Background Exploration of baseline characteristics can guide decision-making by highlighting demographic and clinical variables, as well as patient-centred outcomes that may warrant adjustments to psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment. Psoriasis Randomized Etanercept STudy in Subjects with Psoriatic Arthritis (PRESTA) was a randomised, double blind study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of etanercept (ETN) on skin and joint disease in psoriasis (PsO) subjects with PsA (1). Objectives An exploratory post-hoc analysis of data from PRESTA to examine baseline characteristics of patients who responded to ETN 50 mg twice weekly (BIW) for the initial 12 wks only followed by once weekly (QW) up to 24 wks (ETN 50mg BIW/QW). Methods Baseline characteristics were analysed for Primary PsA response using minimal disease activity (MDA) (+enthesitis) defined as meeting 5 of the 7 following conditions: ≤1 tender joints; ≤1 swollen joints; Psoriasis Activity and Severity Index (PASI) ≤1 or body surface area ≤3; patient pain visual analogue score (VAS) ≤15; patient global disease activity VAS ≤20; health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) ≤0.5; tender entheseal points ≤1. MDA (−enthesitis) required meeting 5 out of 6 criteria with the 7th entheseal criteria excluded. Baseline characteristics were assessed for PsA response criteria (PsARC) and 50% improvement in the American College of Rheumatology Criteria (ACR50). Both continuous (using one-way ANOVA) and categorical (using Fisher's exact test) baseline characteristics were analysed for Wk 24 response parameters and not adjusted for multiple comparisons; results should be considered exploratory and not conclusive. Results A total of 379 patients were included in this analysis. Several significant baseline characteristics of responders to ETN 50mg BIW/QW at Wk 24 were identified (Table). Responders (MDA [−enthesitis], PsARC and ACR50) were all significantly younger than non-responders (Table). Other than age, no other baseline characteristics were statistically significant for PsARC and ACR50 responders vs non-responders. There were significantly fewer female responders at Wk 24 vs non-responders for both MDA endpoints. Significantly more patients with oligoarthritis were responders vs non responders for both MDA endpoints (Table). Compared with MDA (−enthesitis) non-responders, responders showed lower Physicians Global Assessment of PsA (52.6 vs 47.3; p<0.05). Improved HAQ scores (0.7 vs 1.0; p<0.001) were observed in MDA (-enthesitis) responders vs non-responders, respectively, and significantly lower (better) hospital anxiety and depression scale scores (HADS) for responders vs non-responders for both MDA endpoints (Table). Conclusions In this exploratory post-hoc analysis, age and gender, as well as many modifiable factors, were significantly different between responders and non-responders to ETN 50 mg BIW/QW. References Sterry W, Ortonne JP, Kirkham B, et al. BMJ. 2010;340:c147. Acknowledgements Medical writing support was provided by Neel Misra of Engage Scientific Solutions and was funded by Pfizer Inc. Disclosure of Interest P. Gisondi Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Pfizer, Jannsen, Novartis, Eli Lilly, MSD, G. Girolomoni Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bioderma, Celgene, Janssen, L'Oreal, MSD, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, Consultant for: AbbVie, Actelion, Allmirall, Amgen, Bioderma, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Dompè, Galderma, Janssen, Leo Pharma, Eli Lilly, Maruho, Merck-Serono, MSD, Mundipharma, Novartis, Otsuka, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Rottapharm, Shiseido, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Actelion, Allmirall, Amgen, Bioderma, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Dompè, Galderma, Janssen, Leo Pharma, Eli Lilly, Maruho, Merck-Serono, MSD, Mundipharma, Novartis, Otsuka, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Rottapharm, Shiseido, K. de Vlam Consultant for: Pfizer, Abbott, MSD, Celgene, Janssen, UCB, Speakers bureau: Pfizer, MSD, AbbVie, UCB, Celgene, A. Al Hammadi: None declared, S. Carneiro: None declared, M.-A. Hsu Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc., Employee of: Pfizer Inc., A. Szumski Consultant for: Pfizer Inc., H. Jones Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc., Employee of: Pfizer Inc., G. Gallo Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc., Employee of: Pfizer Europe, A. Chhabra Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc., Employee of: Pfizer Inc.


Muriel Vayssier-Taussat is a microbiologist and researcher committed to animal welfare and human health.  Through her research, which focuses on tick-borne pathogens, she is an agent for innovation, collaboration, communication and coordination.  In early 2017, Muriel took the helm of INRA's Animal Health Division.


Abstract Benzovindiflupyr is a broad spectrum succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fungicide, and information about its risk to aquatic organisms is limited. The present study examined the developmental effects of benzovindiflupyr exposure to zebrafish under static conditions through fish embryo toxicity test. First, zebrafish hatchability and survivability were decreased. Edema, body deformation, and microcephaly were abnormalities observed in embryos. Secondly, in vivo fluorescence analysis showed that benzovindiflupyr induced the reactive oxygen species. Moreover, stress-related oxidative enzyme experiments showed that malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase, peroxidase and glutathione level were affected, and gene experiments showed that catalase, glutathione peroxidase 1a, superoxide dismutase 1 and superoxide dismutase 2 gene transcription levels were upregulated. Fourth, succinate dehydrogenase activity and the associated gene transcription level were decreased. Taken together, this study suggested that benzovindiflupyr could induce oxidative stress and decrease succinate dehydrogenase activity of zebrafish and has the potential to affect embryonic development.


Just war theory is said to have begun with Augustine. The doctrine was developed further as a religious teaching, but after the Reformation, secular versions of just war theory became prominent. "Just war" is contrasted with "holy war". Since the crusades were considered by many Christians as holy wars, it is often assumed that jihad is the Islamic equivalent. In what follows, I argue that jihad shares much in common with the just war tradition. Recent theorists have used the term "just war pacifism" or "contingent pacifism" to describe the view that under the conditions of modern warfare, just war theory leads to the conclusion that it is morally wrong to engage in war. In this paper, it is argued that an Islamic ethics of war and peace may be interpreted to yield a just war pacifism that is analogous to that developed on the basis of Western just war theory. Under current conditions, the criteria required by Islam to provide a moral justification for just war fail to obtain for an important range of armed conflicts, and this conclusion may be considered an argument for a conditional Islamic just war pacifism.


The speed sensing applications of a gearbox demand high operational air-gaps, tight switching and timing accuracy, and excellent overall reliability. High teeth density and small-diameter helical (nonsymmetrical) teeth profiles with fine teeth pitch pose significant challenges to rotational speed sensing. For many embedded control systems, such as an automated mechanical transmission, it is critical that before the transmission control module decides whether to open or close a clutch, the speed of a shaft and the corresponding gear have to be synchronized. This requires high fidelity in the accuracy of the computed shaft's speed. This paper presents a low-cost rotational speed sensor module with high output accuracy and resolution for gear speed sensing in a commercial vehicle gearbox. The sensor performance has been modeled using finite element analysis, and the model has been validated against experimental data from the sensor prototype. The complete sensor module is designed for ease of manufacturing and application in harsh transmission environments such as high temperature profiles ranging from -40°C to 125°C.


Ch'ing-mu _??__??_ (Blue-Eyes) is the author of the Chung-lun _??__??_, preserved in Chinese translation, but the only historical information on him is that found in Seng-jui's _??__??_ preface. The section that is particularly problematic in this preface is the phrase "the Indian Brahman named Pin-chia-lo _??__??__??_ (or Pin-lo-chia _??__??__??_), in the Ch'in language 'Blue-Eyes'." While it was probably B. Nanjio (1883) who first associated Pin-chia-lo with Pirngala, and he identified Ch'ing-mu with Aryadeva or Candrakirti. While it was soon shown that he could not possibly correspond to Candrakirti, there have been numerous scholars down to the present day who have recognized the former possibility. These include E. Teramoto (1937), P. Demieville (1953), E. Lamotte (1970), J. May (1979), and K. Mimaki (1987). M. Walleser (1912), on the other hand, deemed Pin-lo-chia to be the correct form and speculated that this might correspond to a corrupt form of Pirngalakkha (a vernacular form of Pirngalaksa) or Vimalaksa, pointing out that the latter could refer to Kumarajiva's Vinaya master, Pei-mo-lo-ch'a _??__??__??__??_. R. H. Robinson (1967) added further corroborating evidence for this latter possibility, but he considered Pei-mo-lo-ch'a to be the name of an unknown scholar rather than the Vinaya master, while B. Bocking (1985) suggested that "Blue-Eyes" might have been the sobriquet of Pei-mo-lo-ch'a (Vimalaksa) in China. This was because Peimo-lo-ch'a was known as the "blue-eyed Vinaya master" (ch'ing-yen lu-shih _??__??__??_) on account of the blueness of his eyes.The reason that Nanjio identified Ch'ing-mu with Aryadeva was that he relied completely on the English translation by S. C. Das (1882) of the Tibetan doxography Grub mtha' shel gyi me long (A Crystal Mirror of Siddhanta). But the original has "blue-eyed acarya" (slob dpon mthing mig can), and there is no mention of Aryadeva. Das presumably thought that the blue-eyed acarya referred to Aryadeva. This means that the thesis identifying Ch'ing-mu with Aryadeva was invented by Das and has no basis in source materials. Furthermore, according to Coblin (1994), the character pin _??_ can be used to transcribe pin(g)-, but not vim-, vin-, bim-, etc., and the character chia _??_ is not used to transcribe -kkha or -ksa. In other words, when considered from a phonological point of view, the form Pin-lo-chia for Vimalaksa is untenable, and the form Pin-chia-lo, equating with Pirngala, is more probable. If this is the case, then the arguments of Walleser (who suggested vim-) and others such as Robinson and Bocking lose their foundation.


