We show theoretically that it is possible to create and manipulate a pair of bound states in continuum in ultracold atoms by two lasers in the presence of a magnetically tunable Feshbach resonance. These bound states are formed due to coherent superposition of two electronically excited molecular bound states and a quasi-bound state in ground-state potential. These superposition states are decoupled from the continuum of two-atom collisional states. Hence, in the absence of other damping processes they are non-decaying. We analyze in detail the physical conditions that can lead to the formation of such states in cold collisions between atoms, and discuss the possible experimental signatures of such states. An extremely narrow and asymmetric shape with a distinct minimum of photoassociative absorption spectrum or scattering cross section as a function of collision energy will indicate the occurrence of a bound state in continuum (BIC). We prove that the minimum will occur at an energy at which the BIC is formed. We discuss how a BIC will be useful for efficient creation of Feshbach molecules and manipulation of cold collisions. Experimental realizations of BIC will pave the way for a new kind of bound-bound spectroscopy in ultracold atoms.


Successful field establishment of vegetable transplants often depends on the ability of young seedlings to tolerate various biotic and abiotic stresses after transplanting. Treatments that limit transpirational water loss could improve plant survival and stand establishment. In this study we evaluated growth and physiological responses of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seedlings to foliar application of chemical plant regulators [abscisic acid (ABA) and aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG)] or physical film-forming barriers [AntiStress (AS), Transfilm (TF), and Vapor Gard (VG)] during transient 4-day water deficit cycles. During two 4-day water deficit cycles, stomatal conductance (g(s)) and net CO2 assimilation rate (A(CO2)) were unaffected by the application of physical materials, but differed for ABA and AVG. Compared with untreated control plants, ABA reduced gs (47% to 69%) and A(CO2) (37% to 57%) by the end of the second water deficit cycle, whereas AVG increased gs (27% to 60%) during the first desiccation cycle. Leaf (psi(lf)) and stem (psi(st))xylem water potential of plants treated with film-forming materials generally decreased at the same rate as those of untreated plants, whereas application of AVG caused earlier and more pronounced decline of psi(lf). Application of ABA enabled the maintenance of psi(lf) and psi(st) during two desiccation cycles, and thus prevented an increase of electrolyte leakage and leaf abscission. Growth rates of all plant components were reduced after ABA applications. However, allometric relationships showed similar patterns of dry matter allocation in leaves and shoots among ABA, TF, VG, and untreated control plants. Application of AS reduced allocation of dry matter to leaves, whereas AVG enhanced it at the expense of roots. These data indicate that water deficit tolerance of pepper seedlings only occurred with foliar application of ABA. This effect was associated with improved plant water relations, increased cell membrane stability, reduced leaf abscission, and a transient reduction in plant growth rates.


In this paper we extend the work of Bello [4] where he considered the periodic solutions of certain dynamical systems inside a cylindrical phase space with differential equations of the form y n-1 α 1 y n-1 +...+α n-1 y (1) + f(y 1 ..,y n-1 ,y) = 0 (\'= d dt (+) with the property that there is a ω>0 and a natural number K such that y (t+w) = y(t) + k ∀t (**)
with necessary and sufficient condition that the fundamental matrix φ (λ) of the characteristic equation
φ (λ) λ n-1 + α 1 λ n-2 +...+ λ n-1 = 0 (***)
of (*) have negative real parts (See [1], [7]), φ (λ) is stable asymptotically. The extension considered the periodic solutions of the differential equations of the type y\'+λ(y\')y\"+b(y)y\'+f(y) = 0 (****)
with the property (**). The periodic solutions and the asymptotic behaviour of the solutions were investigated and analysed. Some theorems were proved and examples given to illustrate certain properties of the solutions.
 Journal of the Nigerian Association of Mathematical Physics Vol. 10 2006: pp. 391-398


ABSTRACT Spores of an acrystalliferous derivative of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, termed Btcry−, are morphologically, aerodynamically, and structurally indistinguishable from Bacillus anthracis spores. Btcry− spores were dispersed in a large, open-ended barn together with spores of Bacillus atrophaeus subsp. globigii, a historically used surrogate for Bacillus anthracis. Spore suspensions (2 × 1012 CFU each of B. atrophaeus subsp. globigii and Btcry−) were aerosolized in each of five spray events using a backpack misting device incorporating an air blower; a wind of 4.9 to 7.6 m s−1 was also flowing through the barn in the same direction. Filter air samplers were situated throughout the barn to assess the aerosol density of the spores during each release. Trays filled with a surfactant in aqueous buffer were placed on the floor near the filter samplers to assess spore deposition. Spores were also recovered from arrays of solid surfaces (concrete, aluminum, and plywood) that had been laid on the floor and set up as a wall at the end of the barn. B. atrophaeus subsp. globigii spores were found to remain airborne for significantly longer periods, and to be deposited on horizontal surfaces at lower densities, than Btcry− spores, particularly near the spray source. There was a 6-fold-higher deposition of Btcry− spores than of B. atrophaeus subsp. globigii spores on vertical surfaces relative to the surrounding airborne density. This work is relevant for selecting the best B. anthracis surrogate for the prediction of human exposure, hazard assessment, and hazard management following a malicious release of B. anthracis. IMPORTANCE There is concern that pathogenic bacteria could be maliciously disseminated in the air to cause human infection and disruption of normal life. The threat from spore-forming organisms, such as the causative agent of anthrax, is particularly serious. In order to assess the extent of this risk, it is important to have a surrogate organism that can be used to replicate the dispersal characteristics of the threat agent accurately. This work compares the aerosol dispersal and deposition behaviors of the surrogates Btcry− and B. atrophaeus subsp. globigii. Btcry− spores remained in the air for a shorter time, and were markedly more likely to adhere to vertical surfaces, than B. atrophaeus subsp. globigii spores.


A case of a boy with complete duplication of the lower extremity and separation below the lower leg was described. Although x-ray examination revealed no femur, operation revealed a cartilage expected to become the femur in the future. A classification of duplication and separation of the lower extremity is proposed. The method and course of treatment in the present case were described in detail, including the application of tissue expanders on the deformity of the knee joint accompanied by a shortening of the sciatic nerve.


A description is given of a complete robot control facility built as part of a NASA telerobotics program to develop a state-of-the-art robot control environment for performing experiments in the repair and assembly of spacelike hardware to gain practical knowledge of such work and to improve the associated technology. The basic architecture of the manipulator control subsystem is presented. The multiarm Robot Control C Library, a key software component of the system, is described, along with its implementation on a Sun-4 computer. The system's simulation capability is also described, and the teleoperation and shared control features are explained.<<ETX>>


SA Pharmacist's Assistant [Autumn 2020] The access to over-the-counter (OTC) medicines offers a convenient way for patients to be actively involved in their own health and self-treatment of certain illnesses. The range of medicines available OTC, however, is more restricted compared to prescribed medication, and additional restrictions such as indications, doses and duration of treatment are often placed on these medicines. There is a tendency for the public to perceive OTC medicines as safer due to their being easily accessible but it must be stressed that, like all medicines, OTC medicines have the potential for harm, misuse, abuse and also may have the potential for addiction and dependency. In addition, OTC medicines can interact with other medicines as well as substances such as alcohol. This article will focus on the interactions between alcohol and OTC medicines.


. A Rosenblatt process and its multifractional counterpart are considered. For a multifractional Rosenblatt process, we investigate the local properties of its trajectories, namely the continuity and localizability. We prove the existence of square integrable local times for both processes.


A virtual accelerator has been developed at NSLS II to support tools development from physics study and beam commissioning to beam operation. The physics results are provided using TRACY-II simulation code thru EPICS process variables, which was pioneered originally at Diamond Light Source. The latest virtual accelerator supports all major accelerator components including magnets (Dipole, Quadrupole, Sextuple, correctors, and so on), RF cavity, insertion device, and other diagnostics devices (BPM for example), and works properly for both linear machine and synchrotron ring. Two error mechanisms are implemented, which are random error for each magnet setting, and systematic error to simulate misalignment. Meanwhile, it also provides sort of online model functions including serving beta function, and close orbit data. In NSLS II, there are 5 virtual accelerators deployed, and 3 of them are running simultaneously. Those virtual accelerators have been effectively supporting the tools development such as physics applications, and middle layer services. This paper presents the latest status of virtual accelerator, and our plan for its future development and deployment.


The compensation of nonlinear signal distortions as caused by small, low-cost loudspeakers driven at high volume by second-order Volterra filters has been investigated in recent works. In the field of acoustic echo cancellation, such undesired signal components are removed by adaptive filtering. Since the performance of the usually applied LMS adaptation suffers from correlations of the input data, preceding decorrelation of the excitation signal is desirable in order to increase the speed of convergence. This contribution discusses an efficient configuration for incorporating a decorrelation filter into nonlinear adaptive filtering scenarios. Simulation results for both noise and speech indicate an increase in convergence speed by providing decorrelated signals as filter input


The substrate profiles and sensitivity to dicloxacillin inhibition were studied in the enzymes of the clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the transconjugants of E. coli carrying the plasmids discovered earlier in P. aeruginosa. The study was performed with a modified microiodometric method for determination of the activity of beta-lactamases. According to the M. Richmond classification of beta-lactamases the enzymes detected in P. aeruginosa strains 4529, 5290 and 9902 may correspond to the 5th class, the enzymes of P. aeruginosa strain 8208 to the 2nd class and the beta-lactamases of the E. coli transconjugants to the 3rd class. Two different beta-lactamases were detected in P. aeruginosa strain 10294.


