taking SCI theses of 59 academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences in the field of biomedicine for research objects, adopting thescientific metrology and social network analysis to study the cooperative relationship of the academicians' papers. The results show that thecollaborative network of academicians' theses is based on a fixed small group network and does not form a whole and connected network.The form of cooperation is based on internal and domestic cooperation, and international cooperation with the United States is the mostfrequent. Biochemistry and molecular biology are the most important and active leading disciplines in their scientific research activities.Computer science and life sciences are closely interacted, and the role of intermediary bridge is becoming increasingly prominent. Theresults suggest that although the academician's scientific cooperation is keeping up with the times, the breadth and depth of its internationalcooperation need to be further deepened. The leading disciplines need further integration and continue to strengthen disciplinary cooperation.


Context-sensitive spelling errors are those errors resulting from mistyping or mispronouncing a word, and the resulting misspelled word is a valid language/dictionary word. For example, "This building is bigger then our building": The word 'then' here is a context-sensitive spelling error and the intended word is 'than'. This paper describes an effective approach for detecting context-sensitive spelling errors. Detecting and correcting context-sensitive spelling errors is a very difficult and important problem that needs careful consideration. Working with this problem will involve facing the very difficult problem of natural language semantics. The proposed approach is a machine-learning-based approach. The approach has been fully implemented and evaluated with a large number of experiments. The results reported in this paper are encouraging and show that the method is effective. Overall, the method is capable of detecting context-sensitive errors with an accuracy in the range of ~86% ~95%.


This work presents an integrated approach for screening and application of the most suitable enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method to the oil fields. The proposed approach can be used to support the decision making during the critical technology selection phase. By providing early stage advice through detailed design, the approach can provide a bridging service to bring the EOR projects from screening and laboratory stages into the field applications. EOR screening for some of the Egyptian oil fields is presented. The screening procedure and criteria are based on field results and previous experiences, and involve the analysis of both surface and subsurface fields' conditions. The results indicate that the most appropriate EOR methods for the studied oil fields appear to be CO2 and alkali-surfactant-polymer injection methods. The study shows that CO2-EOR could help Egypt simultaneously to reduce the emissions of CO2 and increase the recovery factor by 5 to 15 %. The study then identifies the main technological barriers to the implementation of CO2-EOR, and indicates key areas that require further research and development. In addition, the challenges and the main technical concerns in applying CO2-EOR technologies are discussed in the light of the lessons learnt from large scale worldwide EOR projects. Such study is an original contribution to achieve successful EOR applications and could significantly increase the reserves of the mature oil fields.


Estradiol and progesterone effects on the biosynthesis of estrogen and progesterone cytoplasmic receptors have been studied in the endometrium culture tissue of pregnant women. It was established that in a 48-hour culture estradiol stimulated the biosynthesis of its own and progesterone receptors. Under the same conditions progesterone stimulated the biosynthesis of estrogen receptors but did not affect the biosynthesis of its own receptors.


Ten subjects (mean age 57 years) took part in a crossover study between a food drink and nitrazepam 5 mg. They rated their anxiety and sleep quality. On half the sleep laboratory nights during baseline periods subjects were given an inert pill which they were told would improve sleep. A comparison was made between the six pill and six non-pill nights for each subject. Subjective ratings revealed no significant difference attributable to the inert pill. Sleep quality was rated to have been improved during both late drug and early food drink administration. On early drug withdrawal sleep quality was rated worse than baseline.


Summary The lower to middle Eocene Scotland Group is about 1700 m thick at outcrop and can be divided into: (A) The Lower Scotland Formation consisting of (1) the Walkers Member (500 m): graded turbidite sands and clays, arranged in sand-dominated and clay-dominated packets; (2) the Morgan Lewis Member (200 m): almost all clay, with two sand intervals; (B) the Upper Scotland Formation consisting of (3) the Murphys Member (about 350 m): a thickening and coarsening upward sequence including slumped beds; (4) the Chalky Mount Member (0–250 m): coarse and conglomeratic sands with large slide blocks and minor interbedded muds; (5) the Mount All Member (about 500 m): coarse and fine turbidite sands and clays, much disturbed and displaying no overall sequence. The group was deposited by mass-flow processes in a deep marine environment, probably in a deep-sea trench or a submarine fan. Current flow was from the SW and mineral composition supports derivation from South American metamorphic rocks. Clay mineralogy shows an upward trend from mainly smectite to mainly kaolinite. An ENE structural trend is present throughout the island and is anomalous in the present plate-tectonic setting adjacent to a north-south trending island arc. Deformation increases in complexity up the succession; this may be due to sedimentary slumping, partly a result of increasing disturbance by rising mud diapirs. This locally culminated in extrusion of hydrocarbon-rich mud—the overlying Joes River Formation. The Barbados Ridge probably comprises clastic sediments deposited both in a trench and on the Atlantic Ocean floor.


With the alarming poverty incidence among fisherfolks communities, the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) embarked a project dubbed as Fisheries, Coastal Resources and Livelihood (FishCORAL) funded by United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (UN-IFAD) to address the problem by providing livelihood project to the coastal areas of different regions in the country. To assess the impact of the said project in the Bicol region, Bicol University in collaboration with different State Colleges and Universities in the region conducted a project called impact assessment on different project of the FishCORAL livelihood projects. The aim of the study is to assess the key indicators of the project if the goals of the project was met with the implementation of the livelihood project. The study used convenience sampling in the field surveys and focus group discussions to draw conclusion wherein the respondents are the recipient of the aqua silviculture livelihood project. The study reveals that the beneficiaries is under big household category making them hard to financially sustain the basic needs of the family because there is large percentage of dependent individuals. It was also noted that they do not have their own lot where they built their houses and the source of drinking water is unprotected well.  In addition, the livelihood project is not sustainable because of various problems such as no profit from the first production cycle, most of the beneficiaries backed out during the implementation and the association itself is not technically prepared to implement the project to sustainable ends. Conduct of more technical capability training along varied aspects of aqua silviculture shall be caried out. Also, trainings on financial literacy, business management and basic record keeping are very necessary. There is also a need to craft a clearcut guideline and operational protocol to guide the aqua silviculture venture.  Maybe, a root cause analysis of the previous production cycle should be carried-out to highlight lessons and undertake corrective measures. The association must be reorganized, reoriented and retooled.


Recent progress concerning spin-polarized magnetic tunnelling effects for (i) trilayer standard ferromagnet (F)/insulator (I)/ferromagnet (F) junctions, (ii) spin-valve-type junctions, (iii) trilayer or multilayer ferromagnet/granular/ferromagnet junctions and (iv) F/I/F junction with a `wedge-geometry' insulator is reviewed. Special emphasis is placed on the dependence of the tunnel magnetoresistance ratio on temperature and also the intensity of the applied voltage. It was found that the resistance for the saturation magnetization state, , and the tunnelling magnetoresistance ratio, TMR, of an junction decreased rapidly with increasing temperature, whereas those of a junction were insensitive to temperature. Concerning the bias voltage dependence of and TMR, the same tendency with temperature was observed for and junctions. Spin-valve-type junction exchange biased by a FeMn layer exhibits a relatively large TMR ratio up to about 400 K.


This paper presents a low-rank tensor model for vehicular traffic volume data. Contrarily to previous works, we capitalize on a definition of rank, called the tensor train, that is as effective as possible; so that it exploits all the correlation between local structures that are present in the multiple modes, but practical enough that efficient optimization algorithms still hold. From our model, a formulation to find balanced (higher order) tensors is derived. The resulting optimally-balanced tensor improves the imputation accuracy of the tensor train rank. Then, we design specific experiments, which are numerically evaluated using real-world traffic data from Tampere city, Finland. The experimental results are promising, our proposed approach outperforms existing algorithms in both imputation accuracy and, in some instances, computation time.


Elemental powders of Cu and Ni, binary alloys (Cu-Ni and Cu-Zr) and ternary alloy (Cu-Ni-Zr) obtained by mechanical alloying and uniaxial compaction hot microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. The alloys studied were: pure Cu, pure Ni, binary alloys (Cu-Ni; Cu-Zr) and ternary alloys (Cu-Ni-Zr) under the same mechanical milling and hot pressing conditions. The samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM); the mechanical properties were studied by compression tests and hardness in Vickers scale (HV_0.5) on polished surfaces at room temperature. According to XRD results, hot pressing process crystallite size increase and microstrain decreases in the compact samples due to the release of crystalline defects. The compacted samples have porosity of approximately 20%. The milling powder samples have a higher hardness than the unmilled samples, this because during milling crystal defects are incorporated together with the microstructural refinement. Ternary alloy is the one with the highest hardness of all systems studied, reaching 689 HV_0.5. In compression tests determined a strain 5 %, Zr-containing samples become more fragile presenting the lowest values of compressive strength. In contrast, samples of Ni and Cu-Ni binary alloy are more resistant to compression.


We measure the correlation of galaxy lensing and cosmic microwave background lensing with a set of galaxies expected to trace the matter density field. The measurements are performed using pre-survey Dark Energy Survey (DES) Science Verification optical imaging data and millimetre-wave data from the 2500 sq. deg. South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SPT-SZ) survey. The two lensing-galaxy correlations are jointly fit to extract constraints on cosmological parameters, constraints on the redshift distribution of the lens galaxies, and constraints on the absolute shear calibration of DES galaxy-lensing measurements. We show that an attractive feature of these fits is that they are fairly insensitive to the clustering bias of the galaxies used as matter tracers. The measurement presented in this work confirms that DES and SPT data are consistent with each other and with the currently favoured Lambda cold dark matter cosmological model. It also demonstrates that joint lensing-galaxy correlation measurement considered here contains a wealth of information that can be extracted using current and future surveys.