Since the 1970, savings amounts transferred by migrants to their home countries have constantly increased. They now represent twice the amount of foreign aid and are greater than FDI in developing countries (except BRICs). This article deals with the migrants savings transfers, their determinants, their macroeconomic effects on growth and their microeconomic effects on poverty, inequality and education in the migrants home countries. If no clear conclusion can be drawn on the macroeconomic consequences, microeconomic consequences appear to be truly positive. The migrants decision to return or not to their home countries is also a key factor. But as these transfers induce significant economic issues, they still don't play a major role in the economic policy debates in home countries. Classification JEL: D14, F22, F35, J15, O11, O12.


The minimum nurse-patient staffing legislation in California was fully implemented in 2004. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects on the minimum nurse-patient staffing legislation on the demographic, human capital, and work characteristics of the working RN population, focusing specifically on direct care nurses in the acute care setting. The most interesting finding of this study was an increase in nurse satisfaction after the minimum staffing law was implemented. Findings also suggest that work environments need to change to accommodate the changes that have occurred in the nurse population. Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training; nurses should be full partners in redesigning the health care system; nurse education should promote seamless academic progression; and effective workforce planning and policymaking should be conducted. Administrators, health policymakers, and advocates must develop job descriptions and work environments that maximize the attachment of the labor force in terms of hours worked per week of RNs for all nurses but especially for those over 50 years of age and non-Whites.


111 our present tinic of inkgriltcd circuis and nanostructurcd macerials thcrc is growing itiicrcst in the clcctronic and optical propcrlics of scmiconductor clus~crs', bridging thc gap bctwecn ~lic molcculc and the cryslallilc. Semiconductor clustcrs in thc size rangc from a fcw atoms to thousands of atoms arc of great intcrcst from thc vicwpoint of both fundamcnd scicncc and applications? Their physical propertics (electronic slructurc, optical spectra, transition probabilities and fragmentation channels) diffcr significantly from those of thc solid state both in bulk and at surfacc. Due to small sizcs of the clusters, Ihc responsc times of the optical nonlinearities are cxpccted to be very short, likely on thc fcmtosecond timc scale. Ncrc we report on first expcrimcnts where femtosecond laser pulses arc used to sludy tlic properties of semiconductor c lusm. We generate a beam of frce silicon or cadmium lclluridc semiconductor clustcrs in a laser vaporization source. The neuual clusters are ionized via multiphoton ionization with femtosecond laser pulses and mass selected and detected in a iimc of flight mass spectrometcr. Pump-probe mhniques enable us to study the ultrafast dynamics of size sclecled neulral or ionic clusters. Our group has successfully applicd this combination of methods to studies of Na, and Hg, clusters'.


Random graph alignment refers to recovering the underlying vertex correspondence between two random graphs with correlated edges. This can be viewed as an average-case and noisy version of the well-known graph isomorphism problem. For the correlated Erd\"os-R\'enyi model, we prove an impossibility result for partial recovery in the sparse regime, with constant average degree and correlation, as well as a general bound on the maximal reachable overlap. Our bound is tight in the noiseless case (the graph isomorphism problem) and we conjecture that it is still tight with noise. Our proof technique relies on a careful application of the probabilistic method to build automorphisms between tree components of a subcritical Erd\"os-R\'enyi graph.


Solution of wide area damping control is presented in the paper. The speed difference between generators is used as wide area supplementary stabilizing signal. The communication delay is compensated by lead-lag network. A method to determine the optimal location and number of wide area damping controllers (WADC) is given. The fitness function for optimization algorithm is an integral of time-weighted squared errors. The continued data-packet losses in the communication are resolved by prediction using least squares support vector machines. The simulation of a 10-machine 39-bus power system shows that WADC can improve the stability of interconnected power systems.


The case concerns a patient with eosinophilic meningitis attributed to the helminthic parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis. Before the onset of illness, our patient had a history of travel to Hawaii, the only area in the United States where A cantonensis is endemic. Finding eosinophils in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can narrow the differential diagnosis in a patient with meningitis. In our patient, the proportion of eosinophils in the CSF was 55%. The case is unique because the patient was a strict vegetarian. This infection usually develops in persons who inadvertently ingest snails or slugs that contain the parasite. [Infect Med. 2008;25:366-368]


As a common but complex linguistic phenomenon, conflict talks (CTs) frequently occur in daily communications. This study aims to carry out analyses of parent-teenager CTs in two Chinese TV series A Love for Separation and Home with Kids to reveal the three steps of CTs. From the perspective of the rapport management theory, this study mainly centers on probing into the causes as well as the influence on harmonious interpersonal relations, and then tries to provide some measures to reduce parent-child CTs, to improve the ability of using language to build a harmonious family interrelationship. The major finding of the study lies in that when Chinese parents threaten their children's face or limit their sociality rights, CTs would probably occur, and when they oversight or even attempt to challenge the rapport, CTs would be even escalated.

 Key words: A Love for Separation, conflict talks, Home with Kids, parent-teenager, rapport management theory.


This paper presents a VLSI implementation of 2X2 MIMO OFDM transceiver with self ICI cancellation scheme at very low power. Phase noise and the carrier frequency offset (CFO) are the major problems in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) that destroys the mutual orthogonality of the sub-carriers over a given time interval. This non-orthogonality between the sub-carriers causes Inter-Carrier Interference (ICI). Interference among the sub-carriers degrades the performance of the system greatly. In the proposed scheme, the space coding is applied over two successive OFDM symbols and neighboring subcarriers simultaneously within single symbol duration. This reduces the delay encountered in space coding and decoding since no OFDM symbol has to be buffered. This leads to the self-cancellation of ICI components in the desired signal. The effects of Phase Noise and CFO in MIMO OFDM are greatly reduced by the space frequency block codes. Matlab simulations are performed prior to the Verilog HDL coding for functional verification. The SFBC coded MIMO OFDM transceiver is designed, implemented and tested in TSMC 180nm technology using Cadence NC Simulator, RTL Compiler and Altera ModelSim with DE2 EP2C35F672C6. The proposed 2X2 MIMO OFDM transceiver with ICI-SC technique has 41,298 numbers in logic


The analytical relationships presented for amplitude and frequency of the ring oscillator are derived approximately due to the nonlinear nature of this oscillator. In the case where the transistors experience the cut-off region, the relationships presented so far have no connection between the frequency and the dimensions of the transistor, which is not valid in practice. In this paper, considering the circuit's governing equation and the ring oscillator's output waveform, a relation for the frequency is presented, including the dimensions of the transistor. Also, a simple and approximately accurate relationship for the oscillator amplitude is provided in this case. The validity of these relationships has been investigated by analyzing and simulating a single-ended oscillator in 0.18μm technology.


Mucormycosis is a fungal infection of the sinuses, brain and lungs that is the cause of approximately 50% mortality rate despite the available first-line therapy. Glucose-Regulated Protein 78 (GRP78) is already reported to be a novel host receptor that mediates invasion and damage of human endothelial cells by Rhizopus oryzae and Rhizopus delemar, the most common etiologic species of Mucorales. The expression of GRP78 is also regulated by the levels of iron and glucose in the blood. There are several antifungal drugs in the market but they pose a serious side effect to the vital organs of the body. Therefore, there is an immediate need to discover effective drug molecules having increased efficacy with no side effects. With the help of various computational tools, the current study was attempted to determine potential antimucor agents against GRP78. The receptor molecule GRP78 was screened against 8820 known drugs deposited in DrugBank library using high-throughput virtual screening method. Total top 10 compounds were selected based on the binding energies greater than the reference co-crystal molecule. Furthermore, molecular dynamic (MD) simulations using AMBER were performed to calculate the stability of the top-ranked compounds in the active site of GRP78. After extensive computational studies, we propose that two compounds (CID439153 and CID5289104) have inhibitory potency against mucormycosis and can serve as potential drugs that can form the basis of treating mucormycosis disease.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.


. The memory elements have been the research hot spot for a long time. However, there is a litter works on the linear memory element. This paper presents a study of a new memory system containing a linear memory element. The study shows that the system not only has two kinds of route to hyperchaos, but also exists many kinds of coexisting attractors in the phase space. Moreover, the system can generate more complex hyperchaotic behaviors. To prove it, we find a new kind of topological horseshoes with two-directional expansions that consist of three disconnected compact sets. This new kind of horseshoes suggests that the topological entropy of the hyperchaotic attractor is larger than other hyperchaotic attractors reported before. For detailed study of the hyperchaotic invariant set, we also demonstrate a method to extract the orbits from the hyperchaotic horseshoes.


Knowledge of the anatomy of the pelvic, gonadal and renal veins is important to understand pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS) and left renal vein compression syndrome (LRCS), which is also known as the nutcracker syndrome. LRCS is related to PCS and to the presence of vulvar, vaginal and pudendal varicose veins. The diagnosis of the two syndromes is difficult, and usually achieved with CT- or phlebography. The gold standard is the intravenous pressure measurement using conventional phlebography. The definition of PCS is described as pelvic pain, aggravated in the standing position and lasting for more than 6 months. Pain in the left flank and microhaematuria is seen in patients with LRCS. Women with multiple pregnancies are at increased risk of developing varicose vein recurrences with pelvic drainage and ovarian vein reflux after crossectomy and stripping of the great saphenous vein. The therapeutic options are: conservative treatment (medroxyprogesteron) or interventional (coiling of the ovarian vein) or operative treatment (clipping of the ovarian vein). Controlled prospective trials are needed to find the best treatment.


Abstract Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) process is a vapor phase growth technique which is synthesized via vapor phase from metal organic complex material and will become one of the desirable deposition methods to form oxide layer on the complicated shape ducts and large-area walls of breeding blanket components. The single phase erbium oxide (Er2O3) coating layers were able to be synthesized on metal substrates such as stainless-steel 316 (SUS316) and vanadium alloy and Si single crystal plates. In this paper, the hydrogen permeation and electrical property of Er2O3 coating layer via MOCVD process will be mainly reported. The hydrogen permeation quantity of Er2O3 coating layer estimated by QMS was decreased by 1/20 compared with SUS 316 at 400 °C. In addition, the demonstration of Er2O3 coating into the interior surface of the stainless-steel was also succeeded.


