Background/Aims: The 8-aminoquinoline tafenoquine has been shown to be effective against Plasmodia, Leishmania and Trypanosoma. The substance is at least in part effective by triggering apoptosis of the parasites. Similar to apoptosis, erythrocytes may enter suicidal death or eryptosis, which is characterized by cell shrinkage and cell membrane scrambling with phosphatidylserine translocation to the erythrocyte surface. Signaling involved in the regulation of eryptosis include increase of cytosolic Ca2+ activity ([Ca2+]i), oxidative stress, ceramide, zVAD sensitive caspases, SB203580 sensitive p38 kinase, staurosporine sensitive protein kinase C as well as D4476 sensitive casein kinase. The present study explored, whether tafenoquine induces eryptosis and aimed to possibly identify cellular mechanisms involved. Methods: Flow cytometry was employed to estimate phosphatidylserine exposure at the cell surface from annexin-V-binding, cell volume from forward scatter, [Ca2+]i from Fluo3-fluorescence, ROS formation from 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA) dependent fluorescence, and ceramide abundance utilizing specific antibodies. Results: A 48 hours exposure of human erythrocytes to tafenoquine (500 ng/ml) significantly increased the percentage of annexin-V-binding cells, significantly decreased forward scatter, significantly increased Fluo3-fluorescence, and significantly increased DCFDA fluorescence. Tafenoquine did not significantly modify ceramide abundance. The effect of tafenoquine on annexin-V-binding was significantly blunted but not abolished by removal of extracellular Ca2+. The effect of tafenoquine on annexin-V-binding was not significantly blunted by zVAD (10 µM), SB203580 (2 µM) or staurosporine (1 µM). The effect of tafenoquine on annexin-V-binding was significantly blunted but not abolished by D4476 (10 µM). Conclusions: Tafenoquine triggers cell shrinkage and phospholipid scrambling of the erythrocyte cell membrane, an effect at least in part due to stimulation of Ca2+ entry, oxidative stress and possibly activation of casein kinase.


The main object is to discuss how the knowledge economy, as a concept and discipline, can open new possibilities for innovation around business development, strategy, management and leadership. Two questions are raised: 1. What is the innovative impact of knowledge economy on budgeting in companies? 2. What can we learn from co-workers' experiences in the Norwegian oil company Statoil when it comes to autonomy in strategic goal setting and innovation? Teamwork and leadership based on principles in Beyond Budgeting appear to mitigate or eradicate some of the role conflicts between employer and employee. Statoil has introduced new principles of corporate management where the traditional budget is replaced with strategy focused policy documents prepared by the employees in team, supported by periodical economical prognoses. According to Statoil, by involving an entire organization in processes related to strategy and resource allocation, knowledge is applied innovatively.


In our research, we focus on the response to the non-consensual distribution of intimate or sexually explicit digital images of adults, also referred as "revenge porn", from the point of view of the victims. In this paper, we present a preliminary expert analysis of the process for reporting revenge porn abuses in selected content sharing platforms. Among these, we included social networks, image hosting websites, video hosting platforms, forums, and pornographic sites. We looked at the way to report abuse, concerning both the non-consensual online distribution of private sexual image or video (revenge pornography), as well as the use of "deepfake" techniques, where the face of a person can be replaced on original visual content with the aim of portraying the victim in the context of sexual behaviours. This preliminary analysis is directed to understand the current practices and potential issues in the procedures designed by the providers for reporting these abuses.


Abstract An important role in the activities of the Slovakophile movement, which was born in Bohemia and Moravia at the end of the 1870s, was played by book culture. Especially by means of books and articles in magazines, Czech Slovakophiles acquainted the wider Czech public with the position of Slovaks in Hungary and aroused interest in the development of Czech-Slovak solidarity. A significant role in this activity was played by the national-defence and Slovakophile association Czechoslovak Unity in Prague (1896–1914), which would send the Slovaks books and magazines, and even the entire libraries. Cooperation in this area was supported even by T. G. Masaryk, but especially by such Slovakophiles as Rudolf Pokorný, Josef Holeček, Adolf Heyduk, Karel Kálal, Jaroslav Vlček, František Pastrnek and František Bílý.


cast iron rolling rolls, and the fraction of the latter represents 65% of the entire volume of production of rolls. The preferential application of the cast iron and rolls is determined mainly by the higher wear resistance, highquality surface of rolled material and low production costs, associated with both a relatively low degree of alloying with expensive elements and with the absence of forging of blanks of rolls and, in the majority of cases, by the complicated heat treatment of completed components. It is assumed that the main shortcoming of the cast iron rolls is the lower structural strength of these rolls in comparison with steel rolls. From the viewpoint of the possibilities of reconditioning of cast iron rolls by the methods of arc welding, the cast iron used for the production of rolling rolls is regarded as a material with unsatisfactory weldability. Therefore, if in the case of steel rolls reconditioning arc surfacing was already used more than 50 years ago and is now used in almost all metallurgical companies, the cast iron rolls are taken out of service when the minimum possible barrel shape is formed and sent for remelting, regardless of the fact that the cost of these unique components is tens of thousands of US dollars. A promising method of reconditioning cast iron rolling rolls is the electroslag surfacing with the application of water-cooled shaping devices (solidification moulds). In contrast to arc surfacing, electroslag surfacing makes it possible to produce high-quality deposited layers and the fusion zone in the reconditioning of rolls of different chemical composition, structure and barrel shape as a result of the application of a less concentrated heat source, in comparison with the arc, and the formation of the specific shape of the metal pool ensuring the formation, in the deposited metal, of not only minimum tensile but also compressive stresses. At present, there are several methods of electroslag surfacing of rolling rolls. In this article, attention is given to the results of industrial application of the technology of reconditioning, by electroslag surfacing, the cast iron rolls of the finishing stands of the 2000 rolling mill in a current-supplying solidification mould with the application of cast iron shot as the filler material. This surfacing method, developed by the E O Paton Electric Welding Institute, Kiev, has been selected because of the economic and technical characteristics as the optimum method for the reconditioning of rolls of this type and with the adoption of reconditioning technology, the method was corrected for solving the given problems. The diagram of surfacing of the rolling rolls using shot is presented in Fig. 1. The roll to the deposited (1) is placed in the vertical position along the axis of the sectional current-supplying solidification mould (3). The molten slag, forming the slag pool (2), is poured into the gap between the surface of the deposited 'barrell' and the internal wall of the solidification mould. The molten pool is maintained molten as a result of the passage of current from the upper section of the solidification mould. The shot, supplied from dosing the device (6) into the slag pool, is melted in the pool and produces the metal bath (5). The portions of liquid metal gradually solidify, forming the deposited layer (4), which then melts together with the parent metal. In order to obtain the deposited layer along the entire length of the 'barrell', the solidification mould travels upwards during the surfacing Welding International 2004 18 (7) 573–577 Selected from Svarochnoe Proizvodstvo 2004 51 (2) 39–43; Reference SP/04/02/39; Translation 3330


Auditory brainstem responses were recorded in response to condensation and rarefaction clicks of variable rise-time. The changes in latency and amplitude of response components, as a function of rise-time, were not consistent with the hypothesis that the evoked potential is generated only by the rarefaction stimulus phase. An alternative model is proposed whereby the click evoked potential is composed of two distinct components. The major component in the response is insensitive to stimulus polarity. In addition a small, but significant, polarity sensitive potential is present which inverts when the stimulus polarity is inverted. It is suggested that the inversion of this latter component gives rise to the latency and amplitude changes observed when the polarity of the stimulus is inverted.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the discriminative stimulus properties of some narcotic and non-narcotic drugs in rats trained to discriminate the effect of the proposed opiate kappa-receptor agonists ethylketocyclazocine and bremazocine. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained in a two-lever food-reinforced paradigm to discriminate between the effect of ethylketocyclazocine (0.32 mg/kg) or bremazocine (0.04 mg/kg) and saline. Both groups of trained rats showed dose-dependent generalization to the effect of the proposed kappa-agonist MRZ-2033 and some animals generalized the effect of nalorphine and pentazocine. Some ethylketocyclazocine - but no bremazocine - trained rats generalized the effect of buprenorphine. The effect of dextrorphan, phencyclidine, and ketamine was generalized by some bremazocine -, but no ethylketocyclazocine-trained rats. Neither group of rats generalized the effect of etorphine, haloperidol, diazepam, or pentobarbital. These data suggest the usefulness of this procedure to evaluate the kappa-like properties of opioid drugs.


In this paper, we will present a new perspective of certain dimensions that manifest physically and therefore can be studied. Theoretical ground work will be set within General Relativity since it provides the highest accuracy in cosmology, but we will also "bridge" to quantum mechanics near the end of the paper. Using the notion of "physical dimensions" we will explain some aspects that have puzzled physicists so far, including what is known as "the arrow of time". It will be proven theoretically that there is no such thing and that time has no direction since temporal motion requires only expansion and a velocity of that expansion, time expands in all directions and influences the expansion of space, hence inflating space and forming the spacetime continuum from the earliest age of the Universe, the Big Bang, to present time.