The aim of this work was to evaluate the initial growth of sweet pepper in different substrates and light environments. The experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Reconcavo da Bahia, in themunicipalityofCruzdasAlmas, BA. The sowing was performed directly in 12 x20 cmpolyethylene bags and the design was completely randomized, in a 4x4 factorial scheme, with 4 replications. The substrates were: CC (commercial compound), SCC (soil (50%) + commercial compound (50%)), SV (soil (50%) + vermiculite (50%)) and SVH (soil (50%) + vermiculite (25%) + earthworm humus (25%)); and light environments: red ChromatiNet®, thermo-reflective screen (Aluminet®) and black screen (all with 50% shading) and full sun. The red screen provided higher values of height, stem dry mass, number of leaves, leaf area ratio, specific leaf area of sweet pepper seedlings; the black screen, in turn, provided higher values of root volume, leaf dry mass, stem diameter, total dry mass, root dry mass, Dickson quality index and leaf area. The quality of the seedlings produced on substrates CC and SCC was superior than that of seedlings grown on substrates SV and SVH. The treatments with screens and substrates CC and SCC favored the growth of sweet pepper seedlings.


Dear Editor, We, the undersigned, vigorously rebut the inaccurate commentary by Pistiladis et al. which published in the May/ June 2017 issue of Current Sports Medicine Reports and impugns the process of therapeutic use exemption (TUE). While the body of the text appropriately highlights the 2016 McLaren Report, systematic state doping, Russian cyber espionage, and breaches of athlete medical confidentiality, the title and conclusion incorrectly infer that the ethos of fair play in sport has been undermined simply through inadequacy of the TUE system. Despite the authors' contention, the striking feature of the Fancy Bears hack was the complete lack of evidence that the TUE process had been abused by elite athletes or their medical entourage. In the context of contemporary elite sport, TUE enables athletes with genuine ill-health to compete in fair, equitable competition. And fundamental to this is an International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemption (ISTUE). To facilitate the clinical implications of the ISTUE, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is advised by an independent panel of sports physicians with extensive national and international experience. In collaboration with the WADA medical directorate, this TUE Expert group has developed guideline documents to assist physicians in justifying the use of banned substances in treating athletes with documented medical conditions. Regular updates are scrutinized by international specialists in endocrinology, psychiatry, hematology, respiratory medicine, and musculoskeletal medicine, thereby conforming to international best practice. The documents, available on the WADA Web site, assist antidoping organizations and international federations in evaluating applications for therapeutic use exemption. By inferring a ''Igeneral lack of global consensus on best evidence-based practice in sports medicineI'' and ''Inonstandardized criteria for disease/injury treatmentI'' the authors reflect poor understanding of anti-doping practice. Equally, to describe the TUE process as a 'permissive' doping passportI'' and by disparaging the ''IAthlete Biological PassportI'' they insult the integrity of an initiative evolved through stakeholder consultation and expert scientific input. The authors appear similarly confused by criteria to use prohibited substances including adherence to robust diagnostic criteria and obligatory specialist endorsement. Any suggestion that independent medical commissions would simplify applications for single clinical entities denies attendant logistics and timely resolution that respects the ailing athlete. In contentious areas of medical management, the existing WADA guidelines represent the collation of international consensus, carefully balancing differences in regional practices yet ensuring a harmonized approach by providing an informed framework for the justified use of prohibited substances. Many of these documents have successfully withstood the rigor of scrutiny by the Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS). The suggestion that there needs to be a ''I paradigm shiftI'' in the TUE process from ''Ipolitical and legal processesI'' to a focus on ''I the health of the clean athleteI'' disregards the integrity of the current process and the athlete-centered approach adopted by the majority of sport physicians. Claims of a perfect system would be foolhardy and arrogant. For that reason, WADA continues to welcome suggestions for improvement and convenes regular international symposia to encourage discussion on the TUE process and specific medical conditions. The next symposium will take place in Helsinki on September 21 to 22 this year. The TUE process, amenable to updated clinical management, remains a validated instrument to protect the athlete and render equity in sport. Ill-informed commentary is detrimental and unhelpful to all athletes, particularly those challenged by legitimate medical conditions. On behalf of the TUE Expert Group: Dr. Katharina Grimm (RSA) Dr. Ola Ronsen (NOR) Dr. Katja Mjosund (FIN) Dr. Susan White (AUS) Dr. James Kissick (CAN) Dr. Chin Sim Teoh (SIN) Dr. John Lombardo (USA) Dr. Michael Turner (GBR)


Innovative multifunctional nanomaterials have attracted tremendous interest in current research by facilitating simultaneous cancer imaging and therapy. Among them, antimony (Sb)- and bismuth (Bi)-based nanoparticles are important species with multifunction to boost cancer theranostic efficacy. Despite the rapid development, the extensive previous work treated Sb- and Bi-based nanoparticles as mutually independent species, and therefore a thorough understanding of their relationship in cancer theranostics was lacking. We propose here that the identical chemical nature of Sb and Bi, being semimetals, provides their derived nanoparticles with inherent multifunction for near-infrared laser-driven and/or X-ray-based cancer imaging and therapy as well as some other imparted functions. An overview of recent progress on Sb- and Bi-based nanoparticles for cancer theranostics is provided to highlight the relationship between chemical nature and multifunction. The understanding of Sb- and Bi-based nanoparticles in this way might shed light on the further design of smart multifunctional nanoparticles for cancer theranostics.


The paper describes the structure and state of industrial relations in the Federal Republic of Germany and discusses perspectives and problems of their future development. Its composition follows the syllabus of an internationally comparative research project.


Palladium and platinum powder dissolve at room temperature in oxygen saturated solutions of α-amino acids, peptides, nucleosides and ATP. The resulting mass concentrations of dissolved palladium and platinum were in the range from 10 to 100 μg/ml.


Southern India played an important role in the development of gynaecology and obstetrics, both within the subcontinent and within the British empire as a whole. Nineteenth-century Madras was a major centre of expertise in "diseases of women and children", and well placed to become a hub of the birth control movement in the 1920s and 1930s. Sarah Hodges has written extensively on female medicine in colonial India and has made a particular study of its development in the south. Here she examines the different factors surrounding the promotion of birth control within the biopolitical context of an imperial government whose days were numbered, and the growing confidence and assertiveness of the Indian nationalist movement.

The issue of birth and birthing was of symbolic importance in colonial India, partly because of British distaste for traditional birthing methods and partly because of nationalist rhetoric surrounding "Mother India". However, a Mother was glorified in the number and strength of her sons, so this did not necessarily translate into enthusiasm for birth control. Gandhi was a staunch opponent of birth control, with all its connotations of western scientific interference and its obvious eugenicist agenda. However, concern about overpopulation coupled with an appreciation of the worldwide impact of the work of Marie Stopes led various voluntary groups in India to promote birth control enthusiastically. By the 1930s Indian newspapers carried whole columns of advertisements for condoms, coils or contraceptive advice manuals.

Hodges has focused on two of the most important of these groups. The Madras Neo-Malthusian League was made up of prominent businessmen, largely from the Brahmin community, working to an essentially paternalist agenda (like many of these movements it was almost exclusively male): it wanted to link India to the worldwide Stopesian movement and saw contraception as a way of reducing India's population of fecklessly breeding poor. The League poured out pamphlets and posters to little discernable effect: it was pointed out acidly by one critic that, since one of its founders had no children and another thirteen, they clearly either knew nothing of birth or nothing of control.

More radical was the Self-Respect movement, which swept through the south in the 1930s and 1940s. This was a political and cultural movement which sought to galvanize the Tamil population—not least through using the Tamil language—into a strong sense of their separate and personal identity. It was particularly aimed against domination by the Brahmins; there seemed little point in removing relatively remote British control only to replace it with much closer and tighter Brahmin control. The Self-Respect movement held its meetings in the open air and, unlike the Neo-Malthusians, it welcomed women to its ranks. Contraception was not to be women's way of contributing responsibly to the new nation, but a means of personal emancipation, to break the hold of the traditional maternal role forced on them by India's hierarchical society. In many ways, the Self-Respect movement foreshadowed feminist enthusiasm for the Pill in the 1960s, with a similarly broad agenda of personal and collective liberation.

These are important stories, of relevance well beyond the confines of colonial medical history, and Professor Hodges tells them with characteristic and infectious enthusiasm. She shows that the nexus between nationalism, colonialism and control of the birthing process is much more nuanced than the traditional Foucaultian model of the colonized body allows for and, in a pleasing coda to the book, she addresses the popular cliche of Indian over-population, not perhaps to destroy it but certainly to point out its oversimplifications. This is a handsomely produced volume which advances our knowledge and understanding of an important area not just of colonial biopolitics, but of the interplay between birth and politics itself.


YBCO/YSZ/SiO/sub 2//YSZ/YBCO multilayer structures have been successfully grown on single crystal YSZ substrates. The YBCO superconducting layers (300 nm thick) were deposited using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The YSZ layers (300 nm thick) which are biaxially aligned were deposited using PLD and ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). A thick silicon dioxide layer (2-4 microns) was sandwiched between the YSZ layers to meet the low dielectric constant requirement for multichip module applications. However, if the bottom superconducting layer was patterned into interconnecting lines as required in device applications, the surface of the YSZ/SiO/sub 2//YSZ on top of the patterned bottom superconducting layer had a roughness of about 500 nm. As a result, the top YBCO was no longer superconducting. Thus, planarization of the patterned bottom superconducting layer becomes a key issue. We have developed a "fill-in and lift-off" process to fill the gap between the patterned bottom superconducting lines with YSZ, As a result, we were able to reduce the surface roughness of the bottom YBCO layer to about 10 nm so the top layer was superconducting with a critical temperature of 87 K.


The human body is an amazing 'machine' made up of different systems that allow us to do things like run, eat, and even breath. These systems work together to keep the body functioning normally and healthily. How does the human body actually work? What jobs do the systems perform?


