A lower mantle S-wave triplication with a S cd branch occurring between S and ScS has been recognized for many years with a variety of explanations. It is particularly strong when sampling regions beneath the circum-Pacific lower mantle fast velocity belt seen in global tomographic models where it has been modeled with a 2-3% jump in S-velocity. General properties are; (1) it tends to arrive earlier beneath the fastest anomalies and (2) its rapid changes in strength and timing relative to S. The recently discovered Perovskite (Pv) to Postperovskite (PPv) phase transition [Murakami et al., 2004] is expected to show this change in timing assuming a positive Clapeyron slope (γ) between 3 to 9 MPa/K, however, the predicted velocity jump is about half of the above 1D modeling results. Here, we model the phase boundary height by mapping S-wave tomography into temperature assuming uniform chemistry, or a Mono-Phase-Transition (MPT), and a more complex mapping procedure involving possible changes in Chemistry (CPT). A few adjustable parameters involving reference phase boundary height and velocity jump are determined from comparing synthetic seismogram predictions with densely sampled observations. Particularly strong S cd data are explained by focusing effects caused by small zones of enhanced velocities (slab buckling) seen in some tomographic models. These sharp features in S-wave tomography are confirmed by the behavior of differential PKP (AB-DF) which shows 4 s changes over a distance of 300 km correlating well with the corresponding S-wave models beneath Central America.


Abstract The Amundsen Sea embayment is a probable site for the initiation of a future collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the transport pathways of subglacial sediments into this embayment at present and during the last glacial period. It discusses the clay mineral composition of sediment samples taken from the seafloor surface and marine cores in order to decipher spatial and temporal changes in the sediment provenance. The most striking feature in the present-day clay mineral distribution is the high concentration of kaolinite, which is mainly supplied by the Thwaites Glacier system and indicates the presence of hitherto unknown kaolinite-bearing sedimentary strata in the hinterland, probably in the Byrd Subglacial Basin. The main illite input is via the Pine Island Glacier. Smectite originates from the erosion of volcanic rocks in Ellsworth Land and western Marie Byrd Land. The clay mineral assemblages in diamictons deposited during the last glacial period are distinctly different from those in corresponding surface sediments. This relationship indicates that glacial sediment sources were different from modern ones, which could reflect changes in the catchment areas of the glaciers and ice streams.


There is substantial variability across studies of default mode network (DMN) connectivity in major depressive disorder, and reliability and time-invariance are not reported. This study evaluates whether DMN dysconnectivity in remitted depression (rMDD) is reliable over time and symptom-independent, and explores convergent relationships with cognitive features of depression. A longitudinal study was conducted with 82 young adults free of psychotropic medications (47 rMDD, 35 healthy controls) who completed clinical structured interviews, neuropsychological assessments, and 2 resting-state fMRI scans across 2 study sites. Functional connectivity analyses from bilateral posterior cingulate and anterior hippocampal formation seeds in DMN were conducted at both time points within a repeated-measures analysis of variance to compare groups and evaluate reliability of group-level connectivity findings. Eleven hyper- (from posterior cingulate) and 6 hypo- (from hippocampal formation) connectivity clusters in rMDD were obtained with moderate to adequate reliability in all but one cluster (ICC's range = 0.50 to 0.76 for 16 of 17). The significant clusters were reduced with a principle component analysis (5 components obtained) to explore these connectivity components, and were then correlated with cognitive features (rumination, cognitive control, learning and memory, and explicit emotion identification). At the exploratory level, for convergent validity, components consisting of posterior cingulate with cognitive control network hyperconnectivity in rMDD were related to cognitive control (inverse) and rumination (positive). Components consisting of anterior hippocampal formation with social emotional network and DMN hypoconnectivity were related to memory (inverse) and happy emotion identification (positive). Thus, time-invariant DMN connectivity differences exist early in the lifespan course of depression and are reliable. The nuanced results suggest a ventral within-network hypoconnectivity associated with poor memory and a dorsal cross-network hyperconnectivity linked to poorer cognitive control and elevated rumination. Study of early course remitted depression with attention to reliability and symptom independence could lead to more readily translatable clinical assessment tools for biomarkers.


ABSTRACT A 93-year-old male presented with left eye pain, fever and loss of vision two days after complicated cataract surgery. A diagnosis of Serratia marcescens endophthalmitis and systemic bacteremia was made after the organism was identified on vitreous and peripheral blood cultures. This case demonstrates that an aggressive intraocular infection can lead to bacteremia


In order to test the breaking capacity of vacuum circuit breakers, it is needed to accurately control the synthetic test circuit so as to satisfy the test criterion. For the asymmetry breaking current, it is difficulty to ignite accurately the sphere gaps ahead before zero in an appointed time so as to turn on the arc prolonging current circuit and high voltage circuit. As a result, once asleep the synthetic testing would be unsuccessful. In this paper the synthetic test circuit with current zero forecast is presented. Based on the discussion of the digital signal processing technology, the control circuit has been set up, and the experiment shows a good agreement with the predictions.


The malignant potential of burn scars has been recognized since Marjolin's classical description of cancer arising in several types of post-traumatic scars. With improved burn therapy since the last war, there has been a higher survival rate of severe burns with proportionate increase in cancer associated with burn scars. This will create increasing problems of permanent disability and compensation. The younger the patient at the time of the burn, the longer the time required for the cancer to develop. Acute cancer development in burn scars has been reported after a four-week interval. Cancer may develop from six weeks to fifty years or more. The etiology of cancer in burn scars is not known. The most important clinical finding is the fact that most of the burn cancers occur in areas which were not grafted. The most common type of cancer encountered in burn scars is squamous cell carcinoma, which forms in Marjolin ulcers. Basal cell carcinoma may develop in the most superficial of burn scars.Treatment should be directed primarily to prompt and adequate skin grafting in all deep burns in order to prevent malignant degeneration of the burn scars. Once it has developed the treatment is the same as for other malignancies which are not associated with burns. Wide surgical excision with block dissection of the regional lymph nodes when they are involved is the treatment of choice. The prognosis of burn scar cancer is poor, once the process has extended because of early and distant metastasis.


The availability of future fusion devices such as a Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) or DEMO greatly depends on long operating lifetimes of plasma facing components in their divertors. ORNL is designing the Material-Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX), a superconducting magnet, steady-state device to address the plasma material interactions of fusion reactors. MPEX will utilize a new high-intensity plasma source concept based on RF technology. This source concept will allow the experiment to cover the entire expected plasma conditions in the divertor of a future fusion reactor. It will be able to study erosion and re-deposition for relevant geometries with relevant electric and magnetic fields in-front of the target. MPEX is being designed to allow for the exposure of a-priori neutron-irradiated samples. The target transfer cask has been designed to undock from the linear plasma generator such that it can be transferred to diagnostics stations for more detailed surface analysis. MPEX is being developed in a staged approach with successively increased capabilities. After the initial development step of the helicon source and ECH system the source concept is being tested in the Proto-MPEX device (100 kW helicon, 200 kW EBW, 30 kW ICRH). Proto-MPEX has achieved electron densities of more than 4×1019m-3 with a large diameter (13cm) helicon antenna at 100 kW power. First heating with microwaves resulted in a higher ionization represented by higher electron densities on axis, when compared to the helicon plasma only without microwave heating.


Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. is one of the dominant figures in American jurisprudence. As a scholar, he wrote prolifically about legal theory and legal history. His book The Common Law is one of the most influential studies of the common law tradition; it has shaped the views of American legal scholars for several generations. In addition, Holmes spent nearly forty years as a judge-first as a justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and later as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. On the bench, Holmes was a formidable presence influencing the development of American law. His judicial opinions are both numerous and memorable. More than fifty years after his death, casebooks still include many of his opinions and legal periodicals frequently contain analyses of his judicial philosophy.' Indeed, Holmes is so central to the American legal tradition that understanding what Holmes thought about law is an important step in understanding one's own thoughts on legal theory.


Background Radiation-induced lung fibrosis (RILF) is an important late toxicity in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after radiotherapy (RT). Clinically significant RILF can impact quality of life and/or cause non-cancer related death. This study aimed to determine whether pre-treatment plasma cytokine levels have a significant effect on the risk of RILF and investigate the abilities of machine learning algorithms for risk prediction. Methods This is a secondary analysis of prospective studies from two academic cancer centers. The primary endpoint was grade≥2 (RILF2), classified according to a system consistent with the consensus recommendation of an expert panel of the AAPM task for normal tissue toxicity. Eligible patients must have at least 6 months' follow-up after radiotherapy commencement. Baseline levels of 30 cytokines, dosimetric, and clinical characteristics were analyzed. Support vector machine (SVM) algorithm was applied for model development. Data from one center was used for model training and development; and data of another center was applied as an independent external validation. Results There were 57 and 37 eligible patients in training and validation datasets, with 14 and 16.2% RILF2, respectively. Of the 30 plasma cytokines evaluated, SVM identified baseline circulating CCL4 as the most significant cytokine associated with RILF2 risk in both datasets (P = 0.003 and 0.07, for training and test sets, respectively). An SVM classifier predictive of RILF2 was generated in Cohort 1 with CCL4, mean lung dose (MLD) and chemotherapy as key model features. This classifier was validated in Cohort 2 with accuracy of 0.757 and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.855. Conclusions Using machine learning, this study constructed and validated a weighted-SVM classifier incorporating circulating CCL4 levels with significant dosimetric and clinical parameters which predicts RILF2 risk with a reasonable accuracy. Further study with larger sample size is needed to validate the role of CCL4, and this SVM classifier in RILF2.


The discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland marks the beginning of a new era: Physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). A model is proposed to describe numerous Run I features observed with both the ATLAS and CMS experiments. The model introduces a heavy scalar estimated to be around 270 GeV and an intermediate scalar which can decay into both dark matter and SM particles. Three different final state searches, linked by the new hypothesis, are presented. These are the hh → γγbb̄, γγ + E T and high mass diphoton channels. No significant excesses were observed in any channel using the available datasets and limits were set on the relevant cross sections times branching ratios. The lack of statistics in the γγbb̄ analysis prevents any conclusive statement in regard to the excess observed with Run I data. Observing no excess in the γγ + E T channel with the current amount of data is also consistent with the intermediate scalar decaying to SM particles. This could explain the excess of Higgs bosons produced in associations with top quarks in the multilepton final states observed in ATLAS and CMS in Run I and Run II. The work presented provides a deeper understanding on the underlying phenomenology of the hypothesis and provides a foundation for future work. The ATLAS detector underwent a stringent consolidation and validation effort before data taking could commence in 2015. A high voltage board was designed and implemented into a portable test-bench used in the certification and validation process. In addition to these efforts, the electronics on the ATLAS detector are being improved for the Phase-II upgrade program in 2024. A software tool has been designed which integrates the envisioned Phase-II backend infrastructure into the existing ATLAS detector control system. This software is now an ATLAS wide common tool used by multiple sub-detectors in the community.


Summary form only given. The environment considered is the transmission of digitized images over wide-area networks and ISDN-standard lines, characterized by relatively low transmission speeds (64 kbit/s). Starting from a preliminary C version the authors coded the various units of the complete JPEG Baseline, and tested several parallelization schemes in order to identify bottlenecks and to obtain an easily scalable final program.<<ETX>>


It is our pleasure to have read the article of Zabel et ai); which reported on a retrospective, single-institution study on patterns of failure in male breast carcinoma patients after external beam radiotherapy. It is useful to have such retrospective articles in lack of prospective studies concerning prognosis, since the number of patients, unlike that of their female counterparts, is limited-, However, several points remain to be clarified. For instance, the figure of 12 percent of invasive lobular carcinoma is rather high because the male breast usually does not contain terminal duct lobular units:'. Could it be that this number is related to the properties of the center (eg the largest reference center in the region)? The authors used the DICC staging system of 1998. Maybe the latest version could give us much more information about the patients. If it was not possible to gather all the data from the patient charts, the authors could have stated the number of involved lymph nodes and provided not only the percentage of the different stages but also the number of patients. This would have given us the survival results according to the number of lymph nodes. Moreover, when we look at the stage distribution we see that at least 20.6% of patients had less than stage II disease. This may be another reason for the satisfactory local recurrence-free survival. In the study of Taghian et al., 71% of patients recurred in the first four years after initial treatment and a further 21.4% recurred between the years 4 and 8.84 • For this reason a follow-up of 4.3 years could easily miss about 20% of the local recurrences. Another concern of ours are the surgical margins, because 50 Gy is a sufficient dose to achieve local control after radical mastectomy'. Interestingly, the authors preferred to deliver 60 Gy to the chest wall, which means they did not use an additional boost in lumpectomy patients but gave this dose to all patients. What is the rationale behind this high dose? If such a high dose was actually given to all patients, the low cardiac (especially in patients with left-sided tumors) and pulmonary morbidity rate is excellent. The last but not the least important question concerns the situation of recurring patients. Did they receive radiotherapy alone or as an adjuvant to surgery? In conclusion, this informative paper has great importance despite the above-mentioned limitations. Some of these issues could be elaborated upon, and future studies should have a clearer study design.


This dissertation examines the problem of crime within the pharmaceutical industry. It shows the extend of the problem, and the cost of it compared to other types of crime. It starts with a definition of corporate crime, and then presents the historical background of drug companies. It shows that pharmaceutical industry is one of the most profitable industries in the world, which is concentrated on profits, and therefore violates the law repeatedly.

Based on case examples, this study shows that punishment is often not adequate to crimes committed by drug companies. It may be assumed that penalties are part of their business plan. Their profits are much higher than penalties, and they often commit the same crimes.

This study also points out a very worrying fact regarding the detection of crimes committed by drug companies. Most of them are detected because of whistle blowers, and not by appropriate authorities. Another serious and probably most important aspect that this study indentifies is the fact that drug companies consciously release products to the market which may cause death of patients. Even if they present themselves in a good light in the media, they are no different than other corporations. Their actions may have very serious consequences to people, as they play a very important role in the society. They supply millions of people with life saving medicines, therefore changes in the regulations are needed, because the current ones do not fulfil their role.

The amount of material on this subject is very broad, that is why the study presents only the most important aspects of the problem.


Reviewer Comment #1: I thank the authors for submitting and sharing new data which contributes to the increasing world database of Sr isotope data for many applications. The article overall is somewhat short but well written, and the data generation is well executed. However, in my opinion the discussion (and manuscript) could be strengthened in a number of ways: for example, by including the data in line 85 and 98, and/or by including the data from the literature in new combined maps and graphs.


The article analyses the role of the Netherlands in the Atlantic Alliance over the past decades in the wider context of small power strategies. The main thrust of the argument is that small states can apply balancing strategies not only to protect their security in the central system of rivalling great powers but also to defend their interests in subordinate domains where middle powers may play a prominent part. The particular case is a clear instance of a small state using alliances to link objectives at different levels of political action. Thus, the Netherlands, while taking advantage of its reputation as a faithful ally in NATO, has sought to draw on the support of the United States in order to forestall attempts at domination by larger regional powers in Western Europe, first and foremost France. The contention is made that the Dutch have been successful in pursuance of their strategy. The final part discusses the impact on the Dutch position of recent post-Cold War developments and the dynamics of E...


In April 1993, a technical assistance contract to measure general condom use, particularly use of the brand name Protector, which has been marketed in Mali since March 1992, was made between the Center of Studies and Research on Population for Development (CERPOD) and the Popular Pharmacy of Mali. In June-July 1991, the SOMARC project and the Malian Institute for Applied Research in Development conducted a baseline survey to determine the condom use rate in Mali before Protector was introduced on the Malian market, so the social marketing project for contraception could be evaluated. It examined knowledge, use, and achievable target level and determined the characteristics of users of the Protector condom. It revealed that more than 90% of both men and women believed birth spacing was a good idea. Men approved of birth spacing for cost-saving reasons, while women approved birth spacing because it allowed mothers time to recuperate between births. Another earlier study in 1987 in Bamako found that 78% of the women already favored birth spacing. 90% of the men in the main cities in Mali knew about condoms. 63% of these men had used them in the past, mainly to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. 30% used them consistently. One hoped that this number was going to grow, since 80% of the men said that they would use condoms in the future. The evaluation of the 1991 social marketing campaign will end in August 1993 and will measure whether it was successful or not. In November 1992, CERPOD followed the framework of a recent baseline survey for an IEC (information, education, and communication) family planning program, operated jointly by the Malian Association for the Protection and Promotion of the Family and Population Communication Services, to measure the effect of the brand name Protector. CERPOD's survey results will be compared with those of the 1993 survey.


Sustainability of agriculture is challenged by increasing sprawl in urban agglomerations. Under increasing agglomeration economies in large and even medium sized cities, more and more soil is being subtracted to agriculture, depriving agricultural activities of the main production factor. The extent to which the expanding urbanization threatens agricultural development depends on the urban spatial structure, however. In this work it is empirically investigated how the relationship between soil use and soil consumption is shaped by the compactness of a city. For the population of LAU1 (province) main cities in an Italian region (Lombardy), compactness is measured as the density gradient and estimated using Central Business District models. It is found that more compact cities exhibit relatively lower-than-expected soil consumption in the period 1999-2007. Results suggest that agglomeration economies are not enemies of agricultural activities per se. Nonetheless, urbanization needs to be accompanied by urban fringe containment.


The aortic root remodelling procedure, introduced by Yacoub in the early 1980s, is the valve-sparing aortic root replacement procedure that better reproduces the anatomical and functional properties of the native aortic root. Long-term durability of the repair, in terms of freedom from recurrent aortic regurgitation, has been questioned and can probably be improved by appropriate patient selection. Reproducibility of the operation, however, depends on subjective evaluations and surgical skill. We report a simplification of the technique designed to possibly increase the reproducibility of the aortic root remodelling operation while retaining its functional advantages.


A field trial was conducted in Silt loam soil at Al-bu-Farraj, northen Ramadi, 110 km west of Baghdad) , to study the effect of fertilization with macro and micronutrients on growth and yield of garlic ( Allium sativum L.). Randomized complete block design with three replicate was used. Four fertilizer formulations from nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium i.e. A0 (0,0,0) , A1 (80, 80, 80) , A2 (120, 120, 120 and A3 (160, 160, 160) kg.ha -1 were applied. Four concentrations of nutrient solution( B0,B1,B2,B3) (0 , 0.5 , 1 , 1.5) g.L -1 were foliar applied.Results showed no significant difference among treatments regarding plant height. Leaf area , mean head weight and yield were significantly (0.05) increased with rate of application for individual factor and interaction between factors. The combination of fertilizer A2B3 gave higher Leaf area rate of 1166.9cm 2 .plant -1 , and the weight of the head 97.30 g and higher yield of heads was 25.90 Mg.ha -1, compared with less yield 14.30 Mg.ha -1 which was given without A0B0 fertilization. Soil application and foliar spray individually led to significant (0.05) increases in leaves number per plant, while interaction had no significant effect on these trails. For cloves per head only the soil application was significantly active in increasing this trail.


Data Mining (MD) is an area from Computer Science that has been taught as a discipline, because it allows the generation of knowledge about society. It had being offered in Information Systems Bachelor (BSI) undergraduate course at Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) with the execution of hypothetical projects unrelated to students' reality, so final number of enrolled students was low. This work aims to report the application of the Project Based Learning (PBL) approach in MD teaching during 2018.1 semester of BSI course at UFRN with the help of a Tutoring Project. For doing that, training actions about PBL and MD were carried out with monitors and students. As a result, the number of offerings was filled and students developed projects related to their life contexts, got articles approved at academic conferences, and produced research and outreach projects.