Abstract : The Office of the Secretary of the Defense (OSD), Advanced Systems and Concepts, established the OSD Assured Fuels Initiative, which aims to spark commercial production of clean fuels made from U.S. energy sources for use by the U.S. Military. The Department of Defense (DoD) will provide the "spark" by developing the fuel specifications needed, demonstrating and qualifying the use of these fuels in tactical ground vehicles, aircraft, and ships, and transitioning to the full-time use of these fuels in their fleets operating in the U.S. One such clean fuel, Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthetic fuel, made using low-temperature FT technology, contains no aromatic compounds. This lack of aromatics, along with the lack of sulfur, are the key differences between a FT kerosene-based fuel and the petroleum-derived JP-8/JP-5 kerosene-based fuel that is the predominate bulk fuel used by the military's air, ground, and marine fleets. A series of experiments were done to determine effects to the fuel-wetted elastomers typically found in sealing applications throughout various fuel distribution systems of DoD equipment, to switching between fuel containing aromatics to fuel with no aromatics, a.k.a. "switch-loading". One grade of nitrile studied exhibited large dimensional swings, as much as 8% volume change, upon fuel switch-loading. Such dimensional change presents potential for fuel leakage around the seals; this is especially true for older O-rings or gaskets that have taken a compression set. When transitioning to the use of FT fuels in DoD fleets, this risk of fuel leakage can be mitigated through the use of blends of FT kerosene with JP-8 or through identifying susceptible sealing applications and replacing the elastomer components therein with new components and/or components made of less affected, more suitable elastomers.


Delpher is the largest collection of full-text Dutch-language digitised historical newspapers, books, journals and copy sheets for radio news broadcasts available on a website. This article shows the possibilities of Delpher for doing research on Dutch-Hungarian relations by showing the results of an explorative study on a part of the migration history of one Hungarian family in The Hague. The author shows some very specific parts of the micro history of this family based on the content of newspaper advertisements. These sources were identified by addresses, telephone numbers and unique names.


Objective: To identify the different clinical and biochemical presentations of patients having polycystic ovarian syndrome. Study Design: Adescriptive observational study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out at Obstetrics and Gynaecology department of CMH Rawalpindi, from October 2010 to Sept 2011. Materials and Methods: This observational study was conducted to identify the different presentation of patients suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome. Seventy five cases of polycystic ovarian syndrome who reported in OPD were selected for the study. Results:The patients mostly presented between 20-30 years of age with symptoms of oligomenorrhea, infertility and hirsutism. Ultrasonography showed the morphology of polycystic ovary and deranged FSH, LH and testosterone levels.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the effects of electrical dry needling with a non-invasive multi-component intervention in patients with chronic low back pain.

DESIGN
A randomised single-blind clinical trial.

SETTING
Outpatient Physiotherapy Clinic; home.

PARTICIPANTS
Sixty-four patients with chronic low back pain aged 30-65 years.

INTERVENTIONS
Six-week electrical dry needling on myofascial trigger points, and a non-invasive multicomponent intervention (home exercise programme, stretching and ischemic compression).

MAIN MEASURES
Pain (Visual Analogue Scale), disability (Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and Oswestry Disability Index), kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia), quality of life and sleep (Short Form 36-item Health Survey and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), isometric endurance of trunk flexor muscles (McQuade test), lumbar mobility in flexion (finger-to-floor distance), and pressure pain threshold (algometer) were assessed at baseline, after 6 weeks, and after 2 months.

RESULTS
ANOVA showed statistically significant differences in group-by-time interaction for most pain pressure thresholds of myofascial trigger points (P < 0.05), for disability (Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire: F = 6.14, P = 0.016; and Oswestry Disability Index: F = 7.36, P = 0.009), for trunk anteflexion (F = 10.03, P = 0.002) and for habitual sleep efficacy (F = 6.65, P = 0.012), use of hypnotics (F = 4.77, P = 0.033) and total score of quality of sleep (F = 8.23, P = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS
In comparison to a non-invasive multicomponent intervention, electrical dry needling has more positive effects on disability, pain intensity, kinesiophobia, and reducing patients' sensitivity to myofascial trigger points pressure, at post-treatment and at 2 months.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
NCT04804228. Registered on May 28th, 2021. Available at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04804228.


This paper explores a sweet spot between flow-insensitive and flowsensitive subset-based points-to analysis. Flow-insensitive analysis is efficient: it has been applied to million-line programs and even its worst-case requirements are quadratic space and cubic time. Flowsensitive analysis is precise because it allows strong updates, so that points-to relationships holding in one program location can be removed from the analysis when they no longer hold in other locations. We propose a "Strong Update" analysis combining both features: it is efficient like flow-insensitive analysis, with the same worst-case bounds, yet its precision benefits from strong updates like flow-sensitive analysis. The key enabling insight is that strong updates are applicable when the dereferenced points-to set is a singleton, and a singleton set is cheap to analyze. The analysis therefore focuses flow sensitivity on singleton sets. Larger sets, which will not lead to strong updates, are modelled flow insensitively to maintain efficiency. We have implemented and evaluated the analysis as an extension of the standard flow-insensitive points-to analysis in the LLVM compiler infrastructure.


The purpose of this paper is to report an unusual case of carcinoma-in-situ which presented as a 360° circumlimbal growth. Report of Case A 70-year-old white male was first seen two and a half years prior to admission. At that time visual acuity in the right eye was 20/100. A nuclear cataract was present and open-angle glaucoma was controlled medically. Four months later the patient underwent an intracapsular lens extraction in the right eye with a resultant best corrected vision of 20/40. Postoperatively the patient sustained recur


CNNs are the dominant method for creating face embeddings for recognition. It might be assumed that, since these networks are distinct, complex, nonlinear functions, that their embeddings are network specific, and thus have some degree of anonymity. However, recent research has shown that distinct networks' features can be directly mapped with little performance penalty (median 1.9% reduction across 90 distinct mappings) in the context of the 1,000 object ImageNet recognition task. This finding has revealed that embeddings coming from different systems can be meaningfully compared, provided the mapping. However, prior work only considered networks trained and tested on a closed set classification task. Here, we present evidence that a linear mapping between feature spaces can be easily discovered in the context of open set face recognition. Specifically, we demonstrate that the feature spaces of four face recognition models, of varying architecture and training datasets, can be mapped between with no more than a 1.0% penalty in recognition accuracy on LFW . This finding, which we also replicate on YouTube Faces, demonstrates that embeddings from different systems can be readily compared once the linear mapping is determined. In further analysis, fewer than 500 pairs of corresponding embeddings from two systems are required to calculate the full mapping between embedding spaces, and reducing the dimensionality of the mapping from 512 to 64 produces negligible performance penalty.


Parental nurturing attitudes influence children and are linked to the establishment of self-esteem. Females who have experienced poor maternal care during their childhood may have low self-esteem, and this factor may significantly augment the likelihood of depression. Particularly, childhood maltreatment among individuals with bipolar disorder is associated with unfavorable clinical features, such as a heightened risk of severe manic, depressive, or psychotic symptoms, as well as suicide attempts. Here, we report a case of a woman with bipolar disorder who had self-reported low self-esteem due to poor maternal care, which subsequently improved via an existential approach. This existential approach confers meaning to the lives of every individual, even in the face of adversity. Our findings suggest that the existential approach may enable the discovery of more positive life values during times of hardship and could improve self-reported low self-esteem due to poor maternal and change the way of life in patients with bipolar disorder.


ABSTRACT Background: Hyaluronidase injection is a commonly performed treatment for overcorrection or misplacement of hyaluronic acid (HA) filler. Many patients often wants the HA filler reinjection after the use of hyaluronidase, though the optimal timing of reinjection of HA filler still remains unknown. Objectives: To provide the optimal time interval between hyaluronidase injections and HA filler reinjections. Methods: 6 Sprague–Dawley rats were injected with single monophasic HA filler. 1 week after injection, the injected sites were treated with hyaluronidase. Then, HA fillers were reinjected sequentially with differing time intervals from 30 minutes to 14 days. 1 hour after the reinjection of the last HA filler, all injection sites were excised for histologic evaluation. Results: 3 hours after reinjection of HA filler, the appearance of filler material became evident again, retaining its shape and volume. 6 hours after reinjection, the filler materials restored almost its original volume and there were no significant differences from the positive control. Conclusions: Our data suggest that the hyaluronidase loses its effect in dermis and subcutaneous tissue within 3–6 hours after the injection and successful engraftment of reinjected HA filler can be accomplished 6 hours after the injection.


According to some estimates of World Health Organization (WHO), in 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults aged 18 years and older were overweight. Overall, about 13% of the world's adult population (11% of men and 15% of women) were obese. 39% of adults aged 18 years and over (38% of men and 40% of women) were overweight. The worldwide prevalence of obesity more than doubled between 1980 and 2014. The purpose of this study is to design a convolutional neural network model and provide a food dataset collection to distinguish the nutrition groups which people take in daily life. For this aim, both two pretrained models Alexnet and Caffenet were finetuned and a similar structure was trained with dataset. Food images were generated from Food-11, FooDD, Food100 datasets and web archives. According to the test results, finetuned models provided better results than trained structure as expected. However, trained model can be improved by using more training examples and can be used as specific structure for classification of nutrition groups.


The vulnerability of the natural water system in cold areas to future climate change is of great concern. A coupled model approach was applied in the headwater watershed area of Yalu River in the northeastern part of China to estimate the response of hydrological processes to future climate change with moderate data. The stochastic Long Ashton Research Station Weather Generator was used to downscale the results of general circulation models to generate synthetic daily weather series in the 2050s and 2080s under various projected scenarios, which were applied as input data of the Generalized Watershed Loading Functions hydrological model for future hydrological process estimations. The results showed that future wetter and hotter weather conditions would have positive impacts on the watershed runoff yields but negative impacts on the watershed groundwater flow yields. The freezing period in winter would be shortened with earlier snowmelt peaks in spring. These would result in less snow cover in winter and shift the monthly allocations of streamflow with more yields in March but less in April and May, which should be of great concern for future local management. The proposed approach of the coupled model application is effective and can be used in other similar areas.