Background: Acute Appendicitis is a common surgical emergency which even with modern diagnostic facilities remains a challenging task for the surgeon. The variation in the presentation can confuse even experienced surgeons. On looking at the literature, it was found that a negative Appendicectomy rate has been consistently mentioned Aim- The following study was therefore conducted for Evaluation Of Significance Of Alvarado Score In Diagnosis Of Acute Appendicitis In Tribal Area. This is an old standard scoring system, very economical, noninvasive, and revalidation was done in the tribal area to reach the diagnosis.
Material and Methods: A Study of 180 patients of acute appendicitis was conducted in tribal areas and Alvarado score carries high significant value in diagnosis and management of acute appendicitis. The period to study was from August 2018 to January 2020.
Result: 180 patients were subjected to Appendicectomy. Out of the 33 were operated by laparoscopy (18.33%). All the Appendicectomy specimens were studies macroscopically and microscopically. All the specimens were cut open and inspected for pathology.
Conclusion: The present study concludes that the Alvarado score, an economical, noninvasive clinical scoring system, carries high significant value in the diagnosis and management of acute appendicitis in the tribal area.


Introduction: Ghrelin is an appetite-stimulating peptide hormone secreted from the gastric mucosa in the fasting state that decreases in response to food intake. After sleeve gastrectomy (SG) , plasma levels of ghrelin decrease dramatically, whether this may influence glucose tolerance is unknown. We therefore investigated the effects of physiological ghrelin infusions on glucose tolerance in individuals with obesity before and after SG.
 Methods: Nine morbidly obese individuals with normal glucose tolerance, scheduled for SG, were enrolled. Four-hour standard mixed-meal tests with concomitant patient-blinded infusions of either acyl-ghrelin (1 pmol/kg/min) or placebo (saline) were performed in randomized order before and 3 months after surgery. All values are mean ± SEM.
 Results: Before SG, fasting plasma glucose was unaffected by ghrelin infusion, whereas both peak (7.93 ± 0.3 mmol/L versus 6.98 ± 0.2, p<0.001) and total area under the curve (tAUC) of plasma glucose concentrations (1874 ± 61 mmol/L*min versus 1702 ± 42, p=0.03) increased significantly during ghrelin infusion versus placebo. After SG, fasting plasma glucose was again unaffected by ghrelin infusion, whereas peak of plasma glucose increased (8.65 ± 0.5 mmol/L versus 7.92 ± 0.3 mmol/L, p=0.04) and tAUC of plasma glucose tended to increase (1817 ± 73 mmol/L*min versus 1636 ± 44 mmol/l*min, p=0.054) during ghrelin infusions versus placebo. The increase in tAUC during ghrelin infusion versus placebo was 10% before surgery and 11% after SG (p=0.98) .
 Conclusion: Ghrelin infusions increased postprandial plasma glucose concentrations in obese individuals both before and following SG, suggesting a role of ghrelin in the regulation of postprandial glucose metabolism. This response appears to be maintained following SG and the low levels of ghrelin after SG may thus contribute to the improved glucose control after the operation.

 N.Hedbäck: None. S.Madsbad: None. M.Dichman: None. C.Dirksen: None. K.N.Bojsen-moller: None. N.B.Jørgensen: Advisory Panel; Novo Nordisk A/S, Research Support; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Speaker's Bureau; Novo Nordisk A/S, Stock/Shareholder; Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk A/S. M.G.Hindsø: Research Support; Novo Nordisk Foundation. V.B.Kristiansen: None. J.J.Holst: Advisory Panel; Novo Nordisk, Board Member; Antag Therapeutics, Bainan Biotech. M.S.Svane: None.

 European Research Council (Grant 695069-BYPASSWITHOUTSURGERY) Novo Nordisk Foundation


The term coloboma derives from the Greek word koloboma, originally used to indicate a part that was removed by mutilation, missing or cut short. Colobomas are congenital ocular defects that can affect the iris, the lens, the choroid, the retina, and the optic nerve.Eyelid colobomas result in a full-thickness defect of the eyelid: although the coloboma may occur anywhere on the eyelids, the most common site is at the junction of the medial and middle third of the upper eyelid. Eyelid colobomas are classified as traumatic (accidents, surgery) or congenital. Congenital colobomas may be isolated or may occur in the presence of other facial deformities and syndromes. In eyelid colobomas, corneal protection is paramount. Topical lubricating drops and ointment are applied and moisturizing chambers may be used. Patching is sometimes necessary. Surgical repair to improve corneal coverage is undertaken as necessary. The size and location of the defect will determine the exact surgical procedure used. Direct closure may be performed in defects up to 25% of the eyelid. In defects larger than 25% and up to as much as 60%, lateral mobilization with canthotomy, cantholysis and multiple "Z" plasties allows direct closure of the coloboma. When the defect is larger, lid-sharing procedures like the Hughes procedure for lower lid reconstruction and the Cutler-Beard procedure for upper eyelid closure may be necessary, together with the use of skin grafts.Iris colobomas affect the infero-nasal quadrant and are caused by failure of the embryologic optic fissure to close during the fifth gestational week. This results in a typical keyhole-shaped pupil. On occasion, a bridge of iris may be present in the coloboma, giving rise to type of coloboma called a "bridge coloboma". Iris colobomas are frequently bilateral and associated with a pyriform corneal shape. When the corneal shape is normal, one must look for a surgical cause of a coloboma. Iris colobomas may be associated with colobomas of the ciliary body, choroid, retina or optic nerve. Glaucoma, nystagmus, or strabismus may be seen in the presence of iris colobomas. Iris colobomas may cause photophobia, visual distortion and double vision. They may also be cosmetically unacceptable. Cosmetic contact lenses with an artificial pupil may be used. Surgical repair of the defect with sutures may be possible. Artificial iris prosthetic devices are being explored in the presence of pseudophakia. Iris-painted intraocular lenses may be implanted after removal of the cataract. Foldable artificial irises may also be inserted through a small incisionManagement of associated findings: limbal dermoids may appear simple but care should be taken as penetration into the globe is a very real risk. No such resection should be undertaken without availability of a lamellar graft (cornea or sclera or both).The rest of this article discusses optic nerve colobomas.


BACKGROUND
Up to half the people with tuberculosis do not complete their treatment. Strategies to improve adherence to treatment can be targeted at the person with the disease or at health workers.

OBJECTIVES
The objective of this review was to assess the effects of promoting adherence to anti-tuberculosis treatment and completion of diagnostic protocols for TB.

SEARCH STRATEGY
We searched the Cochrane Collaboration Trials, the Cochrane Effective Professional Practice Group trials register, the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group trials register, Medline, Embase, Lilacs and reference lists of articles. We contacted experts in the field.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised and quasi-randomised trials of interventions to promote adherence with curative or preventive chemotherapy and diagnostic protocols for tuberculosis.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two reviewers independently assessed trial quality and extracted data.

MAIN RESULTS
Eleven trials were included. Reminder cards sent to defaulters, a combination package of a monetary incentive and health education and more supervision of tuberculosis clinic staff increased the number of people completing their tuberculosis treatment. Direct observation by clinic nurses of people swallowing their tuberculosis drugs did not increase the likelihood of treatment success. Return to the clinic for reading of a tuberculin skin test was enhanced by monetary incentives, assistance by lay health workers, contracts and telephone prompts but not by health education.

REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS
We have found evidence of benefit for a number of specific interventions to improve adherence to anti-tuberculous therapy and completion of diagnostic protocols. These should be implemented by health care providers where appropriate to local circumstances. Future studies in low income countries are a priority and should measure adherence as well as clinical outcomes.


Background: In patients with a dilated proximal ascending aorta and trileaflet aortic valve, we aimed to assess (1) factors independently associated with increased long-term mortality and (2) the incremental prognostic utility of indexing aortic root to patient height. Methods: We studied consecutive patients with a dilated aortic root (≥4 cm) that underwent echocardiography and gated contrast-enhanced thoracic aortic computed tomography or magnetic resonance angiography between 2003 and 2007. A ratio of aortic root area over height was calculated (cm2/m) on tomography, and a cutoff of 10 cm2/m was chosen as abnormal, on the basis of previous reports. All-cause death was recorded. Results: The cohort comprised 771 patients (63 years [interquartile range, 53–71], 87% men, 85% hypertension, 51% hyperlipidemia, 56% smokers). Inherited aortopathies, moderate to severe aortic regurgitation, and severe aortic stenosis were seen in 7%, 18%, and 2%, whereas 91% and 54% were on &bgr;-blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, respectively. Aortic root area/height ratio was ≥10 cm2/m in 24%. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons score and right ventricular systolic pressure were 3.3±3 and 31±7 mm Hg, respectively. At 7.8 years (interquartile range, 6.6–8.9), 280 (36%) patients underwent aortic surgery (76% within 1 year) and 130 (17%) died (1% in-hospital postoperative mortality). A lower proportion of patients in the surgical (versus nonsurgical) group died (13% versus 19%, P<0.01). On multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis, aortic root area/height ratio (hazard ratio, 4.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.69–6.231) was associated with death, whereas aortic surgery (hazard ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.27–0.81) was associated with improved survival (both P<0.01). For longer-term mortality, the addition of aortic root area/height ratio ≥10 cm2/m to a clinical model (Society of Thoracic Surgeons score, inherited aortopathies, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, medications, aortic regurgitation, and right ventricular systolic pressure), increased the c-statistic from 0.57 (95% CI, 0.35–0.77) to 0.65 (95% CI, 0.52–0.73) and net reclassification index from 0.17 (95% CI, 0.02–0.31) to 0.23 (95% CI, 0.04–0.34), both P<0.01. Of the 327 patients with aortic root diameter between 4.5 and 5.5 cm, 44% had an abnormal aortic root area/height ratio, of which 78% died. Conclusions: In patients with dilated aortic root and trileaflet aortic valve, a ratio of aortic root area to height provides independent and improved stratification for prediction of death.