ABSTRACT This research investigates and monitors Thai people's happiness via the Thai Happiness Index developed by Senasu. The Thai Happiness Index comprises five dimensions: subjective well-being, quality of life, philosophy of living, governance, and standard of living. In addition to reflecting the level of happiness of Thai people, this index also identifies related important issues. The research data were collected from survey data using interviewed questionnaires. The primary data were from stratified multi-stage sampling in each region, province, district, and enumeration area; and simple random sampling in each enumeration area. These data were collected in 13 provinces: Bangkok and 3 provinces in each of all four regions. The data were collected over two consecutive years. There were 3,217 usable responses from the 2017 sampling, and 3,280 usable responses from the 2018 sampling. The Senasu's Thai Happiness Index (THaI) was used to calculate and monitor the happiness level of Thai people in 2017 and 2018. The result reveals the 2018 THaI value is 0.556. When people are divided according to their degree of happiness, it is found that a total of 21.1% of the population are happy. The group of happy population reflects a THaI value of 0.789, which is much higher than the THaI value of 0.494 of the not-yet-happy population. Overall, Thai people have higher happiness compared to 2017 when the happiness index was 0.506, and only 14.6% of the population were happy.


Though targeted physical exercise interventions are seen as important for promoting health and wellbeing of older care home residents, adherence to targeted exercise remains variable. Drawing upon a framework of learning theories, this article investigates the potential role, if any, of individual and group learning processes in shaping adherence to physical activity amongst older care home residents. In so doing, this article throws light on an under developed area of research , i.e., on links between learning, ageing and health amongst those who are often characterised as being in the 'Fourth Age'.

In order to explore the potential role of learning in shaping adherence, a systematic review of qualitative research was undertaken to synthesise experiences of physical activity participation amongst older care home residents. A conceptual framework comprising of seven thematic learning categories was applied to eight studies included in the review.

From the review there is some evidence to suggest that physical activity interventions, in supporting care home residents to become 'physically literate' can be viewed as opportunities for learning with implications for individual motivation and adherence. The need for safe, secure and supportive learning environments and, especially, role of the instructor in shaping such learning environments emerges as being key to enabling adherence.

 The review strongly suggests that care home residents can learn and therefore need to be viewed as active learners rather than as passive recipients of physical activity interventions. This finding not only extends the view of learning as an on-going process but also tentatively confirms the existence of links between learning, ageing and health for those characterised as being in the 'Fourth Age'. Further research oriented to understanding barriers and facilitators to learning that gives voice to care home learners' own experiences might usefully contribute to the design of physical activity interventions.


An uncertain diagnosis bears the quandary as to which treatments to use. Acute psychotic symptoms can pinpoint this difficulty, especially in individuals without currents mental illness. These symptoms might be ascribed to psychotic disorders, to affective disorders, i.e., bipolar disorder type I, or to substance abuse. The present case report will consider a typical clinical picture and will try to outline the pros and cons for drug treatment, in the acute and maintenance phases of type I Bipolar Disorder.


The main objective of this work was to study the importance of applying gypsum and sulphur to the soil to inhibit the hazardous effects of soil salinity stress on the vegetative growth and yield quantity and quality of rice plants (Oriza sativa L., cv. Sakha 101) grown on a salt-affected soil irrigated with low quality water from the El-Salam (El-Shikh Zaid) Canal. Two field experiments were carried out during two successive seasons (2011, 2012) at Sahl El-Tina plain, village 4, Gilbana town. Gypsum was applied at a rate of 10.7 Mg ha−1)1 while sulphur was added in two forms, as elemental sulphur at a rate of 4.8 Mg ha−1) or as sulphuric acid at a rate of 1190 L ha−1. The results could be summarized as follows: The highest values of rice yield and its attributes as well as nutrient content and uptake were obtained after treatment with sulphuric acid. The treatment effects decreased in the order: sulphuric acid > sulphur > gypsum > control. The highest proline content (21.3 μmol g−1) was recorded after the...


The main objective of this study is to understand how companies develop capability to manage and implement offshore operations. Even though offshore operations is not a new subject – it has been practiced by companies for a long time, and is a growing operations practice employed by companies worldwide – academic efforts are still needed to achieve a full understanding of this phenomenon. One of those efforts is the comprehension of the strategic aspects of offshore. Offshore has implications for the strategic management field because it can instigate a firm to develop new capabilities and resources. In addition, companies have also moved high skill and core business activities overseas, requiring implementation of new organizational measures. For instance, literature has suggested that capabilities development is important to undertake more complex offshore processes and to overcome managerial challenges and implementation barriers. Thus, this study integrates Dynamic Capabilities as a main theory lens and offshore operations as organizational context. More specifically, this study takes Dynamic Capabilities as the "firm's ability to integrate, build, and reconfigure internal and external competences to address rapidly changing environments" (Teece, Pisano, & Shuen, 1997, p. 516). This concept emphasizes Dynamic Capabilities (DC) as a set of organizational processes, which result in the development of specific capabilities in order to fit with environmental conditions. This study also takes offshore operations as "the movement or relocation of domestic firm activities and operations abroad" (Bunyaratavej, Hahn, & Doh, 2008, p.227). Thus, the study offers a twofold contribution to the field. First, it explores how companies develop capability to manage offshore operations. Second, it explores the role of three dynamic capabilities elements (paths, positions, and processes) in the development of such capabilities. In order to achieve its objectives, eight case studies with manufacturing companies that have implemented captive offshore operations were carried out. The qualitative data were collected through semistructured interviews. The interview protocol was developed to cover elements related to dynamic capabilities and offshore based on a literature review. Using theory building through case studies, it was possible to obtain research outcomes such as types of offshore operations implemented by the companies; strategic roles of offshore operations; barriers to implement offshore operations; coordination mechanisms, resources, and capabilities developed by companies to implement offshore operations; and the role of dynamic capabilities elements (paths, positions, processes, and firm-specific DC processes) on the development of capability to manage and implement offshore operations. We also suggest propositions and an integrated model. Finally, this study contributes to practitioners by suggesting methods used by companies that have been developing capability to manage offshore operations.


BACKGROUND
There is paucity of data regarding the clinical and bacteriological profile of sepsis in dermatology in-patients.

AIMS
To study the frequency, etiology, and outcome of sepsis dermatology in-patients.

METHODS
The study was conducted in a 30-bedded dermatology ward of a tertiary care center. Sepsis was defined by presence of ≥2 SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome) criteria along with evidence of infection (clinically obvious/culture proven infection of skin or internal organs). Patients were also assessed for known (common) risk factors of sepsis. In suspected sepsis patients, at least two samples of blood cultures by venepuncture were taken. Pus, skin swab, urine, and sputum samples were also collected for culture as needed with avoidance of contamination.

RESULTS
Among 860 admitted patients studied from November 2004 to July 2006, 103 (12%) fulfilled SIRS criteria. Of these, 63 had nonsepsis causes of SIRS positivity, while 40 (4.65%) had sepsis. Majority of the sepsis patient had vesicobullous diseases (42.5%), erythroderma (25%), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) (22.5%). Severe sepsis developed in 17 (42.5%) patients, while 15 (37.5%) died. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was the commonest organism isolated (99; 25.9%) in all culture specimens followed by Acinetobacter spp. (52; 13.6%), Pseudomonas spp. (40; 10.5%), Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA: 33; 8.7%), and Klebsiella spp. (22; 5.8%). Various risk factors affecting mortality and sensitivity patterns for various isolates were also analyzed.

CONCLUSION
Sepsis occurred in 40 (4.65%) inpatients in dermatology ward. The frequency of sepsis was highest in TEN (90%), followed by drug-induced maculopapular rash (20.0%), erythroderma (17.5%), and vesicobullous diseases (8.5%). MRSA, acinetobacter, pseudomonas, MSSA, and Klebsiella were important etiological agents involved in sepsis in dermatology in-patients.


ECLiP aims to establish a learning environment which supports students' active involvement, contributes to the knowledge construction and the development of skills in programming through the elaboration of explorative and collaborative activities. In this work, we present the main principles of ECLiP, the three-step process for the design of activities and the e-ECLiP environment. The collaboration is supported either through synchronous or asynchronous communication means. The results from the experimental evaluation of e-ECLiP in the teaching of the loop construct to students of secondary education revealed that the proposed didactical approach and the context of the activities contributed positively in the comprehension of the loop construct and its application in solving simple problems. Also, the study revealed that the supported synchronous communication tool can support students' collaboration and students appreciated the provided facilities.


It is well known that, in the first-order formalism, pure three-dimensional gravity is just the BF theory. Similarly, four-dimensional general relativity can be formulated as BF theory with an additional constraint term added to the Lagrangian. In this paper we show that the same is true also for higher-dimensional Einstein gravity: in any dimension gravity can be described as a constrained BF theory. Moreover, in any dimension these constraints are quadratic in the B field. After describing in details the structure of these constraints, we scketch the ``spin foam'' quantization of these theories, which proves to be quite similar to the spin foam quantization of general relativity in three and four dimensions. In particular, in any dimension, we solve the quantum constraints and find the so-called simple representations and intertwiners. These exhibit a simple and beautiful structure that is common to all dimensions.


Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, is widely consumed as a pain reliever and an anti-inflammatory as well as anti-platelet agent. Recently, our studies using the animal model of Drosophila demonstrated that the dietary supplementation of aspirin renovates age-onset intestinal dysfunction and delays organismal aging. Nevertheless, it remains probable that aspirin plays functional roles in other biological activities, for instance antiviral defense reactions. Intriguingly, we observed that the replications of several types of viruses were drastically antagonized in Drosophila macrophage-like S2 cells with the addition of aspirin. Further in vivo experimental approaches illustrate that adult flies consuming aspirin harbor higher resistances to viral infections with respect to flies without aspirin treatment. Mechanistically, aspirin positively contributes to the Drosophila antiviral defense largely through mediating the STING (stimulator of interferon genes) but not the IMD (immune deficiency) signaling pathway. Collectively, our studies uncover a novel biological function of aspirin in modulating Drosophila antiviral immunity and provide theoretical bases for exploring new antiviral treatments in clinical trials.


Gifted children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often referred to as twice-exceptional, the term that highlights the co-occurrence of exceptional challenges and exceptional giftedness. This study performed secondary data analysis on samples of twice-exceptional children from the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study and the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study datasets. The results provide a descriptive profile of twice-exceptional (e.g. demographics, average academic performance, and services utilized), trajectory plots that indicate how academic performance changes over time, and multilevel analyses that model growth in academic outcomes using demographics, school services, and giftedness as predictors. Some of the key findings are that twice-exceptional students show not only higher initial levels of academic performance, but they improve over time relative to the non-gifted ASD counterparts and—with the exception of Letter Word Matching—even relative to the general population. Moreover, they benefit from mental health services disproportionately. Together, the results offer a deeper understanding of the twice-exceptional autistic population, their academic performance over time, and the services that they utilize.


In order to tackle some challenges in ubiquitous healthcare monitoring such as mobility, scalability, and network latency, a framework for Fog-assisted healthcare monitoring is proposed in this paper. This framework is composite of body-sensing layer, Fog layer (Fog-assisted gateway), Cloud layer (health Cloud). And then, this paper makes an intensive study in some key technologies of the proposed framework such as an IPv6-based network architecture, intelligent warning model based on subband energy feature, security framework of HL7 RIM-based data exchange, health risk assessment based on fusion of grey model and Markov model. Finally, results of experiment depict that the proposed intelligent warning model can make immediate distinction abnormal signals. Moreover, the proposed health assessment model confirms its effectiveness with respect to 245 patients in Xiamen District of Jimei.


This letter proposes the use of solar background radiation scattered by ice clouds for validating space lidar depolarization calibration. The method takes advantage of the fact that the background light scattered by optically thick ice clouds is almost entirely unpolarized. The theory is examined with background light measurements acquired by the Cloud Physics Lidar.


Accurate calculation of diffraction field emitted from a three-dimensional object paves the way to reconstruct more reliable information related to three-dimensional objects. As a result of this, we can analyze the structure of cells and perform precise measurements in non-destructive tests. Furthermore, accurate calculation of the diffraction field will help to improve the results in many applications of holography. In this work, we propose an accurate diffraction field calculation method which is based on L1-norm minimization and achieved successful results.


Synchrotron X-radiation (SR) is intense, polychromatic and collimated. It is widely exploited, in macromolecular crystallography, particularly using a monochromatized short wavelength beam. The spectral curve of SR, however, ideally lends itself to use of Laue geometry, i. e. the original diffraction experimental arrangement based on a stationary crystal and a polychromatic X-ray beam. Rapid exposure times and time-resolved crystallography studies, e. g. of enzymes, are now possible. Historical objections to the use of Laue diffraction data, particularly the multiplicity distribution, have been found not to be as limiting as once thought. The credentials of the Laue method have been established through a variety of Laue crystal structure analyses, involving photographic film as detector. Recently a three-dimensional arrangement of films, known as a toast-rack, has been used to alleviate problems with spatially overlapping spots. This paper provides a review of these results and then reports several developments. In particular, one of the first Laue analyses using an image plate as detector, namely of a cobalt substituted concanavalin A crystal, is discussed. Recent experimental developments, also at the Daresbury synchrotron, are then described. First, a large toast-rack has been used to record Laue data from a protein crystal. Secondly, a transmission X-ray mirror has been constructed from thin mylar (1.5 μm) and used to provide a λmax filter instead of using aluminium foils. Thirdly, since the Laue method suffers from poor sampling of the low resolution data, a new method (known as LOT) has been introduced.


Depletion of GLUT4, the primary glucose transporter protein in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, is reported to contribute to insulin resistance in pregnancy or diabetes. To examine this phenomenon, the expression of GLUT4 protein was assessed by Western blotting in streptozotocin-induced diabetic pregnant rats. In adipose tissue, relative to control, it was decreased by 30% in the normal pregnant group (p<O.OO1), by 37% in the diabetic nonpregnant group (p<O.Ol) and by 65% in the diabetic pregnant group (p<O.OO1). On the other hand, no significant variation was evident among the groups in skeletal muscle. To assess the mechanisms responsible for depletion of GLUT4 protein in adipose tissue, we quantitated levels of GLUT4 mRNA with a RNase protection assay. It was decreased by 44% in the normal pregnant group (p<O.O5) and by 55% in the diabetic pregnant group (p <0.05), but not altered in the diabetic nonpregnant group. These results suggest that the depletion of GLUT4 protein in adipose tissue is a factor contributing to insulin resistance in pregnancy or diabetes, especially when the two states exist in combination.


Background New creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equations, including the 2021 Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (2021 CKD-EPI) and European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) equations, have been introduced recently. We assessed the performance of the 2021 CKD-EPI and EKFC equations in the Korean population. Methods We analyzed 1,654 Korean patients aged ≥18 years who underwent chromium-51-ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid GFR measurements (mGFR). Bias (eGFR–mGFR), root mean square error (RMSE), and proportion of eGFR within 30% of mGFR (P30) of the 2009 CKD-EPI, 2021 CKD-EPI, and EFKC equations were compared. The concordance rate between eGFR and mGFR categories was evaluated. Both eGFR and mGFR categories were classified into six groups ≥90, 89–60, 59–45, 44–30, 29–15, and <15 mL/min/1.73 m2. Results The median bias (mL/min/1.73 m2) was 1.8 for the 2009 CKD-EPI equation, 4.8 for the 2021 CKD-EPI equation, and –0.3 for the EKFC equation. The P30 and RMSE were 78.2% and 17.0 for the 2009 CKD-EPI equation, 75.6% and 17.4 for the 2021 CKD-EPI equation, and 80.0% and 16.7 for the EKFC equation, respectively. The overall GFR category concordance rate between eGFR and mGFR was 63.4% for the 2009 CKD-EPI equation, 60.5% for the 2021 CKD-EPI equation, and 61.0% for the EKFC equation. Conclusions Among the three eGFR equations, the EKFC equation had the smallest bias and highest P30 in Koreans. The 2009 CKD-EPI equation had a lower bias than the 2021 CKD-EPI equation.


From 1977 to 1986, 50 children aged 15 months to 18 years were treated for supratentorial malignant gliomas at the Memorial Sloan‐Kettering Cancer Center and the New York University Medical Center. Thirteen patients had glioblastoma multiforme, 29 had anaplastic astrocytomas, and 8 had malignant gliomas. In 10 patients the tumor evolved from a low‐grade lesion. Seven patients, including 2 patients with neurofibromatosis, developed multiple primary malignant neoplasms. The median time to tumor progression after surgery was 31 weeks, with local recurrence representing the mode of treatment failure in nearly all patients. Notable clinical features included symptomatic leptomeningeal metastasis (13 patients) and intratumoral hemorrhage (9 patients). The estimated median survival time for all 50 patients was 98 weeks, with a 3‐year survival rate of 32%. A trend toward longer survival was seen in patients 12 years of age or younger at diagnosis. There was no apparent correlation between survival and tumor histology or tumor location. Recommendations for management are presented.


banned. To keep medicine an inviolate mystery behind closed curtains is as likely to induce misery and fear in those who may have to penetrate this curtain as is confident discussion and demonstration of what goes on in hospitals. There is much to be argued on both sides, and the truth must lie in a wise compromise. Such a compromise is unlikely to be attained by your prejudiced approach-prejudiced because you reach your verdict without having seen the evidence. I cannot defend the present series, for, like you, I have not seen them as they will appear. It is too much to hope that they will be above all criticism, but I do hope that such criticism will be sensible, unemotional, and combined with approval where this is merited. More than this, I hope that you may come to realize the vast power for good possessed by television. This good will only come if doctors will study the medium and give the B.B.C. constructive advice rather than abuse. There is indeed a danger that your attitude will discourage the cautious and leave future programmes (which there will inevitably be with popular demand as it is) in the hands of the unscrupulous.-I am, etc.,


The paper deals with the macroeconomic behavior of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay for the period 1970-1997. Its aim is twofold. First, to determine whether their economic fluctuations followed a similar pattern according to their duration, intensity and timing. Second, to evaluate the demand and supply disturbances. The arhythmical beat among these economies in the past reveals that there is little point in trying to align macroeconomic policies, and the absence of an economic argument for a monetary union.


Decisions where costs and benefits are spread over time are both common and important. Delayed outcomes are generally valued less than immediate ones. The degree of this devaluation is measured by a discount rate. Economic theory makes rather precise statements with respect to these discount functions. Experimental and field results, however, have revealed several anomalies to the standard model: observed discount rates vary over time, between objects, between situations and between people. This project investigates a) whether individual differences in discounting future outcomes are due to differences in socialization, b) whether hedonic goods are discounted more strongly than utilitarian goods, c) whether vividness influences discount rates for these goods, d) whether discount rates are influenced by the choice set from which an option has to be selected, and e) whether empirical results obtained in intertemporal choice can be generalized to other preference dimensions as well, e.g., risky choice, interspatial choice or interpersonal choice. To combine these streams of research framing theory is used.