Production of aflatoxins, sterigmatocystin, citrinin, and ochratoxin A by Aspergillus and Penicillium species on agar in 50-ml flasks after 21 days was detected and confirmed by thin-layer chromatography. Toxins were extracted with 2.5 ml of acidified methylene chloride for 20 to 60 min. Mycotoxin concentrations were estimated by liquid chromatography. Addition of formic acid to the methylene chloride extraction solvent effected an increase in recovery of ochratoxin A from Czapek-yeast (CY) agar from 20% to 91%. Recoveries of added mycotoxins were generally higher from CY agar than from yeast extract-sucrose (YES) agar and ranged from 11% (citrinin from YES agar) to 91% (ochratoxin A from CY agar). The method described is convenient, rapid, and reproducible, since it samples the entire culture surface. Human exposure to volatile solvents is also minimized.


We report the first study of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing from ancestral Amerindian populations of the South American continent. Sequencing of the D-loop region of mtDNA was carried out for bone fragments from 18 skeletons of Pre-Columbian Amerinidians. The skeletons were excavated in different archeological sites of the Brazilian Amazon region, with dating estimated at 500-4,000 years before the present. The sequencing of at least 354 bases permitted the identification of 13 haplotypes defined by variation of 26 nucleotide positions. Two haplotypes were shared by more than one sample, while 11 haplotypes were observed for a single sample. Seven haplotypes observed in 11 individuals (61% of the sample) belong to the four haplogroups described by Horai et al. (1993). Three samples that shared the transition C-->T in positions 16,223 and 16,278 formed a fifth haplogroup, which has been previously described in present-day Indian populations. Finally, four samples formed a heterogeneous group but each haplotype had at least one mutation typically detected in Asian or Mongoloid populations. Thus, although only haplotypes shared by Asian populations were detected, a wide haplotype variability was observed. If our sample is representative of Pre-Columbian South America, the percentage of haplotypes (39%) not belonging to the four haplogroups described by Horai is much greater than in contemporary indigenous populations. This permits us to suggest that, in addition to the postulated bottleneck effect during the migration from Asia to the Americas, the depopulation effect started by European colonization in the 16th century contributed to the reduction in genetic variability of Amerindians.


Mixed convective heat transfer of non-Newtonian fluids through porous medium with magnetic field on a flat plate has been investigated using a modified power – law viscosity model. This model does not contain physically unrealistic limits of zero or infinite viscosity as are encountered in the boundary - layer formulation with traditional models of viscosity for power – law fluids through porous medium with magnetic field. These unrealistic limits can introduce an irremovable singularity at the leading edge; the present modified model matches well with the measurement of viscosity, and does not introduce irremovable singularities. Therefore, the boundary layer equations can be solved by marching from the leading edge downstream as for Newtonian fluids. The numerical results are presented for a shear-thinning fluid in terms of the velocity and temperature distribution, and for important physical properties, namely the wall shear stress and heat transfer rates.


As middleware and networking technologies improve, heterogenous distributed systems are expected to become commonplace. An object-based approach to designing these systems has been adopted by ISO and ITU-T in their standardisation of the reference model for open distributed processing. An important infrastructure object within these systems is the recently standardised Trader which provides objects with a dynamic resource location service. In order to engineer reliable open object-based distributed systems, it is important to perform modelling and analysis as part of the design process. In this paper, we model the Trader using coloured Petri nets and the Design/CPN/sup TM/ tool. The model is described, and verification of the model using simulation and occurrence graph analysis is presented.


AIM
To evaluate the interaction effects of season of birth and immune system genes on the personality traits 'Novelty seeking' (NS) and 'Self-directedness' (SD). Based on results on an influence of the immune system on the brain processes, the authors hypothesized that the interaction of immune system genes and season of birth, which is relevant for immune phenotype, can contribute to the development of personality traits.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
NS and SD were measured in 336 healthy volunteers, aged from 16 to 67 years, using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125). IL1B C3954T, IL4 C-589T, IL13 C1112T and TNFA G-308A polymorphisms were genotyped.

RESULTS
An interaction effect of IL4 C-589T and season of birth on the personality traits was found (F2,322=6.03, pcorr=0.011, η2=0.04). Carriers of the minor allele T, who were born in winter, had lower NS and higher SD. There was a nominal main effect of genotype on SD (F=5.44, p=0.020) as well, with higher SD scores in carriers of the allele T compared to the CC genotype.

CONCLUSION
The results suggest that the etiology of personality and immune characteristics can share common genetic elements including IL-4.


The skin, fundamental barrier that protects internal tissues, prevents pathogen invasion, and maintains the body fluid equilibrium, may be compromised upon traumas, such as incisions and burns. The healing process of such wounds is costly and usually hindered by the patient's physiological conditions, associated diseases, inflammation and external factors, namely bacterial infections. Recently, increasing attention has been given to bacterial cellulose-based membranes to be applied as dressings for healing purposes. Bacterial cellulose is an attractive biomaterial due to its unique structural characteristics such as high porosity, high water retention capacity, high mechanical strength, low density, and biodegradability. One drawback of bacterial cellulose hydrogels is that, after the first dehydration, the water retention capacity is hindered. In this work we produced, modified, and characterized hydrated and de-hydrated BC membranes. Two crosslinking methods were adopted (using citric acid and epichlorohydrin as crosslinking agents), and the results obtained from the characterizations such as water retention capacity, mechanical properties or contact angle were compared to those of unmodified bacterial cellulose. We demonstrate that the cross-linked bacterial cellulose membranes present physical properties suitable to be used as surgical and burn wound dressings when hydrated, or as exuding wound dressings, diapers dressing or sanitary pads when dehydrated.


The paper offers a reading of Manfred that demonstrates how the Byronic sublime challenges the aesthetic frame within which Romantic literature is generally conceived. The paper traces the movement from symbolic presentation to an extreme vision of sublime experience in offering a new reading of Byron's verse drama. The first part of the paper is concerned with how Manfred enacts an inner conflict underlying the emergence of the sublime in a manner that is irreducible to Kantian aesthetics. The second part of the paper deals with the issue of Manfred's unstable nature in comparative and autobiographical terms. A brief examination of key passages in Byron's 'Alpine Journal' suggests a reading of the verse drama that clarifies the author's opposition to a poetics of memory. The third part of the paper focuses on how the Byronic hero cannot be assimilated to well-known models of rational autonomy. The conclusion argues nonetheless that the Byronic sublime provides a paradoxical basis for appreciating the ethical concerns of romantic poetry.


A system is considered to be a hard real-time if all the computations are not only correct but their response is provided each time before a fixed deadline. Missing a deadline for such a system can possibly produce severe material damage or human health injury, therefore adequate testing and analysis should be done. This paper evaluates the suitability of a general purpose operating system like Linux with a real time extension. As it can be seen further on, Linux has overall good raw performance that can make it usable for an embedded system with industrial usage. To show the characteristics under full load stress, we have done several test cases for different scenarios that will be presented next in the paper.


Introduction Radon is a major indoor air pollutant that poses a significant risk of lung cancer to those exposed in their homes. While mitigation of high radon levels in homes has been shown to be effective, home mitigation rates remain low. This study examines the barriers and facilitators to radon mitigation in homes from the perspectives of authorities responsible for radon risk management, the mitigation industry (contractors), and residents in four European countries (Belgium, Ireland, Slovenia, and the UK) with high radon risks and low mitigation rates. Methods A multi-method approach was used to gather data from various stakeholders, including online surveys, content analysis of legal documents, group interviews, workshops, and focus groups. Results Authorities, contractors, and residents identified various facilitators to radon mitigation, including legal requirements for mitigation, awareness campaigns, low mitigation costs, availability of financial support, accreditation of mitigation contractors, and a perception of radon as a health threat. However, barriers to mitigation were also identified, such as a lack of awareness, fragmented mitigation processes, and inadequate communication between stakeholders. Discussion The study highlights the complexity of the radon mitigation process and suggests that interventions aimed at increasing mitigation rates should target stakeholders beyond just residents, such as constructors, health professionals, and policy makers. An integrated approach to radon mitigation, from policy to provision, is necessary to effectively lower levels of this indoor air pollutant.


Online reviews are an important source of information on products and services for consumers and firms. Although incentivizing high-quality reviews is an important business objective for any review platform, we show that it is also possible to identify anonymous reviewers by exploiting the characteristics of posted reviews. Using data from major review platforms and our two-stage de-anonymization methodology, we demonstrate that the ability to identify an author is determined primarily by the amount and granularity of structured data (e.g., location, first name) posted with the review and secondarily by the author's writing style across reviews. When the number of potential authors with identical structured data ranges from 100 to 5 and sufficient training data exists for text analysis, the average probabilities of identification range from 40 to 81%. Our findings suggest that review platforms concerned with the potential negative effects of privacy-related incidents should limit or aggregate their reviewers' structured data when it is adjoined with textual content or mentioned in the text itself. We also show that although protection policies that focus on structured data remove the most predictive elements of authorship, they also have a small negative effect on the usefulness of reviews.


Reexpansion pulmonary edema (RPE) is a rare entity that develops after reexpansion in a chronically collapsed lung. There is a broad clinical spectrum of the disease ranging from asymptomatic appearance to lethal form that occurs in approximately 20% of the cases. The pathophysiological background is complex and not clarified in all details. RPE may be prevented by knowing and treating potential risk factors. This review summarizes the updated knowledge on the pathophysiological background, clinical picture and treatment modalities of RPE.


