The reliability of subsurface barrier valves has long been an industry problem. This can lead to costly interventions, especially in deepwater subsea markets. This paper describes the world's first deployment of multicycle barrier valves in 2 subsea wells in Australia. These valves use innovative methods of both remote activation and triggering, previously unavailable on the market, to attain a step-change in reliability.
 The remote activated barrier valves were deployed as part of a subsea gravel pack system. They were initially run in hole (RIH) in the open position as part of the lower completion, then closed mechanically. The valve was subsequently opened via radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and then closed again mechanically, to allow running of the upper completion. Frequency modulated pressure cycles were applied to the well to open the valve and enable the well to flow.
 The valve functioned exactly as planned, and it demonstrated that it could be closed multiple times on a semi-sub vessel. The valve was then opened via RFID tags conveyed on wash pipe. This is a much more reliable method when in high-debris environments. The valve was opened for the final time via frequency modulated pressure cycles. These pressure cycles are better able to be transmitted through debris and are not affected by other hydraulic events in the well.
 The hydraulic pump that actuates the tool provides a constant force directly to the ball valve mechanism and is not subject to failures over time, unlike existing gas charges, ratchet mechanisms or springs. The RFID, mechanical or pressure cycles that trigger the valve offer a huge increase in operational flexibility that have never been able to be realized with existing technologies.


This letter describes a method for calculating water-leaving radiance on smooth surfaces at different angles based on Fresnel law and the polarized measurements using an ASD FS3 spectroradiometer. The spectroradiometer is mounted on a goniometer so that it views the water surface from a height of several decimeters at different viewing angles through a linear polarizing filter. The incident angles equal the viewing angles. The water-leaving radiance spectra acquired by other methods are compared with the polarized measurements from the smooth water surface, and the radiance spectra obtained by the proposed method are found to be consistent with the results of the reference methods. The current study provides another effective technique for measuring water-surface reflectance via remote sensing. Moreover, the method does not avoid the sun glint during the detection of water-leaving radiance in cases where the viewing geometric position is clear.


Background Patients and practitioners often consider the risk of side effects when starting a treatment for psoriasis and often consult reported adverse events (AE) in studies. However, most of these AEs are unrelated to treatment and patients consider what is the risk of an event should you not start a treatment. This is what would be observed in the placebo-arm of clinical trials. Objective To investigate the proportion of patients experiencing AEs during treatment with placebo in clinical trials. Methods We conducted a systematic literature search using PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases for phase 3 randomized clinical trials that registered adverse events of using placebo vs biological agents for psoriasis. The search term was "Psoriasis AND (Phase III OR Phase 3)". Results Of 7142 screened articles, 54 were included in the metanalysis. The pooled proportion of placebo-treated patients experiencing any AEs was .52 (95% Cl: .51 to .53) after 12 weeks and .53 (95% Cl: .50 to .55) after 16 weeks. The pooled proportion of patients with any serious AEs was .02 (95% Cl: .01 to .02) and .03 (95% Cl: .02 to .03) after 12 and 16 weeks, respectively. The most common AEs in placebo-treated patients were infections, nasopharyngitis, and headache. Conclusion About half of the patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis not starting an active treatment would experience disease events that would be categorized as AEs during a 12-16 weeks period.


ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the frequency of asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) in patients with COPD and to compare, from a clinical, laboratory, and functional point of view, patients with and without ACO, according to different diagnostic criteria. Methods: The participants underwent evaluation by a pulmonologist, together with spirometry and blood tests. All of the patients were instructed to record their PEF twice a day. The diagnosis of ACO was based on the Proyecto Latinoamericano de Investigación en Obstrucción Pulmonar (PLATINO, Latin American Project for the Investigation of Obstructive Lung Disease) criteria, the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Roundtable criteria, and the Spanish criteria. We investigated patient histories of exacerbations and hospitalizations, after which we applied the COPD Assessment Test and the modified Medical Research Council scale, to classify risk and symptoms in accordance with the GOLD criteria. Results: Of the 51 COPD patients, 14 (27.5%), 8 (12.2%), and 18 (40.0) were diagnosed with ACO on the basis of the PLATINO, ATS Roundtable, and Spanish criteria, respectively. The values for pre-bronchodilator FVC, post-bronchodilator FVC, and pre-bronchodilator FEV1 were significantly lower among the patients with ACO than among those with COPD only (1.9 ± 0.4 L vs. 2.4 ± 0.7 L, 2.1 ± 0.5 L vs. 2.5 ± 0.8 L, and 1.0 ± 0.3 L vs. 1.3 ± 0.5 L, respectively). When the Spanish criteria were applied, IgE levels were significantly higher among the patients with ACO than among those with COPD only (363.7 ± 525.9 kU/L vs. 58.2 ± 81.6 kU/L). A history of asthma was more common among the patients with ACO (p < 0.001 for all criteria). Conclusions: In our sample, patients with ACO were more likely to report previous episodes of asthma and had worse lung function than did those with COPD only. The ATS Roundtable criteria appear to be the most judicious, although concordance was greatest between the PLATINO and the Spanish criteria.