Much attention is being paid to pedestrian safety by international working groups such as EEVC WG17, in research projects such as APROSYS (www.aprosys.com) and consumer organisations like Euro NCAP (www.euroncap.com). In addition legal requirements are in place, like the EU directive 2003/102/EC. However, it can be seen from the BRON (Bestand geRegistreerde Ongevallen Nederland) accident database that in the Netherlands more people get killed or injured while riding a bicycle than as a pedestrian. This is a main concern of the Fietsersbond, the Dutch Cyclists' Union that campaigns for better cycling conditions in the Netherlands.


A double-blind, randomised trial of 44 consecutive patients undergoing transurethral prostatectomy demonstrated that ethamsylate (Dicynene) did not reduce blood loss during either the operative or the post- operative periods.


An efficient adaptation technique of the delay is introduced for accomplishing more accurate adaptive linear equalization of nonminimum phase channels. It is focused that the filter structure and adaptation procedure of the adaptive Butler-Cantoni (ABC) equalizer is very suitable to deal with a variable delay for each iteration, compared with a classical adaptive linear transversal equalizer (LTE). We derive a cost function by comparing the system mismatch of an optimum equalizer coefficient vector with an equalizer coefficient vector with several delay settings. The cost function is square of difference of absolute values of the first element and the last element for the equalizer coefficient vector. The delay adaptation method based on the cost function is developed, which is involved with the ABC equalizer. The delay is adapted by checking the first and last elements of the equalizer coefficient vector and this results in an LTE providing a lower mean square error level than the other LTEs with the same order. We confirm the performance of the ABC equalizer with the delay adaptation method through computer simulations.


—Although face swapping has attracted much attention in recent years, it remains a challenging problem. The existing methods leverage a large number of data samples to explore the intrinsic properties of face swapping without taking into account the semantic information of face images. Moreover, the representation of the identity information tends to be fixed, leading to suboptimal face swapping. In this paper, we present a simple yet efficient method named FaceSwapper, for one-shot face swapping based on Generative Adversarial Networks. Our method consists of a disentangled representation module and a semantic-guided fusion module. The disentangled representation module is composed of an attribute encoder and an identity encoder, which aims to achieve the disentanglement of the identity and the attribute information. The identity encoder is more flexible and the attribute encoder contains more details of the attributes than its competitors. Benefiting from the disentangled representation, FaceSwapper can swap face images progressively. In addition, semantic information is introduced into the semantic-guided fusion module to control the swapped area and model the pose and expression more accurately. The experimental results show that our method achieves state-of-the-art results on benchmark datasets with fewer training samples. Our code is publicly available at https://github.com/liqi-casia/FaceSwapper. Representation Module,


Abstract Objective: Puberty and adolescence are important periods about mental health, particularly for women. Relationship between age of menarche, psychiatric complaints during adolescence and family stories of psychiatric disorders are investigated. Materials and methods: The study is conducted with 61 patients with schizophrenia, 35 patients with bipolar affective disorder, 40 patients with depressive disorder and 60 healthy control subjects. All subjects were evaluated with SCID-I and questionnaire fit for the aim of the study was fulfilled. Results: Bipolar affective disorder had a stronger relationship with menarche, psychiatric problems during adolescence were related with early onset of illness in schizophrenia and bipolar groups. Family story of psychiatric illness was related with psychological problems during puberty in schizophrenia group. Conclusion: This study underlies the puberty and adolescence period for psychiatric illness. An integrative clinical approach is suggested while examining the psychiatric illness at the basis of engaged roles of hormonal effects of menarche, social effect of puberty psychiatric complaints and genetical and psychosocial burden of family story of illness.


A Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Minnesota by Devon Michele Brecke in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, May 2007.


This paper maps out 10 risk factors measuring deficits in parent–child interaction, family–child interaction and the home environment. The prevalence of risk factor combinations is quantified using the UK Millennium Cohort Study data. In 2001, 28 per cent of families with young children were facing two or more risk factors at age 9–10 months old. Each combination of multiple risk factors accounted for a very small proportion of all MCS families. Specific risk factors were associated with particular developmental outcomes at age 5 and with changes from age 3 to age 5, but all leading to worse outcomes. The great diversity of risk-factor combinations and their very small prevalence make the tasks of identifying such families and defining eligibility for support very difficult for policy-makers. These results support the large body of policy literature advocating early intervention to improve children's development.


Despite the success of antiretroviral therapy on reduction of mortality in HIV infection, HIV-infected patients treated with HAART still have a life expectancy below the average of the uninfected population. Immune activation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of HIV infection. An increasing body of data has clearly demonstrated that, despite 'undetectable' viral load levels following initiation of therapy, there remains evidence of persistent immune activation. Objectives: To establish whether low dose corticosteroids could decrease HIV disease progression. Methods: Electronic searches were undertaken through CENTRAL, CINHAL, Scopus, PubMed, LILACS and Web of Social Science. In addition, we used abstracts from numerous relevant conferences, including the International AIDS Conferences and the annual Conferences on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections were searched. We combined data for outcomes from studies that meet the inclusion criteria in the meta-analysis using the latest version of Review Manager Software, provided the studies are sufficiently similar. As all outcomes were continuous data, we used random effects meta-analysis to produce the overall results. JLT and JLT independently assessed the risk of bias for each trial using a simple form and followed the domain-based evaluation as described in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Intervention. Main results: Thirty eight of 2145 articles were selected and evaluated for their titles and abstracts in relation to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. After duplicate references were eliminated, 9 articles remained and 5 articles were included in meta-analysis. The calculated mean difference of CD4 count (10 6 cells/ml) between low dose corticosteroids group and control was -117.99 [-230.27, -5.72; p-value= 0.04). The viral load mean difference (10 4 RNAc/ml) between low dose corticosteroids group and control was 0.77 [-0.01, 1.55; p-value=0.05]. Low dose corticosteroids seems to decrease HIV disease progression with the mean difference of plasma TNF-alpha(pg/ml) at 4 weeks between low dose corticosteroids group and control was -12.65 [-19.75, -5.55; p=0.0005] and -9.72 [-16.61, -2.83; p=0.006] at 8 weeks between . Therefore, low dose corticosteroids did not show any effect on Il-6 within 4 and 8 weeks of intervention. Conclusions: In conclusion, the administration of low dose CSs in HIV-infected patients could not be judged as ameliorating HIV disease progression. In fact, this review included many limitations. However, more RCTs are needed to establish clinical consensus.


A broad spectral width superluminescent diode emitting at 1500 nm has been fabricated using post-growth quantum well intermixing. The one-step impurity induced quantum well intermixing technique incorporating ion implantation through a graded-thickness implant mask pattern is utilized here. By thermally diffusing the vacancies through the structure to the QW region, we can obtain a differential bandgap energy shift across the wafer by an amount directly related to the implant mask thickness. We use this effect to broaden the spectral width of the superluminescent diode. Output powers exceeding 1.5 mW and spectral modulation better than 0.2 dB have been achieved. The superluminescent diode is able to operate up to 85 °C showing good uncooled operation. The true inherent superluminescent mode operation of the superluminescent diode with full-width half maximum of spectrum increasing along with the increment of the current injection is also discussed. Accelerated ageing at continuous constant current has been carried out at 70 °C, 85 °C and 100 °C. The life test shows a very positive result, demonstrating that this quantum well intermixing technique is reliable for fabricating active devices.


This article describes the principles underlying the design of an advanced-level conversation class in Russian and the learning outcomes of the course. After a review of research on proficiency levels attained by foreign language students, the author describes the advanced conversation course, a course geared toward students who have achieved intermediate-mid or intermediate-high oral proficiency in the target language and who are striving towards advanced level speech according to the ACTFL oral proficiency guidelines. The article describes the integration of feature films, on video, into the course as the basis of tasks (as defined by Murphy 1993) for student partner work, as well as self-analyses the students themselves conduct during the course of the semester. While the description of the course focuses on Russian-language students at the college level, the article describes how the principles illustrated herein can be adapted for use with other languages and at other levels of instruction.


Focusing on the foreign exchange reaction to macroeconomic announcements, we show that fast trading is positively and significantly correlated with the entropy of the distribution of quoted prices in reaction to news: a larger share of fast trading increases the degree of diversity of quotes in the order book, for given liquidity, order book depth and size of order flows. Exploiting the WM Reuters' reform of the fixing methodology in February 2015 as a natural experiment, we provide evidence that fast trading raises entropy, rather than reacting to it. While more entropy in quoted prices means noisier information and arguably complicates price discovery from an individual trader's perspective, we show that, in the aggregate, more entropy actually brings traded prices closer to the random walk hypothesis, and improves indicators of market efficiency and quality of trade execution. We estimate that a 10 percent increase in entropy reduces the negative impact of macro news by over 60% for effective spreads, against over 40% for realized spreads and price impacts. Our findings suggest that the main mechanism by which fast trading may have desirable effects on market performance specifically hinges on enhanced heterogeneity in trading patterns, best captured by entropy.


The outsourcing and offshoring of clinical trials has generated an unprecedented global field of experimental activity. The geography of drug development and clinical trial participation is changing, but estimates of trials being carried out worldwide remain tentative at best. This essay charts the mobility of the clinical trials industry and its move into low- and middle-income countries. It explores how subcontracted scientists and entrepreneurs who make up this industry interact with regulatory bodies in the United States and abroad, particularly in eastern Europe, where I carried out ethnographic research. The essay illuminates the scientific, economic, and regulatory mechanisms by which this experimentality takes form. It shows the transparency of this experimental enterprise and how it molds itself to international norms and national politics. There is a public policy vacuum with regard to how benefits and risks are being assessed in this new enterprise.