This paper presents the results of a study of the electroless deposition process and the film properties of cobalt-tungsten-boron [Co(W, B)] thin layers on thin copper films. Two solutions based on cobalt citric complexesand dimethylaminoborane reducing agent were developed. Tungsten was introduced into the solutions by using either sodium tungstate or tungsten acid. The deposited thin-film composition was characterized as a function of the bath formulation by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Electroless deposition was studied through electrochemical approach via linear sweep voltammetry analysis of the following two partial reactions: a. metal reduction and b. the oxidation of the reducing agent at the Co(W, B) plated electrodes. In situ mixed potentials of the process for different electrolytes were measured. The deposition rate of cobalt alloys was gravimetrically measured as well. Comparison between direct experimental values of the mixed potential and deposition rate with those derived theoretically from the current-potential curves for partial reactions shows the electrochemical nature of the deposition reaction with current yield value of about 0.7-0.8 and 0.98 for solution with sodium tungstate and alkali metals free bath, respectively. The optimal conditions (i.e., temperature, pH) and composition of aqueous solution for the deposition of Co(W, B) films were defined. Those films can be applied as both barrier and capping layers for ultra-large-scale-integration metallization for integrated circuits and microsystem-technology applications.


Regional Comprehensive Universities (RCUs) are public institutions established to facilitate access, student-centeredness, and regional wellbeing, which has led scholars to call them the "people's universities." This study examined the histories of RCUs between 1970 and 2000, using qualitative inquiry and narrative analysis of data from oral history interviews with representatives of 51 RCUs and secondary and archival data. Grounded in the anchor institution framework and organizational ecology theory, findings demonstrate that RCUs evolved dynamically as anchor institutions to respond to regional needs while advancing educational equity and opportunity. This study also demonstrates that 1970–2000 was a significant era in the sector's history.


The effects of 3, 4-dihydro-6-[4-(3,4- dimethoxybenzoyl )-1-piperazinyl]-2(1H)- quin olinone ( OPC -8212) (5-30 micrograms/ml) on membrane potential and currents were studied by the voltage clamp technique, using small rabbit sinoatrial node preparations. OPC -8212 induced only slight changes in the action potential configuration. A high dose decreased the amplitude and the duration of the action potential and slightly hyperpolarized the maximum diastolic potential. Sinus rate was decreased, but the change was statistically not significant. The maximum rate of rise of the action potential increased in a dose-dependent manner. In voltage clamp experiments, OPC -8212 increased the slow inward current (Is), but reduced the outward current (Ik) and the inward current activated by hyperpolarization (Ih). The degrees of the inactivation of Is (f infinity) and of the steady-state activation of Ik (p infinity) were unchanged against the voltage axis. These results suggest that the increase in Is caused by OPC -8212 could have been due to the increase in the conductance of Is, and the decrease in Ik, due to the reduction in the conductance of Ik.


When a library end-user searches the online catalogue for works by a particular author, he will typically get a long list that contains different translations and editions of all the books by that author, sorted by title or date of issue. As an attempt to make some order in this chaos, the Pode project has applied a method of automated FRBRizing based on the information contained in MARC records. The project has also experimented with RDF representation to demonstrate how an author's complete production can be presented as a short and lucid list of unique works, which can easily be browsed by their different expressions and manifestations. Furthermore, by linking instances in the dataset to matching or corresponding instances in external sets, the presentation has been enriched with additional information about authors and works.


The abuse of methamphetamine (METH) and other amphetamine‐like stimulants is a growing problem in the United States. METH is a substrate for the 12‐transmembrane proteins which function as transporters for the biogenic amines dopamine (DA), serotonin (5‐HT), and norepinephrine (NE). Increased release of CNS DA is thought to mediate the addictive effects of METH, whereas increased release of NE in both the peripheral and CNS is thought to mediate its cardiovascular effects. The neurotoxic effects of METH on both dopaminergic and serotonergic nerves requires the transport of METH into the nerve terminals. Thus, transport of METH into nerve terminals is the crucial first step in the production of METH‐associated pharmacological and toxicological effects. A single molecular entity which would block the transport of METH at all three biogenic amine transporters might function to neurochemically neutralize METH. This agent would ideally be a high‐affinity slowly dissociating agent at all three transporters, and also be amenable to formulation as a long‐acting depot medication, such as has been accomplished with an analog of GBR12909. As a first step towards developing such an agent, we established an in vitro assay which selectively detects transporter substrates and used this assay to profile the ability of a lead compound, indatraline, to block the releasing effects of METH and MDMA at the DA, 5‐HT, and NE transporters. The major finding reported here is that indatraline blocks the ability of METH and MDMA to release these neurotransmitters. Synapse 35:222–227, 2000. Published 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


We have employed a tandem Sonogashira/annulation reaction between 5-iodocytosine derivatives and terminal alkynes to yield the fluorescent bicyclic nucleobase pyrrolcytosine. Pyrrolocytosine bearing substituents only on the pyrrole ring are conveniently synthesized from 5-iodocytosine. Water soluble pyrrolocytosines are being investigated as reporter groups in SNP analysis.


Chalcogenide thin films from the system Ge-Te-Ga were deposited by thermal vacuum evaporation on glass substrates from initial bulk synthesized materials. Optical measurements on as-deposited and irradiated thin films were performed. The optical constants - refractive index (n) and extinction coefficient (k) were evaluated from the transmission and reflectance spectra. Irradiation of the films for 3 hours through an interference filter with pass-band centered at 1,06 μm led to changes in the transmission spectra of the samples. A shift of the absorption edge was observed depending on the gallium content. The most significant change in the absorption edge was obtained in films with composition (GeTe4)95Ga5 with estimated coordination number 2.43. According to the covalent network model in glasses with coordination number close to 2.43, a floppy-rigid transition occurs. The spectral distribution of the refractive index change showed a sign inversion - from negative to positive. Changes in the physical thickness of the samples investigated due to the irradiation were not established.


Cardiovascular diseases have become the leading cause of death in the world. Understanding the development of cardiovascular system and the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases will promote the generation of novel preventive and therapeutic strategy. The Hippo pathway is a recently identified signaling cascade that plays a critical role in organ size control, cell proliferation, apoptosis and fate determination of stem cells. Gene knockout and transgenic mouse models have revealed that the Hippo signaling pathway is involved in heart development, cardiomyocyte proliferation, apoptosis, hypertrophy and cardiac regeneration. The Hippo signaling pathway also regulates vascular development, differentiation and various functions of vascular cells. Dysregulation of the Hippo signaling pathway leads to different kinds of cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction, cardiac hypertrophy, neointima formation and atherosclerosis. In this review, we briefly summarize current research on the roles and regulation mechanisms of the Hippo signaling pathway in cardiovascular development and diseases.


The outcome of emergency surgery for the aortic arch aneurysm and/or dissecting aneurysm is worse than that of elective surgery. To decide the future strategy of the emergency surgery for these disease, 11 patients with emergency surgery (= group E: 8 for aortic dissection and 3 for rupture of the aortic arch aneurysm, age; 61 +/- 13 SD) were compared with 12 patients who had elective surgery (= group S: 5 for aortic dissection and 7 for aortic arch aneurysm, age; 69 +/- 3 SD). Ascending aorta replacement was performed in 7 cases in group E v.s. 1 in group S, aortic arch replacement in 2 v.s. 5, ascending aorta and aortic arch replacement in 1 v.s. 4 and patch replacement of the aortic wall in 1 v.s. 2, respectively. Selective cerebral perfusion (SCP) upon the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was used in 45% (5/11) in group E. v.s. in 92% (11/12) in group S, p < 0.05. CPB time, aortic clamp time and SCP time were not significantly different between E group and S group. Postoperative cardiac failure, respiratory failure, renal failure, brain injury and infection occurred at insignificant rates between both groups. Thirty-day and 3-year survivorships were 73% in group E, while in group S they were 92% and 75%, respectively. In group E there were 2 cases which had aortic wall injury due to the aortic clamp used during the surgery. We recommend the use of selective cerebral perfusion and open distal anastomosis in emergency surgery for aortic arch aneurysm and/or Stanford type A aortic dissection.


Vascular injuries constitute a significant problem worldwide. Nearly 90% of arterial injuries concern the vessels in the limbs, of which the arteries of the lower limbs are most often damaged in military operations, while in other cases (mainly road accidents), the vessels of the upper limbs are damaged more often. In this report, the authors present a case of occupational brachial artery injury by a foreign body with subsequent soft tissue hematoma superinfection. The presented case emphasizes the importance of computed tomography angiography as a precise diagnostic tool facilitating the planning of a surgical procedure in patients with an occupational upper limb injury.


This study has been conducted on Maret to June 2016 in at Parasite and Fish DiseaseLaboratory, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, University of Riau. Theaims of this study was to know changes in liver and kidney tissue structures of catfish(Clarias gariepinus) fed simplisia mangosteen rind. This study used an experimentalmethod and histological of the liver and kidney structure of Clarias gariepinus wereanalyzed by descriptive. The treated fishes were fed in three differentconcentrations of fed simplisia mangosteen rind. Kn: (feed control) the fish were notfed simplisia mangosteen rind, P1: The fish were fed simplisia mangosteen rind 2g/kg, P2: The fish were fed simplisia mangosteen rind 4 g/kg, P3: The fish were fedsimplisia mangosteen rind 6 g/kg and fishes were reared for 60 days. Showed that theabnormalities of liver and kidney such us inflammatory cells, haemorrhage,h yp e r t r h o p y and necrosis. Base on data obtain it can be concluded that the bestconcentration of simplisia mangosteen rind 2 g/kg is able to prevent damage of liverand kidney after given fed simplisia mangosteen rind.