B cell Ag receptor (BCR) cross-linking with anti-Ig Abs efficiently induces activation of latently infected EBV in some B cell lines, but not in others. The present study was aimed at defining the molecular mechanisms that determine the response to BCR-mediated EBV activation. Comparison of Burkitt's lymphoma-derived Akata, Mutu-I, and Daudi cells, which are representative responders and nonresponders to BCR-mediated EBV activation, respectively, indicated that three signaling pathways, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), were activated in anti-Ig-treated Akata and Mutu-I cells. However, in anti-Ig-treated Daudi cells PI3K was not activated, ERK was faintly activated, and p38 MAPK was constitutively phosphorylated irrespective of anti-Ig treatment. Restoration of PI3K activity with insulin-like growth factor 1 restored ERK and p38 MAPK pathways, and was accompanied by EBV activation in anti-Ig-treated Daudi cells. In contrast, a specific inhibitor for PI3K, wortmannin, inhibited EBV activation by anti-Ig Abs in Akata and Mutu-I cells. Transfection assays in EBV-negative Daudi cells revealed that PI3K activated a promoter for BZLF1, which is a switch of EBV activation from a latent infection, in the absence of other EBV products suggesting that the BZLF promoter was a target of BCR signaling, and that PI3K was important for BCR-mediated BZLF1 activation. These results indicate that the absence of PI3K impedes the progression of signals through the BCR and becomes a determinant of unresponsiveness to BCR-mediated EBV activation.


A survey was carried out on occurrence of Mycobacterium marinum in fish kept in aquaria and those living in their natural environment. Species-specific qPCR targeting the erp and IS2404 genes together with the conventional culture method were used. The analysis of 72 ornamental fish (n = 216 samples: gills, muscle and intestine) collected from aquaria revealed the presence of M. marinum in 30 individuals (41.7%) of whom 17 (23.6%) were later culture positive. Culture-independent detection revealed the presence of M. marinum in 16 of 83 environmental samples (19.3%) collected in aquaria. The presence of viable M. marinum cells was later confirmed in 5 samples (6.0%). No qPCR or culture positivity was observed when 123 groundwater fish and their corresponding environmental samples (n = 142) were analysed.


The research employed the descriptive-survey to gather and analyze the problems and difficulties the 100 BEEd and BSEd students encountered during practice teaching. The data were collected during the school year 2008-2009. No sampling procedure was done because all student teachers were included as participants. The instrument used to gather data was questionnaire on problems and difficulties students encountered during practice teaching. This relates to personal problems, teacher's preparation problems, class participation problems, class management problems, instructional problems, problems on evaluation, emotional problems, and problems in adjusting to pupils/students. To arrive at the correct analysis and interpretation of data, frequency, percentage and rank were used.
Findings disclosed that the problems and difficulties encountered relate to homesickness, financial adjustment, learners, classroom management, communication skills, instructional skills, instructional materials and evaluation tools preparation and analysis of test results, different feelings and emotions, and on adjustment to the cooperating school as a whole.


A novel protease-producing actinomycete, designated strain NEAU-ZS1T, was isolated from the root of Perilla frutescens (Linn.) Britt collected from Jiamusi, Heilongjiang, PR China. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that strain NEAU-ZS1T belonged to the genus Sphaerisporangium and was most closely related to 'Sphaerisporangium corydalis' NEAU-YHS15T (99.2%) and Sphaerisporangium cinnabarinum JCM 3291T (99.0%). Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that strain NEAU-ZS1T formed a monophyletic clade with 'S. corydalis' NEAU-YHS15T. The genome size was 9.3 Mbp with a DNA G+C content of 70.3 mol%. Digital DNA-DNA hybridization, average nucleotide identity and average amino acid identity values between the genome sequence of strain NEAU-ZS1T and those of 'S. corydalis' NEAU-YHS15T (28.6, 83.9 and 79.1 %) and S. cinnabarinum JCM 3291T (18.5, 70.6 and 50.2 %) were below the recommended thresholds for species delineation. The strain formed spherical spore vesicles produced on the aerial hyphae. The cell wall contained meso-diaminopimelic acid and the whole-cell sugars were glucose and madurose. The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, an unidentified phospholipid and an unidentified glycolipid. The menaquinones were MK-9(H4), MK-9(H6) and MK-9(H2). The major fatty acids were iso-C16 : 0, C16 : 1 ω5c, 10-methy C17 : 0 and C17 : 1 ω7c. On the basis of the results of a polyphasic taxonomic study, it is concluded that strain NEAU-ZS1T represents a novel species of the genus Sphaerisporangium, for which the name Sphaerisporangium perillae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NEAU-ZS1T (=CCTCC AA 2021019T= JCM 35655T).


We present three unusual complications of laparoscopic sterilisation with clinical presentation, pathology and management. We discuss the possible aetiological factors, pathogenesis and clinical importance in relation to each case.


Dental implants have transformed the prosthetic replacement of teeth. Plaque biofilm is the primary etiologic agent for periodontitis and peri-implantitis. Dental plaque biofilm induced inflammation and associated tissue destruction endanger the success and survival of dental implants more than the way it affects natural teeth. Existing periodontitis / history of periodontal disease is considered as a risk factor for peri-implantitis. Meticulous plaque control should be established and comprehensive periodontal therapy executed to obtain periodontal disease stability before dental implant provision. Maintenance of implant is more difficult than maintenance of teeth. Hence extracting teeth for the sake of replacement with implants is not always a good alternative. The general considerations for successful implant placement and maintenance in periodontitis patients are discussed.