Even though several years have passed since the large corporate scandals of 2001 and 2002, corporate governance continues to remain an area of concern and focus in the global economy, and especially in the emerging markets. Corporate governance refers to the quality, transparency, and dependability of the relationships between the shareholders, board of directors, management, and employees that define the authority and responsibility of each in delivering sustainable value to all the stakeholders. The importance of the issue has been growing at an international level and the quality of corporate governance practices, which is deemed to be as important as financial performance in investment decisions, has become a subject of more serious consideration. In recent years the issue of corporate governance and their impacts on corporate performance have continued to gain widespread prominence in the capital market economy. Higher compliance with the corporate governance standards means more accountable and transparent companies for investors. In this framework, firstly, the transparency levels of financial information disclosures in corporate governance reports and annual reports are calculated by establishing a transparency checklist for the year 2010. MANOVA analysis is conducted to examine the relationship between the calculated transparency levels and financial ratios. The results reveal that transparency level has statistical differences among the group means of return on asset, total debt / total assets, long-term debt / total assets and corporate governance index variables.


Digital transformation introduces new opportunities for public services, such as wastewater management. The opportunities include better interoperability and data availability, leading to such benefits as predictive maintenance and efficient allocation of resources. To reach the envisioned benefits, inter-organisational collaboration is essential. However, municipal water utilities have varying objectives, expectations, and challenges related to collaboration. This paper reports a field study on the digitalisation opportunities of municipal water services in Finland. We report the observed collaboration forms, rationale, expected benefits, and recognised challenges (i.e., the modes of interorganizational collaboration) for deploying digitalised operations. This study provides insight into inter-organisational collaboration on the digital transformation of municipal water management. On a theoretical level, the study supports and complements the previously theorised collaboration modes of autonomous development, standardisation, and central service organization. The results also describe why and how limited company mode emerges in the sector, corresponding to the previously described


Essentia is a reference open-source C++/Python library for audio and music analysis. In this work, we present a set of algorithms that employ TensorFlow in Essentia, allow predictions with pre-trained deep learning models, and are designed to offer flexibility of use, easy extensibility, and real-time inference. To show the potential of this new interface with TensorFlow, we provide a number of pre-trained state-of-the-art music tagging and classification CNN models. We run an extensive evaluation of the developed models. In particular, we assess the generalization capabilities in a cross-collection evaluation utilizing both external tag datasets as well as manual annotations tailored to the taxonomies of our models.


A promising fabrication method of electron transporting interlayers for solution-processed optoelectronic devices by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of colloidal zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocrystals was demonstrated. A low voltage of 3–5 V and a short deposition time of 40 s at room temperature were found to be sufficient to generate dense and uniform ZnO thin films. The EPD ZnO nanocrystal films were applied as ETLs for inverted organic solar cell and polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs). By optimizing the EPD processing of ZnO nanocrystal electron transporting layers (ETLs), inverted organic solar cells based on [3,4-b]-thiophene/benzodithiophene (PTB7): [6-6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT): [6-6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) with an average PCE of 8.4% and 4.0% were fabricated. In combination with the PLEDs and flexible devices results, we conclude that the EPD processed ZnO nanocrystal thin films can serve as high quality ETLs for solution-processed optoelectronic devices.


A series of direct numerical simulations of Rayleigh–Bénard convection, the flow in a fluid layer heated from below and cooled from above, were conducted to investigate the effect of mixed insulating and conducting boundary conditions on convective flows. Rayleigh numbers between $Ra=10^{7}$ and $Ra=10^{9}$ were considered, for Prandtl numbers $\mathit{Pr}=1$ and $\mathit{Pr}=10$ . The bottom plate was divided into patterns of conducting and insulating stripes. The size ratio between these stripes was fixed to unity and the total number of stripes was varied. Global quantities, such as the heat transport and average bulk temperature, and local quantities, such as the temperature just below the insulating boundary wall, were investigated. For the case with the top boundary divided into two halves, one conducting and one insulating, the heat transfer was found to be approximately two-thirds of that for the fully conducting case. Increasing the pattern frequency increased the heat transfer, which asymptotically approached the fully conducting case, even if only half of the surface is conducting. Fourier analysis of the temperature field revealed that the imprinted pattern of the plates is diffused in the thermal boundary layers, and cannot be detected in the bulk. With conducting–insulating patterns on both plates, the trends previously described were similar; however, the half-and-half division led to a heat transfer of about a half of that for the fully conducting case instead of two-thirds. The effect of the ratio of conducting and insulating areas was also analysed, and it was found that, even for systems with a top plate with only 25 % conducting surface, heat transport of 60 % of the fully conducting case can be seen. Changing the one-dimensional stripe pattern to a two-dimensional chequerboard tessellation does not result in a significantly different response of the system.


Knowledge economy literature indicates that proof of an organization's sustainable future and growth lies in multi-dimensional evaluation rather than in the traditional one-dimensional monetary or financial capital perspective. This article attempts to provide a multi-dimensional framework within which a library and information service (L&IS) could measure its performance. As prerequisite, for implementation of the stated framework, the L&IS management (and staff) needed to understand that: • measuring should be done for local development and progress using the L&IS's mission and a strategy for a sustainable future as the focal areas; • sustainability requires more than providing proof of spending the stakeholder's money wisely; and • adding value for the customer in isolation also does not ensure sustainability. In order to be sustainable in the knowledge economy it is necessary to understand that the relationships between the human, structure, customer and stakeholder capitals are vital. The L&IS sector would therefore, in the first instance, be required to ensure that customers could trust that they are receiving the services and products that maximise their own productivity and asset utilization. Secondly L&IS stakeholders would need to be assured that they are receiving the best value for their investment. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, L&IS staff would have to be assured that they have the necessary skills and resources to provide for a motivating environment and that the infrastructure created will ensure continuous improvement for all.


A patient with stable chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia was treated with 8-methoxypsoralen photochemotherapy (PUVA) for erythrodermic psoriasis. After 4 months, transformation to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) occurred. We would suggest caution when considering PUVA therapy in patients with pre-leukaemic disorders.


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Periacetabular osteolytic skeletal metastases are frequently associated with pain and impaired ambulatory function. Minimally invasive techniques allow for the restoration of ambulation without interrupting critical systemic cancer therapy.

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The open surgical management of massive periacetabular osteolytic lesions, such as by curettage, internal fixation, or complex total hip reconstruction, is associated with blood loss, hospitalization, rehabilitation, and complications such as infection or delayed wound-healing.

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Minimally invasive percutaneous procedures have become increasingly popular for the management of periacetabular osteolytic metastases by interventional oncologists and orthopaedic surgeons before complex open surgical procedures are considered.

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Minimally invasive procedures may include various methods of cancer ablation and reinforcement techniques. Minimally invasive procedures may entail cancer ablation, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement reinforcement, balloon osteoplasty, percutaneous screw fixation, or combinations of the aforementioned techniques (e.g., ablation-osteoplasty-reinforcement-internal fixation [AORIF]).


Background:In Nigeria, residency training in orthodontics dates back as early as 1 986 with initial accreditation of only one institution granted by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. Presently however, there are about ten institutions where orthodontic treatment is offered and most of them are accredited to train orthodontists.
Results: In spite of the increase in the number of accredited training institutions, there is still a dearth of orthodontic practitioners with the ratio being 1:3.86 million Nigerians. Sadly , the total population of Nigerian orthodontists represents only 1% of all dentists in Nigeria. The challenges of residency training in Nigeria are numerous. There is therefore a need to reexamine the objectives of training, reevaluate the programme as a whole and implement restructuring in order to improve the standard, make the programme more relevant to the need of the society , thus ensuring that graduates of the programmes are up-to-date and at par with their counterparts from across the globe and with the rest of the world. Conclusion: while the purpose of residency training in orthodontics has largely been achieved in Nigeria, a lot remains to be done to propel it beyond its original state so as to make it compare favourably with similar dental postgraduate training programmes in other parts of the world. There is therefore a call for action for all stakeholders to propel the fortunes of residency dental training in Nigeria.


The authors consider an anisotropic Ising model ferromagnet on the honeycomb lattice, having nearest-neighbour pairwise interactions J, theta J>0 along the oblique and horizontal lattice axes, respectively, with theta >0 being an anisotropy parameter. Since the Hamiltonian contains solely z-component (longitudinal) Pauli spin operators, the dynamics in the Ising model evolves only for the non-order (transverse) spin degrees of freedom. An exact solution is calculated for the inelastic neutron scattering function Sxx(q, omega )= Sigma nAn(T, theta ) delta ( omega - omega n( theta )), n=+or-3, +or-2, +or-1, which depends upon the frequency omega , temperature T and anisotropy theta . The discrete energy transfers h(cross) omega n( theta ) are independent of temperature, vary linearly with theta and possess degeneracies for certain integral values of theta . The scattering amplitudes (intensities/site) An(T, theta ) of the Dirac delta -functions exhibit, for fixed theta , such behaviours as rounded maxima, crossing points, and weak energy-type singularities at the critical temperature Tc( theta ). A criticality, the 'spin wave mode' scattering amplitude versus anisotropy displays a shallow asymmetric minimum at theta =1. Compared with the existence of only four inelastic scattering modes in the isotropic ( theta =1) case, the present six modes illustrate the partial lifting of essential degeneracies Some similar results may be inferred for the more general case having two anisotropy parameters and eight modes.