We report the first structures of simple acetate complexes of vanadium(III) formed in aqueous solution. Paramagnetic (1)H NMR spectroscopy titration experiments indicate the formation of two major V(III)/acetate complexes in acidic aqueous solution for acetate/V(III) < or =4, pD 3.50. A novel tetranuclear cluster and a trinuclear cluster have been characterized by X-ray diffraction studies. Mass spectrometry measurements show these clusters retain their integrity in solution.


A facial recognition system called Laplacianfaces describes human face appearance-based representation. Using the location preserving projections, face images are assigned to subspace of faces to examine. It is not exactly equivalent to the main component. The evaluation PCA & the discriminant linear analysis LDA that observes only the structure of facial space. This find entering the information from gaining a face subspace that better recognizes the complex structure of the main face. The Laplacianfaces are the perfect approximations directed to function and   managing of Laplace in the facial complex. Therefore, the annoying faces that arise due to changes in lighting, external appearance and posture can be detected. Speculative examination shows that PCA as well as LDA along with LPP can be derived from various models of the graphic. Let's consider proposal Focus Laplacian face along with the Eigen face and also Fisher face systems. The test results suggest that Laplacian face proposed approach offers unmatched representation and gets less failure rates of face affirmation.


We have demonstrated a polarization-independent tunable fiber comb filter by using both polarization-diversity loop technique and birefringence tuning technique. The proposed apparatus consists of one polarization beam splitter, polarization-maintaining fibers, and three waveplates (one quarter-wave plate and two half-wave plates). The capability of continuously tuning the output spectrum was theoretically analyzed and then experimentally verified.


This paper investigates the economic impacts of environmental tax reforms designed to reach given emission reduction targets for the German economy. Our focus is on the efficiency and employment implications of alternative schemes for emission tax differentiation between the production sector and the household sector. We point out that strong tax discrimination in favor of the production sector may cause substantial excess costs. Differences in the emission tax base and the respective ease of emission mitigation between the production sector and the household sector are shown to play a crucial role for explaining our results.


The recent article by Rouse [Anaesthesia 1988; 43 (Suppl.): 61-41 which compared propofol and methohexitone for electroconvulsive therapy was interesting. There seem to be a number of factors which were ignored in the design of the study. There is evidence that during a course of ECT, the duration of the fits and the EEG patterns become modified by the treatment.'!2 This largely invalidates a crossover study because the results in any individual are modified as the course of treatment progresses. Dr Rouse used gross duration of seizure as a marker, but Fink and Johnson demonstrated that an isolated forearm technique shows a better correlation with EEG change^.^ The paper does concentrate on the importance of current, rather than duration of seizure. There is, however, a school of thought which considers that a course of ECT with a total duration of fit of less than 210 seconds is associated with a poor response to treatment.4 It is extremely difficult to investigate this area where the anaesthetist may modify the effects of treatment. This study, like many in the anaesthetic literature, has concentrated on fit time and recovery. Should we instead concentrate on overall outcome of treatment, and investigate the changes that different anaesthetic agents make to this?


During the past five years, several very large superconducting bubble chamber and spark chamber magnets have become operational. The economic and other factors which have led to the construction of large superconducting solenoid magnets for high energy physics research are discussed, and the technological development which made these magnets possible is summarized. Much of the recent development work on superconducting magnets for high energy physics has been directed toward the next generation of accelerators and beam storage rings. Here the goal is to develop dipole and quadrupole magnets of high field precision, low cost, high reliability, capability for slow pulsing, and minimal sensitivity to radiation heating. The status of this work and its application to future accelerators is described. Also, the application of superconducting rf cavities for linear accelerators and particle separation is reviewed briefly.


This paper describes a methodology to account and attribute greenhouse gas emissions on a regional level. Regional greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories support the development and monitoring of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and policies for municipalities and cities. However, information and scientific expertise on climate change impacts are complex and a consensual and consistent methodology on formation of regional GHG inventories is still missing. Available methodologies and calculation tools mostly fail to balance scientific adequacy and usability from a pragmatic perspective. Within the project Regional Carbon Footprint (RCF), software that allows data management (i.e. for bottom up data) in order to calculate regional greenhouse gas inventories and to report about regional carbon footprints has been developed. Efforts needed for data collection turned out to be the main bottleneck for application from a practitioner's point of view. The RCF approach overcomes these shortcomings by closing this gap with the use of top down data taken from statistics. 1. Background


EGR(exhaust gas recirculation) is considered as a most effective method to reduce the NOx emissions. But high EGR tolerance is always pursued not only for its advantages of the pumping loss reduction and fuel economy benefit in Gasoline-Hybrid engine. However, the occurrence of excessive cyclic variation with high EGR normally prevents substantial fuel economy improvements from being achieved in practice. Therefore, the optimum EGR rate should be carefully determined in order to achieve low fuel consumption and low exhaust emission. In this study, 2 liters gasoline engine with E-EGR system was used to investigate the effects of EGR on fuel efficiency, combustion stability, engine performance and exhaust emissions. With optimal EGR rates, the fuel consumption was improved by 4%. This improvement was achieved while a reduction in NOx emissions of 75% was accomplished. Increase of EGR gas temperature causes the charge air temperature to affect the knock phenomenon and moreover, the EGR valve lift changes for the same control signal.


During the 2000 excavations at the Krause site (47Lc41) in Onalaska, WI, archaeologists from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center (MVAC) uncovered an earth oven feature. Oneota features are common regionally, but this feature (number 275) is different from other Oneota features. Most Oneota features in the La Crosse area are garbage or storage pits and can only offer a secondary context. Feature 275 is a stone-lined earth oven where the contents are believed to be in their primary context. Feature 275 is also unusual because of twenty different zones that appear to be separate areas of activity and use. The analysis of fish remains in this feature offers unique insights into the diet and subsistence of the Oneota people who were a pre-European agricultural society.


The extent of the liability in obstetric litigation is discussed. Arguments between experts reveal the lack of agreed standards in cardiotocography. This paper discusses the problems which need to be addressed when defning what constitutes an abnormal cardiotocogram (CTG), how long it needs to abnormal before it is significant, the contribution made by inadequate equipment and the question of whether it is defensible to decide positively not to monitor. Records need to be archived for a minimum of 25 years.


Rectangular X-cut quartz crystal resonators with cut angles thetas > 5.0deg and aspect ratios Rzy (= width 2z0/length 2y0) from 0.3 to 0.5 are investigated. The resonators oscillate mode is a length-extensional mode. A semiempirical frequency equation was derived from the stress expressed in terms of the trigonometric and the hyperbolic transcendental functions with constants estimated by the regression curve fit to the stress simulated by the finite-element method (FEM). Contours on which a point satisfies a zero first order temperature coefficient condition are shown in a cut angle thetas and Rzy diagram. We proved that a fabricated resonator with Rzy = 0.400 and thetas = 16.0deg, whose design parameter is located in the area of the contour, had a zero temperature coefficient


3-D prestack common-azimuth depth migration has a strong potential for imaging accurately complex media and handling multi-pathing. We apply the technique to North Sea real data for imaging a salt dome. The results obtained demonstrate the efficiency of the method in complex media. A detailed analysis of common-image gathers shows opportunities for improving the velocity model.


The experience with the surgical treatment of 97 patients subjected to late repeated operations on the lungs and pleura is generalized in this work. 68% of these patients had pleural empyema and bronchial fistulae. The authors prefer the radical surgery to pulmonectomy, pleuropulmonectomy, decortication, lung resection and repeated amputation of the main bronchus. Fatality in the late repeated operations was noted in 3.09% of cases and complications--in 10.3%.


Health is one of the basic requirements of the nation and the developing nations required introduced reforms into the health care system to ensure better health care facilities. The presence status of health care centers in the prime parameter to judge the human health index and indirectly define the country's prosperity. China is the leading developing nation with the highest growth rate of the human index, and the health care reforms are significant to boost up the health care facilities of its citizens. Although Yemen's government respectively has been providing a free healthcare services to its people, still it lacks basic public health care infrastructure which is far behind the average of the world health quality  standers. we consolidated the comparison of public health between China and Yemen, recommended some health care reforms for Yemen by keeping the Chinese health system as a model, especially after Covid19 pandemic occurrence the world recognized the power and the potential of the china healthcare system in managing the outbreak. The quantitative and qualitative data analysis revealed that Chinese health care system is semi saturated with the presence of modern medical treatment, equipment and workers professionalism in its major cities. The Yemenis public health care system is much disturbed due to country political situation, lack of funding, and the basic medical facilities are even poor at major cities. Thus, people expressed high sort of dissatisfaction from the current health care system. Combined with the effectiveness of the strategies china's adopt, this study would shed light on the needs and encourage Yemeni to model china's health care strategy to create better public health reforms. Keywords: healthcare facilities, patient security, economic influence, China, Yemen DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/73-03 Publication date: April 30 th 2020


The mission of the Advanced Reactors Transition program is two-fold. First, the program is to maintain the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) and the Fuels and Materials Examination Facility (FMEF) in Standby to support a possible future role in the tritium production strategy. Secondly, the program is to continue deactivation activities which do not conflict with the Standby directive. On-going deactivation activities include the processing of non-usable, irradiated, FFTF components for storage or disposal; deactivation of Nuclear Energy legacy test facilities; and deactivation of the Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor (PRTR) facility, 309 Building.


As hospitals and managed care organizations strive to reduce costs and maintain quality, home care agencies will need to intervene and care for an increasing number of patients. Therefore, agencies will need to be knowledgeable about and competitive under the same reimbursement mechanisms and risks to which hospitals and physicians are forced to respond.