ABSTRACT This article examines three voyages of the late 1840s to advance the argument that emigration – often treated by its historians as 'spontaneous' – actually involved the laissez-faire mid-Victorian imperial state in significant projects of social engineering. The tale of the Virginius exemplifies that state's commitment to taking advantage of the Famine to convert the Irish countryside into an export economy of large-scale graziers. The tale of the Earl Grey exemplifies its commitment to transforming New South Wales into a conspicuously moral colony of free settlers. The tale of the Arabian exemplifies its commitment to saving plantation society in the British Caribbean from the twin threats posed by slave emancipation and free trade in sugar. These voyages also show how the British imperial state's involvement in immigration frequently immersed it in ethical controversy. Its strictly limited response to the Irish Famine contributed to mass death. Its modest effort to create better lives in Australia for a few thousand Irish orphans led to charges that it was dumping immoral paupers on its most promising colonies. Its eagerness to bolster sugar production in the West Indies put 'liberated' slaves in danger.


Considering the contradiction of getting pleasure from pain, the masochism is discussed from the perspective of two metapsychological models, Freud's and Laplanche's. Th e Freudian metapsychology about masochism is characterized by two distinct and opposed theories, whose formulations suff er the eff ects of the change in the drives' theory from 1920 on. We follow Laplanche's review on Freud's theories, in order to underline the Generalized Seduction Th eory's model. According to this paradigm, masochism is a characteristic of the child's position in relation with adults: at the beginning, in the anthropological fundamental situation, the dissymmetry between children and their parents puts children in a masochistic position. So, Freud's assertion about primary masochism has meaning only if the autoerotism is interpreted from the angles of alterity, to explain child's narcissism originally as a solution to the attack of the adult's unconscious sexual desires


In this paper, we present a detailed framework to analyze the evolution of the random topology of a time-varying wireless network via the information theoretic notion of entropy rate. We consider a propagation channel varying over time with random node positions in a closed space and Rayleigh fading affecting the connections between nodes. The existence of an edge between two nodes at given locations is modeled by a Markov chain, enabling memory effects in network dynamics. We then derive a lower and an upper bound on the entropy rate of the spatiotemporal network. The entropy rate measures the shortest per-step description of the stationary stochastic process defining the state of the wireless system and depends both on the maximum Doppler shift and the path loss exponent. It characterizes the topological uncertainty of the wireless network and quantifies how quickly the underlying topology is varying with time.


In this paper, we describe a new language model based on dependent word sequences organized in multi-level hierarchy. We call this model MCnv, where n is the maximum number of words in a sequence and $\nu$ is the maximum number of levels. The originality of this model is its capability to take into account dependent variable-length sequences for very large vocabulary. In order to discover the variable-length sequences and to build the hierarchy, we use a set of 233 syntactic classes extracted from the eight French elementary grammatical classes. The MCnv model learns hierarchical word patterns and uses them to reevaluate and filter the n-best utterance hypotheses outputed by our speech recognizer MAUD. The model have been trained on a corpus (LeM) of 43 million of words extracted from ``Le Monde'' a French newspapers and uses a vocabulary of 20000 words. Tests have been conducted on 300 sentences. Results achieved 17% decrease in perplexity compared to an interpolated class trigram model. Rescoring the original n-best hypotheses results also in an improvement of 5% in accuracy.


Freehand sketching is a natural and crucial part of everyday human interaction, yet is almost totally unsupported by current user interfaces. We are working to combine the exibility and ease of use of paper and pencil with the processing power of a computer, to produce a user interface for design that feels as natural as paper, yet is considerably smarter. One of the most basic steps in accomplishing this is converting the original digitized pen strokes in a sketch into the intended geometric objects. In this paper we describe an implemented system that combines multiple sources of knowledge to provide robust early processing for freehand sketching.


Analyzing the distribution of the salamanders Pseudoeurycea gadovil and P. melanmolga, we report Pseudoeurycea melanmolga for the first time in Puebla, and the known distribution range for both species is increased.


At asbestos-contaminated sites, exposure assessment requires measurement of airborne asbestos concentrations; however, the choice of preparation steps employed in the analysis has been debated vigorously among members of the asbestos exposure and risk assessment communities for many years. This study finds that the choice of preparation technique used in estimating airborne amphibole asbestos exposures for risk assessment is generally not a significant source of uncertainty. Conventionally, the indirect preparation method has been less preferred by some because it is purported to result in false elevations in airborne asbestos concentrations, when compared to direct analysis of air filters. However, airborne asbestos sampling in non-occupational settings is challenging because non-asbestos particles can interfere with the asbestos measurements, sometimes necessitating analysis via indirect preparation. To evaluate whether exposure concentrations derived from direct versus indirect preparation techniques differed significantly, paired measurements of airborne Libby-type amphibole, prepared using both techniques, were compared. For the evaluation, 31 paired direct and indirect preparations originating from the same air filters were analyzed for Libby-type amphibole using transmission electron microscopy. On average, the total Libby-type amphibole airborne exposure concentration was 3.3 times higher for indirect preparation analysis than for its paired direct preparation analysis (standard deviation = 4.1), a difference which is not statistically significant (p = 0.12, two-tailed, Wilcoxon signed rank test). The results suggest that the magnitude of the difference may be larger for shorter particles. Overall, neither preparation technique (direct or indirect) preferentially generates more precise and unbiased data for airborne Libby-type amphibole concentration estimates. The indirect preparation method is reasonable for estimating Libby-type amphibole exposure and may be necessary given the challenges of sampling in environmental settings. Relative to the larger context of uncertainties inherent in the risk assessment process, uncertainties associated with the use of airborne Libby-type amphibole exposure measurements derived from indirect preparation analysis are low. Use of exposure measurements generated by either direct or indirect preparation analyses is reasonable to estimate Libby-type Amphibole exposures in a risk assessment.