The paper studies the effect of the laser scanning speed (vs) on the morphology of single tracks obtained from a mixture of Ti and Al powders in a stoichiometric ratio of 1 : 1 in longitudinal and cross sections. Droplets of splashed liquid were found on the outer surface of the track obtained at vs = 300 mm/s. Their appearance is resulted most likely from the release of gas bubbles formed due to the evaporation of aluminum having a lower melting point. A distortion of a single track along its length was observed with an increase in vs values up to 600 mm/s. It was found that tracks loose stability as the laser beam speed increases with «balls» formed on the track surface due to the significant Marangoni convection and the capillary liquid instability in the molten bath. An increase in the laser speed led to the appearance of pores mainly concentrated in the formed balls, and also influenced the track morphology in the cross section, namely, the width and height of the track, as well as the depth of substrate fusion. An increase in the scanning speed from 300 to 900 mm/s led virtually no substrate fusion, and the track width decreased from 194 to 136 μm, while its height increased almost 4 times – from 21 to 88 μm. X-ray microanalysis was conducted and element distribution maps were obtained to assess the structure of the tracks under study. It was found that the degree of liquid mixing in the molten bath is insufficient at scanning speeds of 300 and 600 mm/s, which leads to the segregation of elements over the track cross section. The central zone turns out to be enriched in aluminum, while titanium predominates at the base and is practically absent in the extreme zone (4.57 at.% Ti). X-ray microanalysis revealed the presence of unmelted titanium powder particles at vs = 900 mm/s. Presumably, it may be caused by insufficient laser power at such a high scanning speed.


Abstract Objective: For the pediatric population, there is no consensus on which triage system to use for mass-casualty incidents (MCI). A scoping review was conducted to identify the most accurate triage system for pediatric patients in MCIs. Methods: MEDLINE (NLM, Bethesda, MA, USA), Embase (Elsevier Inc., Amsterdam, Netherlands), CINAHL (EBSCO Information Services, Ipswitch, MA, USA), and The Cochrane CENTRAL Register of Controlled Trials (John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, USA), as well as Scopus (Elsevier Inc., Amsterdam, Netherlands), Global Health (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, Wallingford, UK), Global Health Archive (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, Wallingford, UK), and Global Index Medicus (World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland) were searched for relevant studies that were divided into 3 categories: accuracy of a single system, comparison of 2 or more primary triage system and comparison of secondary triage systems. Grey literature was also searched. Results: 996 studies were identified from which 18 studies were included. Systems studied were found to have poor inter-rater reliability, had a low level of agreement between providers, had missed critically ill patients or were not externally validated. 11 studies compared pediatric MCI triage algorithms using different strategies and the most accurate algorithm was not identified. A recently developed secondary triage system, specifically for pediatric patients, was found to perform better than the comparison triage system. Conclusion: Although some algorithms performed better than others, no primary triage algorithm was accurate enough for the pediatric population. However, only 1 secondary triage algorithm was found to be superior to the others.


There are significant development gains to be made in ensuring women"s equitable access to and control over economic and financial resources, including in relation to economic growth, poverty eradication and the well-being of families and communities. The growth and success of womenowned businesses is one of the most profound changes in the business world today. There is no doubt that women are an emerging market force. Female entrepreneurship represents a vast untapped source of innovation, job creation and economic growth in the developing world. Women entrepreneurs are playing an increasingly important role in the Kenya economy. In growing numbers, they are committing their talents, energies, and personal financial resources to start their own businesses. Even though women in Kenya have been known to engage in small scale retail enterprises there has been a need to grow the business beyond the current levels. However hindering factors such as lack of collateral, lower academic standards, high interest rates, low income from these business and social cultural constraints have contributed to poor growth and management of these businesses. Access to finance has also been hampered by these factors. This study investigated the determinants of access to credit facilities by women owned enterprises in Kiserian market, Kajiado County. The study was guided by the overall objective of identifying the determinants of access to credit facilities by women owned enterprises. Use of questionnaires to collect primary data was preferred in this study. The study adopted a descriptive research design. It targeted a sample of 139 women owned enterprises in Kiserian market, Kajiado County. Purposive sampling was utilized in selecting the respondents of the study. SPSS was used to code and enter data for analysis. Data was presented in percentages,correlation and regression analysis was also undertaken to determine the degree and extent of the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The study established that interest rates, lending procedures indeed affect accessibility to credit facilities. . On the influence of entrepreneurial skills on accessibility to credit facilities the entrepreneurial Skills were found to have a positive impact on accessibility to credit facilities. The findings also confirm that financial information affects credit accessibility. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE AND PROCUREMENT VOLUME.4, ISSUE 11, 2015 Http://www.ijsse.org ISSN 23076305 Page | 2


Photonic integrated microcombs have enabled advanced applications in optical communication, microwave synthesis, and optical metrology, which in nature unveil an optical dissipative soliton pattern under cavity-enhanced nonlinear processes. The most decisive factor of microcombs lies in the photonic material platforms, where materials with high nonlinearity and in capacity of high-quality chip integration are highly demanded. In this work, we present a home-developed chalcogenide glasses-Ge25Sb10S65 (GeSbS) for the nonlinear photonic integration and for the dissipative soliton microcomb generation. Compared with the current integrated nonlinear platforms, the GeSbS features wider transparency from the visible to 11-μm region, stronger nonlinearity, and lower thermo-refractive coefficient, and is CMOS compatible in fabrication. In this platform, we achieve chip-integrated optical microresonators with a quality (Q) factor above 2×10^6, and carry out lithographically controlled dispersion engineering. In particular, we demonstrate that both a bright soliton-based microcomb and a dark-pulsed comb are generated in a single microresonator, in its separated fundamental polarized mode families under different dispersion regimes. The overall pumping power is on the ten-milliwatt level, determined by both the high Q-factor and the high material nonlinearity of the microresonator. Our results may contribute to the field of nonlinear photonics with an alternative material platform for highly compact and high-intensity nonlinear interactions, while on the application aspect, contribute to the development of soliton microcombs at low operation power, which is potentially required for monolithically integrated optical frequency combs.


This article is the result of empirical research of prose writers' strategies of legitimation in St. Petersburg. The concept of legitimacy in the field of cultural production is a problematic area in sociological research. The paper deals with the transformation of attempts to conceptualize legitimacy in the cultural industries, from the thesis of the "high" culture privileged legitimacy to the recognition of multiple principles of separation, legitimate and illegitimate in this area. In this study, the legitimacy of the field of literature actors is limited to the market of literary publications. Publishing houses, literary awards, as well as the associated "thick" literary journals, critics, and journalists are considered to be the institutional sources of legitimacy in this area. The aim of the work is to analyze the strategies implemented by novelists in Russia's literary field to achieve legitimacy in the field in a situation of uncertainty of principles of selection agents and the risk of not attaining a legitimate position within it. The empirical basis of the study consists of the narratives of writers and other agents in the literary field, collected using the methods of semi-structured interviews and participant observation at the public presentations of writers' books. As a result, the author accounts for legitimation of writers as work in three directions: of reaching literary legitimacy, based on the fact of text creation, institutional legitimacy of two forms, published form (a writer becomes a part an institution in order to have their book published) and expert form (a writer assumes the position of an expert in a given field); and the public recognition variety of legitimacy, based on the public interest in the author. Each of these types of legitimacy implies a certain set of strategies to achieve it, employed by prose writers.


Although the strength and form of sexual selection on song in male crickets have been studied extensively, few studies have examined selection on the morphological structures that underlie variation in males' song, particularly in wild populations. Geometric morphometric techniques were used to measure sexual selection on the shape, size and symmetry of both top and bottom tegmina in wild populations of sagebrush crickets, a species in which nuptial feeding by females imposes an unambiguous phenotypic marker on males. The size of the tegmina negatively covaried with song dominant frequency and positively covaried with song pulse duration. Sexual selection was more intense on the bottom tegmen, conceivably because it interacts more freely with the subtegminal airspace, which may play a role in song amplification. An expanded coastal/subcostal region was one of the phenotypes strongly favoured by disruptive selection on the bottom tegmen, an adaptation that may form a more effective seal with the thorax to prevent noise cancellation. Directional selection also favoured increased symmetry in tegminal shape. Assuming more symmetrical males are better able to buffer against developmental noise, the song produced by these males may make them more attractive to females. Despite the strong stabilizing selection documented previously on the dominant frequency of the song, stabilizing selection on the resonator that regulates dominant frequency was surprisingly absent. Nonetheless, wing morphology had an important influence on song structure and appears to be subject to significant linear and nonlinear sexual selection through female mate choice.


A modified one-way equation pre-stack depth migration of up-going and down-going pressure wavefields was applied to two datasets derived from 3D towed dual- sensor streamer data in offshore Australia and Malaysia. The primary objective was to mitigate the well-known cross-line acquisition footprint effects upon shallow data quality and interpretability. The new methodology introduced here exploits the illumination corresponding to surface multiple energy and thus exploits what has historically been treated by the seismic industry as unwanted noise. Whereas a strong cross-line acquisition footprint affected the very shallow 3D data using conventional processing and imaging, the new results yield spectacular continuous high resolution seismic images, even up to, and including the water bottom. One implication of these results is that very wide-tow survey efficiency can be achieved without compromising shallow data quality if dual-sensor streamer acquisition and processing is used, even in very shallow water areas such as that discussed here. The imaging methodology can account for all degrees of lateral variability in the velocity model, full anisotropy, and angle gathers can be created to assist with velocity model building.


Monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) belong to the SLC16 family within the major facilitator superfamily of transmembrane transporters. MCT8 is a thyroid hormone transporter mutated in the Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome, a severe psychomotor retardation syndrome. MCT10 is closely related to MCT8 and is known as T-type amino acid transporter. Both transporters mediate T3 transport, but although MCT8 also transports rT3 and T4, these compounds are not efficiently transported by MCT10, which, in contrast, transports aromatic amino acids. Based on the 58% amino acid identity within the transmembrane regions among MCT8 and MCT10, we reasoned that substrate specificity may be primarily determined by a small number of amino acid differences between MCT8 and MCT10 along the substrate translocation channel. Inspecting the homology model of MCT8 and a structure-guided alignment between both proteins, we selected 8 amino acid positions and prepared chimeric MCT10 proteins with selected amino acids changed to the corresponding amino acids in MCT8. The MCT10 mutant harboring 8 amino acid substitutions was stably expressed in Madin-Darby canine kidney 1 cells and found to exhibit T4 transport activity. We then successively reduced the number of amino acid substitutions and eventually identified a minimal set of 2-3 amino acid exchanges which were sufficient to allow T4 transport. The resulting MCT10 chimeras exhibited KM values for T4 similar to MCT8 but transported T4 at a slower rate. The acquisition of T4 transport by MCT10 was associated with complete loss of the capacity to transport Phe, when Tyr184 was mutated to Phe.