The theoretical underpinnings of financial regulation have led to an obsessive quest for transparency. This has not only led to a gradual increase in disclosure requirements, but has also generated some other unintended consequences, such as structural conflicts of interests, which affect the modes of information (and opinion) production of influential actors. Credit rating agencies, for example, have also in their own right raised new regulatory concerns. Within this wider context, this article explores whether regulatory initiatives to stringently discipline credit rating agencies' activities (particularly with a view to issuing sovereign ratings), or other initiatives which reflect an increasing willingness to control speech in financial markets (for instance those targeting activist shareholder strategies), are in line with relevant principles guaranteeing the freedom of expression which have seemingly remained a blind spot of financial regulators.
Financial regulation, transparency, disclosure, information, opinion, freedom of expression, financial disintermediation, credit rating agencies, shareholder activism, financial evaluation


Mobile technology is increasingly interwoven into everyday life practices during travel. This study offers a theoretical extension of previous work on metaworlds by using an interpretive methodology to investigate how individuals conceptualize and mobile devices as technological metaworlds in travel. The findings suggest that while physical and technological metaworlds may initially seem to share some core use characteristics, a deeper dive into the data indicates an important difference regarding the uses and impacts of technological metaworlds. Specifically, concepts emerged which consistently pointed towards some adverse psychological impacts regarding the cognitive dissonance of technological metaworlds in travel. How and why this occurs is discussed through the delineation of a core conceptual category and three associated sub-categories. Finally, implications for theoretical and practical work on the technology – self nexus in travel are presented.


It has been well established that dwarf early-type galaxies (ETGs) can often exhibit a complex morphology, whereby faint spiral arms, bars, edge-on disks, or clumps are embedded in their main, brighter diffuse body. In our first paper ("Brought to Light I"), we developed a new method for robustly identifying and extracting substructures in deep imaging data of dwarf ETGs in the Virgo galaxy cluster. Here we apply our method to a sample of 23 dwarf ETGs in the Fornax galaxy cluster, out of which 9 have disk-like and 14 have clump-like substructures. According to Fornax Deep Survey (FDS) data, our sample constitutes 12% of all dwarf ETGs in Fornax brighter than M r = − 13 mag, and contains all cases that unequivocally exhibit substructure features. We use g- and r-band FDS images to measure the relative contribution of the substructures to the total galaxy light and to estimate their g − r colors. We find that the substructures typically contribute 8.7% and 5.3% of the total galaxy light in the g and r bands, respectively, within two effective radii. Disk substructures are usually found in dwarf ETGs with redder global colors, and they can be either as red as or bluer than their galaxy's diffuse component. In contrast, the clump substructures are found in comparatively bluer dwarf ETGs, and they are always bluer than their galaxy's diffuse component. These results provide further evidence that dwarf ETGs can hide diverse complex substructures, with stellar populations that can greatly differ from those of the dominant diffuse light in which they are embedded.


Cell adhesion experiments are biomechanical experiments studying the binding of a cell to another cell at the level of single molecules. Such a study plays an important role in tumor metastasis in cancer study. Motivated by analyzing a repeated cell adhesion experiment, a new class of nonlinear time series models with an order selection procedure is developed in this paper. Due to the nonlinearity, there are two types of overfitting. Therefore, a double penalized approach is introduced for order selection. To implement this approach, a global optimization algorithm using mixed integer programming is discussed. The procedure is shown to be asymptotically consistent in estimating both the order and parameters of the proposed model. Simulations show that the new order selection approach outperforms standard methods. The finite-sample performance of the estimator is also examined via a simulation study. The application of the proposed methodology to a T-cell experiment provides a better understanding of the kinetics and mechanics of cell adhesion, including quantifying the memory effect on a repeated unbinding force experiment and identifying the order of the memory.


As the importance of the foveal attachment of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) on the stability of the distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) is emphasized, the traditional repair techniques such as arthroscopic capsular repair for the 1B TFCC tear become accepted as ineffective method for treating DRUJ instability. Recently, several techniques which repair the TFCC directly to the ulnar fovea have been developed and introduced. Further advances of the techniques will be expected with increasing knowledge of the anatomy and biomechanics of the TFCC and DRUJ. Regardless of the techniques, fundamental principle of anatomical repair of the TFCC to the ulnar fovea is utmost important. Herein we present our technique of arthroscopic transosseous repair by making a drill hole in the ulnar and securing the sutures with Pushlock anchors.


Abstract Three kraft pulps in the kappa number range between 50 and 20 and the same pulps oxygen-delignified to similar lignin contents (kappa approximately 6) were analyzed for lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCC) by a method based on selective enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose, and quantitative fractionation of the LCC. Between 85 and 90% of residual lignin in the unbleached kraft pulp and all residual lignin in the oxygen-delignified pulps were isolated as LCC. Three types of complexes were found; viz., xylan-lignin, glucomannan-lignin-xylan and glucanlignin complexes. After pulping to a high kappa number, most of the residual lignin was linked to xylan. Different delignification rates were observed so that most of the residual lignin was linked to glucomannan when the pulping was extended to a low kappa number. With increasing degree of oxygen delignification, a similar trend in the delignification rates of LCC was observed so that the residual lignin was increasingly linked to glucomannan. Complex LCC network structures seemed to be degraded into simpler structures during delignification. The differences in delignification rates are discussed with reference to the solubility properties and structural differences of LCC, and to morphological aspects of the pulp.


Language models (LMs) now excel at many tasks such as question answering, reasoning, and dialog. However, they sometimes generate unsupported or misleading content. A user cannot easily determine whether their outputs are trustworthy or not, because most LMs do not have any built-in mechanism for attribution to external evidence. To enable attribution while still preserving all the powerful advantages of recent generation models, we propose RARR (Retrofit Attribution using Research and Revision), a system that 1) automatically finds attribution for the output of any text generation model, and 2) post-edits the output to fix unsupported content while preserving the original output as much as possible. When applied to the output of several state-of-the-art LMs on a diverse set of generation tasks, we find that RARR significantly improves attribution while otherwise preserving the original input to a much greater degree than previously explored edit models. Furthermore, the implementation of RARR requires only a handful of training examples, a large language model, and standard web search.


BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE
Asiaticoside (ATS), a triterpene extracted from Centella asiatica (L.) Urban, a traditional Chinese herb, possesses good wound healing activities because of its stimulative effect on collagen synthesis. Recently, the anti-tumor effect of asiaticiside has been reported. This study was to examine the induction of apoptosis in cancer cells, and the enhancement of vincristine (VCR) cytotoxicity by asiaticoside.

METHODS
MTT assay was used to evaluate inhibitory effect of asiaticoside combined with vincristine on proliferation of several cancer cell lines, including KB, KBv200, MCF-7, and MCF-7/ADM. Cell cycle, and apoptosis of KB cells were analyzed by flow cytometry; apoptosis induction was also proved by electrophoresis,and morphologic assessment; the expression of apoptosis-, and cell cycle-related proteins were determined by Western blot.

RESULTS
The IC(50) values of asiaticoside for KB, KBv200, MCF-7, and MCF-7/ADM cells detected by MTT assay were (1.11+/-0.13) mg/ml, (1.82+/-0.08) mg/ml, (1.58+/-0.15) mg/ml, and (3.25+/-0.46) mg/ml, respectively. Multidrug resistant KBv200, and MCF-7/ADM cancer cells displayed similar sensitivity to asiaticoside as their parental counterparts (KB, and MCF-7 cells). Moreover, asiaticoside induced apoptosis in KB cells. At sub-cytotoxicity concentration, asiaticoside showed synergistic effect with vincristine in these 4 cell lines. The apoptosis rates were much higher in asiaticoside plus vincristine groups than in vincristine or asiaticoside groups. Bcl-2 phosphorylation levels were higher in the combination groups than in vincristine or asiaticoside alone groups. The activated caspase-3 protein was only presented in the combination groups. Asiaticoside plus vincristine enhanced S-G(2)/M arrest, up-regulated Cyclin B1 protein expression, and down-regulated P34(cdc2) protein expression in KB cells.

CONCLUSION
Asiaticoside, as a biochemical modulator, may induce apoptosis,and enhance anti-tumor activity of vincristine in cancer cells, might be useful in cancer chemotherapy.


ABSTRACT Suicide and self-harm are major public health problems. Individuals who die by or attempt suicide and those who self-harm have elevated rates of traumatic stress exposure, underscoring the importance of a trauma-informed approach to suicide prevention. Rooted in the evidence on care for traumatic stress and suicide prevention, and our collective experience as clinicians and clinical researchers, this manuscript bridges these two literatures to offer clinical guidance on an evidence-based trauma-informed approach to suicide prevention. We describe our evidence-based approach to trauma-informed suicide prevention care: SAFETY-Acute (A) also known as the Family Intervention for Suicide Prevention (FISP). This approach offers a therapeutic assessment and intervention following a suicidal episode that aims to further assess safety and engage in a developmentally-informed safety planning process with the youth and parents/caregivers. In randomized controlled trials, SAFETY-A has demonstrated efficacy for improving continuity of care after an Emergency Department visit for suicidality (Objective 8.4 of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention) and for reducing suicide attempt risk when combined with evidence-based follow-up treatment. We illustrate the approach with a case example, and offer comments based on our experience across diverse clinical settings including emergency and crisis services, outpatient clinics, and schools.