Fats impart taste and texture to the product but it is susceptible to oxidation leading to the development of rancidity and off-flavor. Since ancient times it has been in practice to use antioxidants in foods. Discovery of synthetic antioxidants has revolutionized the use of antioxidants in food. The effect of these antioxidants in bakery products were reviewed and found to be effective in enhancing the shelf life. Animal experimental studies have shown that some of the synthetic antioxidants had toxigenic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic effects. Hence there is an increasing demand for the use of natural antioxidants in foods, especially in bakery products. Some of the natural antioxidants such as α-tocopherol, β-carotene, and ascorbic acid were already used in bakery products. These natural antioxidants are found to be effective in enhancing the shelf life of bakery products but not to the extent of synthetic antioxidants. Baking processing steps may lower the antioxidative activity but techniques such as encapsulation of antioxidants can retain their activity. Antioxidative activity of the plant extracts such as garcinia, curcumin, vanillins, and mint were reviewed but studies on their role in bakery products were limited or very few. Hence there is a wide scope for study under this direction in depth.


In this paper we investigate Charged Domain Walls (CDW's), topological defects that acquire surface charge density Q induced by fermion states localized on the walls. The presence of an electric and magnetic field on the walls is also discussed. We find a relation in which the value of the surface charge density Q is connected with the existence of such topological defects.


Culture is the enduring set of values, beliefs and work principles guiding overall organizational behaviour. Employees' behaviours are the consequences of work-culture as they behave reciprocal of their experience. This study establishes unique relationship among work-culture, employee satisfaction and work-behaviour in Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs). Structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from 376 respondents. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to examine the model significance with validity, regression analysis to test the direct relationship while Preacher and Hayes Process Macro approach for examining mediation effect. This study revealed the work-culture significantly influenced employees' satisfaction and work-behaviour with no moderation effect of job satisfaction. Findings of this study suggest managers to promote supportive work-culture to increase employee satisfaction and positive work-behaviour. This study also provides evidence to strengthen a reciprocity approach of social exchange theory (SET) in employees' work-behaviour in SMEs.


This research aims to explore the effectiveness of learning Java programming language using online-based learning compared to traditional-based learning towards undergraduate students in Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM). Similar types of learning materials in the form of slides, notes and books are used with additional forms of assessments to substitute the final exam. The main difference is in the learning approaches which have been switched to online based via various platforms depending on the suitability and preference of the students. This research focuses on identifying and analyzing certain aspects from the students' perceptions, which are the students' (1) learning preference; (2) learning engagement; (3) learning assessment, and in terms of their overall (4) satisfaction towards the learning process. This research uses a quantitative approach through the questionnaire as the survey instrument, involving 31 students. The data is analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentage frequency distribution, mean, and standard deviation). Findings show that despite using online-based learning, 48.39% obtained marks above 80% in Lab Test 2, which is doubled compared to the previous test, Lab Test 1, 25.81%. This indicates that while students prefer traditional-based learning, they are able to perform better through online-based learning.


Parents and the family and home environment play a central role in the early learning and development of infants and children. A range of interventions exist to support parents and families, particularly in situations where the family is vulnerable and/or where the infant or child may be at risk of delays in learning or development. The first five years of life present a critical window of opportunity for learning and development and they lay the foundation for learning and readiness for school. This Evidence Brief focuses on outcomes defined in the Australian Early Development Census, which collects data about key areas of early childhood development (known as 'domains'). The Language and Cognitive Skills domain includes basic and advanced literacy skills, basic numeracy, interest in literacy and numeracy, and memory. The Communication Skills and General Knowledge domain includes receptive and expressive language skills and general knowledge. The Evidence Brief summarises the findings of a review of systematic reviews. Using this rigorous methodology, the review found evidence to support the use of parenting and family support interventions for improving cognitive and receptive and expressive language outcomes of children. Research suggests parent involvement in interventions, including parent-mediated or delivered interventions and literacy interventions, should be encouraged. There was also evidence that a greater benefit comes from professionals rather than peers or non-professionals as providers of home visiting interventions. Parenting and family interventions also appear to have a positive impact on the academic outcomes of children. There is limited evidence at this stage for parenting and family support interventions in relation to numeracy and general knowledge outcomes.


We propose in this work a feature learning approach using deep bidirectional recurrent neural networks (RNNs) with attention mechanism for single-channel automatic sleep stage classification. We firstly decompose an EEG epoch into multiple small frames and subsequently transform them into a sequence of frame-wise feature vectors. Given the training sequences, the attention-based RNN is trained in a sequence-to-label fashion for sleep stage classification. Due to discriminative training, the network is expected to encode information of an input sequence into a high-level feature vector after the attention layer. We, therefore, treat the trained network as a feature extractor and extract these feature vectors for classification which is accomplished by a linear SVM classifier. We also propose a discriminative method to learn a filter bank with a DNN for preprocessing purpose. Filtering the frame-wise feature vectors with the learned filter bank beforehand leads to further improvement on the classification performance. The proposed approach demonstrates good performance on the Sleep-EDF dataset.


Normal and abnormal vaginal flora Louis Pasteur was inspired to change his field of study from chemistry to the study of disease when three of his five children died of typhoid. His personal loss became humanity's gain. His ability to develop new ways of thinking about things (paradigm shifts) was extraordinary, for example he was the first to appreciate that molecules could be produced in mirror image structures (isomerism) and that biological systems usually produce only one of the two options. But it was his realisation that the world is full of microorganisms that changed our approach to medicine most fundamentally. Although he was not the first to propose the germ theory of disease, it was his researches on such diverse topics as fermentation, diseases of silkworms, production of vaccines and the development of 'pasteurisation', that established the ubiquity of invisible living particles, notably bacteria. Many bacteria are incredibly hardy, living in rocks kilometres deep in the earth's crust, or miles down in the superheated water of deep-sea volcanic vents, and some have even been found living permanently in the high atmosphere (Lighthart and Shaffer Appl Environ Microbiol 1995;61:1492–6). Of particular interest to gynaecologists is the bacterial microcosm of the vagina. In men, the pathway from the germinal tissue of the testes to the outside world is closed off from the rest of the body. But in women, the shedding of eggs into the peritoneal cavity requires there to be a pathway to the outside world through which the baby can eventually emerge. The inside of the body (the space between the epithelium of the skin and the endothelium of the intestine) is normally bacteria free but the reproductive tract of the female provides a potential avenue for the invasion of the peritoneal cavity by bacteria. The body marshals many defences against invasion, including the activities of leucocytes, the plugging of the cervix with thick mucus, which is only easily passable at ovulation, and the secretion of defensins that attack the microbial cell membrane. But as on the skin, a major protective element is the normal flora that exists within the vagina. The conditions there are harsh, with no light and little oxygen. However, there is an abundant source of nutrition. The glycogen secreted by the endometrial cells primarily to support the developing embryo is a plentiful energy source. The microbes that flourish as a result are described in detail by Lamont et al. from the USA National Institute of Child Health and Human Development on page 533. They put forward the intriguing view that the vaginal microflora should be considered as part of the human super-organism (produced not only by human genes but also by those of the microorganisms in or on us, and without which we could not digest our food or defend ourselves against pathogens). Of the many bacteria that have been identified within the vagina, the lactobacilli are numerically dominant, and by producing lactic acid they maintain an acid environment that is protective against invasion by many species of pathogenic bacteria. In the 1990s there was a brief fashion among the lay public to treat disturbances of the vaginal flora by inoculation with natural yoghurt, which is produced by the action of lactobacilli—unfortunately, however, not the strains useful in humans (of which there are at least 20, just 15% of the total species so far identified). The sheer complexity of the normal flora, and the equally complex abnormal flora that are just beginning to be understood, is mind-boggling. Read Lamont et al.'s review and prepare to be amazed.


Background

The relationship between blood oxygenation and clinical outcomes of acute pulmonary embolism (APE) patients in intensive care unit (ICU) is unclear, which could be nonlinear. The study aimed to determine the association between admission pulse oximetry-derived oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels and mortality, and to determine the optimal range with real-world data.
Methods

Patients diagnosed with APE on admission and staying in ICU for at least 24 hours in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) database and the eICU Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD) were included. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were applied to determine the nonlinear relationship between mean SpO2 levels within the first 24 hours after ICU admission and in-hospital mortality, from which we derived an optimal range of SpO2. Subgroup analyses were based on demographics, treatment information, scoring system and comorbidities.
Results

We included 1109 patients who fulfilled inclusion criteria, among whom 129 (12%) died during hospitalization and 80 (7.2%) died in ICU. The RCS showed that the relationship between admission SpO2 levels and in-hospital mortality of APE patients was nonlinear and U-shaped. The optimal range of SpO2 with the lowest mortality was 95–98%. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis with backward elimination confirmed that the admission SpO2 levels of 95%-98% was associated with decreased hospital mortality compared to the group with SpO2 < 95% (Odds ratio [OR] = 2.321; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.405–3.786; P < 0.001) and 100% (OR = 2.853; 95% CI: 1.294–5.936; P = 0.007), but there was no significant difference compared with 99% SpO2 (OR = 0.670, 95% CI: 0.326–1.287; P > 0.05). This association was consistent across subgroup analyses.
Conclusions

The relationship between admission SpO2 levels and in-hospital mortality followed a U-shaped curve among patients with APE. The optimal range of SpO2 for APE patients was 95–98%.