Intense photoluminescence (PL) was observed in soluble disubstituted polyacetylenes such as poly(1-phenyl-2- p-adamantylphenyl acetylene (PDPA-Ad) at 530 nm, poly(1-phenyl-2- p-triphenylsilylphenyl acetylene) (PDPA-TPSi) at 530 nm and poly(1-hexyl-2-phenyl acetylene) (PHxPA) at 455 nm, although they are considered to be derivatives of trans-polyacetylene. In monosubstituted acetylene polymers such as poly( o-trimethylsilylphenyl acetylene) (PTMSiPA), PL was negligible. Green and blue light emissions were observed from an electroluminescent (EL) device having soluble poly(diphenyl acetylene) (PDPA) derivatives (PDPA-Ad and PDPA-TPSi) and PHxPA as emission layers, respectively. EL emission is clearly observable under normal room illumination conditions. The electronic energy structures of the disubstituted PA derivatives are also discussed to interpret PL and EL characteristics.


The invention in a mobile communication system with receiver for receiving a transmitting apparatus and the data for transmitting data, by using the pilot pattern to be inserted to the pilot field of a dedicated physical channel for control information and an apparatus and method for transmission / reception. According to the present invention This can be done by selecting control information according to whether or not to receive the data, and selects a pilot pattern according to the control information. And it transmits to insert the selected pilot pattern to a pilot field of a dedicated physical channel as the control information. At this time, a pilot pattern is selected in accordance with the control information is an orthogonal pattern generated using the remaining bits except the pilot bit having a predetermined bit from among the usage of the base pilot pattern. Downlink, uplink, a pilot signal, a channel estimator


Abstract The extraction of Biodiesel from vegetable oil is time-consuming and requires human involvement to perform and keep track of chemical titration, stirring, and washing the product for each batch of production. A well-designed system can significantly eliminate human interaction and expedite the whole process. The construction of an inexpensive automated biodiesel plant can help produce Biodiesel on a large scale and make a breakthrough in Bangladesh's economy as no such effort has been undertaken so far. To achieve the desired aim, this paper focuses on implementing the construction of a cheap, compact, and automatic system that will exhaustively reduce human interactions and the processing time and increase biodiesel yield. For this purpose, an automated biodiesel processor was designed and constructed in conjunction with pumps, solenoid valves, level sensors, temperature sensors, etc., using a programmable logic controller (PLC). Upon completing a full cycle, the plant delivers certified Biodiesel and the leftover by-products are collected for further recycling. Different batches of Biodiesel were produced. A comparative study of the physical properties of the fuel and the diesel engine's performance characteristics by these fuel samples was analysed and showed satisfactory results.


The Dual Mechanism Model posits two different cognitive mechanisms for morphologically complex word forms: decomposition of regulars into stems and exponents, and full-form storage for irregulars. Most of the research in this framework has focused on contrasts between productive and non-productive inflection. In this paper, we extend the model to derivational morphology. Our studies indicate that productive derivation shows affinities with both productive and non-productive inflection. We argue that these results support the linguistic distinction between derivation and inflection, particularly as it is represented in realization-based models of morphology.


The purpose and main problem of this thesis is to describe the supply chain, in a system with great distances between production and sales units, and explain how to solve logistics problems and increase sales by focusing on the customers' needs. Customers in Southeast Asia and Australia are annoyed with the construction equipment industry. Volvo CE is in an unfavourable competitive position, although it is the leader in terms of product quality. It is the service that causes Volvo problems. Volvo CE is weak on such service-related factors as parts availability, after-sales service, financing, and product availability. Service-related factors are more important than product-related. Concerning the information flow we have found that forecasting is rigid, order systems are not fully integrated, and communication between different entities is inadequate. Transportations are complicated and time consuming, the level of machines in inventory is too low, which makes for long lead-times. Parts management is sometimes uncoordinated, service levels are lower than the main competitors', and sales companies are reluctant to share parts between them. We believe that the current structure with one warehouse in Singapore, serving the Southeast Asian market, and one in Sydney, covering the Australian market, should be kept. Increase inventories of both products and spare parts, to increase the service level. Employ the concept of one-warehouse-thinking, and integrate information systems between the different units; plants, sales companies, and dealers. Install a central control authority, responsible for coordinating parts distribution world-wide. Volvo CE needs to make the following improvements in order to improve their competitive position: 1. Parts availability, 2. Product availability, 3. Price, 4. After-sales service The "sell one – build one" concept is difficult to employ in a system with great distances between production and sales units. This is especially true in an industry characterised by big, bulky products, low volumes, and few and expensive transportation alternatives. If the customers' differentiation level is relatively low, it is recommended to have some stock closer to the customers.


The after-sale service industry is estimated to contribute over 8 percent to the US GDP. For use in this considerably large service management industry, this article provides verification in the application of decision tree-based machine learning algorithms for optimal maintenance decision-making. The motivation for this research arose from discussions held with a large agricultural equipment manufacturing company interested in increasing the uptime of their expensive machinery and in helping their dealer network.,We propose a general strategy for the design of predictive maintenance systems using machine learning techniques. Then, we present a case study where multiple machine learning algorithms are applied to a particular example situation for an illustration of the proposed strategy and evaluation of its performance.,We found progressive improvements using such machine learning techniques in terms of accuracy in predictions of failure, demonstrating that the proposed strategy is successful.,This approach is scalable to a wide variety of applications to aid in failure prediction. These approaches are generalizable to many systems irrespective of the underlying physics. Even though we focus on decision tree-based machine learning techniques in this study, the general design strategy proposed can be used with all other supervised learning techniques like neural networks, boosting algorithms, support vector machines, and statistical methods.,This approach is applicable to many different types of systems that require maintenance and repair decision-making. A case is provided for a cloud data storage provider. The methods described in the case can be used in any number of systems and industrial applications, making this a very scalable case for industry practitioners. This scalability is possible as the machine learning techniques learn the correspondence between machine conditions and outcome state irrespective of the underlying physics governing the systems.,Sustainable systems and operations require allocating and utilizing resources efficiently and effectively. This approach can help asset managers decide how to sustainably allocate resources by increasing uptime and utilization for expensive equipment.,This is a novel application and case study for decision tree-based machine learning that will aid researchers in developing tools and techniques in this area as well as those working in the artificial intelligence and service management space.


Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the influence of PDE-4 inhibitor roflumilast on clinical and functional indices in severe COPD patients with concomitant CB over 3 month's therapy.

Methods: This was a comparison of 30 patients (average age 49,7 ± 1,3 years) with stable COPD (GOLD III), ≥2 exacerbations in last 12 months and diagnosis of CB in time dimension: we analized their symptom score, PFT indices (Rtot, RV, IC, FVC, FEV1) during 3 months, when they received standart COPD therapy (LABA+ICS in moderate daily doses) and next 3 months, when roflumilast 500 mcg OD was added to their routine therapy. Study was carried out of budjet cost.

Results : During first 3 months of observation mean CAT test was (30,3 ± 1,4), main problems were with physical load (all patients noted 4 – 5 on question 4), home affairs (question 5: 3-4 points), with sleep and energy (3 – 5 points). Post BD plethysmography revealed increased Rtot (287,5 ± 12,8) %, RV (187,8 ± 9,7)%; Post BD spirometry data also were impaired: FEV1 Post BD (38,1 ± 3,7) %, IC (52,8 ±4,5) %.

Addition of roflumilast lead to the decrease of CAT test score to (24,2 ± 1,6) (p<0,05), tendency to decrease of Rtot (200,4 ± 7,8)%, decrease of RV – to (134,4 ± 8,7)% and to increase of IC (to (72,3 ±3,7) % at the end of next 3 months. Also moved left score in abovementioned points, more answers were checked between 2 and 3. Changes in FEV1 and FVC were in variability limits.

Conclusion: introduction of PDE-4 inhibitor leads to the improvement of COPD control and tendency to increase of functional reserves in severe COPD patients with concomitant CB.


Class incremental learning (CIL) aims to incrementally update a trained model with the new classes of samples (plasticity) while retaining previously learned ability (stability). To address the most challenging issue in this goal, i.e., catastrophic forgetting, the mainstream paradigm is memory-replay CIL, which consolidates old knowledge by replaying a small number of old classes of samples saved in the memory. Despite effectiveness, the inherent destruction-reconstruction dynamics in memory-replay CIL are an intrinsic limitation: if the old knowledge is severely destructed, it will be quite hard to reconstruct the lossless counterpart. Our theoretical analysis shows that the destruction of old knowledge can be effectively alleviated by balancing the contribution of samples from the current phase and those saved in the memory. Motivated by this theoretical finding, we propose a novel Balanced Destruction-Reconstruction module (BDR) for memory-replay CIL, which can achieve better knowledge reconstruction by reducing the degree of maximal destruction of old knowledge. Specifically, to achieve a better balance between old knowledge and new classes, the proposed BDR module takes into account two factors: the variance in training status across different classes and the quantity imbalance of samples from the current phase and memory. By dynamically manipulating the gradient during training based on these factors, BDR can effectively alleviate knowledge destruction and improve knowledge reconstruction. Extensive experiments on a range of CIL benchmarks have shown that as a lightweight plug-and-play module, BDR can significantly improve the performance of existing state-of-the-art methods with good generalization.