This essay advances a critique of the stakeholder concept based on the relative function of stakes and stakeholders in games of risk and reward such as roulette, cockfighting, and, if economists are right, climate negotiations. It asks what happens when corporate sustainability and other market-based "solutions" to socio-ecological crises such as climate change and mass extinction are perceived as a kind of casino. Dispossessed stakeholders become background props at sustainability conferences and other events where dramatic doom-and-gloom narratives of catastrophe serve as a way to reinforce global geographies of power and extraction. Being honest about the effects of categorizing such diverse actors as stakeholders or, alternatively, being clear about what exactly the word stakeholder means in terms of power and responsibility, is an important step in reaffirming the agency of the communities who stand to lose the most in the anthropocene.


Background: The lateral cephalogram is a common imaging diagnostic test for adenoid hypertrophy (AH) in clinics. The study aims to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics within the upper airway (UA) by employing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. Furthermore, airflow features are compared between subgroups according to the adenoidal nasopharyngeal (AN) ratios.Methods: This retrospective study included thirty-five cases involving individuals aged 9-15 years who fulfilled the inclusion criteria of having both a lateral cephalogram and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging that covered the UA region. Based on the three-dimensional (3D) models of the UA segmented from the CBCT images, the aerodynamic characteristics at inspiration and expiration were simulated by the CFD method. The studied aerodynamic parameters were pressure drop (△P), maximum midsagittal velocity (Vms), maximum wall shear stress (Pws), and minimum wall static pressure (Pw). The cases were divided into two subgroups: Group 1 was comprised of cases with an AN ratio < 0.6 and Group 2 with an AN ratio ≥ 0.6. The aerodynamic parameters were compared between the two groups. Results: The maximum Vms exhibits nearly 30% increases in Group 2 at both inspiration (p = 0.013) and expiration (p = 0.045) compared to Group 1. For the other aerodynamic parameters such as △P, the maximum Pws, and minimum Pw, no significant difference is found between the two groups. Conclusions: The maximum Vms is the most sensitive aerodynamic parameter for the groups of cases. An AN ratio of more than 0.6 measured on a lateral cephalogram may predict the noticeably increased maximum Vms, which could assist clinicians in estimating the airflow features in the UA.


A good quality road network is utmost important for the economic development of a country. In that context, countries pay more attention on building new road network or upgrading the existing road structure. However, this consumes energy and the hypothesis remains is that whether the rider comfort increases with embodied energy of the road structure. If the rider comfort deteriorates prior to design life, it is not sustainable. Thus, this research has the objective of finding the relationship between energy consumption of road construction and rider comfort level. In addition, assess the best range of energy level to get the optimum level of rider comfort. For this a sample of five newly constructed roads in Sri Lanka was selected. Sri Lanka, the island located in the Indian Ocean, is rebuilding its nation after 30 years long civil war and given the priority in developing the road network. Government spends millions of rupees without having any idea on the performance of the road surface with time. Energy needed for road construction can be clustered as embodied energy in road construction materials consumed, embodied energy in the fuel consumed in road construction equipments, energy burn by workers, and energy for auxiliary activities (e.g., electricity for lighting). However, in this research only first two energy categories were considered since latter are difficult to be measured. The quantity summary sheets, BOQ details, fuel consumption reconciliation for machinery, cross sectional drawings of the road, etc were used to extract the quantity of material and amount of fuel used. By using calorific values (MJ/kg) and average specific gravity values of all the materials and fuel types, total energy consumed rate or embodied energy per unit area of the road was calculated. The rider comfort of the road surface was related to International Roughness Index (IRI) which is defined as longitudinal unevenness of the road surface. Merlin- Model A 1460 was used to calculate the IRI for the selected road surfaces. The variation between energy consumption rate and IRI shows a logarithmic variation with R2 of 0.72. The accuracy of the developed model is assessed using RMS Error. With observing the trend of the model, it can be concluded that threshold level of 49 × 103 MJ/m2 will give an IRI value of 3 mm/m which is in the acceptable range (1.5–3.5 mm/m) according to Sayers et al. (1986). Thus the developed model is applicable in controlling the energy usage in road construction in order to obtain a good rider comfort level.


The formation of a longitudinally periodic plasma density structure in the low-latitude F region by the effect of vertical E◊B drift was investigated by analyzing the ROCSAT-1 satellite data and conducting SAMI2 model sim- ulations. The daytime equatorial ionosphere observed during the equinox in 1999-2002 from ROCSAT-1 showed the for- mation of wave number-4 structures in the plasma density and vertical plasma drift. The coincidence of the longitudes of the peak density with the longitudes of the peak upward drift velocity during the daytime supported the association of the longitudinal density structure with the vertical E◊B drift. The reproduction capability of the observed wave-4 structure by the effect of vertical E◊B drift was tested by conducting SAMI2 model simulations during the equinox under solar maximum condition. When the ROCSAT-1 ver- tical drift data were used, the SAMI2 model could reproduce the observed wave-4 density structure in the low-latitude F region. On the other hand, the SAMI2 model could not re- produce the observed wave-4 structure using the Scherliess and Fejer vertical E◊B drift model. The observation and model simulation results demonstrated that the formation of the longitudinally periodic plasma density structure can be explained by the longitudinal variation of the daytime verti- cal E◊B drift.


In the late 1970s and the early 1980s the initial p38 chemotype, the triaryl imidazoles, was discovered as an off-target effect during the development of cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors long before the identity of the p38 kinase was known. During the last 10 years a number of novel p38 chemotypes were discovered via high throughput screening. More recently, the first series of p38 inhibitors discovered by xray crystallographic and virtual screening was announced. Finally, throughout the life span of p38 drug discovery programs significant medicinal chemistry effort has continually been placed on the design of new inhibitors from known chemotypes using molecular modeling, protein crystallography, hybrid design and simply sound intuition. Indeed, the search for p38 kinase inhibitors offers an excellent historical perspective as to how technological changes that have taken place in the pharmaceutical industry over the last decade, have affected the ways in which new leads are discovered and advanced. It is the intent of this review to highlight the discoveries of novel p38 chemotypes, emphasizing where possible the key technologies used in the discoveries and the knowledge gained from each discovery.


Ultrafast science and technology depend strongly on the development of novel ultrafast sources, thus good understanding of nonlinear phenomena in such systems is of essence. In this paper, we present the experimental observation and theoretical analysis of various pulse dynamics in all-normal dispersion cavity producing dissipative soliton pulses. We report the results of an extensive study regarding the Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) process, which creates a main upper limitation for the pulse energy achievable from all-normal dispersion fiber oscillators.


Translation as a War of the Worlds? Translation studies and comparative literature as well as literary theory have common goals, but also common enemies. To prove his point, Edward Balcerzan entitles his collection of essays Translation as "the War of the Worlds". On Translatology and Comparative Literature (Tlumaczenie jako "wojna światow". W kregu translatologii i komparatystyki) and develops his controlling metaphor through a series of engaging arguments and examples which demonstrate the ongoing struggle in the two disciplines between the need to order, classify and canonize – which he himself strongly advocates – and the tendency to blur and shift boundaries, visible in postmodernist thought, deconstruction and intertextuality. The multilingual in translation proves a risky challenge which insists on recording the traces of foreignness; the monolingual safely counters the Babel myth and offers evidence that language can be a space for the coexistence of literary worlds. Whereas it is diffi cult not to appreciate the author's subtle and inspiring analyses, which support his well-known claim that translation is an art (elaborated over the thirty years of his work as a theorist of translation and literature, translator and poet), one cannot resist asking questions about Balcerzan's major premise that translation is a war of the worlds. Should we no longer see translation as a creative exchange where versions engage in a dialogue, but rather as a military expedition where every subsequent version wars against all its predecessors as well as the original? If we accepted that the function of translatology, comparative literature and literary theory is to sanction unity and order, rather than transgressive abundance, who should decide on canon-makers and select a single canonical translation? Balcerzan's controversial claims deserve attention and should be treated as an invitation to discussion – an approach which complements the two pointed out by Anthony Pym as typical of translation studies: confl ict or indifference.


This study was concerned with psychotherapists' evaluations of the outcome of therapy. Staff and resident psychiatrists employed in 23-item questionnaire to rate the seccess of psychotherapy with 85 of their inpatients. These were patients for whom psychotherapy constituted a significant part of the treatment that they received in the hospital. The therapists' responses to the questionnaire items were intercorrelated. The results indicated that a major aspect of a psychotherapist's judgment of the success of treatment-as these judgments usually are employed in current psychotherapy research-is the therapist's affective reaction to the patient, Better-liked patients were viewed as having improved more. However, when the therapists' responses were subjected to factor analysis, independent Improvement and Affection factors emerged. It is suggested that when therapists' ratings of success are used in psychotherapy research they should be treated or refined statistically to minimize potential confounding with their affection for patients.


We study the optimal timing of merger control by comparing the pre-and post closing enforcement. Mergers have both pro- and anticompetitive effects, and the parties(the agency and the merging firms) veri able information on them is endogenous: it depends on the timing of the merger control, as well as on some investment in evidence production. The ex post enforcement turns out optimal whenever the costs of providing veri able information on both efficiency gains and market power are sufficiently low, regardless of whether the fi rms know ex ante or not their true merger type.


There have been enduring debates of the concept of "the social", in which the nature and meanings of interpersonal connections have been contested. Classic social theories emphasise physical, face-to-face contacts are quintessential to human connectedness. The digital age, however, has had important implications to the understanding and experiences of the social. This paper reflects on how human interactions are diversified by "deep mediatisation" and technology becomes an increasingly crucial dimension of sociality.

Considering this contentious debate with an instrumental case, this paper presents a qualitative study on young people who physically shut themselves in the bedroom for months and years on end. This emerging phenomenon is commonly referred to as "hidden youth" in East Asia. Hidden youth are typically assumed as "withdrawing" from the social by self-seclusion and living in isolation. This paper challenges this reclusive depiction and critically examines hidden youth's sociality and sense of connectedness based on their lived experiences.