Introduction A pedometer helps adults exercise more, but sedentary adults need instruction and advice to be motivated to use one. We conducted this qualitative study to describe the experiences of participants at high risk of type 2 diabetes who began using a pedometer. Methods A total of 74 people at high risk of type 2 diabetes participated in 6 months of group counseling. From April 2007 to April 2008, we collected data through questionnaires, theme interviews (n = 22) and video recordings of counseling sessions. From October 2007 through June 2008, we analyzed the data. Results Pedometers were useful tools for observing levels of exercise, setting personal goals for walking, and helping evaluate whether daily goals were met. Negative experiences were associated with functional failures, pedometers' unsuitability for exercise other than walking, and the goal of 10,000 steps, which some participants considered too high. Conclusions Sedentary adults can be motivated to use a pedometer if we inform them that regular users find it a useful instrument for increasing their level of exercise. These adults should set realistic goals for walking and receive adequate instructions for using pedometers.


Procedure volume has been used as a proxy for quality and recommended as a basis for hospital referrals. We studied the volume, mortality, and associated hospital and staffing characteristics of ten complex procedures in U.S. hospitals using the 2000 HCUP Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Although the majority of patients had their procedures performed in high-volume hospitals, for seven procedures, more than three-fourths of hospitals would be considered low-volume. Unadjusted mortality rates were significantly higher at low-volume hospitals for five procedures. Low-volume hospitals also tended to have lower mean numbers of residents and RNs. However, for two procedures, low-volume hospitals had RN and resident staffing equal to or higher than those of high-volume hospitals, and the unadjusted mortality rates were no different.


The problem of adaptive waveform selection can be viewed as a problem of stochastic dynamic programming. However, the computational cost of solution of optimality equations is very high as a result of large state variable space. So far few suitable scheduling algorithms have been proposed. To account for the aboved shortcoming, we can use approximate dynamic programming (ADP) to solve adaptive waveform selection problem. The scheduling algorithm we proposed can minimize the time taken to detect new targets, detect these targets in accordance with importance, and minimize the use of radar resources. Meanwhile we have a lower computational cost compared with the traditional algorithms. Finally, the whole paper is summarized.


Consumer involvement plays a major role in the circular economy (CE), which requires a new and more active role of consumers. However, consumer awareness of and interest and involvement in the CE is low. Therefore, we aimed to find the starting points for consumer involvement in activities that promote a CE by exploring consumers' general perceptions of the CE and several practice cases. Four focus group discussions were conducted (N = 24) in the Netherlands. The group discussions showed that most consumers did not have a clear understanding of the term "circular economy," although their associations pointed in the right direction. Perceptions, attitudes, motives and barriers in terms of advantages and disadvantages varied among the participants and were related to (1) the functionalities of the products, (2) the production system, (3) economic aspects and (4) emotions such as concern about risks. We identified four key messages: targeting with regard to behaviours, attitudes and product functionalities; aligning with emotions; linking to practical cases; and applying multidimensional CE-related behaviour in everyday life and involving consumers in its innovation. These key messages are helpful in overcoming obstacles and barriers, raising awareness and providing input for sustainable consumption and production in the CE.


Over 90 different mutations in the gene encoding copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) cause ∼2% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases by an unknown mechanism. We engineered 14 different human ALS-related SOD1 mutants and obtained high yields of biologically metallated proteins from an Sf21 insect cell expression system. Both the wild type and mutant "as isolated" SOD1 variants were deficient in copper and were heterogeneous by native gel electrophoresis. By contrast, although three mutant SOD1s with substitutions near the metal binding sites (H46R, G85R, and D124V) were severely deficient in both copper and zinc ions, zinc deficiency was not a consistent feature shared by the as isolated mutants. Eight mutants (A4V, L38V, G41S, G72S, D76Y, D90A, G93A, and E133Δ) exhibited normal SOD activity over pH 5.5–10.5, per equivalent of copper, consistent with the presumption that bound copper was in the proper metal-binding site and was fully active. The H48Q variant contained a high copper content yet was 100-fold less active than the wild type enzyme and exhibited a blue shift in the visible absorbance peak of bound Cu(II), indicating rearrangement of the Cu(II) coordination geometry. Further characterization of these as-isolated SOD1 proteins may provide new insights regarding mutant SOD1 enzyme toxicity in ALS.


Health information systems face the challenge of collecting data on patients' gender identity. The absence of this information may lead the patients to situations of vulnerability and discrimination. The objective of this study is to describe the process of designing and developing an Electronic Health Record according to the Argentine Gender Identity Law. This health record allows clinics to record legal names and surnames, other social names, gender identity, sex at birth, and legal sex.


This paper describes a heat pump investigation for GreenSCIES (GS), a fifth Generation district heating and cooling (5DHC) network in Islington, London. The paper describes the GreenSCIES concept integrating Mobility, Power and Heat into a Smart Local Energy System (SLES). At the heart of the system is an ultra-low temperature ambient loop network, which permits bi-directional flow within the pipes to allow energy exchange between heating and cooling customers at different times and in different locations, depending on where demand is at any given time. An existing data centre provides the primary source of waste heat for the scheme. Heat pumps in distributed energy centres are utilised to amplify the temperature of the ambient loop to deliver heat in connected buildings. The energy centres integrate heat pumps with building-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and electric vehicle (EV) charging points. The paper provides an overview of the integrated SLES concept, focussing on the heat pump selection and the short and long-term thermal storage options designed for the scheme. The results show that even the smaller constructible 'New River' scheme will save 5,000 tons of CO2e annually. This will tend to 100% as the grid decarbonise further. Therefore, the GS SLES concept applied to urban areas could deliver significant carbon emission savings in the UK and elsewhere. Practical application: Project GreenSCIES, is a detailed design study to develop a Smart, Local Energy System (SLES) for a large community in the London Borough of Islington. Our consortium have developed an innovative SLES concept, centred around a fifth generation district heating and cooling network. The GS ambient loop systems have negligible losses and much greater efficiencies than traditional district heat networks. As recognised by the UK Government's Heat and Buildings Strategy, ambient loop systems should be considered where large-scale neighbourhood regeneration occurs. The proposed SLES concept applied to wider urban areas could deliver significant carbon emission savings in the UK.


THE BOTTOM LINE The bottom line for neurologists is that atrial fibrillation (AF) patients who have had an ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) are at high risk of recurrent stroke and should be treated long-term with adjusted-dose warfarin (target INR = 2.5) for secondary prevention, provided it can be given safely and the blood pressure well controlled. For acute management, give aspirin until therapeutic anticoagulation is achieved. Please glance quickly at the attractive figures and illuminating tables, and then skip to the next article unless you want more detail! SOME HISTORY By the early 1980s, it was clear from cohort, case-control and autopsy studies that non-valvular AF (i.e. not associated with mitral valvular disease) was a strong, independent risk factor for ischaemic stroke. Based on the presumed pathogenesis of thrombus forming in relatively static blood in the left atrial appendage and then embolizing to the brain (Fig. 1)


This article is the second in a series of four that describe the early years of the National Bureau of Standards (now known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology). The fi rst article described the work of Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler, America¿s fi rst metrologist [1]. His efforts during the fi rst half of the 19th century created the fi rst survey of the coastal United States and provided the young country with the beginnings of a coherent system of weights and measures. A brief description of the convention of the meter, a brief look at 19th century science and invention in America, and an account of the creation of the National Bureau of Standards appear in this article.


Restudy of the fragments belonging to the LM IA Floral Fresco from the Unexplored Mansion at Knossos yields a more comprehensive reconstruction that focuses on the arrangement of the floral elements within their landscape setting and facilitates an examination of the composition within the context of Aegean art. The reconstruction suggests that the anonymous artist displays technical mastery and innovation which produce the unusual 'anemone', 'frilled flower', and 'osier' motifs, yet reveal an intimate knowledge of contemporary trends in both Minoan and Cycladic painting. Comparison with surviving fragments of landscape painting from the neighbouring Knossos town houses further suggests that LM IA artists actively participated in a competitive environment in which new pictorial motifs were invented to satisfy the demands of their patrons for novelty.


We consider a system consisting of n particles, moving forward in jumps on the real line. System state is the empirical distribution of particle locations. Each particle "jumps forward" at some time points, with the instantaneous rate of jumps given by a decreasing function of the particle's location quantile within the current state (empirical distribution). Previous work on this model established, under certain conditions, the convergence, as [Formula: see text], of the system random dynamics to that of a deterministic mean-field model (MFM), which is a solution to an integro-differential equation. Another line of previous work established the existence of MFMs that are traveling waves, as well as the attraction of MFM trajectories to traveling waves. The main results of this paper are: (a) We prove that, as [Formula: see text], the stationary distributions of (recentered) states concentrate on a (recentered) traveling wave; (b) we obtain a uniform across n moment bound on the stationary distributions of (recentered) states; and (c) we prove a convergence-to-MFM result, which is substantially more general than that in previous work. Results (b) and (c) serve as "ingredients" of the proof of (a), but also are of independent interest.