The aim of this study was to get an overview on therapeutic measures and recall compliance of elderly patients treated in a private dental office. Data regarding the dental treatment und prosthodontic rehabilitation were collected from a total of 429 patients who were 65 years old and older (average: 75.8 years). 94 patients (23%) were edentulous and had dentures in both jaws, whereas 335 patients still had remaining teeth in one or both jaws. Only 8 patients had a full complement of teeth. 239 patients (55%) had complete oral rehabilitation. Few fixed partial prostheses and mainly removable partial und complete dentures were inserted. 190 patients did not get new reconstructions, because 1) they did not need it, or 2) they did not want it. In some cases, existing prostheses could be adapted or repaired. Almost all patients with remaining teeth were in need of periodontal treatment. 54% of them underwent periodontal therapy. Maintenance care was supported by regular recall. 65% of the patients appeared regularly according to their individual interval. A strong correlation could be established between regular recalls, the extent of rehabilitation and the number of remaining teeth.


Amylomyces rouxii, the filamentous fungus widely used in the production of Asian fermented foods, is closely related to certain strains of Rhizopus oryzae secreting lactic acid. Among seven strains of A. rouxii, CBS 438.76T most vigorously produced both lactic acid and ethanol from glucose, starch, and pectin in liquid media. When this strain was grown on apple peels and successively mixed with potato pulp, the concentration of lactic acid produced was lower than that produced by Rhizopus oryzae NBRC 4707. However, the growth ofA. rouxii CBS 438.76T acidified the pulp to less than pH 4, the level found in conventional silage fermented by lactic acid bacteria. A. rouxii may be preferable to R. oryzae for recycling potato pulp and other agricultural by-products into food materials because this fungus was being consumed long before written history, which attests to its safety for humans.


Objective: This study aimed to construct a ferroptosis-related gene signature to predict clinical prognosis and tumor immunity in patients with kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC).Methods: The mRNA expression profiles and corresponding clinical data of KIRC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), which were randomly divided into training (398 patients) and validation set (132 patients). The iron death related (IDR) prediction model was constructed based on training set and 60 ferroptosis-related genes from previous literatures, followed by prognostic performance evaluation and verification using the validation set. Moreover, functional enrichment, immune cell infiltration, metagene clusters correlation, and TIDE scoring analyses were performed. Results: In total, 23 ferroptosis-related genes were significantly associated with overall survival (OS). The IDR prediction model (a 10-gene signature) was then constructed to stratify patients into two risk groups. The OS of KIRC patients with high-risk scores was significantly shorter than those with low-risk scores. Moreover, the risk score was confirmed as an independent prognostic predictor for OS. The positive and negative correlated genes with this model were significantly enriched in p53 signaling pathway, and cGMP-PKG signaling pathway. The patients in the high-risk group had higher ratios of plasma cells, T cells CD8, and T cells regulatory Tregs. Furthermore, IgG, HCK, LCK, and Interferson metagenes were significantly correlated with risk score. By TIDE score analysis, patients in the high-risk group could benefit from immunotherapy.Conclusions: The identified ferroptosis-related gene signature is significantly correlated with clinical prognosis and immune immunity in KIRC patients.


We present the results of a thorough study of the nucleus of the Sgr dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph) and of the bright globular cluster M54 (NGC 6715) that resides within the same nucleus (Sgr,N). We have obtained accurate radial velocities and metallicity estimates for 1152 candidate red giant branch stars of Sgr and M54 lying within ∼9′ from the center of the galaxy, from Keck/DEIMOS and VLT/FLAMES spectra of the infrared Ca ii triplet. Using both velocity and metallicity information we selected two samples of 425 and 321 very likely members of M54 and of Sgr,N, respectively. The two considered systems display significantly different velocity dispersion profiles. M54 has a steeply decreasing profile from r = 0′, where σ ≃ 14.2 km s−1, to r ≃ 3.′5 where it reaches σ ≃ 5.3 km s−1, then it appears to rise again to σ ≃ 10 km s−1 at r ∼ 7′. In contrast Sgr,N has a uniformly flat profile at σ ≃ 9.6 km s−1 over the whole 0′ ⩽ r ⩽ 9′ range. Using data from the literature we show that the velocity dispersion of Sgr remains constant at least out to r ∼ 100′ and there is no sign of the transition between the outer flat-luminosity-profile core and the inner nucleus in the velocity profile. These results, together with a re-analysis of the surface brightness profile of Sgr,N and a suite of dedicated N-body simulations, provide very strong support for the hypothesis that the nucleus of Sgr formed independently of M54, which probably plunged to its present position, coincident with Sgr,N, because of significant decay of the original orbit due to dynamical friction.


Objectives: To present the clinicopathological experience of Olfactory Neuroblastoma (ONB) with emphasis on histopathological and immunohistochemical features. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done on 36 cases of ONB, selected by non-probability purposive sampling. Theses cases of ONB were retrieved and reviewed from surgical pathology database of Aga Khan University Hospital reported between January 1993 and March 2015. Results: Tumor size and age of presentation was wide in range without any distinct bimodal distribution. Nasal cavity was most common site along with involvement of paranasal sinuses. More than 50% cases had Kadish stage A. Microscopically, most cases were Grade-1 and majority showed partial or complete lobular architecture. Neurofibrillary matrix was observed in 2/3rd of cases. Among immunohistochemical markers, Neuron Specific Enolase was most frequently expressed. Unusual positive expression of Cytokeratin AE1/AE3 and Cytokeratin CAM5.2 was also seen focally in few cases. Conclusion: The ONB has great variability of histological and clinical presentation, and immunohistochemical markers are useful to differentiate from more common small round blue cell tumours of nasal cavity.