Abstract. To constrain uncertainties in radiative forcings associated with
aerosol–cloud interactions, improved understanding of Arctic cloud formation
is required, yet long-term measurements of the relevant cloud and aerosol
properties remain sparse. We present the first long-term study of cloud
residuals, i.e. particles that were involved in cloud formation and cloud
processes, in Arctic low-level clouds measured at Zeppelin Observatory,
Svalbard. To continuously sample cloud droplets and ice crystals and separate
them from non-activated aerosol, a ground-based counter-flow virtual impactor
inlet system (GCVI) was used. A detailed evaluation of the GCVI measurements,
using concurrent cloud particle size distributions, meteorological parameters,
and aerosol measurements, is presented for both warm and cold clouds, and the
potential contribution of sampling artefacts is discussed in detail. We find
an excellent agreement of the GCVI sampling efficiency of liquid clouds using
two independent approaches. The 2-year data set of cloud residual size
distributions and number concentrations reveals that the cloud residuals
follow the typical seasonal cycle of Arctic aerosol, with a maximum
concentration in spring and summer and a minimum concentration in the late
autumn and winter months. We observed average activation diameters in the
range of 58–78  nm for updraught velocities below 1  m s−1 . A
cluster analysis also revealed cloud residual size distributions that were
dominated by Aitken mode particles down to around 20–30  nm . During
the winter months, some of these small particles may be the result of ice,
snow, or ice crystal shattering artefacts in the GCVI inlet; however, cloud
residuals down to 20  nm in size were also observed during conditions
when artefacts are less likely.


This community service activity was carried out at SD Sukomanah, Purwodadi District, Purworejo Regency. The activity was carried out by involving 30 elementary school teachers in Purwodadi, Purworejo, with the aim of improving the pedagogic abilities of teachers in empowering lifelong learners through literacy learning based on multiple intelligences. The methods used in service activities are socialization, simulation, monitoring and evaluation. Most of the participants have understood and three participants have even practiced multiple intelligence-based literacy learning for lifelong learners.


A method is developed for calculating SHG in linearly homogeneous periodically poled nonlinear crystals (PPNC) by specifying a spatially inhomogeneous periodic distribution of the quadratic-nonlinearity parameter in the form of a 'small-scale' elliptic sine, whose half-period forms one domain with the characteristic 'microplateau' of the nonlinearity parameter and interdomain walls. It is found that, because the domain length should be equal to the coherence length when the quasi-phase-matching condition is fulfilled, and if the coherence length is calculated in the fixed-field approximation, the dependence of the harmonic amplitude on the longitudinal coordinate has the form of a 'large-scale' elliptic sine with a broad 'macroplateau' corresponding to a certain (in the case of quasi-phase matching, to virtually 100%) transformation; however, the mismatch in a domain is never completely compensated by the reciprocal lattice vector. In this case, the phase trajectories inside one domain have the form of a sequence: an unstable focus, a limit cycle ('macroplateau'), a stable focus. This picture repeats in the next domain. It is shown that the width of the SHG phase-matching curve in a PPNC in the regime of strong energy exchange, taking secondary maxima into account, can be considerably (by several times) larger than the width calculated in the fixed-field approximation.


Steroid 5alpha-reductase deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the SRD5A2-gene, resulting in diminished dihydrotestosterone (DHT) formation and, hence, in a severe virilization deficit of the external genitalia in patients with 46,XY karyotype. The phenotype of affected individuals is variable and has been reported to range from completely female over genital ambiguity to normal male, depending on the type of mutation and its effect on enzyme activity. Here we report an adolescent 46,XY patient with predominantly female appearance, who had been gonadectomized in early infancy. Genital status revealed a urogenital sinus equivalent to Prader stage III. Molecular genetic analysis demonstrated a homozygous point mutation in exon 2 of the SRD5A2-gene, leading to a premature termination in codon position 111 of the 5alpha-reductase 2 enzyme, and not allowing formation of a functional 5alpha-reductase type 2 enzyme. This case demonstrates that even despite a complete loss of function of 5alpha-reductase type 2, marked virilization is possible, most likely the result of a testosterone (T) effect during foetal life.


The purpose of this research was to analyze the functional portraits and genomic features of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas mendocina carrying NDM-1 and IMP-1. The resistance mechanism of the strain was verified by in vivo experiments. Genomic data were aligned and analyzed in the NCBI database. Growth curve measurements were used to describe the growth characteristics of the bacteria. The virulence of P. mendocina strain was analyzed by serum killing assay and biofilm formation assay. Plasmid conjugation experiments were performed to verify the transferability of plasmids carrying drug-resistance genes. The P. mendocina strain was highly resistant to carbapenems. In addition, ST typing is unknown and has been submitted to Genebank. The strain carried two carbapenemase genes, including NDM-1 and IMP-1. Among them, blaNDM-1 was located on a 5.62832 Mb chromosome, and blaIMP-1 was located on a 172.851 Kb transferable plasmid, which was a very close relative of pIMP-NY7610 in China. The strain also had a variety of virulence genes, which were expressed in the siderophore, capsule, pilus, alginate, flagella, etc. The study suggests that the functional portrait and genomic features of carbapenem-resistant P. mendocina harboring blaNDM-1 and blaIMP-1 are unique to China. This outcome represents antibiotic resistance exhibited in the genus Pseudomonas by acquiring chromosomes and plasmid genes. The monitoring and supervision of antimicrobial usage must be strengthened since the multi-drug-resistant and moderately virulent P. mendocina will attract much attention in the near future.


technology continues to revolutionize the way commercial enterprises, government, and individuals conduct business. Sustained success in value creation in today's networked economies depends in part on how organizations are effective in attracting, developing, and retaining talented IS professionals. Firms with more effective strategies for managing IS professionals will consistently outperform their peers. Studies have shown that the IS profession is now characterized by staff skill shortages, high turnover rates, job stress, and burnout. Other important issues such as lack of workforce alignment, lack of diversity, unwillingness to train older workers, and reluctance to report reality in troubled technology projects have come up. This book explores the challenges faced by organizations as they develop strategies for recruiting, training, retraining, and retaining IT information workers. The central theme of this book is that success in IT management is people dependent. The magnitude of the challenges that face organizations in managing IS professionals demands clearer and more cohesive strategies than currently exist. This is a national problem that spans across all industries and civil agencies. Organizations, academic institutions, and training institutions must come up with policies that govern the training and education of IS professionals at all skill levels of an information system life cycle: acquire, evaluate, design , develop, integrate, manage, and retire. Strategies for recruiting, training, retraining, and retaining the " best and the brightest " must be designed, implemented , and monitored.


The Jicamarca incoherent scatter radar can be operated in different modes to measure the main physical parameters of the equatorial ionosphere. One of these modes is the Faraday/Double Pulse experiment that was designed to estimate F -region plasma densities and electron/ion temperatures by pointing the Jicamarca antenna beam off-perpendicular to the geomagnetic field. For several years, the data processing for this mode was performed in time domain (correlation analysis), but sometimes the data is contaminated with frequency interference and other unwanted signals that are not easy to remove. To obtain better results, a spectral analysis procedure for this mode has been implemented in Signal Chain, a python-based radar signal processing library developed at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory. Signal Chain includes algorithms for interference and clutter removal to clean the spectral data before estimating the geophysical parameters. The procedure applies an outlier removal algorithm before calculating incoherently averaged power spectra. This algorithm, based on the Hildebrand-Sekhon method, is applied to sequences of spectral data for each frequency bin. Then, the DC clutter from the self- and cross-spectra is removed as a second step in the cleaning process. In this work, we present the results obtained with the spectral analysis procedure applied to the the FaradaylDouble Pulse experiment and compared the electron densities estimated with this method with the ones obtained with the standard correlation analysis.


Analysis of continuous GPS observations between 1996 and 2000 at 62 stations distributed throughout the central and eastern United States suggests that the area is generally stable. Seven of the 62 stations show anomalous velocities, but there is reason to suspect their monument stability. Assuming the remaining 55 stations are stable with respect to interior North America, we have found the North America‐ITRF97 Euler vector (−1.88°±1.04°N, 77.67°±0.39°W, 0.201°±0.004° Myr−1) that minimizes the RMS station velocity. Referred to fixed North America, all of these velocities are less than 3.2 mm yr−1. Motion of several stations suggests the Mississippi embayment may be moving southward away from the rest of the continent at a rate of 1.7±0.9 mm yr−1. The motion of the embayment produces a large gradient in velocity which, in turn, implies the highest seismic moment accumulation rate that we found. Although the highest rate is only marginally significant, the fact that it occurs near New Madrid, where earthquake risk is thought to be high, argues that the anomaly may be real. Nevertheless, the identification of the anomaly remains tentative.


The aims of the present study were: i) to analyse the relationship between the basal metabolic rate (BMR) and the energy ependiture (E.E.) during a standardized physical activity (treadmill walking metabolic rate, TWMR) in a sample of 157 young, healthy, lean and lean and muscular females and males; ii) to analyse the relationship between BMR and TWMR with body mass (B.M.), fat free mass (FFM) and other body composition (B.C.) variables; and, in view of the results obtained, iii) to critically examine the basic assumptions of some of the most widely used methods to assess B.C. For the average population, the use of B.M. or FFM to predict BMR give similar results, but the question arises whether this is the case on individuals on the extremes of the B.C. range such as the very obese or the very lean or lean and muscular subjects. At the light of the results of this thesis, estimations of E.E. and B.C. in lean muscular subjects would require somewhat different factors than those used for the average population although the predictor variables are the same. Needless to say, estimations of E.E. and B. C. through equations are mere approximations for groups of subjects; the biological variability is so wide that accurate values for individuals can only be achieved by direct measurements under strictly controlled conditions. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).


