But, sometime it may not sustain for the given loads. WC–Co is used as a coating material and NiAl being a good bonding layer it is used as a substrate. Hence, WC–Co/NiAl coating layers were successfully deposited on 316 L stainless steel substrates by using a HVOF technique and micro structural observations were carried out using SEM analysis. The SEM analysis revealed that the oxidation between the coating layers was very low and had very good contact with the substrate, indicating a very high bonding to the substrate. This test was carried for the thermal cycling (range 373 & 873o k) without any external load [1]. Thermal residual stresses, developed during and after thermal cycling, were determined by using FEM software package (ANSYS).It was found that the tensile stress distributions in x- direction were dominant then the compressive stresses and also the coating layer plays an important role in thermal stress


Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain the evolution of inaccurate mimicry. Here we investigated the novel hypothesis that inaccurate mimicry (in color and shape) is maintained by opposing selective pressures from a suite of different predators: model-aversive visually oriented predators and model- and mimic-specialized predators indifferent to mimetic cues. We hypothesize that spiders resembling ants in color and shape escape predators that typically avoid ants but fall prey to ant-eating predators. We tested whether inaccurate myrmecomorphic spiders are perceived as their models by two types of predators and whether they can escape from these predators. We found that model-specialized (ant-eating) predators captured mimics significantly less frequently than their ant models, because mimics changed their behavior by fleeing predatory attacks. The fastest escape was found in less accurate mimics, indicating a negative association between visual resemblance and effectiveness of defenses. In trials with spider-eating predators, mimics were not captured more frequently than their models. The quality of defensive mechanisms appears to result from opposing selection forces exerted by the predator complex: mimics are more accurate (in color and shape) in microhabitats dominated by model-aversive predators and less accurate in microhabitats with model- and mimic-specialized predators.


A low-density plastic aerogel foams, including doped with copper clusters have been irradiated by the first (¬ =1.315 m) and third (¬ = 0.438 m) harmonics of the PALS iodine laser. Laser pulse duration was approximately 380 ps (FWHM), laser energy was up to 300 J, and laser intensity on the target was typically by an order of 10 14 -10 15 W/cm 2 . The targets were of a fine-grain structure with the pore size in the range of 1-2  m. The energy transfer in plasma was measured by the X-ray and optical diagnostics. The observed phenomena are explained via mathematical modelling of the processes in plasma performed by fluid codes RAPID and LATRANT, developed at P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute and the Institute of Mathematical Modelling of RAS, Moscow. Our simulations take into account a microscopic structure of porous matter and energy transfer and loss by the X-ray emission. The plasma radiative characteristics were calculated by DESNA code. The analysis of the experimental and calculated data allows one to find the energy balance in the target and the plasma characteristics important for the dynamics of the processes.


Yttrium oxide and barium strontium titanate (BST) thin films were grown directly on Si substrates by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Because the optimum oxygen pressure during PLD process is of the order of 10 mTorr, some of the oxygen atoms are trapped inside the grown films and contribute to the growth of a silicon oxide interfacial layer. The use of an UV source during the growth resulted in the reduction of the optimum oxygen pressure and, as a consequence, the amount of trapped oxygen and thickness of the interfacial layer. In addition to that, UV radiation influenced the film morphologies and electrical properties. A further reduction of the interfacial layer was obtained on substrates that were exposed prior to deposition to NH 3 for short periods of time under UV radiation.


Electrical events in longitudinal and circular muscles of the colon are different. Longitudinal muscles generate action potentials superimposed upon small depolarizations termed myenteric potential oscillations and circular muscles generate slow wave events that persist for several seconds. Differences between circular and longitudinal muscles may be related to the potassium channels these cells express. We have studied Ca(2+)-dependent and voltage-dependent K currents of isolated longitudinal cells with the whole cell patch-clamp technique. Test depolarizations positive to -40 mV yielded a transient inward current followed by a large sustained outward current. Blockade of the inward Ca2+ current reduced the amplitude of the outward current. Outward current was also reduced by tetraethylammonium (TEA; 1 mM), suggesting that a component of the outward current is Ca2+ dependent. After blockade of the Ca(2+)-dependent outward current, a voltage- and time-dependent component of outward current remained. The activation and inactivation properties and sensitivity to TEA and 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) were characterized. The voltage-dependent outward current in longitudinal cells had different properties than the voltage-dependent K currents in circular muscle cells (i.e., more negative inactivation, less sensitivity to 4-AP). TEA (1-5 mM) increased the amplitude and frequency of action potentials in intact longitudinal muscles; 4-AP (1 mM) had little effect on electrical activity of longitudinal muscles. The data suggest that differences in electrical behavior of the 2 muscle layers may be related to the expression of different species of K channels.