Small plastic buttons were sutured in place in the rectum, urodeum and other sites in the cloaca of White Leghorn hens and the effects upon feed consumption were determined. When the foreign body was placed in the rectum there was a marked decrease in feed consumption, which returned to normal after removal of the object. Mechanical stimulation by the foreign bodies in other areas of the cloaca was without effect.


This work introduces the novel concept of kind refinement, which we develop in the context of an explicitly polymorphic ML-like language with type-level computation. Just as type refinements embed rich specifications by means of comprehension principles expressed by predicates over values in the type domain, kind refinements provide rich kind specifications by means of predicates over types in the kind domain. By leveraging our powerful refinement kind discipline, types in our language are not just used to statically classify program expressions and values, but also conveniently manipulated as tree-like data structures, with their kinds refined by logical constraints on such structures. Remarkably, the resulting typing and kinding disciplines allow for powerful forms of type reflection, ad-hoc polymorphism and type-directed meta-programming, which are often found in modern software development, but not typically expressible in a type-safe manner in general purpose languages. We validate our approach both formally and pragmatically by establishing the standard meta-theoretical results of type safety and via a prototype implementation of a kind checker, type checker and interpreter for our language.


The majority of cacao plantations in the province of Central Sulawesi is a plantation owned by the public so that any impact on the sales of income and purchasing power of farmers. This study aimed to determine the effect on the production of cocoa production inputs and determine the level of efficiency of use of production inputs cocoa farm in Kawende Village Poso Pesisir Utara District Poso Regency. Respondent performed using simple random method (simple random sampling). The number of samples taken 40 of 334 member the population of farmers. The analysis tool used is the analysis of Cobb-Douglass production function and efficiency analysis. F-test results indicate that the variable land area (X1), fertilizer (X2), labor (X3) and pesticides (X4) jointly affect the production of cocoa farming in the village Kawende. T-test results showed that the land area variable (X1), fertilizer (X3) and labor (X3) very significant effect on the production of cocoa farming in the village Kawende while pesticides (X4) is not a real effect on the production of cocoa farming in the village Kawende. The results of the efficiency analysis shows that the use of the land area (X1), fertilizer (X2) and labor (X3) is not efficient sehinggah still need to be added while the use of pesticides (X4) is inefficient because its use is excessive so that farmers have to reduce the use of pesticides.


Background Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterised by inflammation, vascular injury and excessive fibrosis in multiple organs. SPARC is a matricellular glycoprotein that can bind to extracellular matrix (ECM) components, as well as cellular receptors and secreted growth factors. In doing so, SPARC regulates biological activities dependent upon cellular interactions with the ECM as well as processes dependent upon cell adhesion, including tissue remodelling, wound healing, angiogenesis and immune responses. Several studies have implicated SPARC in the pathology of SSc but the specific role of SPARC in fibrosis is still unknown. Objectives The aim of this study was to analyse the potential role of SPARC as a regulator of fibrosis in SSc. Methods Expression of SPARC in the skin of healthy donors (HD) and SSc patients was measured by immunohistochemistry. Peripheral blood-derived monocytes from HD and SSc patients were differentiated into macrophages with M-CSF (25 ng/ml). Dermal fibroblasts and M-CSF macrophages from both HD and SSc patients were stimulated with SPARC (0.1 and 1 µg/ml) for 6 hour and 24 hour. mRNA and protein expression of SPARC and other fibrosis-related genes were measured by qPCR and western blot. Results We found increased expression of SPARC in the affected skin of SSc patients compared to HD. We also observed a higher expression of SPARC and ECM components (colagen(Col)−1 and fibronectin-1 (FN1) in dermal fibroblasts derived from SSc patients. SPARC stimulation induced mRNA expression of important fibrosis-related genes such as TGFB1, PDGFB, SERPINE1 and CTGF, and ECM components including COL1A1, COL3A1, COL4A1 and FN1 in dermal fibroblasts from SSc patients, but not healthy donors. In M-CSF macrophages from SSc patients, SPARC also up-regulated mRNA expression of TGFB1, PDGFB, STAB1,COL1A1 and FN1. Conclusions These results suggest that SPARC is an important pro-fibrotic mediator contributing to the pathology driving SSc. Therefore, SPARC could be a promising therapeutic target for reducing fibrosis in SSc. Disclosure of Interest S. Garcia Perez: None declared, B. Malvar Fernandez: None declared, M. Bergin Employee of: UCB, T. Johnson Employee of: UCB, W. Marut: None declared, K. A. Reedquist: None declared, T. R. Radstake: None declared


Chaotic sequences may be advantageous for secure communications. Although many chaotic communications systems have been proposed, most of them show a poor performance under realistic channel conditions (i.e. noise and multipath fading). In this paper, we propose a novel chaotic modulation scheme based on the symbolic sequence associated to the chaotic map and backward iteration. These chaotically modulated signals are then sent in each sub-carrier of a conventional OFDM system instead of the usual BPSK or QAM ones. In the receiver, equalization is performed in the frequency domain, and the Viterbi algorithm is used to estimate the transmitted sequence. Computer simulations confirm the good performance of the proposed approach.