A software platform called an Academic Management System (AMS) is created to handle the academic operations of educational organizations like colleges, universities, and schools. To handle student details, attendance, fees, grades, performance, and course content/exam modules, the system provides a number of modules. Administrators and instructors can handle student data like personal information, contact information, and academic records using the student profile administration module. Students can seek a leave of absence through the leave request administration module, and instructors can accept or reject these requests. Parents can watch their child's scholastic data, including attendance, fees, and grades, through the parent-viewing module. While the fees management module tracks student fee payments and enables administrators to create fee reports, the attendance management module tracks student presence and gives reports on student attendance. Teachers can input student scores for tests, quizzes, and examinations in the mark administration section, which also produces reports for parents and managers. Grades, attendance, and instructor feedback are all included in the student performance management module's complete perspective of student success. Administrators and instructors can compare student performance across courses, assess student performance over time, and pinpoint areas for growth using the performance analysis tool. The graphical reports section presents student achievement data in graphical form, enabling managers and instructors to spot trends and patterns right away. Administrators and instructors can create reports and progress cards for specific students or complete classes, download them, and then transmit them to the students or classes in question. Teachers can submit course materials, such as lesson notes and readings, and handle test schedules and modules using the course content/exam module administration module. Overall, an academic management system aids educational establishments in successfully and efficiently managing their academic activities. It also enhances interaction and cooperation between educators, administrators, students, and parents. KEYWORD: School, Admission, Management, Students, Parents


This is a master thesis about how to be able to clean an open device during assembly for the company of McNeil AB. McNeil AB is a company in Helsingborg, Sweden, producing the Nicorette brand, which is a nicotine based product line which helps people stop smoking. McNeil AB's problem was that they had some contamination in their mouth spray product and thus a solution for the cleaning of a vial in process of production was requested. The production line in question handles both mouth spray and nasal spray and the solution was _rst thought for the mouth spray. At a later time it was implemented for both mouth spray and nasal spray but the main priority was still for the mouth spray. The master thesis explains how the solution developed through an inquiry to the Johnson & Johnson Engineering Network and the use of the trial and error method with a test setup. In the beginning the test setup was made of a vacuum outlet and rubber pipes. Later on it was possible to develop the test setup with better equipment such as using both vacuum and pressurized air, better connections, better pipes and a specially made dual pipe designed by the authors. With this it got better results and became more accurate to the _nal solution. As the test setup and solution was developed an understanding for which components that were needed for the solution. Since the space is very limited at the production line a rough 3D-model was made to be able to know what kind of area limitations there are when installing the solution. Interviews with the operators at the production line were also made to get information about how they worked in that limited space at the _lling line. As there was little or no space to be able to place the solution a bending joint was thought for it, so that the operators could be able to handle the solution easily and work around it. Very close to the end there was enough time to build the prototype but not to implement it in the production line. The most vital components have been tested with the prototype and are working with good results.


Abstract 2759 MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and diverse cellular processes. Expression profiling of miRNAs has identified dysregulated miRNAs in many cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the mechanism for altered miRNA gene expression and the frequency of miRNA gene mutations in AML is largely unknown. We performed next-generation sequencing and high-resolution comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to determine the frequency of miRNA gene mutations in 30 patients with therapy-related AML (t-AML). The sequencing is completed, and final analysis is underway. Herein, we report the results of the CGH. We designed custom CGH arrays for all 835 miRNA genes in miRBase (version 14) and 44 genes involved in miRNA processing. Average probe spacing was 30 bp for miRNA genes and 80 bp for miRNA processing genes and 10 kb flanking regions were interrogated for all genes. In each case, genomic DNA from leukemic blasts was compared with DNA from a skin biopsy from that patient. The median age of the 30 patients with t-AML was 49.2 years (25-77) with M:F ratio 13:17. The mean blast % was 81% (31-100). Consistent with previous reports, many of these patients had an abnormal karyotype with abnormalities of chromosome 5 and 7, 13% and 17% respectively. As expected, CGH analysis confirmed copy number alterations already identified by cytogenetics. In addition, we identified a single t-AML sample (from a male patient) that carried a small (435 kb) hemizygous deletion of miR-223 on chromosome × that was not apparent by cytogenetics. Quantitative PCR of genomic DNA confirmed the loss of the miR-223 gene, and real time RT-PCR demonstrated loss of miR-223 expression. Of note, miR-223 has been implicated in the regulation of granulopoiesis, and mice lacking miR-223 display a myeloproliferative phenotype (Johnnidis, Nature 2008). We screened an additional 27 AML patients for miR-223 expression and identified 3 other samples with miR-223 expression 2 standard deviations below the normal (based on CD34+ cells from healthy donors). No copy number alterations in miR-223 were detected in these patients, suggesting epigenetic silencing of miR-223. Consistent with this possibility, one of these patients carried a t(8;21), which has been shown to epigenetically silence miR-223 (Fazi, Cancer Cell 2007). The mechanism by which miR-223 is silenced in the other two AML samples is under investigation. In summary, cytogenetically silent deletions of miRNA genes are uncommon in t-AML. Loss of miR-223 expression can occur through somatic mutation or epigenetic silencing and is likely to contribute to leukemic transformation in a subset of patients with AML. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


The aim of the paper is to identify, analyze and evaluate the barriers that public administration representatives have to face during the preparation and implementation of the Smart City strategy in the Czech Republic as one of the principles of modern sustainable urban development. The goal will be achieved through theoretical assumptions, analysis of sustainable and smart urban environment and especially through qualitative research, specifically by structured interviews with stakeholders who are responsible for the Smart City strategy implementations. The interviews will take place in three Czech cities, namely Prague – the capital, Brno – the winner of the ITAPA 2018 AWARD in category V4 region, and Zlin – an example of the city "on the way" that has no Smart City Strategy implemented at the moment but is running many smart projects within the city ecosystem. Barriers will be classified and divided into two categories – external and internal. Based on examples of good practices from abroad, measures will be proposed that should prevent the emergence of these obstacles right at the very beginning or, at least, mitigate them at their origin. The main identified problems were shortage of experts in the Smart City area, political unrest, poor interconnection with existing legislation and excessive bureaucracy. The proposed measures then focus mainly on the exchange of the best practices among municipalities, the legislative changes and a greater public awareness.


Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition can increase the susceptibility of vascular plants to other stresses, but the physiological basis of such a response remains poorly understood. This study was designed to clarify the physiological mechanisms and to evaluate bioindicators of N deposition impact on vascular plants. We evaluate multiple physiological responses to ~4 years of simulated additional N deposition (30–90 kg N ha−1 year−1) on three age-classes (1a, 3a, and 5a) of Moso bamboo. A saturating response to the additional N deposition was found both in foliar N concentration and in Pn. However, 3- and 5-year-old bamboo seemed to be less tolerant to extremely high N deposition than 1-year-old bamboo since they were saturated at a lower N addition. Furthermore, C/N/P stoichiometric ratios were very sensitive to N deposition in all three-age classes of bamboo, but the responses to N deposition in the various age-classes were diverse. We also found that the highest additional N deposition suppressed stomatal conductance and transpiration rate, suggesting an induced water stress. The stress induced by the high N load was also seen in photochemistry, where it reduced potential and actual photosynthetic use of light energy, diminished photo-protection capacity, and increased risk of the photo-damage. High additional N deposition contributed to a decrease in the foliar soluble protein contents and to an increase in the peroxidase activity (POD). Our study suggested, for the first time, that although the photosynthetic rate was enhanced by the increased N deposition in Moso bamboo, long-term high N load causes negative effects, such as damage to photosystem II. In Moso bamboo photochemical parameters are more sensitive to N deposition than photosynthetic rate or foliar N concentration. Furthermore, plant age should be taken into account when assessing plants' susceptibility to changes in global change drivers, such as N deposition. These findings facilitate the revealing of the risks potentially caused to vascular plants by increased N deposition before any visible symptoms of injury are seen.


piR-31143 has been identified as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the current detection methods have complicated operations and high cost, which restrict its clinical application. In the present work, we reported a new photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor based on MoS2@ReS2/Ti3C2 hybrid and duplex-specific nuclease (DSN) assisted signal amplification mechanism for ultrasensitive detection of piRNA-31143 from human serum. The formation of the type I heterostructure between MoS2 and ReS2 and the doping of Ti3C2 contributed to high photocurrent response. The presence of piR-31143 triggered the chain displacement reaction and enzymatic cyclic amplification reaction on the electrode surface with the assistance of DSN, leading to the collapse of the composite probe system. Consequently, the photocurrent of the PEC biosensor was proportional to the concentration of piR-31143. The linear detection range and calculated detection limit of the PEC biosensor were 10-1-106 fM and 23 aM, respectively. The stability of the photocurrent under 15 consecutive on-off irradiations (with a relative standard deviation of 1.17%) and the specific response to piR-31143 demonstrated the reliability of the PEC biosensor. In addition, the practicability of the PEC biosensor was verified by batch detection of human serum. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve used to distinguish CRC patients from healthy controls was 0.942 with 100% specificity, demonstrating the developed method is a promising approach for the diagnosis of CRC. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: : The clinical translation of piRNAs for cancer diagnosis is hindered by efficacy of detection techniques due to tedious sample processing and costly instrumentation. Herein, we fabricated a photoelectrochemical biosensor for the ultrasensitive detection of piR-31143 with 10 μL serum in vitro. MoS2@ReS2/Ti3C2 greatly enhances the photocurrent response while duplex-specific nuclease improves the detection sensitivity and avoids false positives. By transforming the recognition sequence of the probe, the sensor can be applied to a variety of piRNAs detection for different diseases. In addition, the electrode can be recycled which is beneficial to reduce the cost of detection. With suitable automation and further optimization, our work may serve as core component in the development of an accurate and efficient diagnosis method.


BACKGROUND
Tumor markers have an increasing significance in the diagnosis and evaluation of tumor, but their role in gallbladder cancer has not been established. The present study was undertaken to determine the utility of serological markers in carcinoma of the gallbladder (CaGB).

METHODS
This study was carried out in 55 cases and 8 healthy controls presenting to a single surgical unit of the University Hospital, Varanasi, India. CA242, CA19-9, CA15-3 and CA125 were assayed preoperatively in serum of patients with carcinoma of the gallbladder (39), cholelithiasis (16) and healthy controls (8) using ELISA technique.