Jerky domain wall motion during merging of neighboring domains in lithium niobate single crystals was studied in details by using synchronized in-situ optical visualization and recording of switching current shape. Several scenarios of domain structure transformation were revealed and classified. It has been shown that predetermined nucleation and layer-by-layer mechanism are main reasons for observed jerky domain wall motion. On the basis of the analysis of the current pulse shape the step growth velocity was estimated to be about 1 m/s. This value is several orders of magnitude higher than the averaged visible domain wall velocity in lithium niobate.


Background Since the mass vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 was launched in Israel, the Arab ethnicity minority had lower vaccine uptake. The syndemics theory suggests a closely interrelated complex of health and social crises among vulnerable societies results in an increased disease burden or in more adverse health conditions. Syndemics may explain the health disparities between different people or communities. Likewise, acculturation was found to be associated with different health outcomes among minority populations. The purpose of the study is to explore the association between syndemic construct, acculturation style, and adherence to recommended COVID-19 vaccination among the Arab ethnicity in Israel. Methods A cross-sectional study among 305 participants who completed a self-report questionnaire. Syndemic construct (syndemics score and syndemics severity) was calculated from the participants' health behavior index, self-rated health status, and adherence to flu vaccination. Four acculturation strategies were defined according to Barry's acculturation model: assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization style. Linear regression (stepwise method) was conducted to determine the explanatory factors for COVID-19 vaccine adherence. Results Assimilation and separation acculturation styles and syndemics severity were significantly associated with higher adherence to the recommended COVID-19 vaccination (B = 1.12, 95%CI = 0.34–1.98; B = 0.45, 95%CI = 0.10–0.80; B = 0.18, 95%CI = 0.09–0.28; respectively). The explained variance of the model (R2) was 19.9%. Conclusion Syndemics severity, assimilation and separation acculturation styles were associated with higher adherence to recommended COVID-19 vaccination in the Israeli Arab minority population. Syndemics score was not associated with recommended COVID-19 vaccination. To encourage COVID-19 vaccination among minority communities, campaigns should be tailored to the social determinants in a sensitive and individualized manner.


Sidescan sonars have seen wide deployment in underwater imaging. They can be used to image the seabed to a rather acceptable resolution from a few centimeters to 10 centimeters. Yet, sonar images are still of a substantially lower visual quality as they suffer from quite a few problems, e.g., acoustic shadows that vary according to vehicle heading and sonar grazing angle, speckle noise, geometric deformation due to ping variation and speed of vehicle carrying the sonar, etc. Landmark detection in sidescan sonar images is vital to find objects and locations of interest that are useful in various underwater operations. The objective of this work is proposing novel landmark detection methods for this class of images. Cubic smoothing spline fitted to the across-track signals is proposed as a method to detect the objects and their shadows. To cover a large area, experimental data has been acquired during missions performed in Melenara Bay (Las Palmas/Spain) using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) equipped with Klein 3500 sidescan sonar. The AUVs have been deployed in two missions (one mission performed each day) and a total of 25 large-resolution images have been acquired. The AUV generated 12 parallel path images in the first mission and 13 parallel path images in the second mission with an angle of 70 degrees between the direction of mission #1 and mission #2. This difference in the directions of the two missions was necessary to ensure different acoustic shadows between the two sets of images, each set being generated from a different mission. Results show that the proposed methods are powerful in detecting landmarks from these challenging images.


Abstract Malononitrilamides (MNAs) represent a new class of low molecular weight immunosuppressants and have been shown to prevent and reverse ongoing acute allograft rejection and effectively prolong xenograft survival in rodents. MNAs were also found to be potent inhibitors of B and T cell-mediated autoimmune processes and mediate their effects by binding specifically to dihydro-orotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), inhibiting de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis, thereby blocking T and B cell proliferation and strongly suppressing the IgM and IgG antibody production. Here we evaluated the effects of the MNAs (HMR 1279 and HMR 1715) on the in vivo lymphoproliferation that occurs after challenge with allogeneic cells in a local graft-versus-host reaction in Lewis × Brown Norway F1 hybrid rats by measuring the enlargement of the popliteal lymph nodes (PLN) draining the site of allogeneic cell injection. Oral administration of the MNAs dose-dependently prevented the localized lymphoproliferative response in the PLN assay and suppressed the lymph node hyperplasia. The MNAs even acted therapeutically when they were given during an ongoing alloreactivity as late as days 4 or 5 after challenge. Consistent with the mode of action, a complete reversal of the immunosuppression on the lymphoproliferation in vivo was attempted in this protocol by the addition of exogenous uridine during days 0–5. These data suggest the HMR 1279 and HMR 1715 mediate their antiproliferative and immunosuppressive effects in the PLN assay in vivo by decreasing the activity of DHODH in the lymph node cells and thereby inhibiting pyrimidine biosynthesis.