This paper presents a novel approach for designing a robotic orthosis controller considering physical human-robot interaction (pHRI). Computer simulation for this human-robot system can be advantageous in terms of time and cost due to the laborious nature of designing a robot controller that effectively assists humans with the appropriate magnitude and phase. Therefore, we propose a two-stage policy training framework based on deep reinforcement learning (deep RL) to design a robot controller using human-robot dynamic simulation. In Stage 1, the optimal policy of generating human gaits is obtained from deep RL-based imitation learning on a healthy subject model using the musculoskeletal simulation in OpenSim-RL. In Stage 2, human models in which the right soleus muscle is weakened to a certain severity are created by modifying the human model obtained from Stage 1. A robotic orthosis is then attached to the right ankle of these models. The orthosis policy that assists walking with optimal torque is then trained on these models. Here, the elastic foundation model is used to predict the pHRI in the coupling part between the human and robotic orthosis. Comparative analysis of kinematic and kinetic simulation results with the experimental data shows that the derived human musculoskeletal model imitates a human walking. It also shows that the robotic orthosis policy obtained from two-stage policy training can assist the weakened soleus muscle. The proposed approach was validated by applying the learned policy to ankle orthosis, conducting a gait experiment, and comparing it with the simulation results.


Over the past decade, pneumatic reduction has been increasingly accepted as the treatment of choice for pediatric intussusception. However the effectiveness of air compared with the more traditional barium reduction of intussusception continues to be a source of concern and debate. From August 1993 to November 1994, pneumatic reduction was used to treat 75 episodes in 73 patients with proven intussusception at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan. Two patients underwent air reduction twice because of recurrence following an initial successful reduction. The recurrence rate was 3%. Successful reduction was achieved in 65/75 (87%) episodes. None of the patients experienced any complications following the procedure. In two of the 10 patients in whom reduction failed, one was subsequently found to have a Meckel's diverticulum and the other a duplication cyst as a leading point. This prospective study indicates that air enema is a safe and effective form of treatment for intussusception in infants and children. Pneumatic reduction should be the treatment of choice in the initial management of intussusception.


Throughout antiquity memory played a central role in the production, publication, and transmission of texts. Greek mnemotechnics started developing as early as the 6th century BC and by the 2nd century BC memory established itself as a formal division of rhetoric. Techniques of memorization are described at length in ancient rhetorical or scientific works (such as Aristotle's De memoria ), or alluded to in literary works. The theory of mnemotechnics was concerned with how to learn virtually any text by heart, but there is no systematic discussion of what makes a text intrinsically easy to memorize, nor of how to compose in a memory-friendly manner. However, passing remarks scattered throughout ancient Greek texts show that some awareness existed that certain stylistic and structural features improve the memorability of texts. A systematic study of these primary sources reveals that (a) memorization was not regarded as specifically functional to oral performance alone, and (b) the Greek literary and technical writers consciously looked at the mnemonic advantage of stylistic and structural features only when they wanted to favour the memory of the audience, not that of the performer.


The problem of optimal portfolio selection has attracted a great attention in the finance and optimization field. The future stock price should be predicted in an acceptable precision, and a suitable model and criterion for risk and the expected return of the stock portfolio should be proposed in order to solve the optimization problem. In this paper, two new criterions for the risk of stock price prediction has been presented, of which the first one is based on the interval predictions which vary with time and proportional to the uncertainty of stock price data, while the second one is a constant risk term that is proportional to the prediction error variances of the neural networks. A novel cost function has been presented to simultaneously consider the expected returns and risks. Genetic algorithm has been used to solve this optimization problem. Finally, 18 shares of the Tehran Stock Exchange have been considered to evaluate the performance of the proposed risk criterions. Two proposed risk criteria, by the conditional value at risk (CVaR) associated with the same stock. The problem of stock portfolio optimization has been solved for all three situations, and the PI-based risk criteria yielded a better return


Aims The primary aim of this study was to assess the rate of patient satisfaction one year after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) according to the focus of the question asked. The secondary aims were to identify independent predictors of patient satisfaction according to the focus of the question. Patients and Methods A retrospective cohort of 2521 patients undergoing a primary unilateral TKA were identified from an established regional arthroplasty database. Patient demographics, comorbidities, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and 12‐Item Short‐Form Health Survey (SF‐12) scores were collected preoperatively and one year postoperatively. Patient satisfaction was assessed using four questions, which focused on overall outcome, activity, work, and pain. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent preoperative predictors of increased stiffness when adjusting for confounding variables. Results Using patient satisfaction with the overall outcome (n = 2265, 89.8%) as the standard, there was no difference in the rate of satisfaction for pain relief (n = 2277, odds ratio (OR) 0.95, 95% confident intervals (CI) 0.79 to 1.14, p = 0.60), but patients were more likely to be dissatisfied with activities (79.3%, n = 2000/2521, OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.96 to 2.70, p < 0.001) and work (85.8%, n = 2163/2521, OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.75, p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis identified different predictors of satisfaction for each of the focused satisfaction questions. Overall satisfaction was influenced by diabetes (p = 0.03), depression (p = 0.004), back pain (p < 0.001), and SF‐12 physical (p = 0.008) and mental (p = 0.01) components. Satisfaction with activities was influenced by depression (p = 0.001), back pain (p < 0.001), WOMAC stiffness score (p = 0.03), and SF‐12 physical (p < 0.001) and mental (p < 0.001) components. Satisfaction with work was influenced by depression (p = 0.007), back pain (p < 0.001), WOMAC function (p = 0.04) and stiffness (p = 0.05) scores, and SF‐12 physical (p < 0.001) and mental (p < 0.001) components. Satisfaction with pain relief was influenced by diabetes (p < 0.001), back pain (p < 0.001), and SF‐12 mental component (p = 0.04). Conclusion The focus of the satisfaction question significantly influences the rate and the predictors of patient satisfaction after TKA.