A92 Japan has the highest incidence rates of gastric cancer in the world, and the prevalence rate of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is especially high over the age of 40. Therefore, development of an effective cancer prevention strategy is an essential task for cancer research, based on understanding the carcinogenic mechanisms of H. pylori. Using our evidence that TNF-α is the essential cytokine for tumor promotion, and that inhibition of TNF-α production is the common mechanism of cancer preventive agents, we hypothesized that a gene product of H. pylori, which induces TNF-α, is directly involved in cancer development and would be a suitable molecular target for gastric cancer prevention. We then cloned TNF-α-inducing protein (Tipα) gene from the genome of H. pylori strain 26695. Tipα is a strong inducer of TNF-α and chemokine genes mediated through NF-κB activation in a cagPAI-independent manner; it demonstrates transforming activity in Bhas 42 (v-H-ras transfected BALB/3T3) cells. Tipα protein is secreted from H. pylori as a homodimer form, and mutagenesis analysis revealed that one cysteine residue is the essential for formation of both the homodimer and the biological activities of Tipα. Using 28 clinical isolates of H. pylori from patients with chronic gastritis and gastric cancer in Saitama Cancer Center, we next examined Tipα secretion. We found that H. pylori clinical isolates obtained from gastric cancer patients secreted significantly larger amounts of Tipα into culture broth than did those from chronic gastritis patients. Therefore, we think that Tipα is a suitable marker to determine high risk groups for gastric cancer. To reveal the molecular mechanism of Tipα, flow cytometry and immunocytochemical analyses were conducted: rTipα bound to cell surface molecules specifically, and penetrated the cytosol; some rTipα was found localized in the nuclei of gastric cancer cells MGT-40; but rdel-Tipα, an inactive mutant which lacks six amino acids including two cysteine residues, showed negligible penetration into cytosol and nuclei. Recently, we found that Tipα has DNA bonding activity by Biacore. Thus Tipα is a new carcinogenic factor of H. pylori, with a mechanism of action completely different from that of CagA. All results indicate that Tipα is a suitable molecular target for gastric cancer prevention.


The real and potential impact of immigration policy decisions on African Americans is profound. Yet policy makers today lack systematic knowledge of crucial social, political, and economic issues relating to the formulation of wise immigration policies, charges the editor of this book. Gerald D. Jaynes argues that little is known about important questions regarding the relations and attitudes between African Americans and minority immigrant groups, the impact of recent immigration trends on the socioeconomic status of poor African American, the comparative social positions of Asian Americans and Latinos, and many other related topics. In this book, the editor and thirteen other distinguished contributors consider how the large-scale influx of immigrants in recent times has affected African American communities and racial and ethnic relations. The insights about conflicts and competition derived from the work of these authors are vital to those who formulate immigration policies -- policies that directly affect the well-being of the disadvantaged and indeed all Americans.


Energy absorption devices are being used to protect structures from severe damages and reduce injury to occupants during accidents. The integrated characteristics of crash absorption devices can be classified as high energy absorption capacity, light-weight, and cost-effective. One of the thin-walled structures which has drawn the attention of scientists is corrugated tube structure. In this paper, the effect of corrugation geometry on the crushing parameters of an aluminum corrugated tube is investigated. In this regard, different elliptical corrugation shapes were deemed and the compression response was numerically evaluated under lateral quasi-static loading. Finally, the crashworthiness parameters were extracted and compared to determine the influence of corrugation shape on the crashworthy response. Our results showed that using vertical elliptical corrugation decrease the densification point. Moreover, there is a gradual enhancement of mean crushing load by moving from the horizontal elliptical corrugations to the vertical ones. Also, by modifying of corrugation shape, the stress variation pattern changes, significantly.


Two radically new discrete-event simulation modeling technologies are introduced: Activity Interaction (AI), a general approach for modeling system dynamics, and Self-Simulating Systems (S3), where AI models are integrated with information systems to generate correct, current, and credible real-time simulations. The research and development paths taken with these new technologies constitute a meta-experiment on the two fundamental historical approaches to developing new simulation modeling methodology: academic and commercial. Examples in production and service system settings are presented.


1. While in hypertonic environment diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys centrata) slowly lose water by osmosis through the integument and as urine through the kidney. 2. Small amounts of sodium are gained, probably largely as a result of diffusion through the integument rather than by drinking, and this sodium is principally excreted extrarenally. Nevertheless, the solute concentration in the blood of such turtles increases. 3. When returned to fresh water the animals rehydrate and excrete accumulated excess sodium. 4. In these ways they could undoubtedly survive for extended periods in the absence of fresh water, but it is not clear whether they could do so indefinitely.


Edited by William B. Bean, M.D.* It is fitting that physicians of Mount Sinai Hospital who have been so closely associated with advancing our knowledge of systemic lupus erythematosus should have produced this distinguished monograph, another in the series of scholarly medical reviews from the Mount Sinai Hospital group. Here we have concentrated into small compass surprisingly up-to-date information about this most distressing and puzzling disease. Morphologic pathology and the physiochemical pathology provide the background. Many of the body's metabolic errors in this disease are set forth in great clarity. But as the several papers so well dislcose, progress in understanding the disease has brought us only to the doorstep. No one has entered the house wherein resides an explanation of the causative mechanisms. The illustrations add considerably to the usefulness of the book which is an excellent example of the fact that, although much light is thrown on such


The spatial responses of many of the cells recorded in layer II of rodent medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) show a triangular grid pattern, which appears to provide an accurate population code for animal spatial position. In layer III, V and VI of the rat MEC, grid cells are also selective to head-direction and are modulated by the speed of the animal. Several putative mechanisms of grid-like maps were proposed, including attractor network dynamics, interactions with theta oscillations or single-unit mechanisms such as firing rate adaptation. In this paper, we present a new attractor network model that accounts for the conjunctive position-by-velocity selectivity of grid cells. Our network model is able to perform robust path integration even when the recurrent connections are subject to random perturbations.


Introduction Studies examining the academic development of Black college students have largely sampled those enrolled at predominantly-White institutions (PWIs). In contrast, little attention has been given to the academic development of African Americans attending historically-Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Even less attention has been paid to some of the critical cultural variables that may be responsible for the learning and academic success of African American students in the STEM disciplines. A few studies of cultural variables, like ethnic identity and other-group orientation (OGO; comfort with intercultural interactions) have been indirectly related to STEM interests and goals, through their relationship with efficacy expectations (Byars-Winston et al., 2010; O'Brien, Martinez-Pons, & Kopala, 1999), but more research is needed to understand other variables that influence the academic self efficacy of African American students. Academic Self-efficacy and Ethnic Identity Academic self-efficacy stems from Bandura's concept of self-efficacy in 1977. The notion of academic efficacy refers to belief that one can and will meet the demands of one's academic environment. Furthermore, once academic efficacy increases academic achievement will increase as well. Ethnic identity refers to how an individual perceives the knowledge, traditions, and history of their particular group (Hughes, 2009). Ethnic identity has received much attention in the last decade and a half as the U.S. has become increasingly culturally diverse (Spencer, 1990). One reason is that a strong identification with ones ethnic background has been consistently linked to a host of beneficial outcomes, such as greater self-esteem and higher academic achievement. (Phinney, 2003). Our study will examine the role of ethnic identity in the academic self efficacy of African American students majoring in science, mathematics, technology, and engineering (STEM disciplines). Fordham and Ogbu (1986) suggested a cultural-ecological framework of ethnic minority achievement. They asserts that the oppressive conditions under which African American immigrated to the United States has creates a collective group identity that rejects institutions dominated by the oppressive mainstream culture. To Fordham and Ogbu, the education system is one of those institutions that African American youth may reject. Fordham (1988) expanded this theory by proposing that African American youth seek to be high achievers must minimize their connection to their ethnic identity in order to embrace values that are consistent with mainstream academic success. According to the above theory, an understanding of ethnic identity and its influence on academic achievement and self efficacy can assist teachers and educational institutions to better understand African American students. Hackett et al. (1992) investigated the impact of ethnicity and social cognitive factors on academic achievement in engineering students. The results indicated that academic self-efficacy was the strongest predictor of academic performance. Student interest, positive outcome expectation, and faculty encouragement were positively correlated to academic self-efficacy. Smith et al., (2009) examine the role racial-ethnic identity on self perception, academic achievement and behavior among African American elementary students. The results suggested that an increased affiliation with an individual's own racial group is related to elevated levels of emerging racial identity. In addition, a significant relationship was found between academic competence and racial identity, which leads the authors to believe that African American children may associate internalized racial identity with academic success. These results suggest that there is a direct relationship between racial identity and competences related academic performance in African American students in early and middle elementary school. …


Image based 3D modeling is an effective way to reconstruct large-scale scenes, especially city-level scenarios. In the image based modeling pipeline, obtaining a watertight mesh model from a noisy multiple view stereo point cloud is a key step to ensure the model quality. However, state-of-the-art method [34] relies on the global Delaunay-based optimization formed by all points and cameras, and will encounter scale problem when dealing with large scenes. To circumvent this limitation, this paper proposes a distributed surface reconstruction approach which could handle city-scale scenes with limited memory and time consumption. Firstly, the whole scene is adaptively divided into several chunks with overlapping boundaries, and each chunk can satisfy the memory limit. Then, the Delaunay-based optimization is performed to extract meshes for each chunk in parallel. Finally, the local meshes are merged together by resolving local inconsistencies in the overlapping areas. We test the proposed method on three city-scale scenes with billions of points and tens of thousands of images, and demonstrate its scalability and completeness compared with the state-of-the-art methods.


This paper analyzes the role of trade credit in financial crises. Using newly collected data, we investigate the impact of negotiated agreements between debtor and creditor countries on bilateral trade. Our results indicate that exports to creditor countries rise considerably after debt restructuring agreements in the period 1980-1997, while we find no effect for imports and for the more recent period. We identify trade credit as one key channel behind this positive effect. Apparently, crisis resolution efforts, in particular agreements to extend and roll over trade credits, play a crucial role for export recoveries. This gives some support to current worldwide efforts to sustain trade financing via coordinated policy interventions.


Science has made incredible progress in the twenty-first century. At the same time, the world has come a long way in the field of technical knowledge and new methods of medicine are also developing in the health system, but it is also a bitter truth that health related services are getting costlier day by day. Human life has become very dynamic in today's race. Currently human has everything but due to scarcity of time we are not able to pay attention to our health. As a result human is suffering from various types of mental and physical diseases like anxiety, depression, blood pressure, diabetes etc. In such a circumstances, Rasayana therapy described in Ayurvedic literature can prove to be very beneficial for the human society. Rasayana is one of the eight branches of Ayurveda and also known as Rejuvenation therapy. The principal aim of the Rasayana is to provide accelerated and appropriated nutrition leading to improved biological competence of the body that leads to series of secondary attributes like prevention of aging, longevity and promotion of mental and physical health.