The concept of digital twin, which synchronizes data from physical objects in the virtual world, has been widely used in various fields. However, previous studies have focused on synchronizing robots due to their built-in sensors, while synchronizing humans is more complex due to their high degree of freedom and the need for external sensors. Although studies have been conducted to synchronize humans using cameras, they have only considered a single space. To apply this technology in real buildings or factories, a large-scale digital twin using multiple sensors is required. To address this issue, we propose a framework that synchronizes large-scale digital twins using only the features of people in images, rather than raw data from RGB camera sensors, reducing network traffic. This framework allows for the storage and replay of only the synchronized human's features, facilitating interaction with other robots and customization.


The number of hepatectomies has increased greatly in recent years. Surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the normal liver has not increased. However, the increase in numbers of hepatectomies for HCC associated with liver cirrhosis is remarkable. More than 80% of our hepatectomy cases were cirrhotic and about 80% of these cirrhotic cases had HCCs 5cm or less in diameter. The operative mortality rate has improved in the latter half of this series, from 10.1% (9/89) to 1.5% (5/338), in spite of an increase in cases with poor liver function. This corresponds to a decrease in the mean value of the annual operative blood loss. The survival rates after hepatectomy for all cases (n = 378) were 40.6% ± 6.6 (% ± SE) for 5 year and 22.7% ± 5.3 for 10 year at the end of 1988. A difference of the 5-year survival rate between the patients operated on before 1981 (n = 78, 25.6% ± 4.9) and after 1982 (n = 300, 46.1% ± 4.8) was observed (p<0.05). Because the cancer-free survival rates of the patients operated on in the two periods, before 1981 and after 1982, were almost the same, the recent improvement of the survival rates seems to be due to a prolongation of survival time after recurrence.


Spatially-coupled (SC) codes are among the most attractive error-correcting codes for use in modern storage devices. SC codes are constructed by partitioning an underlying block code and coupling the partitioned components. Here, we focus on circulant-based SC codes. Recently, the optimal overlap (OO), circulant power optimizer (CPO) approach was introduced to construct high performance SC codes for AWGN and Flash channels. The OO partitioning stage operates on the protograph of the SC code, while the CPO optimizes the circulant powers, in order to minimize the number of detrimental objects. Since the nature of detrimental objects in the graph of a code critically depends on the characteristics of the channel of interest, extending the OO-CPO approach to construct SC codes for channels with intrinsic memory is not a straightforward task. In this paper, we tackle one relevant extension; we construct high performance SC codes for practical 1-D magnetic recording channels, i.e., partial-response (PR) channels. Via combinatorial techniques, we carefully build and solve the optimization problem of the OO partitioning, focusing on the objects of interest in the case of PR channels. Then, we customize the CPO to further reduce the number of these objects in the graph of the code. SC codes designed using the OO-CPO approach for PR channels outperform prior state-of-the-art SC codes by around 3 orders of magnitude in FER and 1.1 dB in SNR, and more intriguingly, outperform structured block codes of the same length by around 1.6 orders of magnitude in FER and 0.4 dB in SNR.


In this paper, we propose a Joint Collaborative Autoencoder framework that learns both user-user and item-item correlations simultaneously, leading to a more robust model and improved top-K recommendation performance. More specifically, we show how to model these user-item correlations and demonstrate the importance of careful normalization to alleviate the influence of feedback heterogeneity. Further, we adopt a pairwise hinge-based objective function to maximize the top-K precision and recall directly for top-K recommenders. Finally, a mini-batch optimization algorithm is proposed to train the proposed model. Extensive experiments on three public datasets show the effectiveness of the proposed framework over state-of-the-art non-neural and neural alternatives.