RESULTS
Mean concentration of all tumor markers was significantly raised in carcinoma of the gallbladder when compared with cholelithiasis. CA 242 was 12.10 vs 42.19 u/ ml, CA19-9 was 211.27 vs 86.06 uml, CA 15-3 was 71.42 vs 1.93u/ml and CA125 was 253.61 vs 65.5 u/ml <0.05). Sensitivity and specificity were calculated at various cut off points. Significant changes in CAl9-9 and CA242 occurred with advanced stage (p <0.05) and grade of tumor (p<0.00 1). When two tumor markers were combined, like CA242 and CA125, sensitivity and specificity improved to 87.5% and 85.7% respectively. Diagnostic accuracy is highest with a combination of CA 19-9 and CA 125 (80.65%). However, combination of tumor markers did not improve any further sensitivity or specificity of markers.

CONCLUSION
Assay of CA242, CA15-3, CA19-9 and CA 125 are fairly good markers for discriminating patients of carcinoma of the gallbladder from cholelithiasis. CA242 and CA125 when used together achieved best sensitivity and specificity. Serum markers seem to be less sensitive when used individually in carcinoma of the gallbladder but may prove useful in combination.


The general form of the convection–diffusion equation governing the evolution of the surface concentration of an insoluble surfactant over an evolving interface is reviewed and discussed for three-dimensional, axisymmetric, and two-dimensional configurations. The linearized form of the evolution equation is then derived around cylindrical and planar shapes in a framework that is suitable for carrying out a linear stability analysis for axisymmetric or two-dimensional perturbations. Particular attention is paid to the cases of quiescent unperturbed fluids, unidirectional shear flow, and elongational flow. By way of application, the linearized transport equations are combined with Stokes-flow hydrodynamics to investigate the stability of an elongating cylindrical viscous thread suspended in an ambient viscous fluid or in a vacuum, and the stability of a two-dimensional interface separating two semi-infinite fluids and stretched under the action of an orthogonal stagnation-point flow. The results illustrate the possibly important role of the surfactant on the linear growth of periodic waves on the cylindrical interface, and reveal that the surfactant has no effect on the stability of the planar interface.


ABSTRACT It is often frustrating to experience call drops and poor signal reception, especially when it is motivated by an environmental factor. This reiterates the need for adequate planning of communication signal facilities. Integrating the use of tuned models is of great importance since it enhances the propagation of signals and improves the Quality of Service (QoS). In this work, signal reception was enhanced through model optimization using the least square method. Drive test approach for the 3G network at 2.1 GHz in Owerri metropolis Nigeria was used to capture data from the environment. Predictions using Hata and COST 231 models were done. Hata model was chosen for optimization. Validated results show the Mean Square Error (MSE) of 31.39, 43.51 and 25.95; the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 23.98%, 34.84% and 20.25% for Hata, COST 231 and optimized models respectively. The result showed minimal error prediction for the optimized model, which implies that it can be used for signal prediction for the environment under study.


Aim To evaluate the configuration of the anterior chamber angle quantitatively and study the morphological changes in the eye with ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) in primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) patients after laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI). Materials and methods A total of 185 eyes of 185 PACG patients post-LPI and 126 eyes of 126 normal subjects were included in this prospective study. All subjects underwent complete ophthalmic evaluation, A-scan biometry, and UBM. The anterior segment and angle parameters were measured quantitatively and compared in both groups using Student's t-test. Results The PACG patients had shorter axial length, shallower central anterior chamber depth anterior chamber depth (ACD), and anteriorly located lens when compared with normal subjects. Trabecular iris angle (TIA) was significantly narrow (5.73 ± 7.76°) in patients with PACG when compared with normal subjects (23.75 ± 9.38°). The angle opening distance at 500 pm from scleral spur (AOD 500), trabecular-ciliary process distance (TCPD), iris-ciliary process distance (ICPD), and iris-zonule distance (IZD) were significantly shorter in patients with PACG than in normal subjects (p < 0.0001). The iris lens angle (ILA), scleral-iris angle (SIA), and scleral-ciliary process angle (SCPA) were significantly narrower in patients with PACG than in normal subjects (p < 0.0001). The iris-lens contact distance (ILCD) was greater in PACG group than in normal (p = 0.001). Plateau iris was seen in 57/185 (30.8%) of the eyes. Anterior positioned ciliary processes were seen in 130/185 eyes (70.3%) of eyes. Conclusion In PACG patients, persistent apposition angle closure is common even after LPI, which could be due to anterior rotation of ciliary body and plateau iris and overcrowding of anterior segment due to shorter axial length and relative anterior lens position. How to cite this article: Mansoori T, Balakrishna N. Anterior Segment Morphology in Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma using Ultrasound Biomicroscopy. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2017;11(3):86-91.


In 30 b.c., against the backdrop of Alexandria, Egypt, one of the most majestic of all ancient cities, a great queen proudly and defiantly took her life. More than two thousand years later, the world remains fascinated and haunted by this most intriguing woman, Cleopatra VII, yet practically everything we know about her is based on ancient text fragments, literature, and myth. Was she the temptress of legend? A ruthless, ambitious conqueror? Or was she a strong, brilliant, visionary ruler, a passionate and loyal woman, and a fiercely devoted mother? Discovery Books presents Cleopatra's Palace: In Search of a Legend--a dramatic look at Cleopatra's world based on ancient accounts and modern scholarship. Gifted storyteller Laura Foreman brings Cleopatra's legendary tale to life, from the founding of Alexandria by Alexander the Great, to Cleopatra's ascent to the Egyptian throne amid treachery and betrayal, to her passionate alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony and her doomed battle against Octavian. But the legend doesn't end there. Cleopatra's Palace also presents the astounding recent findings of world-renowned underwater explorer Franck Goddio, who, with his team of underwater archaeologists, has succeeded in mapping the Royal Quarter of Ancient Alexandria, long submerged beneath the Mediterranean by cataclysmic earthquakes early in the millennium. In a fascinating narrative illustrated by exclusive underwater images, the expedition's successes are presented, including the discovery of such artifacts as jewelry, statues, sphinxes, rare pottery, and an ancient shipwreck, as well as architectural remains that were found on the site of this magnificent drama. Lavishly illustrated with over 200 extraordinary full-color photographs, expedition images, fine-art reproductions, drawings, and maps, and interlaced with discussions on the art, architecture, religion, politics, and society of the Graeco-Roman period, Cleopatra's Palace is sure to captivate all lovers of discovery. Blending biography, history, and modern exploration into great storytelling, Cleopatra's Palace recreates the glory of Egypt's long-vanished capital and its Royal Quarter, and brings Egypt's greatest queen unforgettably to life.


Background/Aims: Hepatic resection for colorectal liver metastases offers patients the best chance of long-term survival. Survival rates after resection range from 25 to 60%. Predictive models may risk-stratify patients and allow improved selection for surgery or other therapies. This review aims to achieve consensus regarding the predictors of survival after hepatic resection for colorectal metastases and evaluate current predictive models of outcome. Methods: A comprehensive literature review of published studies with more than 500 patients describing models for predicting long-term survival in patients undergoing hepatic resection for colorectal metastases. Results: Five large predictive models have been published to date. The three predictive models developed from the largest series agree over the key independent predictors of poor long-term outcome for patients undergoing liver resection for colorectal metastases. All five models have individual shortcomings, and whilst three have been internally validated, two have been externally validated with conflicting results. The Basingstoke Predictive Index appears to be accurate and internally validated. Conclusions: There is need within the international surgical oncology community for consensus regarding a predictive model to be universally adopted for risk-stratifying patients who may benefit from intensive surveillance and selection for adjuvant therapy and clinical trials.


We study the application of the receding horizon optimal control (RHOC) for hydraulic pipeline systems described by the so-called water hammer equations. Sufficient conditions to guarantee an asymptotic stability to an equilibrium state are first introduced and then integrated in the RHOC scheme. For the implementation, calculus of variations is employed to characterize the optimal solution in terms of the adjoint state and the recently proposed Lattice Boltzmann method is used to solve both direct and adjoint partial differential equations. This approach is finally validated in simulation.


We present a model with A 4 × U (1) PQ lepton flavor symmetry which explains the origin of the lepton flavor structure and also solves the strong CP problem. Standard model gauge singlet fields, so-called "flavons", charged under the A 4 × U (1) PQ symmetry are introduced and are coupled with the lepton and the Higgs sectors. The flavon vacuum expectation values (VEVs) trigger spontaneous breaking of the A 4 × U (1) PQ symmetry. The breaking pattern of the A 4 accounts for the tri-bimaximal neutrino mixing and the deviation from it due to the non-zero θ 13 angle, and the breaking of the U (1) PQ gives rise to a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson, axion, whose VEV cancels the QCD θ term. We investigate the breaking of the A 4 × U (1) PQ symmetry through an analysis on the scalar potential and further discuss the properties of the axion in the model, including its decay constant, mass and coupling with photons. It is shown that the axion decay constant is related with the right-handed neutrino mass through the flavon VEVs. Experimental constraints on the axion and their implications are also studied.


Pornography is a fictional media genre that depicts sexual fantasies and explicitly presents naked bodies and sexual activities for the purpose of sexual arousal (Williams, 1989; McKee et al., 2020). Regarding media ethics and media effects, pornography has traditionally been viewed as highly problematic. Pornographic material has been accused of portraying sexuality in unhealthy, morally questionable and often sexist ways, thereby harming performers, audiences, and society at large. In the age of the Internet, pornography has become more diverse, accessible, and widespread than ever (Döring, 2009; Miller et al., 2020). Consequently, the depiction of sexuality in pornography is the focus of a growing number of content analyses of both mass media (e.g., erotic and pornographic novels and movies) and social media (e.g., erotic and pornographic stories, photos and videos shared via online platforms). Typically, pornography's portrayals of sexuality are examined by measuring the prevalence and frequency of sexual practices or relational dynamics and related gender roles via quantitative content analysis (for research reviews see Carrotte et al., 2020; Miller & McBain, 2022). This entry focuses on the representation of performer bodily appearance as one of eight important dimensions of the portrayals of sexuality in pornography.