Glioblastoma is a primary malignant brain tumor characterized by highly migratory glioma cells capable of invading into surrounding healthy tissue. The mechanism and the physical paths by which glioma cells are capable of invading healthy brain are not well understood. Using human glioblastoma cell line U251 plated on healthy mouse brain slices, glioma cell migration behavior and dynamics are investigated by multimodality imaging.
Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is used to delineate nerve fiber tracts. PS-OCT is capable of generating depth-resolved images of reflectivity, phase retardance and optic axis orientation. Because of the birefringence property of myelin sheath, nerve fiber tracts as small as a few tens of micrometers can be resolved from phase retardance images. Swept field confocal imaging system is used to image U251 cells expressing GFP-actin and brain vasculature stained by Isolectin B4. Cell migration is acquired by time-lapse imaging and then correlated with brain vasculature and nerve fiber tracts after fine registration of the two modalities.
We found out U251 cells preferentially adhere to and migrate along blood vessels. Our data do not suggest a strong correlation between U251 cell migration and white matter tracts distinguished by tissue birefringence. In addition, U251 cell motility is higher in gray matter compared with white matter. Finally, using higher temporal resolution and high magnification, we are able to observe short time-scale dynamic of U251 cells and the ability of U251 cells to exert forces as they deform blood vessels.


Fluidic locomotion of flapping Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) can be very complex, particularly when the rules from insect flight dynamics (fast flapping dynamics and light wings) are not applicable. In these situations, widely used averaging techniques can fail quickly. The primary motivation is to find efficient models for complex forms of aerial locomotion where wings constitute a large part of body mass (i.e., dominant inertial effects) and deform in multiple directions (i.e., morphing wing). In these systems, high degrees of freedom yields complex inertial, Coriolis, and gravity terms. We use Algorithmic Differentiation (AD) and Bayesian filters computed with cubature rules conjointly to quickly estimate complex fluid-structure interactions. In general, Bayesian filters involve finding complex numerical integration (e.g., find posterior integrals). Using cubature rules to compute Gaussian-weighted integrals and AD, we show that the complex multi-degrees-of-freedom dynamics of morphing MAVs can be computed very efficiently and accurately. Therefore, our work facilitates closed-loop feedback control of these morphing MAVs.


The purpose of this study was to survey opinions and to gather data of private psychiatric practitioners in Korea about their quality of life, business environment, and government policy of interest. The questionnaire was composed of 14 categories and 53 questions were administered to approximately 150 private psychiatric practitioners by E-mail and post mail concerning the present state, critique and prediction about their practice, business, and government policy. A total of 47 practitioners responded and we could gather meaningful data. Their responses regarding quality of life and satisfaction as a specialist were "a little" and they had many complaints of lack of income, stress of practice, anxieties of government control, and too much work. They had various adaptation skills to these "bad" situations and asked active plan to Korean Psychiatric Practitioners Association and government for present and future development of practice environment. These results provide meaningful data for understanding private psychiatric practitioners' opinions and behavioral patterns to adapt to their business area, and also suggest present and future direction for development of a medium and long-term plan against government policy and market change. This study will provide the basis for further investigation and projects in the near future. J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc 2015;54(1):16-31


The response of the organism to acute aggression takes place with the intervention of the sympathetic nervous system which, by massive action, prepares the individual for combat or flight. These two actions cause vasodilation in the skeletal muscles, thus provoking a drop in peripheral resistance as a reaction to increased cardiac output. Surgery itself constitutes an aggression and, in principle, the anaesthesiologist ought to respect this physiological cardiovascular example and maintain the heart in work-volume regimen.


Background: An alarming increase in bacterial strains resistant to existing multidrug agents demands a renewed effort to seek agents from alternative system of medicines. In this study, screening of herbal plants like bulbs of red onion and root of ginger was carried out to check the antibacterial ability against multidrug resistant pathogen such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus which isolate from Urine samples and Objective: To study antibacterial activity of medical plant such as allium cepa and ginger to treatment most important infection in the world that is urinary tract infection with fewer side effects Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 100 UTI infection patients attended the Baquba hospital to Diagnosis urinary tract infection for period between May 2013 to October 2013, the sample take from two gender male and female after that the bacterial isolation take place base on Bergey, secondly collect of herbal plant and preparation of extraction and finally antimicrobial screening done by disc diffusion method. Results: The results showed there were pathogenic bacteria isolated from urine samples is high in the case of female which were 76 cases infected with pathogenic bacteria more than in male which were 24 cases infected with same pathogenic bacteria ,two types of bacteria had resistant present also in samples called multi drug resistant included staphylococcus and pseudomonas ,second things the results showed also that the cold-water extract of ginger affected both organisms at all concentration at p value <0.01 same things in the hot water of ginger extract but the different the hot water extract affected only pseudomonas aeroginosa and there is no affected on staphylococcus aureus Conclusion: The effect of ginger extracts to treat multi drug resistant bacteria more significant than extracts of onions at p<0.05.


We examined the influence of previous herbivore injury on the feeding behavior, survival and development of larval beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), on glanded and glandless 'Stoneville 213' cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. In a greenhouse study, neonate S. exigua placed on the terminal foliage of glanded cotton plants moved down the plant to feed on older leaves. The location of feeding was more concentrated towards the bottom of the plant on previously damaged plants than on undamaged control plants. In contrast, larval feeding on glandless plants was evenly distributed within the plant and no difference in distribution was noted on plants that had sustained previous herbivore injury when compared to undamaged plants. In a laboratory study, where larvae were offered one type of foliage in a no‐choice situation, survival on young or mature leaves from glanded or glandless plants, with or without previous herbivore injury, did not differ significantly. However, pupae of larvae reared on young leaves of damaged glanded cotton weighed significantly less than pupae from larvae fed all other diets. Pupae from larvae fed young leaves of control glandless plants weighed significantly more than pupae from all other diets. Similar trends were observed in adult weights. In addition, time to pupation and time to adult emergence were significantly longer for larvae fed young leaves from damaged glanded plants compared to all other diets. The experiments reported here link larval feeding behavior of S. exigua to performance. Larval feeding preferences changed following induction of systemic defense such that food choice was optimized for growth.


After discussing the changes of elastic type vessels with age, several possibilities for the resetting of baroreceptors in elastic type vessels are proposed: (1) Short-term resetting. On the basis of the architecture of the wall of elastic type vessels and the physical behavior of tubes, a pressure control organ within the vessel wall is proposed, by which, due to change in contraction of the vascular smooth muscles, the stress of the baroreceptors is changed and with it their set point relative to the blood pressure. This change can occur within seconds. (2) Mid-term resetting. The wall of elastic type vessels thickens, after a prolonged forced increase of blood pressure, decreasing the ratio of radius to wall thickness. Since the wall stress is proportional to the ratio of radius to wall thickness and the baroreceptors depend on the wall stress, they will now regulate the blood pressure on an elevated level. This change will be accomplished within days or weeks. (3) Long-term resetting. With age the wall of elastic type vessels becomes stiffer. Due to the peculiar physical behavior of tubes, this means that the wall stress decreases at a given blood pressure. Therefore, to maintain the same mean blood pressure throughout life, the baroreceptors have to adjust to the continuously decreasing wall stress. If this does not occur, the blood pressure will rise. Actually, the calculated increase of proposed blood pressure due to the decreasing wall stress parallels the recorded increase in blood pressure with age of the general population.


The Rapid Cycling Synchrotron (RCS) is a key component of the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS). The space charge effect is one of the most important issues in the CSNS/RCS, which limits the maximum beam intensity, as well as the maximum beam power. Space charge effects are the main source of emittance growth and beam loss in the RCS. Space charge effects have been studied by simulation for the CSNS/RCS. By optimizing the painting orbit, the optimized painting distribution was obtained. The space charge effects during the acceleration are studied and dangerous resonances, which may induce emittance growth and beam loss, are investigated. The results are an important reference for the design and commissioning of the CSNS/RCS.


In this paper, the design of a Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) based hybrid ring coupler with arbitrary power splitting ratio employing a Gaussian Progress Regression (GPR) approach is proposed. Arbitrary power splitting is achieved by introducing gradients in permittivity across various sections of the coupler. The gradients in permittivity are achieved by introducing a series of air-holes with appropriate radius and gap. A probabilistic hypothesis for the radius of the air-holes as a function of the required effective permittivity, dielectric constant of the substrate and the gap between the air-holes is derived and proposed using GPR. Hybrid ring couplers with a power splitting ratio of unity, two and four operating in the X-band are designed, simulated, fabricated, and tested using the stipulated design procedure. The designed hybrid ring couplers have an operating bandwidth extending from 9.2GHz to 10.2GHz with a matching $> \mathbf{10dB}$, isolation $> \mathbf{15dB}$ and a phase imbalance of $\pm \mathbf{15}^{\mathrm{o}}$. The measured splitting ratio for the three couplers are 0dB, 3dB and 6dB respectively with an error of $\pm \mathbf{0.5dB}$. The measured results for the couplers validate the proposed design procedure.