Eleven-vertex closo and nido boron clusters with one or two exo-cyano groups were obtained by a series of consecutive cage-opening and cage-closure reactions starting from K2 [closo-B11 H11 ] (K2 1). In the first step, K2 1 reacts with KCN in water at elevated temperatures to yield [7-NC-nido-B11 H12 ]2- (5 a). Oxidation of 5 a with PbO2 gives [NC-closo-B11 H10 ]2- (2). In analogous subsequent reactions, dianion 2 was converted with KCN regioselectively to [7,9-(NC)2 -nido-B11 H11 ]2- (6 a), which was further oxidized to [(NC)2 -closo-B11 H9 ]2- (3). The {nido-B11 } dianions 5 a and 6 a were protonated to yield [7-NC-nido-B11 H13 ]- (5 b) and [7,9-(NC)2 -nido-B11 H12 ]- (6 b). All anions were studied by NMR spectroscopy and, except for 6 b, salts of all anions were characterized by IR and Raman spectroscopy and by elemental analysis. The position of the cyano group(s) in 5 a and 6 a were confirmed by NMR data and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies on [Ph4 P]2 5 a⋅CH2 Cl2 and [Et4 N]2 6 a. The {closo-B11 } clusters are fluxional in solution. In the crystal of [EMIm]2 2 the BCN vertex is in the 2-position. Two isomers of dianion 3, [2,3-(NC)2 -closo-B11 H9 ]2- and [2,6-(NC)2 -closo-B11 H9 ]2- , were identified in the crystal of its [Et4 N]+ salt. The peak oxidation potentials Epa of anions 1-3, 5 a, 6 a, 5 b, and [nido-B11 H14 ]- (4 b), determined by cyclic voltammetry, increase with increasing number of cyano groups. Increasing Epa in the order 1<2<3 parallels the increasing reactivity toward cyanide anions.


By using the infinite time-evolving block decimation, we study quantum fidelity and entanglement entropy in the spin-1/2 Heisenberg alternating chain under an external magnetic field. The effects of the magnetic field on the fidelity are investigated, and its relation with the quantum phase transition (QPT) is analyzed. The phase diagram of the model is given accordingly, which supports the Haldane phase, the singlet-dimer phase, the Luttinger liquid phase and the paramagnetic phase. The scaling of entanglement entropy in the gapless Luttinger liquid phase is studied, and the central charge c = 1 is obtained. We also study the relationship between the quantum coherence, string order parameter and QPTs. Results obtained from these quantum information observations are consistent with the previous reports.


A 68-year-old man diagnosed with Erdheim-Chester disease presented to the emergency department with shortness of breath of one-day duration. Upon presentation, the patient was dyspnoeic and hypoxemic. The initial laboratory workup showed raised inflammation markers, and a chest x-ray showed the presence of bilateral lung infiltrates; therefore, he was managed for community-acquired pneumonia with antimicrobial and other supportive measures. Due to lack of improvement, he had transthoracic echocardiography (ECHO), which showed a large pericardial effusion without tamponade. He was treated with corticosteroids and underwent pericardiocentesis, which resulted in remarkable symptomatic improvement. This case presents a serious manifestation of a rare disease and summarizes treatment options from the literature.


We used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to test the hypothesis that reducing oxygen availability during exercise would affect the rate of muscle oxyhemoglobin (O2Hb) desaturation when performing work above the lactic acidosis threshold (LAT), but not below it. Seven healthy men each performed two constant work intensities (60%LAT and the LAT plus 40% of the difference between the LAT and VO2max [40%delta]) four times under the following conditions: (1) 10 min air; (2) 5 min 15%O2 + 5 min air; (3) 5 min air + 5 min 15%O2; (4) 5 min after carbon monoxide (CO) loading to increase the carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) saturation to 15%. During each test, cardiorespiratory parameters and muscle oxygenation measured with NIRS were continuously monitored. Forearm venous blood lactate was measured every 2 to 3 min. Hypoxia and CO accelerated muscle deoxygenation only for exercise above the LAT; for exercise below the LAT, neither progressive deoxygenation nor lactate accumulation occurred after initital, rapid muscle deoxygenation. The rate of decrease in muscle oxygenation between 3 to 5 min of exercise correlated with the increase in VO2 (r = 0.61, p < 0.01) and blood lactate (r = 0.70, p < 0.01) over the same period. These results support the hypothesis that progressive muscle deoxygenation occurs above the LAT and that the rate of deoxygenation is sensitive to oxygen delivery.


The authors gathered the principal information obtained from medical and medicolegal data relating to silicone breast implants. The publications collected and the opinions of various administrative, judiciary and private authorities do not permit at present to determine a complete coherent point of view. The internal silicone breast implants could provoke some inflammatory phenomenons and local sclerosis. The durability and life span of these prostheses is still matter of concern. Though not proved by epidemiological studies the risk of group connective-tissue diseases cannot be definitely dismissed 10 years after the prosthesis implantation, the risk is probably low. Finally the practitioners, especially cancerologists, should continue to use these prostheses. It is to hope that experimental epidemiological research and the progress of manufacturing control allow the use of silicones for medical and chirurgical purposes.


. The line driven- and rotation modulated-wind theory predicts an alternative slow solution, besides from the standard m-CAK solution, when the rotational velocity is close to the critical velocity. We study the behaviour of the winds of A-type supergiants (Asg) and show that under particular conditions, e.g., when the δ line-force parameter is about 0.25, the slow solution could exist over the whole star, even for the cases when the rotational speed is slow or zero. We discuss density and velocity profiles as well as possible observational conterparts.


The reconnaissance capability of a military observation and targeting platform is mainly driven by the performance of the used sensors. In general, the MWIR thermal imager is the primary sensor and the use of a visible camera increases the identification capability of the platform during day for very long observation ranges. In addition to the imaging sensors a laser pointer, a laser rangefinder (LRF), and a combined laser rangefinder/ designator (LRF/D) completes the sensor suite. As LRF a single pulse eye safe rangefinder based on an OPO shifted Nd:YAG transmitter can be used. The alternative LRF/D uses an diode laser pumped dual wavelength OPO/Nd:YAG transmitter and can be operated either at 1570 nm or at 1064 nm with a pulse rate of maximum 25 pps [1]. A MWIR thermal imager [2] with a 1280x1024 MWIR detector and an optical zoom range between 1.2° and 20° horizontal fields of view provides a HD-SDI video stream in the 720p or 1080p standard. A camera build in software image stabilizer and a smart tone mapping algorithm improves the reconnaissance results for the observer. A combined camera covers the visible, NIR and SWIR spectral range [3] using a common entrance optics. The resolution of the color camera Si-CMOS chip is 1920x1080 and of the InGaAs focal plane array it is 640x512 detector pixel. The combined VIS/NIR/SWIR camera provides improved ranging under hazy and misty atmospheric conditions and also improved detection of laser spots e.g. of the integrated laser designator with high sensitivity in the spectral range between 450 nm up to 1700 nm, most of the military lasers are operating in the NIR and SWIR spectral band [3]. The combination of the sensors in the platform improves significantly the operational use. The application of the described platform is not limited to military scout vehicles, the available sensors are also integrated in a targeting platform with similar performances but other environmental demands. The possibilities, improvements in comparison of existing platforms and potential upgrades are discussed.


The inverted polymer solar cells (PSCs) with pentacene-doped P3HT : PCBM absorption layers were fabricated. It was demonstrated that the pentacene doping modulated the electron mobility and the hole mobility in the resulting absorption layer. Furthermore, by varying the doping content, the optimal carrier mobility balance could be obtained. In addition, the pentacene doping led to an improvement in the crystallinity of the resulting films and made an enhancement in the light absorption, which was partly responsible for the performance improvement of the solar cells. Using the space-charge-limited current (SCLC) method, it was determined that the balanced carrier mobility () was nearly achieved when a pentacene doping ratio of 0.065 by weight was doped into the P3HT : PCBM : pentacene absorption layer. Compared with the inverted PSCs without the pentacene doping, the short circuit current density and the power conversion efficiency of the inverted PSCs with the pentacene doping ratio of 0.065 were increased from 9.73 mA/cm2 to 11.26 mA/cm2 and from 3.39% to 4.31%, respectively.


In the e-commerce supply chain of agricultural products, there are three parties: farmer cooperative organizations, e-commerce platforms, and consumers. This study aims to investigate how to coordinate farmer cooperative organizations and e-commerce platforms to maximize the overall profits of the supply chains of agricultural products. Based on the Stackelberg game theory, this paper constructs a two-level supply chain decision-making model led by farmers' cooperatives and followed by e-commerce platforms. It discusses two supply chain decision-making models (decentralized and centralized) with decision variables (selling price and promotion effort). The results show that the overall profit of the supply chain under centralized decision making is higher than the overall profit under decentralized decision making. In order to achieve the coordination of agricultural product sales price and brand promotion efforts and achieve win-win cooperation, this paper puts forward two coordination schemes: (1) coordinating revenue sharing, cost sharing, and wholesale price discounts and (2) coordinating the wholesale price. These two contract coordination schemes are verified by example analysis. Finally, the following strategies are recommended, including strengthening the investment in brand promotion and contract management.