This paper presents a development of 6DOF motion platform far a tilting train simulator. The tilting train simulator will be used to verify the tilting electronics and tilting control algorithm which are to be applied the Korean 180km/h tilting train. The tilting train simulator is composed of a 6-axis motion platform, a track generation system, a graphic user interface, and a visualization system with 1600mm-diameter dome screen. In this study, the 6DOF motion platform for a tilting train simulator has been designed and manufactured. The motion platform developed is a motion platform of Stewart type. The inverse kinematic analysis has been performed to determine the length of the links of the platform. Furthermore, the specification of the motors have been evaluated by the equation of motion of the platform.


Blockchain technology has had a substantial impact across multiple disciplines, creating new methods for storing and processing data with improved transparency, immutability, and reproducibility. These developments come at a time when the reproducibility of many scientific findings has been called into question, including computational studies. Here we present a computational chemistry simulation run directly on a blockchain virtual machine, using a harmonic potential to model the vibration of carbon monoxide. The results demonstrate for the first time that computational science calculations are feasible entirely within a blockchain environment and that they can be used to increase transparency and accessibility across the computational sciences.


BACKGROUND
In the outpatient use of tuberculin skin testing (purified protein derivative [PPD]), it is at times inconvenient to have a patient revisit for interpretation. Therefore, we assessed patients' ability to self-interpret these test results.

METHODS
In keeping with prior custom, patients were seen by an experienced nurse, who performed skin testing with PPD intermediate strength as well as mumps and Candida anergy control tests in some cases, and explained the procedure. The patients were asked to return 48 to 72 h later, at which time one of the researchers recorded their test interpretations before they were again evaluated by the nurse.

RESULTS
Sixty-eight patients were studied, of whom 59 returned at appropriate interval. Eighteen patients had a positive PPD test reaction of 10 to 20 mm induration, which only one patient correctly identified as a positive test result. However, positive anergy control tests were correctly interpreted in 10 of 27 cases.

CONCLUSION
The small number of positive PPD test result recognition by these patients may be partially attributed to their lack of education, as well as foreign birth and denial of illness. PPD results should be checked by an experienced professional.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Introduction: Sodium, potassium and fluid play a key role in renal salt homeostasis. We showed that sodium intake is associated with higher renal cell cancer (RCC) risk. Promoter CpG island methylation, leading to silencing of tumor suppressor genes, may also affect RCC carcinogenesis. We investigated whether associations between sodium, potassium and fluid intake and RCC risk differed for RCC subtypes defined by promoter methylation of genes involved in renal salt homeostasis.

Methods: The Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS) with case-cohort design included 120,852 subjects aged 55-69 years. Diet was measured with a food frequency questionnaire. After 20.3 years of follow-up, paraffin-embedded tumor blocks from 454 incident RCC cases were collected, of which 80% had clear cell (cc) histology. Methylation-specific PCR was used to analyze promoter CpG island methylation in tumor DNA. Genes involved in renal salt homeostasis were of interest if exhibiting 1) promoter CpG island methylation in ccRCC cell lines and not in normal kidney tissue in a genome-wide methylation screen (MBD-affinity massive parallel sequencing) and 2) ccRCC-specific down-regulation in public expression data. We identified ARHGDIG, ATP1A1, SCNN1B and SLC8A3 as candidate genes, which were then combined into a methylation sum score and categorized representing no (0 genes methylated), low (1 gene methylated) and high (≥2 genes methylated) methylation. Cox regression analyses were stratified accordingly and included 4,439 subcohort members and 348 ccRCC cases.

Results: ARHGDIG, ATP1A1, SCNN1B and SLC8A3 were methylated in 22.7%, 16.4%, 42.2% and 5.5% of ccRCC tumors. High sodium intake increased overall ccRCC risk [HR(95%CI): 1.42(1.06-1.89)] regardless of methylation status (P-heterogeneity = 0.69). High potassium intake was differently associated with ccRCC risk (P-heterogeneity = 0.02); ccRCC risk was lower for tumors without methylation [HR(95%CI): 0.59(0.36-0.98)], but higher for tumors with high methylation [HR(95%CI): 1.50(0.89-2.52)]. For fluid intake, HRs similarly differed across the methylation subtypes, but heterogeneity was not significant (P-heterogeneity = 0.45). Individual gene analyses showed that SCNN1B was most indicative of the heterogeneous effects.

Discussion: Our findings indicate for the first time a joint influence of diet and epigenetics to determine ccRCC risk. By investigating specific dietary intakes and DNA methylation in selected genes we provide a biological rational for the role of renal salt homeostasis in the development of ccRCC. In particular, we show that, besides sodium intake, also potassium and fluid intake may be implicated in ccRCC etiology, when the epigenetic environment is considered. Further exploration of the temporal relationship and exact pathological pathway is however warranted.

Citation Format: Ivette A. G. Deckers, Piet A. van den Brandt, Manon van Engeland, Patricia M. M. B. Soetekouw, Marcella M. L. L. Baldewijns, Andras P. Keszei, Leo J. Schouten. Dietary sodium, potassium and fluid intake and clear cell renal cell cancer: heterogeneous effects by DNA methylation of genes involved in renal salt homeostasis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5060. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5060


These lectures 1 concern the first, relatively small, step in a program whose long–term goal is the, mathematically rigorous, construction of a standard model of a gas of bosons. Even this first step is too long and complicated to present completely here. But I will outline it and highlight a couple of the tools employed that tend to crop up quite commonly in constructions of quantum field theories and many–body models. The model of our gas of bosons is based on the following assumptions. • Each particle in the gas has a kinetic energy. The corresponding quantum mechanical observable is an operator h. The most commonly used h is − 1 2m ∆, which corresponds to the classical kinetic energy p 2 2m. (Balaban et al., 2010c) allows a more general class of operators like this. • The particles in the gas interact with each other through a translationally invariant , exponentially decaying, strictly positive definite two-body potential, 2v(x, y). • The system is in the thermodynamic equilibrium given by the grand canonical ensemble with temperature T > 0 and chemical potential µ ∈ R. We shall not place any further restrictions on T and µ. But the most interesting temperatures are small and the most interesting chemical potentials are small and positive. I'll formulate the model mathematically, carefully, later. But to get a first hint both of the expected physical behaviour and of the formalism that we shall use, consider the following, formal, functional integral representation of the partition function for this system.


The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) recently emerged as the site of unprecedented, multilateral, and seemingly high-stakes negotiations about the future of international business income taxation. Judging by the political resources deployed in these negotiations, international tax has entered unchartered territory. Ruth Mason offers a timely and balanced portrayal of the OECD process so far. But explanations of this process remain eminently contestable. On the one hand, international institutions that address externalities from uncoordinated actions and produce mutual benefits for participating nations can be highly stable. On the other hand, the OECD has struggled, whether in its Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) and post-BEPS initiatives or during the pre-BEPS era, to articulate the goals for which international coordination in taxation is needed. By many accounts, recent discussions at the OECD are motivated mainly by the desire to stop foreign imposition of taxes on U.S. companies, or, as the other side of the same coin, to avert the wrath of the single hegemonic power in international tax. What is the best characterization of this conflict? I believe that understanding the underlying subject matter for international coordination, as opposed to merely the institutions that might facilitate such coordination, is required for identifying the coming transformation of international tax.


This study assessed whether race moderates the association between flourishing and all-cause mortality. We used panel data from the Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS) (1995-2016) (n = 2851). Approximately 19% of White respondents and 23% of Black respondents of the baseline sample died over the course of the 21-year study period (n = 564). Cox proportional hazard models showed that Blacks had a higher mortality rate relative to Whites and higher levels of flourishing were associated with a lower mortality rate. Furthermore, a significant interaction between flourishing and race in predicting mortality was observed. Blacks with higher levels of flourishing had a mortality rate that was not significantly different from Whites. However, Blacks, but not Whites, with low flourishing scores had a higher mortality rate. As such, health promotion efforts focused on enhancing flourishing among Black populations may reduce the Black-White gap in mortality.


The unlimited diversity of fashion designs necessitates the development of modeling, which requires the designer to have a degree of innovation and skill in preparation, development and modification, as well as experience and practice are important factors necessary to create accurate and practical models.
The success of any model depends on the preparation of the model, so the garment industry begins by choosing the design and then preparing the correct basic model followed by many steps. The pattern is the basis in the garment industry as it is the first step of the production process, which depends on it the success of the design and affects the quality of the clothing product because it represents the human body in its three dimensions according to the taken measurements and therefore need to specialists with a high degree of efficiency and accuracy. The most important features of the basic model are the panties that work to make clothing suitable for the appearance of the body in the areas of chest, abdomen, buttocks, and the bones of the shoulder blade and the elbow. Although the panties are important, there are types of clothing that need a greater proportion of the wideness with no panties in the model such as simple dresses, blouses and shirts leather garments, knitwear, household clothing, casual wear and sportswear, as well as the production of one size clothing. These models are also more suitable for garment production in garment factories for easy and fast manufacturing hence increasing production. The problem: has summarized the questions; Are there different ways to draw the basic pattern of Corsage that has no panties? What are these ways?  What are the differences between the different methods of fitting and proportion of the wideness? What is the best way to obtain a basic form of Corsage free of panties in terms of fitting and the proportion of the wideness? Objectives: The study  aims have been to identify the different ways of drawing the basic model of Corsage free of panties and to arrive to the best and simplest way to get a basic model for a Corsage free of panties. Methodology: The research followed the applied experimental method to suit this research and to answer the research questions and achieve the objectives. Results:  there are statistically significant differences between the three methods of designing the basic model free of panties of the studied sizes  in question for the proposed method.