Biochemical heterogeneity of cartilage within a joint is well known in mature individuals. It has recently been reported that heterogeneity for proteoglycan content and chondrocyte metabolism in sheep develops postnatally under the influence of loading. No data exist on the collagen network in general or on the specific situation in the horse. The objective of this study was to investigate the alterations in equine articular cartilage biochemistry that occur from birth up to age one year, testing the hypothesis that the molecular composition of equine cartilage matrix is uniform at birth and biochemical heterogeneity is formed postnatally. Water content, DNA content, glycosaminoglycan content (GAG) and biochemical characteristics of the collagen network (collagen content, hydroxylysine content and hydroxylysylpyridinoline [HP] crosslinks) were measured in immature articular cartilage of neonatal (n = 16), 5-month-old foals (n = 16) and yearlings (n = 16) at 2 predefined differently loaded sites within the metacarpophalangeal joint. Statistical differences between sites were analysed by ANOVA (P<0.01), and age correlation was tested by Pearson's product moment correlation analysis (P<0.01). In neonatal cartilage no significant site differences were found for any of the measured biochemical parameters. This revealed that the horse has a biochemically uniform joint (i.e. the cartilage) at birth. In the 5-month-old foals and yearlings, significant site differences, comparable to those in the mature horse, were found for DNA, GAG, collagen content and hydroxylysine content. This indicates that functional adaptation of articular cartilage to weight bearing for these biochemical parameters takes place during the first months postpartum. Water content and HP crosslinks showed no difference between the 2 sites from neonatal horses, 5-month-old animals and yearlings. At both sites water, DNA and GAG decreased during maturation while collagen content, hydroxylysine content and HP crosslinks increased. We propose that a foal is born with a uniform biochemical composition of cartilage in which the functional adaptation to weight bearing takes place early in life. This adaptation results in biochemical and therefore biomechanical heterogeneity and is thought to be essential to resist the different loading conditions to which articular cartilage is subjected during later life. As collagen turnover is extremely low at mature age, an undisturbed functional adaptation of the collagen network of articular cartilage at a young age may be of significant importance for future strength and resistance to injury.


OBJECTIVES
Several sets of criteria mainly for adults have been proposed for the diagnosis of FMF. The aim of the present study is to validate the most widely used diagnostic 'Tel Hashomer' criteria in children and to establish a new set of criteria for use in childhood.

METHODS
The study group consisted of 170 recently diagnosed FMF patients who had mutations at both alleles. They were interviewed about the presence of 35 features and manifestations of FMF at the time of diagnosis. Controls were consecutive patients without FMF (n = 141) who had episodes of fever and clinical features mimicking that of FMF. The diagnostic performance of the candidate features was assessed by multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS
The sensitivity and specificity of Tel Hashomer criteria in our study group were 98.8 and 54.6%, respectively. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that 5 (fever, abdominal pain, chest pain, arthritis and family history of FMF) of the 35 candidate criteria discriminate FMF from controls with a sensitivity and specificity of 88.8 and 92.2%, respectively. The presence of two or more of these five criteria diagnosed FMF with a sensitivity of 86.5% and a specificity of 93.6%.

CONCLUSION
It was demonstrated that although the Tel Hashomer criteria were successful in diagnosing the FMF patients in childhood, its specificity was definitely low in children. The new set of criteria has a high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of FMF and is practical to use on an everyday basis.


A survey of adolescents aged 15 to 16 years was used to examine the relationship between their perceptions of indulgent parenting and adolescent weight status to overall satisfaction with life, as associated with adolescent perceptions of body image, health and stress. In addition, perceptions of parental indulgence were examined in terms of their association with adolescent eating behaviours and health. The results revealed a paradox related to indulgent parenting, with both positive and negative outcomes for adolescents. Structural equation analyses showed that parental indulgence was not only related to lower stress and higher life satisfaction, but also to unhealthy eating behaviours. Path analysis indicated that both positive and negative eating outcomes for adolescents were related to parental indulgence. This research has many implications for both parent and adolescent health education, focusing on parenting styles, stress and healthy lifestyles.


Background: Tuberculosis in children is still found in East Java Province at 2017 with 2,749 cases of paediatric tuberculosis. The Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunisation coverage and healthy houses in East Java Province increase every year. Purpose: This study aims to analyse the correlation between BCG immunisation and healthy houses with paediatric tuberculosis discovery in East Java Province during 2015–17. Methods: This study is observational with a correlation study design. The population in this study were children aged 0–14 years who suffered from tuberculosis in a district or city in East Java Province in 2015–17. Sampling of this study uses aggregate data on paediatric tuberculosis discovered in children aged 0–14 years, coverage of BCG immunisation and coverage of healthy houses in districts/cities in East Java in 2015–17 found in Health Profile of East Java Province 2015–17. The variables studied were paediatric tuberculosis in children aged 0–14 years, BCG immunisation coverage and healthy house; the analysis techniques were the Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test and Pearson correlation. Results: This study shows that there is correlation between BCG immunisation and paediatric tuberculosis (p = 0.01, p <0.05) with a correlation value of 0.67, indicating a strong and positive correlation. The results also show that there is a correlation between healthy houses and children with tuberculosis (p = 0.01, p <0.05) with a correlation value of 0.63, indicating a strong and positive correlation. Conclusion: BCG immunisation coverage and healthy houses are positively correlated with paediatric tuberculosis discovered in East Java district/city.


Microphone arrays are commonly used to capture sound fields. As the number of sensors forming the array increases, the spatial sampling accuracy at high frequencies improves. Numerous prototypes of spherical arrays were developed over the last years. However, much less attention has been paid to the intrinsic performances of the sensors than to their number and arrangement. This study aims at evaluating the relative performances of two rigid spherical microphone arrays of the exact same size differing only in their capsules (pressure sensors). The two recording systems are based on higher order ambisonics and were used to acquire the exact same sound scene. Four short music excerpts were decoded as various types of audio content (mono, stereo and multichannel) and displayed through dedicated loudspeaker setups. The recordings issued by the two arrays were then to be compared by pairs, on a similarity basis and on a preference one, by twelve expert listeners (sound engineering students). The results showed that the perceived differences and preferences depended on the way stimuli were rendered. These assessments were consistent with those obtained from naive listeners in a previous study, although experts perceived significantly better the differences and reported more pronounced preferences.


Corythalia canosa from Florida is an unusual salticid because it is known to eat ants. This species' specialized behaviour for catching ants is described in detail for the first time and compared to its behaviour for catching other insects. Pystira orbiculata from Queensland is shown to be another ant-eating salticid, although its behaviour for catching ants seems less specialized than that of C. canosa. Three different types of tests of prey preference were carried out. In each type of test C. canosa and P. orbiculata took ants in preference to other insects. Another species of salticid, Trite planiceps from New Zealand, failed to eat ants in these tests, although T. planiceps often attacked then released the ants. Corythalia canosa's and P. orbiculata's preference for ants, and their prey-specific predatory behaviour for catching ants, are shown not to depend on prior experience with ants.


This study examines the feasibility of mobile technology for interpreter education. While interpreter education and its use of
 technology is well-established and documented in developed countries, educational opportunities for signed language interpreters
 in developing countries are scarce. One innovation, mobile phone technology, appears to be changing patterns of technological
 adoption in developed and developing countries, connecting those previously denied access by geography or income. Education
 through mobile applications, or m-learning, was used to provide professional development to interpreters from the U.S. and Ghana
 in an action research pilot study. Surveys, discussions, and reflections were analyzed to identify the types of technologies
 employed, challenges encountered, evidence of learning, and collegial interactions. While successful outcomes were documented,
 findings indicate feasibility is still dependent on several factors.


Abstract. Widiana A, Ukit, Thahirah A, Paijiah E. 2019. Diversity of endophytic fungi in cajuput leaf waste (Melaleuca cajuputi). Biodiversitas 20: 562-569. Cajuput Oil Factory at Jatimunggul, Indramayu of Forest Management Unit of Perum Perhutani (State Forest Enterprises) produces cajuput leaf waste during distillation process. This waste is difficult to decompose due to the presence of lignin in the secondary cell wall. Therefore, fungi are needed to produce some enzymes for speeding up the degrading process. This research was aimed at finding out the diversity of fungi growing in the cajuput (Melaleuca cajuputi Powell) leaf waste of zero, two and four months old. The result indicated that a total of 14 species of fungi belonging to four genera namely Aspergillus, Arthrinium, Rhizopus, and one unidentified genus are produced by cajuput leaf waste. Ten different types of endophytic fungi were isolated from two-month-old waste, seven Rhizopus and types of fungi were found in the zero-month-old waste, and only five types of isolates are found in the four-month-old waste. Three species of isolated fungi were also tested for their cellulase enzyme activity.


To realize the on-chip temperature monitoring of VLSI circuits, an accurate time-domain low-power CMOS thermostat based on delay lines is proposed. Contrary to the voltage-domain predecessors, the proposed circuit can benefit from the performance enhancement due to the scaling down of fabrication processes. By replacing R-string voltage division and voltage comparator with delay line time division and time comparator, only little static power is consumed. The power consumption and chip size can be reduced substantially. Without any bipolar transistor, the temperature sensor composed of a delay line is utilized to generate the delay time proportional to the measured temperature. Instead of a conventional voltage/current DAC or an external resistor, a succeeding multiplexer (MUX) along with a reference delay line is used to program the set-point. The test chips with mixed-mode design were fabricated in a TSMC CMOS 0.35-mum 2P4M digital process. The chip area is merely 0.4 mm2. The effective resolution is around 0.5degC with a 256-to-1 multiplexer and -40degC ~ 80degC nominal temperature range. The achieved measurement error is within plusmn0.8degC for a total of 20 packaged chips over the temperature operation range of commercial ICs. The power consumption is 0.45 muW per conversion and a measurement rate as high as 1 MHz is feasible when necessary.