Purpose To assess the current state of laboratory medicine education at U.S. medical schools. Method From 2013 to 2014, the authors surveyed the appropriate dean, department chair, or undergraduate education director at each U.S. medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education about the state of laboratory medicine education, curriculum and competency assessment, and barriers to education at his or her institution. The authors used descriptive statistics to analyze the results. Results The authors received 98 (75%) responses. Eighty-two schools (84%) offered course work in laboratory medicine; 76 (78%) required it. The median number of hours of required course work was 12.5, with 8.0 devoted to lectures and 4.5 to small-group, problem-based learning and/or laboratory sessions. Only 8 schools required training in a clinical setting. Fewer than half reported regular, formal review of the laboratory medicine curriculum. The assessment of students' competency in laboratory medicine was rare (8 schools), and only half of respondents were aware of published curriculum guidelines. Barriers to teaching laboratory medicine included lack of sufficient time in the preclinical curriculum (86; 88%) or clinical curriculum (84; 86%), lack of knowledge of best laboratory practices by residents (70; 72%), lack of student interest (62; 63%), and lack of knowledge by attending physicians (58; 59%). Half of respondents were likely to use a national standardized examination to assess competency in laboratory medicine, if one was available. Conclusions Significant opportunities exist to improve laboratory medicine education, including in the proper use and interpretation of clinical laboratory testing.


We present a semiclassical treatment of one-dimensional many-body quantum systems in equilibrium, where quantum corrections to the classical field approximation are systematically included by a renormalization of the classical field parameters. Our semiclassical approximation is reliable in the limit of weak interactions and high temperatures. As a specific example, we apply our method to the interacting Bose gas and study experimentally observable quantities, such as correlation functions of bosonic fields and the full counting statistics of the number of particles in an interval. Where possible, our method is checked against exact results derived from integrability, showing excellent agreement.


This paper explores enhancing mobile immersive augmented reality manipulations by providing a sense of computer-captured touch through the use of a passive deformable haptic glove that responds to objects in the physical environment. The glove extends our existing pinch glove design with a Digital Foam sensor that is placed under the palm of the hand. The novel glove input device supports a range of touchactivated, precise, direct manipulation modeling techniques with tactile feedback including hole cutting, trench cutting, and chamfer creation. A user evaluation study comparing an image plane approach to our passive deformable haptic glove showed that the glove improves a user's task performance time, decreases error rate and erroneous hand movements, and reduces fatigue.


Within the frame of globalisation and the strive for future modes of living in a global society, this article describes the development of the Thabarwa Meditation Centres, which started in Yangon, Myanmar, in 2007. It explains the aim of the centres, their mode of operation and their organisational structure, based on the centres' main paradigms. To understand their stunning growth and success, it is crucial to perceive how they bring their members to understand what is called the 'law of cause and effect' concerning everyone's actions. Once a person understands this law of cause and effect, one can use it to transform his or her life. A Thabarwa centre is the place where any person can abandon creating causes for suffering (understood in the Buddhist sense) and instead make causes for good results. This article describes how the Thabarwa centres are answering the needs of society on material and spiritual levels by offering free food, housing, medical care, education and meditation guidance to everyone that arrives in the centre.


Estimation, planning, control, and learning are giving us robots that can generate good behavior given a specified objective and set of constraints. What I care about is how humans enter this behavior generation picture, and study two complementary challenges: 1) how to optimize behavior when the robot is not acting in isolation, but needs to coordinate or collaborate with people; and 2) what to optimize in order to get the behavior we want. My work has traditionally focused on the former, but more recently I have been casting the latter as a human-robot collaboration problem as well (where the human is the end-user, or even the robotics engineer building the system). Treating it as such has enabled us to use robot actions to gain information; to account for human pedagogic behavior; and to exchange information between the human and the robot via a plethora of communication channels, from external forces that the person physically applies to the robot, to comparison queries, to defining a proxy objective function.


In this study, the performance of online and offline tracking algorithms, which are frequently used in the literature, were compared on the defined datasets. Therefore, six different datasets are prepared. The datasets consist of consecutive frames. In each dataset, target has different motion characteristics and the background types are different from each other. In addition, a total of six well known algorithms were used for comparison. These are KCF, MOSSE, CSRT, TLD, Go Turn and Siamese tracking algorithms. In conclusion, especially in cases where the target is small and the SNR value is low, the highest performance is obtained with the KCF algorithm. On the other hand, when the target is big and the SNR value is high, it is observed that the Siamese algorithm better handle changes in the target shape. In this context, considering the real scenarios, it may be possible to use the algorithms in a hybrid way to get the better performance.