MANETs (Mobile Ad Hoc Networks) are unique types of decentralised wireless networks that do not need any pre-existing communication infrastructure between the nodes. In Mobile Ad Hoc Networks, each node is involved in routing by forwarding data packets to other nodes, and thereby determining the nodes are dynamically forwarded on the basis of network connectivity. The establishment of an efficient routing mechanism for communication between nodes as these nodes move freely with constantly changing topology is one of the important issues in MANETs. In order to keep track of the constantly changing topology of the network, successful optimised techniques are needed. In this paper, hereby propose a SRTSABC Based Self-Regulating Routing Algorithm SR3TA(R) by considering a random set of source and destination nodes and exchanges between them by the Bees. The pheromone tables and data structures are produced during the movement of bees to record the trip time of the nodes. Extensive simulations are conducted to assess the efficacy of the proposed algorithm by manipulating various parameters. The final results obtained are compared with two well known algorithms namely as ZBMRP, DCFP and FF-AOMDV. SR3TA(R) Algorithm with regard to different performance metrics such as the number of data packets sent, Throughput, End-to - End delay and Latency. The final results obtained show that the performance of the proposed SR3TA(R) algorithm is greater than the ZBMRP, DCFP and FF-AOMDV algorithms.


Nigeria has a population of over 150 million people with a population density of 184.2 people per square kilometre (477 people per square mile and runs a federal system of government and a bi-camera legislature. For administrative purposes, the country is divided into 36 states and 774 local government areas. Nigeria is home to over 250 ethnic groups. However, the three major ethnic groups as recognised by the federal government are: Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba (known in local linguistic parlance as Wa Zo Bia, terms which mean 'come' in the three languages). Since independence, these three major ethnic groups have dominated the political scene with many ethnic minorities feeling marginalized. Even among these 'big three', the issue of marginalization is still a problem which has led to various zoning formulae in governance. Also, these three major ethnic groups are not entirely homogenous. For example, the Yoruba who inhabit the south-west region consist of various sub-groups such as Ijesa, Ijebu, Eko, Ibolo, Okun and Igbomina amongst others. In the same vein, while Hausa people are generally believed to be the main inhabitants of northern Nigeria, the reality on the ground shows that there are many smaller groups who are generally subsumed under the name Hausa by outsiders. This phenomenon further complicates the internal structure of the nation state through over simplification of ethnic group categories. None of the major languages are official. English is the official language of business in Nigeria.


Objective:To investigate mechanism of genu recurvatum by proprioception loss degree, consequently, and to confirm the countermeasure of clinical rehabilitation therapy.Method:Sixty-four hemiplegic patients caused by stroke were recruited and assigned into 2 groups according to proprioception lose degree.1st group (There were proprioception on the ankle) 49 patients, 2nd group(There were no proprioception on the ankle) 15 patients. To survey muscle-power of the thigh, sense of position, sense of vibration, and record the primary standing time, when they were in hospital, after three months and six months.The results were proceeded for statistics and analysis.Result: The comparison of genu recurvatum related to primary standing time in the two groups showed statistical difference(P0.05). Genu recurvatum was non-related to muscle-power of the thigh in three month, the difference was not statistically significant between 1st group and 2nd group(P0.05). Change of muscle-power of the thigh compared in 3 month with 6 month on between 1st group and 2nd group, the existence of proprioception group muscle-power of the thigh from 2-3 grades to 4 grades, there were 15 patients with genu recurvatum were rectified entirely. The loss of proprioception group muscle power of the thigh from 2-3 grades to 4 grades, 1 was rectified in 10 patients, there were no Genu recurvatum add up 6 patients,and besides,proprioception resumed entirely.Genu recurvatum was not rectified in six months later, because there was not proprioception on ankle. There was prominent statistically significant(Fisher′s Exact Test)P=1.82E-070.01).Conclusion:When muscle-power of the thigh was very weak and primary standing time was premature for hemiplegic patients that there is proprioception on ankle, this is the important cause of genu recurvatum. The mechanism of genu recurvatum can not be rectified in stroke patients in six months is due to no proprioception on the ankle.


Several new Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) modulations adopt a Binary Offset Carrier (BOC) subcarrier to shape the signal spectrum, increase frequency separation and improve tracking performance. BOC modulated signals are however characterized by ambiguous multi-peaked correlation functions and several techniques have been proposed in the literature to solve the problem of locking into secondary peaks. In this paper, a novel unambiguous BOC tracking technique, the Double Phase Estimator (DPE), is designed to account for the effect of signal bandlimiting. The DPE is an effective alternative to the Double Estimator (DE) tracking technique where the Subcarrier Lock Loop (SLL) is replaced by a Subcarrier Phase Lock Loop (SPLL). In the presence of signal bandlimiting, the DPE is able to generate local signal replicas better matched to the input components outperforming the DE. The performance of the DPE is thoroughly characterized and processing of real wide-band BOC signals is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm proposed. In addition to this, the DPE requires a lower computational load than the DE and thus should be adopted for the processing of wide-band BOC signals.


The article is devoted to the so-called 'sung poetry' of several Turkic-speaking peoples of South Siberia. The author's main focus is on the problem of metric organization of poetic and musical parameters and the interrelations between them. The author starts with a discussion of some methodological issues, in particular, what can be regarded as 'meter' in vocal folk music. Contrary to some authors, who attribute this term exclusively to poetic expression, in this article it is understood in a broader sense: as a system of temporal organization. In Altai, Tuva, Shor, and Khakass song traditions, there is a 'syllabic rhythmical formula' (SRF), which corresponds to the verses, as well as to the melodic line. The SRF, following the author's opinion, can be regarded as a meter for a song, or the song as genre. It usually regulates number and quality of musical units in correspondence with the syllables. This common and rather simple picture, nevertheless, becomes more complicated when the author starts to describe some particular cases. The traditions of the Telengits, Chalkans and Kumandins, Shors, and Khakasses-Sagays are chosen to demonstrate a variety of arrangements of the of 'sung poetry' of the South Siberian Turks.


The population genetic structure of the animal pathogen Staphylococcus intermedius is poorly understood. We carried out a multilocus sequence phylogenetic analysis of isolates from broad host and geographic origins to investigate inter- and intraspecies diversity. We found that isolates phenotypically identified as S. intermedius are differentiated into three closely related species, S. intermedius , Staphylococcus pseudintermedius , and Staph- ylococcus delphini . S. pseudintermedius , not S. intermedius , is the common cause of canine pyoderma and occasionally causes zoonotic infections of humans. Over 60 extant STs were identified among the S. pseudin- termedius isolates examined, including several that were distributed on different continents. As the agr quorum-sensing system of staphylococci is thought to have evolved along lines of speciation within the genus, we examined the allelic variation of agrD , which encodes the autoinducing peptide (AIP). Four AIP variants were encoded by S. pseudintermedius isolates, and identical AIP variants were shared among the three species, suggesting that a common quorum-sensing capacity has been conserved in spite of species differentiation in largely distinct ecological niches. A lack of clonal association of agr alleles suggests that assortive recombination may have contributed to the distribution of agr diversity. Finally, we discovered that the recent emergence of methicillin-resistant strains was due to multiple acquisitions of the mecA gene by different S. pseudintermedius clones found on different continents. Taken together, these data have resolved the population genetic structure of the S. intermedius group, resulting in new insights into its ancient and recent evolution. products) was included. Gene loci selected for DNA sequence analysis. Five loci, the 16S rRNA, cpn60 ( hsp60 ), tuf , pta , and agrD genes, were selected for DNA sequence analysis. 16S rRNA, cpn60 , and tuf have been used previously in single-locus approaches to differentiating staphylococcal species (7, 13, 24, 25), and cpn60 , tuf , and pta have been incorporated into multilocus sequence-typing schemes for differentiating strains of several different bacterial species (2, 10, 43). The accessory gene regulator ( agr ) quorum-sensing system found in the majority of staphylococcal species examined (8) is thought to have diversified along lines of speciation, giving rise to a number of subspecies groups that have the capacity for intra- and interspecies inhibition of virulence (30, 42). We examined the allelic variation of agrD , which encodes the autoinducing peptide (AIP), to further investigate both inter- and intraspecies differentiation. PCR amplification of gene fragments. Oligonucleotide primers (Sigma-Geno-sys Invitrogen) were designed for the 16S rRNA, cpn60 , and agrD genes based on gene sequences for S. intermedius in GenBank (accession AY965912, and AF346723), and pta primers were designed based on the S. intermedius pta nucleotide sequence (unpublished data). Oligonucleotide sequences specific for the tuf and mecA genes were designed in previous studies (21, 31). The oligonucleotide sequences and predicted PCR product sizes for specified gene as follows: 16S (cid:4)


In January 2002, Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2002-8, a notice that was considered generally favorable for split dollar arrangements, in that it grandfathered a great many split dollar arrangements that were in existence or implemented prior to January 28, 2002. The rules under this Notice for arrangements that were not grandfathered, although not as generous, were generally seen as workable, with a few issues, until the issuance of final regulations. The final regulations, the Notice warned, would be even less generous, and would impose a system of two mutually exclusive regimes of taxing split dollar arrangements, the "economic benefit regime" and "loan regime." On July 3rd, the Service and Treasury issued the anticipated Proposed Regulations setting forth the system of taxation that governs split dollar arrangements entered into after the date of the Final Regulations. These Regulations were much worse than expected and imposed new levels of taxation on the parties to a split dollar arrangement that had not previously existed. Only July 28th, an article appeared in the New York Times discussing a form of split dollar arrangement that permitted the transfer of large amounts of assets to the insured's family at little or no gift tax, utilizing a loophole in the Service's previously issued Revenue Rulings, which was not completely closed by Notice 2002-8. On August 16th, the Service and Treasury issued Notice 2002-59, to prohibit what is referred to in the Release to the Notice as an abusive tax avoidance transaction using split dollar life insurance. In a New York Times article dated August 17th, the reporter stated that Treasury acted after being sent a copy of the July 24th New York Times article by Rep. Lloyd Doggett (Tx-D). On July 30th, Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Bill, which President Bush subsequently signed into law. This new law prohibits loans and other "extensions of credit" by any publicly traded company to its executives after July 30, 2002. When the Bill was reviewed prior to passage, the possibility of the inclusion of split dollar transactions in the prohibition against extension of credit and loans was raised with Senator Sarbanes, who refused to rule out the possibility (although at the same time admitting that Congress had not considered the implications to split dollar arrangements), which would terminate split dollar arrangements between publicly traded companies and their executives. Until the words "extension of credit," as they appear in the Sarbanes-Oxley bill, are explained, no publicly traded company should enter into a new split dollar arrangement with any of its executives, whether or not it is an economic benefit arrangement, and certainly not using a loan arrangement. This article discusses developments in this area, and current planning possibilities.