—The pervasiveness of social media has resulted in increased public involvement in key discussions about social issues, as well as creating greater affordances for individual expression and collective mobilisation. In December 2012, the rape and murder of a 23-year-old Indian student in New Delhi, India, was followed by widespread condemnation and public action organised and coordinated through social media. In March 2015, a controversial BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) documentary, "India's Daughter", about the incident was broad- cast despite restrictions imposed by the Indian Government. This paper explores the interplay between Mainstream Media ("Fourth Estate") and Social Media ("Fifth Estate") through a case study analysis using computational techniques to analyse 250,000 tweets collated following the broadcast of the documentary. The primary contribution of the paper is a contextualisation of our findings and analysis within the theoretical frameworks of social movement theory and postcolonialism in order to understand the interactions between mainstream media and social media. Limitations and issues around implications for conducting inter-disciplinary social media research are also discussed.


A novel series of 21 indolyl oxoacetamide analogues was designed based on the natural product lead conophylline, and evaluated for their pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity using porcine pancreatic lipase (Type II). Analogues 12c and 12b exhibited comparatively greater potential (IC50 values of 2.95 and 3.26 μM) than conophylline (IC50 – 3.31 μM), while the standard drug, orlistat, exhibited a potent IC50 value of 0.99 μM. Further, analogues 12b and 12c exhibited reversible competitive inhibition similar to orlistat and conophylline, and possessed Ki values of 1.89 and 1.69 μM, respectively. Molecular docking of these analogues was in agreement with the in vitro results, wherein the MolDock scores exhibited significant correlation with their inhibitory activity. A 10 ns molecular dynamics simulation of 12c complexed with pancreatic lipase confirmed the role of extended alkyl interactions, along with π–π stacking and π–cation interactions, in stabilising the ligand in the active site (maximum observed RMSD ≈ 3.5 A). ADMET prediction indicated the GI absorption of these analogues to be high; however, they did not possess carcinogenicity and hepatotoxicity in contrast to orlistat and conophylline.


The paper considers the problem of preparation of transparent financial reports. As one of the ways to solve this problem the authors offer to create a center of transparency in the company responsible for the formation of an "external" and "internal" transparency of an organization as well as the availability of accounting information. The key stages of the process of self-disclosure of a company are highlighted as well as the procedure of the disclosure of information about economic activities of an organization, the compliance with which will prepare highly transparent statements.


: Administration of the synthetic thymic peptide-thymogen to the pigs with symptoms of hypotrophy exerted a positive effect on the course of this pathological condition this resulting from the stimulation of the central and peripheral parts of the immunogenesis. 230 days after the treatment the positive effect still persisted.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of laughter therapy on mood, state anxiety, and serum cortisol based on a Stress-Coping Model for preoperative breast cancer patients. Methods: The study used a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 40 breast cancer patients who were admitted to one general hospital for surgery in 2009 (experimental group 23, control group 17). The experimental group received one hour laughter therapy consisting of dance, lots of laughter techniques, and meditation. Results: The mean ages were 47 years (experimental group) and 49 years (control group). There were no significant differences in demographic and disease-related characteristics between the two groups. After the intervention, the scores of mood and state-anxiety of experimental group were significantly improved than those of control group. However, no difference was found in serum cortisol. Conclusion: The laughter therapy was partially effective in improving stress response in patients with breast cancer. Further research is needed to develop and evaluate the longer periods of interventions to testify the effects on serum cortisol, and other biochemical variables.


Study Design: Case report. Objectives: To describe the use of manual therapy and muscle re-education for an individual with suspected cervicogenic headache. Background: This patient was a 27-year-old woman with complaint of headache. She was functionally limited with prolonged postures and lifting. She also demonstrated impairments in cervical mobility and muscular performance. Methods and Measures: This patient was treated 8 times over an 8-week period. Intervention included manual upper cervical spine mobilization techniques, muscle re-education for the deep neck flexor muscles, and scapular stabilization exercises. Results: Following treatment, the patient demonstrated an increase in cervical mobility, improved muscular performance, a decrease in headaches, and complete resolution of functional limitations. Conclusion: The combination of manual therapy and muscle re-education was successful in relieving headaches and improving function in this patient.


The inter-grain extrinsic magnetoresistance (eMR) observed in polycrystalline perovskite manganites has attracted attention recently. Previous efforts aimed at eMR enhancement have concentrated on grain boundary (GB) modification, mainly by insulator doping. In this paper, however, we report our investigations on the doping effect of a metal, Ag, on the eMR phenomenon. La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 (LSMO) thin films were deposited with varying Ag precipitation on (001) LaAlO3 at different substrate temperatures (Ts) by a dual-beam pulsed-laser ablation system. Various analytical techniques were employed to characterize the films. At Ts = 750 °C, the films are perfectly epitaxial with their c-axis perpendicular to the film surface. Ag dopant cannot substitute into the LSMO lattice, thus showing no obvious effect on the magneto-transport properties of the film, though it did impair the film in-plane epitaxy and improve the inter-grain diffusion of the lattice atoms. However, grown at lower Ts = 400 °C, the films are granular with c-axis texture. The Ag dopant exists at GBs and helps to increase the local Mn spin disorder at GBs, thus enhancing the eMR value by a factor of two compared with the undoped film. Experiment data also suggest that the transport mechanism underlying the Ag-doping enhanced eMR is spin-dependent scattering.


Tumor immunosuppression may assist the immune escape of cancer cells, which promotes tumor metastasis and resistance to chemo-radiotherapy. The therapeutic strategies against tumor immunosuppression mainly focus on blocking immune checkpoint receptors, enhancing T-cell recognition and neutralizing inhibitory molecules. Although immunotherapies based on these strategies have improved the clinical outcomes, immunological nonresponse and resistance are two barriers to tumor eradication. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new biomarkers for patient selection and therapeutic targets for the development of combination regimen with immunotherapy. Recent studies have reported that non-protein-coding modulators exhibit important functions in post-transcriptional gene regulation, which subsequently modulates multiple pathophysiological processes, including neoplastic transformation. Differentiated from microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are reported to be involved in various processes of the immune response in the tumor microenvironment (TME) to promote tumor immunosuppression. Currently, studies on tumor immunity regulated by lncRNAs are mainly confined to certain types of cancer cells or stromal cells. Additionally, the majority of studies are focused on the events involved in T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Although the reported studies have indicated the significance of lncRNAs in immunotherapy, the lack of comprehensive studies prevents us from exploring useful lncRNAs. In the current review, we have summarized the roles of lncRNAs in tumor immune response, and highlighted major lncRNAs as potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets for clinical application of immunotherapy.


Background: To determine the frequency, methods and families' knowledge about vitamins, minerals and supplementary products in children. Methods: A questionnaire form was applied by face-to-face interviews with a total of 300 parents with children under the age of 5 who applied to the University Hospital, Training and Research Hospital and randomly selected family health centers in Adana. The demographic characteristics of the participants, their level of knowledge about preventive medication and supportive products, how they used them, and who suggested starting them were evaluated. Results: The mean age of the children included in the study was 24.3±18.1 months. The correct use rates of iron and vitamin D by the parents were 60.7% and 83.3%, respectively. 147 of the parents (49%) used at least one supportive product to their children, and multivitamin (12.5%), molasses (8.3%), cumin (7.3%), honey (6.3%), fish oil (6.3%) was observed to be among the preferred products. It was found that supportive products were most frequently started due to growth and development retardation (27.7%) with the suggestions of neighbors-close relatives (45.8%) and doctors (30.7%). Conclusions: Iron and vitamin D preparations are distributed free of charge in our country; however, we believe that the correct usage rates are not at the desired level, and more training and information should be given to healthcare professionals and parents in terms of compliance with prophylaxis and correct use. Although there is not enough data in our country regarding use of supportive products, more reliable results can be obtained with more comprehensive studies.


The gene encoding alpha 6(IV) collagen, COL4A6, was identified on the human X chromosome in a head-to-head arrangement and within 452 base pairs of the alpha 5(IV) collagen gene, COL4A5. In earlier studies, intragenic deletions of COL4A5 were detected in a subset of patients with Alport syndrome (AS), a hereditary defect of basement membranes. In some families, AS cosegregates with diffuse leiomyomatosis (DL), a benign smooth muscle tumor diathesis. Here it is shown that patients with AS-DL harbor deletions that disrupt both COL4A5 and COL4A6. Thus, type IV collagen may regulate smooth muscle differentiation and morphogenesis.


Summary Opuntia species belong to semi-arid and arid regions of Mexico and the United States. O. ficus-indica and O. dillenii are commonly used in alternative medicine to treat various diseases. Up to date, several scientific works have been carried out on the different parts of these plants. However, over the last few years, studies have been focusing on the oil obtained from the fruit seeds of these species. For this reason, this study aims to draw the attention of researchers toward the phytochemical and the pharmacological effects of these two Opuntia oils, which would help set up other scientific projects that promote these products. Phytochemical studies have shown that these oils are rich in biologically active molecules, such as unsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols (mainly linoleic acid and β-sitosterol), as well as vitamin E, which is represented only by the γ-tocopherol. Besides, these oils are rich in polyphenols that protect them from photo-oxidation. Moreover, several studies have shown their antioxidant, anti-diabetic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and gastroprotective activities, as well as their hypolipidemic properties. The beneficial effects of these oils include also their ability to block the weight loss, and what makes them more interesting is their safety, according to the literature.


The paper concerns a modelling approach for fast 2D car to pedestrian impact analysis. The pedestrian model is composed using the Lagrange equations with multipliers. The model consists of rigid bodies defining the major human body segments. The bodies are connected by rotational joints with non-linear response. The model is scalable based on the age and the gender. The car model is multi-segment composed as an open polygon. Between the pedestrian and the car, there are contacts defined and modelled explicitly by force-penetration dependence. For a given car profile design and a given human gender, age and percentile, the pedestrian impact consequences can be evaluated quickly by means of virtual numerical analysis.