This paper presents insights from the first study of this phenomenon in the UK/Scottish context, while studying this comparatively across two sites. 32 interviews were conducted with Hong Kong and Scottish youth "hidden" in the bedroom from 3 to 48 months. This study draws on theoretical debates across disciplines (Digital Sociology, Media Studies, and Science and Technology Studies) to shed light on emerging constructions of sociality in the digital age. Hidden youth's sociality was found to be more nuanced and interconnected than previously assumed. A range of digital platforms allow youth to experience social connectedness in diverse ways, especially through large, loosely-knitted communities online.

This paper argues that young people may become attached to digital networks to seek solace and solidarity inside the space of their bedrooms augmented by technologies. The significance and experiences of online interactions, especially for socially marginalised youth, are critically discussed in this paper.


While most computer games are devoid of political con~tent, at least two gaming universes have an explicitly political character,
namely strategy and quest games, which have an imaginary that lends itself to
suggestive analysis. What is striking is that such games have almost no place
for democracy. There are two sets of reasons, with rather different implica~tions. First genre, which connects digital universes to science fiction and
heroic fantasy, the books and films of which provide the games with their
background. Secondly, the issue of algorithmic structure. A digital game is
neither a novel nor a film, not is it merely a game: the hardware and software
that make it work subject it to certain constraints and shape its meaning. By
taking seriously the imaginary and ludic power of certain antidemocratic
forms, it is possible conversely to understand certain properties of the demo~cratic imaginary, specifically those that relate democracy to a realm of ennui
where nothing


This paper describes the development of a steering strategy that is intended to improve the frequency stability of UTC (KRIS). An experimental time scale is supposed to be generated by steering an active H-maser with carrier-phase (CP) GPS time transfer. One of the goals of this paper is to achieve an improved long-term frequency stability and, at the same time, not seriously perturb the short-term stability of the H-maser. Emphasis is placed on the fact that a real-time GPS CP time transfer is utilized to compute the time difference. The Kalman estimator is utilized for the GPS time transfer, and the optimal control technique is employed to steer the H-maser toward the reference clock, which is the GPS system time (GPST) in this case. The expected performance of the strategy is assessed based on the actual six-month data of the UTC (KRIS), and the relative performance assessment is conducted with respect to the frequency instability by comparing it against the currently operational time scale of the UTC(KRIS).


Older adults having limited experience with modern computing technology may find it difficult to learn touch gestures, especially the more complex rotate gesture. Social interactions, as implied by social constructivism, are assumed to be powerful in enabling older adults to acquire the skill of touch gestures. The social effect can be reinforced with the motivational effect of digital games. To verify the assumption, we conducted empirical studies with 59 older adults, who were divided into two groups: 17 Singles and 21 Dyads. They were asked to play a set of digital games on a multi-touch tabletop. Results show that on average Dyads have spent significantly longer time in the games and have performed a significantly higher number of correct rotate gestures than Singles. Future work focuses on analyzing the emotional aspect of social interactions and identifying further applications of social gaming to other ageing issues.


The highly efficient and reliable inverter concept (HERIC) inverter is a cost-effective topology, which has low leakage currents and a relatively high efficiency. Thus, it is very suitable for transformerless photovoltaic systems. However, with the reported modulation methods, it is difficult to simultaneously maintain the high efficiency, good power quality, and reactive power injection of the HERIC inverter. In this paper, a hybrid unipolar pulsewidth modulation (UP-PWM) scheme is thus proposed to achieve those performances. The hybrid scheme adopts the conventional UP-PWM in the case of generating the positive power. When generating the negative power, a modulation scheme, which only requires the operation of freewheeling switches, is specifically proposed. Additionally, in the region of the output voltage and current zero-crossing points, a UP-PWM with modified deadtime is introduced. In order to validate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, simulations and experiments are performed on a 4-kW HERIC inverter system with a 20-kHz switching frequency. The results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid UP-PWM method achieves a better performance in terms of reactive power injection than the conventional UP-PWM scheme, and a higher efficiency than the UP-PWM with deadtime. In addition, the proposed UP-PWM scheme also enables a better power quality.


Any occurrence that causes damage, ecological disruption, loss of human life or deterioration of health and health services on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from outside the affected community or area is termed as disaster management. This review depicts the various measures undertaken by healthcare professionals to reduce the impact of such disasters. Also, the roles of dentists in helping in such an unforeseen event id discusses


Environmental interpretation in Greece is in its infancy as an academic field. There are no nature guides or specific conservation objectives, and there is no professional training for non formal environmental educators and/or interpreters. The a of this paper is to reveal the necessity of integrating environmental interpretation in training of Greek Ecotour guides.The focus is on developing abilities which could enable Greek Ecotour guides to communicate and interpret the significance of the environment, promote minimal impact practices, ensure the sustainability of the natural and cultural environment, and motivate visiting tourists to evaluate the quality of life in relation to larger ecological or cultural concerns. The rationale underpinning this objective is that by providing accurate and effective interpretation of ecotourism sites as well as monitoring and modelling environmental responsible behaviour, the outcome will be to promote positive impacts of tourism and alleviate negative ones Local community will be encouraged to participate in environmental management of ecotourism settings. Furthermore, connecting ecotourism commitment to returning benefits, particularly economic and employment ones to local communities, it stresses that training local people to be interpretive guides, helps achieving not only ecological sustainability but also economic sustainability. Once trained, guides may encourage conservation action amongst both tourists and the local community.


This study was designed to investigate whether thermotolerant roots exhibit respiratory acclimation to elevated temperatures. Root respiratory acclimation traits in response to increasing temperatures were compared between two Agrostis species contrasting in heat tolerance: thermal A. scabra and heat-sensitive A. stolonifera. Roots of both species were exposed to 17, 27, or 37 °C. Root RGR declined with increasing temperatures from 17 °C to 37 °C in both species; however, root growth of A. scabra maintained a significantly higher RGR than A. stolonifera at 27 °C or 37°C. A. scabra exhibited a significantly higher respiration acclimation potential to elevated temperatures, both in the short term (60 min) and in the long term (7–28 d) as compared with A. stolonifera, when temperatures increased from 17 °C to 27 °C or from 27 °C to 37 °C. Thermal A. scabra also maintained a significantly lower maintenance cost than A. stolonifera as temperatures increased to 27 °C or 37 °C. The results suggested that root thermotolerance of thermal A. scabra was associated with both short-term and long-term respiratory acclimation to changes in temperatures. The superior ability of adjusting the rate of root respiration to compensate for increases in carbon demand during short- or long-term temperature increases in the heat-tolerant A. scabra may result in the reduction in carbon expenditure or costs for maintenance, leading to extended root survivability in high temperature soils.


Corresponding cation forms of the montmorillonite samples taken from the Ag-Dere bentonite deposit were obtained by processing them with Co2+ and Ni2+ salts. The nature and amount of acid sites formed on the surfaces of the obtained samples were studied by adsorption of acetone using the derivatographic method. The critical diameter of the acetone molecule is d = 5.6A0 and pkα = -7.2. Analysis of derivatograms shows that the mass loss changes depending on the ionic radius, nature and temperature of the cation exchanges as follows: Co2+ mont> Ni2+ mont> natural mont. Based on the conducted study it was estableshed that there are weak, medium and strong electron-acceptor centers on the surface of the sorbent which differ energetically. The endothermic effect observed on the DTA curve at a temperature range of 219.3–566.30C characterizes the physical adsorption of an acetone molecule on the surface of a montmorillonite sample. The effects observed at 706.9 and 775.70C characterize the strong acid sites. The amount of electron-acceptor centers formed on the surface of monmorillonite changes depending on the charge of cation exchangers. The number of electron-acceptor centers formed on the surface of Co2+ bentonite is higher than in other samples. The amount (a.mmol.g) and desorption energy (E, kDc, mol-1) of acetone molecule desorbed from the active sites in different temperature ranges were calculated. It was determined that the most capable of adsorbing acetone molecules is Co2+-montimorillonite, which can be used as a sorbent to prevent envoiremental pollution with acetone. Corresponding cation forms of the montmorillonite samples taken from the Ag-Dere bentonite deposit were prepared by processing with Co2+ and Ni2+ salts. The nature and amount of acid sites formed on the surfaces of the obtained samples were studied by adsorption of acetone using the derivatographic method. Based on the conducted study it was estableshed that there are weak, medium, strong electron-acceptor centers on the surface of the sorbent which differ energetically. The amount (a.mmol.\g) and desorption energy (E, kDc, mol-1) of acetone molecule desorbed from the active sites in different temperature ranges were calculated. As a result of the research, it was found that the most capable of adsorbing acetone molecules is Co2+-form of montimorillonite, which can be used as a sorbent to prevent envoiremental pollution with acetone


Herein, we describe the solvent-free ball milling Tishchenko reaction. Using high speed ball milling and a sodium hydride catalyst, the Tishchenko reaction was performed for aryl aldehydes in high yields in 0.5 hours. The reaction is not affected by the type of ball bearing used and can be successful when conducted in a liquid nitrogen environment.