In the process that MR signal is quadrature demodulated, the initial phases of sinusoid and cosinusoid used as demodulation reference signal exist errors, which results in artifacts in the image. It is typically overcome through precise control of the initial phases with the help of the special hardware, but the errors are not reduced completely. In this work, a method based on reference scan is proposed. Reference scan without frequency encoding gradient and phase encoding gradient is executed before FSE sequence, and an echo train is acquired. The phase errors of sinusoid and cosinusoid that are used to demodulate each echo in the reference echo train are calculated. Then the k-space data of image is corrected by these errors and artifacts are removed. The experiments using 0.35T MRI system demonstrate the effectiveness of this method


This study aimed to investigate the long-term outcomes of sulfonylurea (SU) use in patients with T2DM and compensated liver cirrhosis. From January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2012, we selected the data of 3781 propensity-score-matched SU users and nonusers from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. The mean follow-up time for this study was 5.74 years. Cox proportional hazards models with robust sandwich standard error estimates were used to compare the risks of main outcomes between SU users and nonusers. The incidence of mortality during follow-up was 3.24 and 4.09 per 100 person-years for SU users and nonusers, respectively. The adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for all-cause mortality, major cardiovascular events, and decompensated cirrhosis in SU users relative to SU nonusers were 0.79 (0.71–0.88), 0.69 (0.61–0.80), and 0.82 (0.66–1.03), respectively. The SU-associated lower risks of death and cardiovascular events seemed to have a dose–response trend. This population-based cohort study demonstrated that SU use was associated with lower risks of death and major cardiovascular events compared with SU non-use in patients with T2DM and compensated liver cirrhosis. SUs may be useful for glycemic management for patients with liver cirrhosis.


Although the critical appreciation of the historical novel in the nineteenth century strongly fluctuated under the influence of literary historical, historiographical and ideological developments, the genre remained so popular that Dutch authors could not meet the demand at any point in time. Especially German-speaking authors were translated. A detailed statistical comparison of the originally Dutch and the translated historical novels that were published in The Netherlands between 1790 and 1899 brings some typical characteristics of the Dutch historical novel to light. 1) Typically Dutch is the neglect of the Eighteenth Century and – compared to the originally German novels – Antiquity. Dutch authors focused mainly on three periods: the Middle Ages, the Sixteenth Century and, although less than might be expected, the Seventeenth Century. The history of the cultural and economical developments in the Dutch Golden Age had yet to be written and most novelists were not willing and/or capable to do the required research. 2) In contradiction to contemporay complaints about the choice of subject matter of Dutch authors, the Netherlands is the place of action of about fifty percent of the Dutch novels, which is relatively high, especially in comparison to the originally German novels. Finally, it is concluded that the often assumed influence of D.J. van Lennep and/or E.J. Potgieter en R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink remained limited to just a couple of authors. The last section contains some suggestions for further research.


Religious violence in Nigeria has devaluated our national economy. Any interested observer of the Nigeria socio-political structure is all too easily aware of the multiplicity of voices and the diversity of cultures within the one nation. Nigeria has one of the highest ethnic nationalities to be found in one single nation in the World. Religious pluralism in Nigeria has been disrupted by religiously motivated conflict. And to add to this is also Colonial policies towards Muslim and Christian communities which has institutionalized racial and religious differences with far-reaching consequences before and after independence. Religious fundamentalism, intolerance, fanaticism and local rivalries among Christians and Muslims noticeably emerged in Nigeria during the 1970s. Most of Nigerian's inter-religious forums have responded to religious conflict only after it has escalated into violence. This paper confirms that this is a cankerworm that impeded nation-building. Based on this recommendations are made.


The paper sets out one of the methodologies on image processing and recognition of the form of graphic objects. In it, at the first stage preliminary processing of the image with the purpose of extracting of characteristic attributes of the form of objects is made. Contours of objects are used as such attributes. For transformation of 2D contours of objects to one-dimensional contour function ArcHeight method has been used. The algorithm for identification contour functions based on metrics DTW is developed. Definition of the identification function based on this method is introduced. Features of application of metrics DTW are stated at identification of the form of objects. Matrices of distances of combinations the sample-sample and the sample-not sample are presented. Results of calculations of metrics DTW on a plenty of real data are analyzed. It is shown, that the developed algorithm allows to identify the form of objects independently of their position and an angle of turn on the image. Influence of the noise imposed on the image of object, on value of the metrics is investigated. Theoretical and practical results of such dependence are received; it shows that in a wide range (up to the ratio a signal/noise 10 dB) value of the metrics practically does not change. The positive parties and lacks of the offered algorithm are noted at identification of the form of object.


Abstract The obstruction of blood flow at the aortic bifurcation by an embolus defines aortic saddle embolism (ASE). This rare entity occurs preferentially in individuals with cardiovascular diseases such as the middle aged and the elderly. Conversely, its occurrence is sporadic in younger patients. As a result, the diagnosis of ASE is often overlooked or delayed in this age group; therefore, putting these patients at significant risk of neurologic impairment and potential limb loss. Following an extensive literature review, we have found only one reported case of ASE in a patient younger than 30 years. This patient died within 24 hours of admission and was diagnosed with ASE at autopsy. Here, we report for the first time, a case of a successful management of an ASE in a 28-year-old female who presented at our emergency room with acute weakness and numbness of the lower extremities. After vascular consult, the diagnosis of ASE was made and the patient was treated successfully. A week later, the patient was discharged home in stable condition without complications. The purpose of this report is to raise awareness about this potentially fatal condition and emphasize the importance of rapid assessment and treatment. The treatment options are heparin infusion, thrombolytic therapy, and embolectomy.