At last a clear manual for managing slaves the Roman way. How to Manage your Slaves offers practical answers to every question you're likely to have and guidance on every problem you're likely to encounter. Marcus Sidonius Falx shows where and how to buy the slaves for the purposes you have in mind and how to get the best out of them once you've got them. He explains how to tell a good slave from a bad, offers guidance on the punishment of miscreants, and reveals the secrets of command and authority. He covers the delicate subjects of when you should let your slaves have sex with each other and whether to engage in sex with them yourself - and considers when to set them free. Armed with this guide you will be master in your own home: your household will be a comfort to your family and its running the envy of your neighbours. Up to now ancient slavery may have been difficult to fathom: this Roman's-eye view takes us to the heart of the matter and, based on a wealth of original sources, lets us understand just why slaves meant so much to the Romans.


Introduction: Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has revolutionised the management of hypercapnic exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We wished to evaluate factors related to its overall success in the "real-life" setting. Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients receiving NIV for a hypercapnic exacerbation of COPD was performed. Demographics, laboratory data, blood gases and outcomes (hospital discharge or in-patient death) were extracted and subsequently analysed to identify factors relating to its overall success or failure. Results: Over 6 years, 240 patients (mean age 70 years), received NIV with mean pH and pCO2 prior to NIV 7.24 and 10.4kPa respectively; of these, 167 survived to hospital discharge with a median age (70 vs. 74; p=0.02) lower than non-survivors. Absolute values of pH and pCO2 (higher and lower respectively) prior to NIV and at 1 hour were both associated with successful hospital discharge. An improvement (p=0.02) in pH within an hour of receiving NIV - but not pCO2 - was associated with surviving to hospital discharge. Of all laboratory data assessed, only baseline urea was significantly (p=0.021) associated with a successful outcome. Conclusion: Younger patients with a lower urea, higher pH and lower pCO2 at baseline and who demonstrate an improvement in pH within 1 hour, are more likely to have a successful outcome when given NIV for a hypercapnic exacerbation of COPD on an unselected basis.


The aim of the research was to study the evolution of the characteristics of mechanical resistance for one type of steel. The material was subjected to the thermo-chemical (nitro-carburized treatment in plasma) treatment applied after thermo-magnetic treatments. The structural and diffractometric aspects of the superficial layers of the steel are studied after the wear process, using an Amsler type machine, taking two sliding degrees at different contact pressures and testing in time. The tests were done to detect the sustainability to the material, the evolution of the superficial layer characteristics through different tests and to establish the influence of these thermo-magnetic treatments regimes. The magnetic field modifies the grain size in the material structure. It was obtained a small grain size in the middle of the sample and the orientation of these grains is in the same direction with the lines of the magnetic field. It was made a balance sheet between classic treatment and unconventional (thermo-magnetic) treatment.


In this paper we study the transmission of income shocks into nondurable consumption in the presence of durable goods. We use a standard a life-cycle model with two goods to characterize the interaction of durability of goods, durability of shocks, and borrowing constraints as determinants of shock transmission. We show that borrowing constraints lead to a substitution between durable and non-durable goods upon arrival of an unexpected income change. This substitution biases the conventional measures of insurance based on the response of non-durable consumption to income changes. The sign of this bias depends critically on the persistence of the shock. We show that households have less insurance against transitory shocks and more insurance against permanent shocks than commonly measured. We calibrate the model economy to the US in order to measure the size of this bias.


Every organization is aware of the consequences and importance of requirements for the development of quality software product whether local or global. Requirement engineering phase of development with focus on the prioritization of requirements is going under huge research every day because in any development methodology, all requirements cannot be implemented at same time so requirements are prioritized to be implemented to give solution as early as possible in phases as scheduled in incremental fashion. Numerous frameworks and practices have been devised, in progress and some being discovered day by day. With such huge knowledge database and research available, it has always been confusing to decide which technique to follow to gain maximum results. Thus many projects fail because of the wrong choice in requirement prioritization because it's really difficult to employ right technique and framework at right time. And problems do not end here rather due to strict deadlines, it's often best to develop system in parts by different team members dispersed globally with diverse methodologies and differences and in this situation it becomes more difficult to prioritize requirements. Main focus would be on ETVX based prioritization [1] for in house development and requirement prioritization of software developed globally by diverse team members [2]. This paper will try to provide an overview of different prioritization techniques for software requirement, and a critical analysis of ETVX based model will be presented to highlight issues and challenges in this proposed model of requirement prioritization in [1] and improved version of this model will be presented while an analysis of requirement prioritization for software developed in global environment [2] also be presented.


An unusual form of hyperplastic polyp of the colon is described in which endophytic growth can simulate adenoma or carcinoma by penetration of the muscularis mucosae and a complex epithelial growth pattern. These lesions differ clinically from exophytic hyperplastic polyps by being more frequent on the right side than in the left colon and being relatively more common in women


The use of the computer in the laboratory is shown in illuminating two points: (i) the meaning of the concepts of sensitivity, precision and calibration of physical measurements and (ii) the concept of a physical model. These are illustrated in an experiment on the motion of a simple pendulum where the measuring system is varied according to a precisely predetermined sequence.


This research investigates the response of a fiberless 13 layer hot isostatically pressed Ti-15-3 laminate to creep, constant strain rate, and cyclic constant strain rate loading at temperatures ranging from 482C to 649C. Creep stresses from 48 to 260 MPa and strain rates of .0001 to .01 m/m/sec were used. Material parameters for three unified constitutive models (Bodner-Partom, Miller, and Walker models) were determined for Ti-15-3 from the experimental data. Each of the three models was subsequently incorporated into a rule of mixtures and evaluated for accuracy and ease of use in predicting the thermoviscoplastic response of unidirectional metal matrix composite laminates (both 0 and 90). The laminates were comprised of a Ti-15-3 matrix with 29 volume percent SCS6 fibers. The predicted values were compared to experimentally determined creep and constant strain rate data. It was found that all three models predicted the viscoplastic response of the 0 specimens reasonably well, but seriously underestimated the viscoplastic response of the 90 specimens. It is believed that this discrepancy is due to compliant and/or weak fiber-matrix interphase. In general, it was found that of the three models studied, the Bodner-Partom model was easiest to implement, primarily because this model does not require the use of cyclic constant strain rate tests to determine the material parameters involved. However, the version of the Bodner-Partom model used in this study does not include back stress as an internal state variable, and hence may not be suitable for use with materials which exhibit a pronounced Baushinger effect. The back stress is accounted for in both the Walker and Miller models; determination of the material parameters associated with the Walker model was somewhat easier than in the Miller model.


Background: Neonates with the diagnosis of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) were studied to investigate possible associations between cytokine levels at birth and developing severe RDS or chronic lung disease (CLD). Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on serum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples collected within hours of birth from infants with moderate and severe RDS. Twenty infants with moderate RDS and 20 infants with severe RDS were studied. RDS was diagnosed on the basis of radiographic findings, respiratory distress, and an increasing oxygen requirement. RDS severity was graded based on the radiological findings and Downe's Score. CLD was diagnosed when infants were still on supplemented O2 by at least 28 days of age. Levels of the cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor alpha were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. "Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS for Windows, (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA)." Results: Levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-8 and IL-1β were significantly higher in BAL of infants with severe RDS than those with moderate RDS (P = 0.007 and P = 0.02, respectively). IL-8 levels were also significantly higher in BAL and serum of infants who later progressed to CLD than in those who did not (P = 0.03 for both). The IL-8/IL-10 cytokine ratio was significantly higher in the BAL of severe RDS infants than in moderate RDS (P = 0.01) and in the serum of infants who progressed to CLD than in those who did not (P = 0.03). Conclusion: Levels of IL-8 and the IL-8/IL-10 ratio measured soon after birth were associated with severity of RDS as well as progression to CLD. Early measurement of cytokines levels and ratios may contribute to the prognosis and management of RDS and CLD.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to report on graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) following living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

METHODS
Between May 2002 and January 2019, a total of 2387 LT procedures were performed in our Liver Transplantation Institute. Seven patients (0.29%) were admitted to our outpatient clinic with signs and symptoms compatible with GvHD following LT. Demographic, clinical and histopathological characteristics of patients with GvHD were retrospectively evaluated.

RESULTS
There were six male and one female patient aged from 18 months to 67 years. Acute GvHD was detected in six patients and chronic GvHD in one. Grade II GvHD was detected in six patients, and Grade IV was detected in one patient. Time from LT to GVHD ranged from 4 to 657 days (median: 59 days). Time from beginning of clinical findings to histopathological diagnosis ranged from 2 to 160 days (median: 7 days). Initial clinical manifestations were as follows: skin rash + diarrhea (n = 2), skin rash (n = 2), skin rash + flushing (n = 1), diarrhea (n = 1), and skin rash + fever (n = 1). Despite intensive treatments, five out of seven patients (71.4%) died due to sepsis (n = 4) and gastrointestinal hemorrhage (n = 1). The remaining two patients are still alive without complications.

CONCLUSION
GvHD is a life-threatening complication despite aggressive treatment. To achieve success in GvHD, preventive measures, early diagnosis, early initiation of treatment, antimicrobial prophylaxis, and proper supportive care should be ensured.