Field of application/theoretical foundation:
In the field of pornographic media content research, different theories are used, mainly 1) general media effects theories, 2) sexual media effects theories, 3) gender role, feminist and queer theories, 4) sexual fantasy and desire theories, and different 5) mold theories versus mirror theories. The DOCA entry "Conceptual Overview (Portrayals of Sexuality in Pornography)" introduces all these theories and explains their application to pornography. The respective theories are applicable to the analysis of the depiction of performer bodily appearance as one dimension of the portrayals of sexuality in pornography.

References/combination with other methods of data collection:
Manual quantitative content analyses of pornographic material can be combined with qualitative (e.g., Keft-Kennedy, 2008) as well as computational (e.g., Seehuus et al., 2019) content analyses. Furthermore, content analyses can be complemented with qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys to investigate perceptions and evaluations of the portrayals of sexuality in pornography among pornography's creators and performers (e.g., West, 2019) and audiences (e.g., Cowan & Dunn, 1994; Hardy et al., 2022; Paasoonen, 2021; Shor, 2022). Additionally, experimental studies are helpful to measure directly how different dimensions of pornographic portrayals of sexuality are perceived and evaluated by recipients, and if and how these portrayals can affect audiences' sexuality-related thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (e.g., Kohut & Fisher, 2013; Miller et al., 2019).

Example studies for manual quantitative content analyses:
Common research hypotheses state that performers in pornography are mainly selected and presented to conform to gendered norms of sexual attractiveness but also potentially unhealthy beauty standards or current beauty trends. To test such hypotheses and code pornographic material accordingly, it is necessary to clarify the concept of "performer bodily appearance" and use valid and reliable measures for different aspects of appearance. In addition, it is necessary to code the sex/gender of the persons depicted.
Two different approaches to coding are available: Direct coding based on the performer's appearance (e.g., breast size) versus indirect coding based on meta-information about the material, such as the sub-genre pornography category the material belongs to (e.g., the "big tits", "BBW" [big beautiful women], "tattoed women" categories on PornHub) or statistics provided as part of performer profiles published on online platforms (e.g., height, weight, bra or penis size).

Coding Material

Measure

Operationalization (excerpt)

Reliability

Source

Performer Bodily Appearance: Among the many aspects of performer appearance, those conventionally related to sexual attractiveness are measured most often in the context of pornography research. Researchers may also measure variables related to general beauty trends in society (e.g., shaving of pubic and body hair) or assess aspects of performer appearance which could be consider to promote unhealthy/unrealistic beauty standards (e.g., performers being unhealthily underweight or extremely muscular). Apart from issues of performer health protection, unhealthy standards of beauty and sexual attractiveness are also regarded as relevant in terms of modelling behaviors for audiences.

N=50 best-selling pornographic videos and DVDs in Australia in 2003 with 838 sexual scenes

Performer body type

Performer body type. Polytomous coding (1: unhealthy underweight; 2: slim / undertoned; 3: average (untoned); 4: average (toned); 5: bulked up / very muscular; 6: overweight).

Not available

McKee et al. (2008)

Performer breast size

Performer breast size. Polytomous coding (1: smaller than average breasts; 2: average-sized breasts; 3: larger than average breasts).

Performer breast surgery

Performer breast surgery is obvious. Polytomous coding (1: yes; 2: no; 3: unsure).

Performer penis size

Performer penis size. Polytomous coding (1: smaller than average penis; 2: average-sized penis; 3: larger than average penis).

N > 6,900 performer profiles from 10 gay male adult websites

Performer penis size

Performer penis size (as listed in performer profile). Polytomous coding (1: 5–6.5 inches; 2: 7–8 inches, 3: 8.5–10 inches, 4: 10.5–13 inches)

Not available

Brennan (2018)

N=50 MILF ["Mother I'd like to fuck" sub-genre category] and 50 "Teen" pornographic videos randomly selected from 10 different adult websites (10 videos per website)

Performer pubic hair

Performer pubic hair. Polytomous coding (1: none; 2. groomed; 3: natural).

Percentage agreement across all variables in codebook: 90.3%

Vannier et al. (2014)

References
Brennan, J. (2018). Size matters: Penis size and sexual position in gay porn profiles. Journal of Homosexuality, 65(7), 912-933. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2017.1364568
Carrotte, E. R., Davis, A. C., & Lim, M. S. (2020). Sexual behaviors and violence in pornography: Systematic review and narrative synthesis of video content analyses. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(5), Article e16702. https://doi.org/10.2196/16702
Cowan, G., & Dunn, K. F. (1994). What themes in pornography lead to perceptions of the degradation of women? Journal of Sex Research, 31(1), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499409551726
Döring, N. (2009). The Internet's impact on sexuality: A critical review of 15 years of research. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(5), 1089–1101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2009.04.003
Hardy, J., Kukkonen, T., & Milhausen, R. (2022). Examining sexually explicit material use in adults over the age of 65 years. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 31(1), 117–129. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjhs.2021-0047
Keft-Kennedy, V. (2008). Fantasising masculinity in Buffyverse slash fiction: Sexuality, violence, and the vampire. Nordic Journal of English Studies, 7(1), 49–80.
Kohut, T., & Fisher, W. A. (2013). The impact of brief exposure to sexually explicit video clips on partnered female clitoral self-stimulation, orgasm and sexual satisfaction. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 22(1), 40–50. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjhs.935
McKee, A., Albury, K., & Lumby, C. (2008). The porn report. Melbourne University Press.
McKee, A., Byron, P., Litsou, K., & Ingham, R. (2020). An interdisciplinary definition of pornography: Results from a global Delphi panel. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(3), 1085–1091. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-01554-4
Miller, D. J., & McBain, K. A. (2022). The content of contemporary, mainstream pornography: A literature review of content analytic studies. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 17(2), 219–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/15546128.2021.2019648
Miller, D. J., McBain, K. A., & Raggatt, P. T. F. (2019). An experimental investigation into pornography's effect on men's perceptions of the likelihood of women engaging in porn-like sex. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(4), 365–375. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000202
Miller, D. J., Raggatt, P. T. F., & McBain, K. (2020). A literature review of studies into the prevalence and frequency of men's pornography use. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 15(4), 502–529. https://doi.org/10.1080/15546128.2020.1831676
Paasonen, S. (2021). "We watch porn for the fucking, not for romantic tiptoeing": Extremity, fantasy and women's porn use. Porn Studies, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/23268743.2021.1956366
Seehuus, M., Stanton, A. M., & Handy, A. B. (2019). On the content of "real-world" sexual fantasy: Results from an analysis of 250,000+ anonymous text-based erotic fantasies. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(3), 725–737. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-018-1334-0
Shor, E. (2022). Who seeks aggression in pornography? Findings from interviews with viewers. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51(2), 1237–1255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02053-1
Vannier, S. A., Currie, A. B., & O'Sullivan, L. F. (2014). Schoolgirls and soccer moms: A content analysis of free "teen" and "MILF" online pornography. Journal of Sex Research, 51(3), 253-264. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2013.829795
West, C. (2019). Pornography and ethics: An interview with porn performer Blath. Porn Studies, 6(2), 264–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/23268743.2018.1505540
Williams, L. (1989). Hard Core: Power, pleasure, and the frenzy of the visible. University of California Press.


BACKGROUND
During the past 4 decades, substantial progress has been made in the development of strategies for HIV prevention, treatment, and care resulting from observational science, discovery and innovation science, and implementation science. Building on these fundamental discoveries, innovation science has led to novel, safe, and effective modalities for HIV treatment and prevention, including combination antiretroviral therapy and treatment as prevention and pre-exposure prophylaxis, respectively.

SETTING
In the United States and globally, there remains a major challenge in the optimal implementation of the strategies that we already have in the areas of HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care.

METHODS
Implementation science will be essential to the successful achievement of ending the global HIV epidemic by translating evidence-based interventions, resulting from discovery and innovation science, into real-world practice. Strategies are needed that integrate and implement the biomedical tools currently available within the social and structural contexts and across all stages of the HIV prevention and care continuum. Several of the latest methodologies and analytical approaches that are being actively pursued, as well as the research challenges and opportunities to conducting implementation science in the context of both the global and domestic responses to HIV, are the focus of this special supplement to the Journal of AIDS.

CONCLUSIONS
Knowledge resulting from implementation science will be critical to define and refine the approaches to successfully bring HIV prevention and treatment interventions to scale and achieve the goal of ending the HIV epidemic in the United States and worldwide.