Hypereosinophilic syndrome is a rare, chronic hematological disease characterized by a persistently elevated eosinophil count exceeding 1.5×109/l, following the exclusion of other potential etiologies. The systemic involvement of the disease causes tissue damage through eosinophil infiltration, and may affect various organs; cardiac complications are observed in 50-60% of cases, which are predominately attributed to endomyocardial fibrosis. The treatment is based initially on determining the presence of the FIP1L1-PDGFRA fusion. Patients with positive results for this mutation tend to achieve a complete response with imatinib treatment, which is thus the first line of treatment for this condition. However, patients who are negative for this mutation initially undergo treatment with corticosteroids. This study reports the case of a male 53-year-old patient diagnosed with hypereosinophilic syndrome in 2012, with negative results for the FIP1L1-PDGFRA mutation, and persistently high eosinophil levels, despite receiving the second line of standard treatment for this condition with hydroxyurea, and having already used corticosteroids without success. At the time of admission, the patient presented with acute decompensated heart failure due to severe mitral regurgitation, without any evidence of prior myocardial fibrosis or restrictive cardiomyopathy, and without suggestion of an associated ventricular hypertrophy. This clinical presentation is uncommon, as valvular involvement usually appears in the third stage of the development of cardiac involvement, and is usually associated with fibrosis and thrombotic events. Alternative therapeutic possibilities were evaluated due to the significant progression of the disease, and it was decided to attempt the use of imatinib, despite its use being preferably recommended for FIPIL1-PDGFRA-positive patients. The patient exhibited an evident and immediate response to imatinib, with normalization of the eosinophil count within 24 h of the first dose, which was maintained for at least the next 19 months. This clinical presentation is uncommon, as patients negative for FIPIL1-PDGFRA fusion do not frequently respond to imatinib treatment, and symptomatic heart failure usually appears in the third stage of disease progression.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between the genetic variations of six transmembrane protein of prostate 2 (STAMP2) with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Xinjiang Uygur population.

METHODS
A case-control study was conducted based on epidemiological investigation. A total of 1838 Uygur subjects were selected and divided into two groups: T2DM group (n=274) and control group (n=1564). All exons, flanking introns, and the promoter regions of STAMP2 gene were sequenced in 48 Uygur Xinjiang population with diabetes. Representative variations selected were genotyped by TaqMan-PCR method in all individuals.

RESULTS
Ten novel and 6 known variations in the STAMP2 gene were identified. The distribution of genotype rs8122 significantly differed between T2DM group and control group (P=0.05), whereas the distribution of genotypes rs1981529 and rs34741656 showed no such difference. The fasting insulin in the total cohort and homeostasis model of assessment index in females showed significant difference between these two groups (P<0.05), while the adjusted P value showed no statistical significance (P>0.05). In the male population, the different genotypes of rs8122 variation of STAMP2 gene were not significantly different (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION
Three polymorphisms (rs8122, rs1981529 and rs34741656) of STAMP2 gene may be not related with T2DM in Xinjiang Uygur population.


Photon scattering by magnetic solids is discussed and reviewed at a fairly basic level, with an emphasis on concepts and theoretical developments for the interpretation of experimental results. Achievements to date are illustrated by reference to some experiments reported in the past few years, and all performed with photon beams produced by electron synchrotron facilities. The review covers photon (Bragg) diffraction, Compton scattering, elastic resonant scattering and linear and circular dichroism.


Some neuroleptic medicine or hormonal by-products may--partly or fully-as to the dose--inhibit the libido of the patients who ask for it themselves causing in this way a pharmacological castration, a temporary or permanent one, but which is always reversible when the therapy is stopped. These inhibiting treatments, which essentially apply to males, are particularly useful in the case of the hypersexual patients or in the case of second offenders.


Office of Secretary and Executive Officer, Red Wing, Minn., Nov. 6, 1893. To the Editor: —I beg to report that a case of confluent smallpox has appeared in the person of a boy, Elmer Rogers, age 11, and unvaccinated, in the town of Featherstone, Goodhue County. He is a resident, and at the time of exposure was traveling from Virginia through Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois to Minnesota, so that it is difficult to say where, in those States, he took the infection. I was called by the family Friday the 3d of November and found a well-marked case of confluent smallpox, the eruption having begun on Monday four days before. The attending doctor supposed the disease chickenpox. A careful list was made of all persons who had visited the family since the preceding Saturday. I visited, vaccinated and put under observation all who had been exposed since Sunday. There are


The chapter aims to examine the interrelationships between aviation and Asian inbound tourism demand to Australia. First, the chapter introduces key factors in the economics of tourism demand and the empirical work in assessing the aviation–tourism demand relations. Based on 2005–2016 annual time series data across 12 of Australia's main Asian markets, a dynamic panel regression model is applied to empirically examine the factors influencing tourism demand including exchange rates and disposable income. Using a generalized method of moments approach, the study accounts for the endogenous relations between levels of international air services availability (proxied by seat capacity) and tourism demand. The results suggest, on average, the generative effect of aviation exists albeit with small magnitude (0.1–0.5% increase in tourism demand per 100,000 additional seat capacity). The chapter concludes with a discussion on the shifting inbound tourism balance toward Asia and the implications for aviation policy to meet the high Asian tourism growth targets.


My introduction to cell biology came when, as an assistant professor of chemistry at Princeton University in the early 1970s, I bought a copy of a small textbook. The entire subject seemed completely foreign and uninteresting to me then, with its focus on light and electron micrographs of cell components, and on strange new words such as Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum. (Now, perversely, all 7th graders in California are expected to memorize these two words!)

This would soon change. Early in 1978, I received a fateful telephone call from Jim Watson. Jim had the insight to suggest that the time was ripe to consolidate what was then known about chemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and cell biology to produce a large new textbook to be entitled the Molecular Biology of the Cell. Multiple authors would be needed. The author initially responsible for the chemistry and molecular genetics sections of this new textbook had just dropped out. All of the work would be completed over the course of the next two summers. Would I be willing to take his place?

Bruce Alberts

In the end, the actual time required by the authors to write Jim's new textbook had been underestimated by about a factor of five. Each of the authors would spend more than 365 12-hour days together at "book meetings" to produce its first edition, published in 1983. But we each learned a tremendous amount about the science of the cell. In addition to chapters on biochemistry and the cell nucleus, I was assigned to write the chapter on intracellular membranes, in which the sorting of proteins through the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus was to be explained in molecular terms. I was mentored in this role by George Palade (a founder of the ASCB and in 1976 its president), who graciously read each of my drafts, thereby sparing everyone else from my naive speculations.

The six authors of Molecular Biology of the Cell are now beginning its 6th edition. Being forced to prepare an overview of our field every five years provides a unique opportunity to detect the changes in how scientists think about cells and to identify new frontiers for young scientists. Thus, for example, for a long time we believed that the only way to concentrate the proteins responsible for a particular set of reactions in a defined space, thereby speeding up those reaction rates, was to form a special membrane-bound compartment that concentrates those proteins. Only when writing the 5th edition of the book (Alberts et al., 2007 ) did we come to recognize that cells make wide use of large scaffold proteins for the same purpose and that cell chemistry is dominated by many different subcompartments that are not membrane-enclosed. Reconstructing scaffold-based subcompartments in vitro using purified components, so as to decipher their biochemistry, provides a new path of discovery for cell biologists.

Likewise, the elaborate networks of signaling pathways inside the cell—with large numbers of feed-back and feed-forward loops—allow each cell in a multicellular organism like ourselves to make critical decisions on how to behave. Learning how to manipulate this process of cell "thinking"—and repair it when it goes wrong as in cancer—presents another fantastic challenge to young scientists.

Cell biology has come a very long way since my early days as a scientist. It seems very safe to predict that the more we learn about cells and organisms, the more intriguing will be the new mysteries that remain to be solved. Our view of the cell today is certain to seem incredibly simplistic to anyone rereading these brief essays on the 100th anniversary of ASCB, in 2060. To me, there is nothing more grand about science than this, its "endless frontier."


South Africa continues to grapple with the challenges of low entrepreneurial activity, low economic growth, and high unemployment, in company with poverty and inequality. While extensive research has confirmed a correlation between entrepreneurial activity and economic growth in many countries, no published empirical evidence could be found to confirm this relationship in South Africa. To fill this gap, the present study extracted data on entrepreneurial activity from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor reports for the period 2000/01 to 2016/17 and data on economic growth and unemployment from Statistics South Africa for the same period. A statistical descriptive analysis of the data showed a positive association between entrepreneurial activity, employment, and economic growth. These results suggest that prioritising endeavors to develop entrepreneurial skills and increase entrepreneurial activity could assist in achieving South Africa's much-needed improvement in economic growth and, consequently, also contributing to reduced unemployment, poverty and inequality.


Deep learning for Information Retrieval (IR) requires a large amount of high-quality query-document relevance labels, but such labels are inherently sparse. Label smoothing redistributes some observed probability mass over unobserved instances, often uniformly, uninformed of the true distribution. In contrast, we propose knowledge distillation for informed labeling, without incurring high computation overheads at evaluation time. Our contribution is designing a simple but efficient teacher model which utilizes collective knowledge, to outperform state-of-the-arts distilled from a more complex teacher model. Specifically, we train up to \times8 faster than the state-of-the-art teacher, while distilling the rankings better. Our code is publicly available at https://github.com/jihyukkim-nlp/CollectiveKD.


The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of Syariah Compliance (Sharia Compliance) and Good Corporate Governance against the existence of FRAUD dibank Syariah registered in Bank Indonesia.The population in this study are all Sharia Commercial Banks (BUS) registered at Bank Indonesia from 2011 to 2015. Samples are selected using purposive sampling method. Total sample used in this research. 8 Sharia Commercial Bank with 5 years study period. The method of analysis used in this study is multiple regression processed using SPSS version 22.The results of this study indicate the compliance of shariah variables With proxy Profit Sharing Ratio has a negative effect on fraud on Ratio of Islamic Sharia Income, Investment Ratios of Islam and Islam Corporate governance has no effect on fraud on sharia banks.


The presence of side-lobes in the impulse response retrieved after pulse compression is a limitation in the range resolution performance of detection systems; in order to limit this effect the signal is often shaped by means of windows. In this paper we analyse the causes that produce side-lobes and propose a technique for their reduction, based on time-domain constraints which, in the case of base-band signals, turn in the definition of a particular low-pass filter. In real world applications, the pulse compression is performed by using bandpass signals as excitation, and among these the chirp signals are largely adopted: the useful bandwidth is thus shifted from the base-band. We consequently modify the filtering procedure defined for processing base-band signals, and propose a reactance transformation of the frequency axis to define the filter for the reduction of side-lobes in the case of band-pass chirp excitations. The paper shows that the application of the proposed filtering technique to chirp signals is particularly simple. The effectiveness of the technique is validated on experimental test data.


Soil is formed through constant and relational processes of breaking down—through decomposition and erosion—where brokenness becomes a ground for regrowth. At Bos Park in Amsterdam, thinking with soil foregrounds the socio-ecological contexts that underlie the park's design, fracturing dominant narratives of the park as a 'finished' cultural landscape. Rather, thinking with soil at Bos Park unearths histories of those who work the soil, from park construction by Jewish prisoners during Nazi occupation to recent attempts at maintaining the park as 'completed' nature. The productive breakdown of soil becomes a lens for uplifting pluralistic narratives to work toward meaningful pedagogical practices of historical, social, and ecological repair on soil time.


Commercial RGB-D cameras provide the possibility of fast, accurate, and cost-effective 3-D scanning solution in a single package. These economical depth cameras provide several advantages over conventional depth sensors, such as sonars and lidars, in specific usage scenarios. In this paper, we analyze the performance of Kinect v2 time-of-flight camera while operating fully submerged underwater in a customized waterproof housing. Camera calibration has been performed for Kinect's RGB and NIR cameras, and the effect of calibration on the generated 3-D mesh is discussed in detail. To overcome the effect of refraction of light due to the sensor housing and water, we propose a time-of-flight correction method and a fast, accurate and intuitive refraction correction method that can be applied to the acquired depth images, during 3-D mesh generation. Experimental results show that the Kinect v2 can acquire point cloud data up to 650 mm. The reconstruction results have been analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, and confirm that the 3-D reconstruction of submerged objects at small distances is possible without the requirement of any external NIR light source. The proposed algorithms successfully generated 3-D mesh with a mean error of ±6 mm at a frame rate of nearly 10 fps. We acquired a large data set of RGB, IR and depth data from a submerged Kinect v2. The data set covers a large variety of objects scanned underwater and is publicly available for further use, along with the Kinect waterproof housing design and correction filter codes. The research is aimed toward small-scale research activities and economical solution for 3-D scanning underwater. Applications such as coral reef mapping and underwater SLAM in shallow waters for ROV's can be a viable application area that can benefit from results achieved.


Aberrant expression of proinflammatory IL-1 α and β and the overproduction of nitric oxide (NO) have been shown to promote the progression of some tumors. In previous studies, we had confirmed that inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was constitutively expressed in most advanced melanomas and highly correlated with poor patient survival. In order to determine whether the imbalance of IL-1 and its natural competitor IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) contributes to the upregulation of iNOS in metastatic melanoma, we initiated an investigation of the expression profile of IL-1 system genes in melanoma and the linkage between IL-1 and iNOS/NO signaling pathways. Immunohistochemistry staining of 38 biopsy samples from metastatic melanoma patients showed that 33 samples highly expressed IL-1α and/or IL-1β. Only 5 samples were negative for both IL-1α and IL-1β expression. RT-PCR confirmed that melanoma cell lines A375, WM793, WM35, and SB2 constitutively expressed high levels of IL-1, IL-1 receptor I (IL-1RI), and iNOS. However, in the same cell lines, there was no detectable IL-1Ra mRNA, which is known to maintain IL-1 balance in normal skin tissues. Our study suggests that the imbalance of IL-1 and IL-Ra is widespread in metastatic melanoma. The engagement of IL-1 and IL-1RI can induce several kinase cascades leading to the activation of SAPK/JNK and NF-κB, and it is well known that transcription of iNOS can be regulated by NF-κB. In our studies, siRNA knockdown of either IL-1α or MyD88 (an important adaptor for IL-1RI signal pathway) in WM375 and A375 led to a dramatic decrease in the phoshorylation of SAPK/JNK and IκB. Furthermore, an 80% decrease of iNOS expression in WM793 was observed after the siRNA knockdown of MyD88. We confirmed that upregulated IL-1 signal pathway can activate NF-κB and the iNOS transcription. Treatment with 200 μM 7-Nitroindazole, a NO synthase inhibitor, not only reduced NO production, but also induced over 50% inhibition of cell growth and a marked increase in IL-1Ra mRNA in WM793 and A375. This indicates that a high level of NO can inhibit the IL-1Ra expression in melanoma cells. Based on our data, we proposed an inflammatory dysfunction model to explain the development of melanoma. It proposes that the constitutive expression of IL-1 can inhibit IL-1Ra expression mediated by the upregulation of iNOS/NO production in melanoma. The constant inhibition of IL-1Ra expression by NO results in a cycle of kinase transduction cascades, which drives NF-κB and its downstream inflammatory genes (including iNOS) constitutively expressed in melanoma. Our studies cast new insight into the mechanism of the pathology of metastatic melanoma. Selective inhibition of iNOS and increasing IL-1Ra levels are promising therapeutic strategies to suppress the aberrant IL-1 inflammation pathway in melanoma. Supported by MDACC SPORE in Melanoma CA093459. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4506.


In this paper, we present an intelligent help system for novice software engineers who use UML. This intelligent help is targeted to two kinds of user: the individual software engineer and the manager of the system, who coordinates the teams of software engineers. The system is called ISEA and can be used in real productive time even by the novice software engineers of a Software House. The intelligent help is generated based on a user-modelling module that records the actions of software engineers and evaluates them in terms of personality characteristics, their UML knowledge level and their collaboration with other software engineers. At the same time, ISEA supports a Group-Role Module that contributes to the automatic selection of the most effective collaboration schemes.


We study the packet dispersion phenomenon that a traffic flow experiences when it passes through a router. We show that when there are competing flows and the router schedules packets first-come-first-served (FCFS), the dispersion is not described well by the bottleneck spacing effect. We therefore introduce the term FCFS-spacing effect. We also show that for a router implementing weighted fair queuing, dispersion is due either to the bottleneck spacing effect or the FCFS spacing effect. The results from real measurements and simulations corroborate each other. Finally, we discuss the implications of FCFS packet dispersion on TCP's self-clocking mechanism.


The accumulation of large woody debris (LWD) at bridge piers is a serious hazard to the structural integrity of bridges across watercourses worldwide. The exacerbated scour that can directly result from LWD accumulations can lead to major structural damage or even catastrophic collapse. Recent research has led to empirical equations to estimate the scour depth for given LWD accumulation size; however these are mostly based on experimental tests with prismatic and impervious solid LWD accumulations, ignoring field observations that have shown that accumulations are neither impervious nor prismatic but are porous with inverted conical shapes. In this study, we therefore investigate the effects of porous LWD accumulations having shapes commonly observed in the field on scour holes. Results reveal that LWD size and shape, and flow characteristics are the primary factors influencing the erosion of sediments at the base of bridge piers. However, the porosity of accumulations is also observed to have a considerable effect on the size and maximum depth of scour holes. In particular, porous LWD reduce the maximum scour depth by up to 50% (and on average in the range of 5%–25%) relative to the respective solid impervious accumulation. The results shown in this study also provide a practical tool for arriving at more realistic and less conservative estimates of scour depths at bridge piers when affected by LWD accumulations.


Background: Although reperfusion therapy is widely performed in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the residual risk of poor outcomes remains substantial. The immune system plays an important role in AMI, and therapies targeting immune cells have proved effective in improving prognosis after AMI. However, the activation and regulation of immune signaling pathways during AMI have not been systematically studied.Objective: This study aimed to reveal the activation status of immune-related signals and the immune status after AMI.Methods and results: Three publicly available datasets (GSE48060, GSE66360, and GSE97320) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using peripheral blood tissue samples from 22 AMI patients and 22 individuals without AMI. Subsequent weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was performed for CD4+ T cells, macrophages, and regulatory T cells, and the 387 genes with the most significant correlations with the three immune cells were identified. Then, we intersected the 192 DEGs with 387 genes from WGCNA to reveal , a total of 151 overlapping genes. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis was performed to identify the hub genes. Furthermore, we recruited 44 patients and collected blood samples to validate the stability and reliability of the predicted hub tragets TLR2, TLR4, TLR8, MMP-9 and TYROBP using qRT-PCR assay.Conclusions: The immune-related genes TLR2, TLR4, TLR8, MMP9 and TYROBP may be potential biomarkers to identify immune signal activation after AMI, therefore providing information for the evaluation of both immune status and early intervention.


Background: Interns who would be the future doctors are not being observed for communication skills at their workplace. The Mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) can be used as a "Work Place Based Assessment" (WPBA) tool for the assessment of the communication skills of the interns and also for giving immediate feedback. This study was done to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of mini-CEX for improving the communication skills of interns in Pediatrics. Materials and Methods: It was a prospective interventional study which was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics. Forty interns and six faculty who volunteered participated in the mini-CEX encounters. The structured assessment mini-CEX form by the American Board of Internal Medicine was used. Each intern faced six assessment sessions on mini-CEX forms with each of the faculty. At the end of the internship rotation, the perceptions of the interns and faculty were gathered by an anonymous validated questionnaire containing both close-ended (using 5-point Likert scale) and open-ended questions. Statistical Analysis Used: The descriptive data were analyzed on the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. also done. Qualitative data of open-ended questions were done by thematic analysis. Results: Most interns (87.5%) and all faculty (100%) felt that mini-CEX helped them in achieving good communication skills. Comparison between the 1st and the 6th encounter of mini-CEX showed an increase in the mean score values for all skill competencies, and this improvement was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Mini-CEX is an acceptable, feasible, and effective WPBA tool for communication skills training of interns in pediatrics.