The immune response to highly dinitrophenylated human gamma-globulin (DNP56HGG) was tested in inbred strains of mice. Significant differences in the anti-DNP response among inbred strains were found, including the magnitude of serum antibody and the location of plaque-forming cells (spleen or lymph nodes). The strain differences persisted when the dose and adjuvant were changed. The genetic control of the anti-DNP response to DNP56HGG was investigated. The analysis of the response of congenic and F1 hybrid mice to DNP56HGG suggests that at least two genes are involved in the control of the anti-DNP response. The two genes are demonstrated by complementation in the F1 generation, and show no correlation with H-2 haplotype or IgG2a allotype. A third gene may be implicated by differences in response observed between male and female mice.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of female death world wide with approximately 50,000 deaths per year. We identified a 300 kb deletion of chromosome 11q13 in cervical cancer and mapped eleven genes to this region. Of these, phosphofurin acidic cluster sorting −1 (PACS-1) gene encodes a multi-functional sorting protein involved in secretory pathway membrane traffic. Expression studies showed the presence of an abnormal PACS-1 transcript in tumorigenic cell lines. Protein expression studies in paired normal and cervical tumors showed over-expression of PACS-1 protein in tumor specimens. RT-PCR indicated that protein over-expression was related to over-expression at the RNA level. These findings together with the absence of detectable mutations in PACS-1 exons in HeLa or SiHa cervical carcinoma cell lines raised the possibility that dysregulation of a microRNA (miRNA) may alter PACS-1 expression in cervical cancer. Consistent with this possibility, a UCSC genome database search showed the presence of binding sites for miRNA449a in the 3′ UTR (untranslated region) of the PACS-1 RNA transcript. Co-transfection of PACS-1 3′UTR luciferase reporter with miRNA449a resulted in reduced expression of luciferase. Expression of miR449a in HeLa and SiHa cells led to reduced expression of PACS-1 and increased expression of p53 and p21 proteins. FACS analysis of HeLa cells transfected with miR449a showed a reduction in S phase indicating the growth suppressive effect of miR449a. These results indicate that miR449a regulates PACS-1 expression and loss of miR449a expression leads to over-expression of PACS-1. This in turn seems to result in the destabilization of p53 in cervical cancer. Our findings suggest PACS-1 plays a role in cervical cancer development and its expression is regulated post-transcriptionally by miRNA449a.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4048.


Chandra X-ray observations of the high redshift (z = 1.532) radio-loud quasar 3C 270.1 in 2008 February show the nucleus to have a power-law spectrum, Γ = 1.66 ± 0.08, typical of a radio-loud quasar, and a marginally detected Fe Kα emission line. The data also reveal extended X-ray emission, about half of which is associated with the radio emission from this source. The southern emission is co-spatial with the radio lobe and peaks at the position of the double radio hot spot. Modeling this hot spot, including Spitzer upper limits, rules out synchrotron emission from a single power-law population of electrons, favoring inverse Compton emission with a field of ∼11 nT, roughly a third of the equipartition value. The northern emission is concentrated close to the location of a 40° bend where the radio jet is presumed to encounter an external medium. It can be explained by inverse Compton emission involving cosmic microwave background photons with a field of ∼3 nT, a factor of 7–10 below the equipartition value. The remaining, more diffuse X-ray emission is harder (HR = −0.09 ± 0.22). With only 22.8 ± 5.6 counts, the spectral form cannot be constrained. Assuming thermal emission with a temperature of 4 keV yields an estimate for the luminosity of 1.8× 1044 erg s−1, consistent with the luminosity–temperature relation of lower-redshift clusters. However, deeper Chandra X-ray observations are required to delineate the spatial distribution and better constrain the spectrum of the diffuse emission to verify that we have detected X-ray emission from a high-redshift cluster.


The Law on the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution (2000) is the special law on air pollution prevention and other relevant Regulations and Rules were enacted according to this Law. These constitute the legal system for providing clean air in China. The main contents of this chapter include: supervision and management; pollution caused by coal; pollution caused by vehicles and vessels; exhausted gases, dusts and fetors; pollution caused by straw burning; ozone layer protection; energy saving and emissions reduction; and environmental standards. Some special measures are provided to solving the problem of air pollution. This clean air legal system, however, needs to be improved in regulatory scope, in its consistency with other environmental protection laws, the liabilities and environmental management approaches, such as market-based approaches and public involvement.


We demonstrate experimentally a transition from nonlinear beam trapping to defocusing in a two-dimensional periodic photonic structures by varying the modulation depth of the lattice. The observed effect illustrates the fundamental crossover from discrete to cw transport mechanisms. At the threshold modulation, the output beam is highly sensitive to refractive index and power variations, which can be potentially applied for high-sensitivity refractive index or temperature sensing.


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

The 19 human aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) gene products are enzymes that metabolize a wide range of reactive aldehydes, including those generated by the metabolism of drugs, alcohol, cigarette smoke and organic compounds. These toxic aldehydes are metabolized into respective non-reactive, non-toxic acids. We reasoned that expression of high levels of ALDH support cancer stem cells growth and chemoresistance by detoxifying metabolic aldehydes and aldehydic intermediates of common chemotherapy drugs. Thus, inhibitors of ALDHs (Aldis) may potentiate current treatments. Many malignant cancer cells and cancer stem cells (CSCs) are resistant to chemotherapy, which can lead to secondary relapses. Further, because head and neck cancer (HNC) stem cells express high levels of ALDHs, Aldis may be useful in increasing sensitivity of these tumors to chemotherapy. Testing several different HNC cell lines demonstrated that SCC4 cells are more resistant to cisplatin treatment and PCI13 cells are less resistant (e.g., at 100μM cisplatin, 30±2% of SCC4 cells survived vs. 15±6% of PCI13 cells; n=16). After cisplatin treatment (15μM for 8 days), ALDH activity increased in SCC4 more than in PCI13 (35±5% vs. 2±0.5% increase) as compared with non-treated cells measured. Co-treatment of cisplatin with Aldi-6 reduced ALDH activity in SCC4 by 67% as measured by Aldefluor assay. When cells were treated with Aldi-6 (an ALDH1, 2 and 3 inhibitor) together with cisplatin, Aldi-6 increased cell death by 30% in SCC4 and by 10% in PCI13 compared with cells treated with cisplatin alone (n=8 each). ALDH3A1 protein levels (but not ALDH1 or 2) increased with cisplatin treatment by ∼100 fold and 25 fold, respectively, in SCC4 and PCI13 as compared with non-treated cells measured by Western blot. Based on this data, we tested the efficacy of Aldi-6 in vivo. Tumor (SCC4)-bearing mice were divided into 4 groups and were treated for two weeks with vehicle, Aldi-6 (8mg/kg/day, delivered via an osmotic pump), cisplatin (2mg/kg/BW, ip injection, 2/week) or cisplatin+Aldi-6. Aldi-6 alone resulted in smaller tumors (average tumor volume (mm3): vehicle, 2,945±112; Aldi6, 773±481). Aldi-6 also enhanced cisplatin reduction of tumor size by more than 60% as compared with cisplatin treatment alone (average tumor volume (mm3): cisplatin, 1,560; Aldi6+cisplatin, 597±112; n=3-6). In conclusion, we found that increased ALDH3A1 levels in HNCs following cisplatin treatment in culture and in vivo may contribute to tumor growth and therefore, ALDH3A1 inhibitors may be suitable as chemotherapeutic agents alone; ALDH3A1 inhibitors may also reduce chemoresistance to cisplatin. Understanding the role of ALDH in HNC not only provides insight into the chemoresistance of this disease, but it may also provide novel strategies for therapy.

Citation Format: Jeewon Kim, JuneHo Shin, Che-Hong Chen, Leslie Cruz, Lovisa Farnebo, Jieying Yang, John B. Sunwoo, Daria Mochly-Rosen. Novel aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitors as potential anti-chemoresistance drugs for head and neck cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3749. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3749


This study presents a situation analysis on daily functioning, caregiving, and inclusion of children with spina bifida in Uganda. 139 children with spina bifida and their families from 4 regions in Uganda participated in this study. Findings show how a complex play of cultural values, globalization and access to biomedical care determines knowledge, and negative attitudes about, and perception of children with spina bifida. Families and private non for profit organisations are the main providers of care of the children. Children with spina bfida had a more negative perception of themselves, were less likely to be in school, and had lower cognitive outcome compared to their siblings. Daily functioning and social inclusion were affected by motor function, incontinence, lack of support for caregivers, low household income, limited resources and knowledge of inclusive teaching, bullying, and inaccessibility of public transport, roads, and buildings. Positive experiences of belonging were found at family and household level and were closely related to the 'ubuntu' concept. When a child belongs, the child has a chance to live, to participate, to become, to be included. To facilitate inclusion, families need to be supported, and negative attitudes and behaviour of community members, teachers, and health workers need to be addressed. Key words: disability, inclusion, spina bifida, Uganda, Africa


Reference intervals (RIs) of laboratory testing play a fundamental role in medical activities. RIs vary greatly for populations in different areas This study aimed to evaluate the age- and sex-specific reference intervals for a healthy population in a typical city of northern China. A cross-sectional study was performed in 4 tertiary care centers of Shijiazhuang of China, biochemical analytes were analyzed using a Beckman Coulter AU5800 (Beckman Coulter Inc., Brea, CA). A total of 42,979 healthy individuals were involved in this study. Grouped by age- and sex-specific, reference intervals of all the measures have been established. We found that different age groups of males and females have significant differences (all P < .001) in levels of various biochemical analytes. We provided a comprehensive age- and sex-specific RIs for biochemical analytes, which showed dynamic changes with both age and sex. For the local population, the reference intervals established here can be adopted in other clinical laboratories after appropriate validation.


As commercial drones increase in availability, worldwide-so can the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to collect in situ data of the atmosphere. Drones are readily accessible and can reach altitudes of 1,500 feet or more. Obstacles lie within Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stipulations, which prevent the use of recreational drones from exceeding 400 feet, or line of sight from their controller. Reasoning to use drones for meteorological research can be made, using a four-part method: The controller maintains visuals of the aircraft through an onboard video feed; aircraft location is maintained through a minimum 7 GPS satellites, drones can be easily transported in the field with Meteorologists, data can be obtained through the use of onboard sensing equipment.


In this paper we report an extension to Henderson et al.'s (2006) case study, in which we investigate the generality of the anticorrelation between the del.P-e and j x B terms in Ohm's law observed in the plasma sheet. Further current sheet crossings are investigated which occurred on 17 August 2003 and 24 September 2003. Data from this period are particularly relevant as the interspacecraft separations are at their smallest for the Cluster mission. We confirm the generality of the observed anticorrelation and observe that the contributions to the electric field were mainly in the direction normal to the neutral sheet. A simple magnetohydrostatic treatment is used to explain the correlation and directional organization. The treatment is able to explain the anticorrelation and how the relative contributions to the electric field from the del.P-e and j x B terms in Ohm's law may be linked to the temperature ratio of the different plasma constituents as well as their spatial scales. In the examples reported here, the scale length over which the electron pressure changed le was smaller than the scale over which the ion pressure changed l(i), with l(e)/l(i) being between similar to 0.1 and similar to 0.4.


Enzyme therapy has unique advantages over traditional chemotherapies for the treatment of hyperuricemia, but overcoming the delivery obstacles of therapeutic enzymes is still a significant challenge. Here, we report a novel and superior system to effectively and safely deliver therapeutic enzymes. Nanosomal microassemblies loaded with uricase (NSU-MAs) are assembled with many individual nanosomes. Each nanosome contains uricase within the alkaline environment, which is beneficial for its catalytic reactions and keeps the uricase separate from the bloodstream to retain its high activity. Compared to free uricase, NSU-MAs exhibited much higher catalytic activity under physiological conditions and when subjected to different temperatures, pH values and trypsin. NSU-MAs displayed increased circulation time, improved bioavailability, and enhanced uric acid-lowering efficacy, while decreasing the immunogenicity. We also described the possible favorable conformational changes occurring in NSU-MAs that result in favorable outcomes. Thus, nanosomal microassemblies could serve as a valuable tool in constructing delivery systems for therapeutic enzymes that treat various diseases.


Background: Mutations in RUNX1 have been reported in 5 to 20% of AML. RUNX1 mutated AML is associated with a myeloid rather than monocytic differentiation, shows a typical pattern of cytogenetic abnormalities with a high frequency of trisomy 8 or 13, has a typical pattern of additional molecular mutations with a high frequency of accompanying ASXL1 and SF3B1 mutations and is nearly mutually exclusive of NPM1 and CEBPA double mutations and other entity-defining genetic abnormalities. In a subset of patients with RUNX1 mutations loss of the wild-type allele can be assumed due to a high mutation load. The aim of this study was the detailed analysis of a subset of RUNX1 mutated AML with RUNX1 wild-type loss with respect to accompanying cytogenetic and molecular genetic abnormalities and prognostic impact.

Patients and Methods: A cohort of 467 AML with RUNX1 mutations (mut) at diagnosis identified during diagnostic work-up in our laboratory were the basis of this study. Median age was 72 years (yrs) (range 18-91 yrs), and male:female ratio 296: 171. 366 patients had de novo AML, 77 s-AML following MDS, 24 t-AML. For all patients (pts) cytogenetics and for 341 data on FAB subtype was available. Mutation data was available for NPM1 (n=456), MLL -PTD (n=453), CEBPA (n=449), FLT3 -ITD (n=457), FLT3 -TKD (n=457), WT1 (n=398), ASXL1 (n=313), TP53 (n=231), DNMT3A (n=177), TET2 (n=174), NRAS (n=305), KRAS (n=213) and SF3B1 (n=119). 64 patients with a mutation load of RUNX1 mutation >70% evaluated by sequencing analysis were selected for further analysis. All 64 cases were analysed by genomic arrays (SurePrint G3 ISCA CGH+SNP Microarray, Agilent, Waldbronn, Germany) to determine the copy number state and copy neutral loss of heterozygosity (CN-LOH). Median age was 73 yrs (range 24-87 yrs), and male:female ratio was 27: 37. 50 patients had de novo AML, 11 s-AML following MDS, 3 t-AML.

Results: Array CGH revealed a cytogenetically cryptic deletion on the long arm of chromosome 21 encompassing the RUNX1 gene in 5/64 (8%) patients while a CN-LOH on 21q including the RUNX1 gene was observed in 45 cases (70%). Thus in 50 cases (78%) with a high RUNX1 mutation load a RUNX1 wild-type loss (wt-loss) was detected by array CGH. In 43% (6/14) of the remaining cases the high RUNX1 mutation load was caused by amplification of the long arm of chromosome 21 either due to gain of whole chromosomes 21 or to an isochromosome 21q. First we focused on the characterization of RUNX1 mutated cases with RUNX1 wt-loss. In 22/50 cases (44%) an aberrant karyotype was observed with a distinct aberration pattern. 11 cases harbored +13, 5 had +8 and 6 cases a loss of 7q. No other recurrent abnormalities were observed. With respect to concurrent mutations the following frequencies were found: ASXL1 (42%), FLT3 -ITD (34%), TET2 (21%), KRAS (11%), MLL -PTD (8%), NRAS (7%), and FLT3 -TKD (6%). No NPM1 mutation or CEBPA double mutations were identified. Comparison of those cases with RUNX1 wt-loss to all other RUNX1 mutated AML (n=417) revealed a significantly higher frequency of +13 (22% vs 9%, p=0.01) and FLT3 -ITD (34% vs 19%, p=0.015). FAB subtypes M0 and M1 were more frequent (46% vs 12%, p<0.001; 35% vs 22%, n.s.) and M2 and M4 less frequent (14% vs 46%, p<0.0001; 5% vs 17%, n.s.). Survival analyses were restricted to 212 de novo AML pts with RUNX1 mut who received intensive chemotherapy (median overall survival (OS): 20 months (mo), median event-free survival (EFS): 12 mo). Median OS and EFS was shorter in patients with RUNX1 wt-loss compared to those without (15 vs 20 mo, n.s., 10 vs 12 mo, p=0.04). In univariate Cox regression analysis a negative impact on OS was observed for RAS mut (relative risk (RR): 2.2, p=0.005), male gender (RR: 1.6, p=0.02), and age (RR: 1.3 per decade, p<0.001). Shorter EFS was associated with RUNX1 wt-loss (RR: 1.7, p=0.04), RAS mut (RR: 1.9, p=0.02) and age (RR: 1.2 per decade, p<0.001). In multivariate analysis RAS mut (OS: RR: 2.4, p=0.002; EFS: RR: 2.0, p=0.008) and age (OS: RR: 1.3 per decade, p<0.001; EFS: RR: 1.2 per decade, p<0.001) had independent prognostic impact.

Conclusions: RUNX1 mutated AML with wild-type loss is a distinct AML subset that does not overlap with any of the genetically defined WHO categories and is characterized by an immature phenotype (81% FAB Subtype M0 and M1) and a higher frequency of +13 and FLT3 -ITD as compared to RUNX1 mutated AML without wild-type loss. Wild-type loss and RAS mutations are associated with inferior outcome in RUNX1 mutated AML.

Disclosures Haferlach: MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment, Equity Ownership. Nadarajah: MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Fasan: MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment. Perglerova: MLL2 s.r.o.: Employment. Kern: MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment, Equity Ownership. Schnittger: MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment, Equity Ownership. Haferlach: MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Employment, Equity Ownership.


In this paper, we focus on the total transmission power minimization problem for downlink beamforming multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems while ensuring each user's QoS requirement. Although the linear integer programming (LIP) solution we formulate provides the performance upper bound of the margin adaptive (MA) optimization problem, it is hard to be implemented in practice due to its high computational complexity. By regarding each user's equivalent channel gain as approximate independent values and using iterative descent method, we present a heuristic MA resource allocation algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm efficiently converges to the local optimum, which is very close to the performance of the optimal LIP solution. Compared with existing space division multiple access (SDMA) OFDM systems with or without adaptive resource allocation, the proposed algorithm achieves significant performance improvement by exploiting the frequency diversity and multi-user diversity in down-link multiple-input single-output (MISO) OFDM systems.


Consumers belong to various social groups and their social identity plays an important role in their purchase decisions. By buying products that are associated with their social group, consumers can show who they are and which social group they belong to (e.g., iPhones rather than android phones for "cool" professionals, t-shirts with sports logos rather than with hipster logos for athletic teenagers, and Tesla rather than BMW for environmentally-conscious moms). Consuming a product identified with its social group yields a consumer a benefit in being able to show to both in-group and out-group consumers which group she belongs to. There is also evidence that when a consumer deviates and chooses a product that is not identified with its social group, it bears some ostracism cost from its non-deviating group members. This paper examines the strategic implications of these features of consumer behavior in a model in which competing firms face such consumers. Specifically, we model a market in which consumers belong to one of two social groups of possibly different sizes, and each social group is associated with a particular product. Besides caring for price and product features, consumers also care about the effect their product choice has on their social identity. Consuming a product identified with its group yields a consumer a benefit in being able to show to both in-group and out-group consumers which group she belongs to. On the other hand, if a consumer deviates and chooses a product that is not identified with her social group, she suffers "ostracism" from a subset of her group -from those members of her group who buy the product associated with their group and do not deviate. This setup allows us to examine the effects of relative social group sizes, inherent differences between social groups, and importance of social identity on market prices, firms' messaging strategies, and profits. In particular, we show market conditions under which such identity considerations intensify price competition and reduce market prices, and when these identity considerations allow firms to raise consumer prices. Further, based on the idea that situational cues and explicit messages can prime whether and which social identity becomes salient for a consumer in a particular purchase situation, we use our results to suggest some normative implications for firms' messaging strategies. In particular, we suggest when and which firm can benefit from using communication that focuses on product features; that primes some social identity that is shared by competing firms in the product category (e.g., a loving mom giving breakfast to kids); or that primes a social identity that is unique to the focal firm (e.g., showing "cool" uses of iPhone in social settings). ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S). Hyewon Park is a PhD candidate in marketing at University of California, Irvine. She is interested in using theoretical and experimental economics to examine the effects of behavioral phenomena on market outcomes. Rajeev Tyagi is a professor of Marketing at University of California, Irvine. He received his Ph.D. from The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on the economics of marketing strategy. He develops quantitative models to examine competitive marketing strategies, distribution channels strategies, and new product introduction strategies. His research has been published in journals such as Management Science, Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Industrial Economics, and Economics Letters.