In the Phoenix case, pulmonary hypertension threatened the life of an eleven-week pregnant mother. Removal of the placenta as the organ threatening the mother's life necessarily included extracting the amniotic membranes containing the fetus. The author proposes this argument: the principle of double effect clarifies that causing the death of the fetus (destined to die, whatever transpired) while avoiding a direct physical assault on it constitutes an indirect and unintended (albeit foreseen) side effect, thereby justifying the intervention.


Phosphine has been used worldwide for the control of stored-product insects for many years. However, the molecular mechanism of its toxicity is not clearly understood. In the current study, larvae of the peach fruit moth were fumigated with phosphine. Proteomic analysis was then performed to identify the regulated proteins. Our results confirmed the phosphine toxicity on the peach fruit moth. The median lethal time LT50 was 38.5 h at 330 ppm at 25 degrees C. During fumigation, the respiration of the peach fruit moth was extremely inhibited. Of the 26 regulated proteins, 16 were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry after a 24 h treatment. The proteins were classified as related to metabolism (25 %), anti-oxidation (6 %), signal transduction (38 %), or defense (19 %). The rest (13 %) were unclassified. Phosphine regulation of ATP and glutathione contents, as well as of ATP synthase and glutathione S-transferase 2 activities were confirmed by enzyme activity analysis. These results demonstrate that complex transcriptional regulations underlie phosphine fumigation. New theories on the mechanism of phosphine toxicity may also be established based on these results.


Formation Mechanism of Monodisperse Colloidal Semiconductor Quantum Dots A Study of Nanoscale Nucleation and Growth Matthew William Greenberg Since the fortuitous discovery of the existence of quantum size effects on the band structure of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, the development of synthetic methods that can form nanoscale crystalline materials of controllable size, shape, and composition has blossomed as an empirical scientific achievement. The fact that the term "recipe" is commonly used within the context of describing these synthetic methods is indicative of the experimentally driven nature of the field. In this respect, the highly attractive photophysical properties of semiconductor nanocrystals—as cheap wavelength tunable and high quantum yield absorbers and emitters of light for various applications in lighting, biological imaging, solar cells, and photocatalysis—has driven much of the interest in these materials. Nevertheless, a more rigorously predictive first-principlesgrounded understanding of how the basic processes of nanocrystal formation (nucleation and growth) lead to the formation of semiconductor nanocrystals of desired size and size dispersity remains an elusive practical and fundamental goal in materials chemistry. In this thesis, we describe efforts to directly study these dynamic nucleation and growth processes for lead chalcogenide nanoparticles, in many cases in-situ, using a mixture of X-ray scattering and UVVis/NIR spectroscopy. The lack of a rigorously predictive and verified mechanism for nanocrystal formation in solution for many material systems of practical interest is due both to the inherent kinetic complexity of these reactions, as well as the spectroscopic challenge of finding in-situ probes that can reliably monitor nanoscale crystal growth. In particular, required are direct time-resolved structural probes of metastable inorganic amorphous and crystalline intermediates formed under the high temperature inert conditions of nanocrystal synthesis. It is, at the very least, highly challenging to apply many of the standard spectroscopic tools of mechanistic inorganic and organic chemistry such as H NMR spectroscopy, IR vibrational spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry to this task. A notable counterexample is, of course, UV-vis/NIR absorbance and emission spectroscopies, which are of great value to the studies described herein. Nevertheless, to address this relative dearth of conventional spectroscopic probes, here we explore the use of X-ray Total Scattering real space Pair Distribution Function (PDF) analysis and Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) techniques to directly probe the crystallization process in-situ. Time-resolved measurements of the small angle reciprocal space scattering data allow mapping of the time evolution of the colloidal size and concentration of the crystals during synthesis, while the Fourier transform of scattering data over a wide range of reciprocal space provides direct insight into the local structure. Through this approach, we compare direct observations of these nucleation and growth processes to the widely cited theoretical models of these processes (Classical Nucleation Theory and LaMer "Burst Nucleation") and find a number of stark differences between these widely cited theories and our experiments. The first two chapters cover the results of these in-situ diffraction studies. Chapter 1 focuses on small angle X-ray scattering data collection and modeling. Chapter 2 focuses upon lead sulfide and lead selenide real space PDF analysis of local structural evolution during synthesis. Finally, Chapter 3 discusses a project in which we examine the origins of emergent semiconducting electronic structure in an increasing size series of atomically precise oligomers of [Ru6C(CO)16] 2bridged by Hg and Cd atoms. Using an atomically well-defined series of molecules that bridge the small molecule and nanoscale size regimes, we discuss the factors that give rise to controllable semiconductor electronic structure upon assembly into extended periodic structures in solution. In all these projects, we seek to highlight the value of applying concepts of molecular inorganic chemistry—ligand binding models, relative bond strengths, in addition to kinetics and thermodynamics—to explain our observations regarding nanocrystal nucleation and growth. Consideration of the chemistry of nanocrystal formation processes provides a valuable compliment to the physics-based classical models of nucleation and growth that do not explicitly consider the system specific molecular structure and bonding.


Drawing on contemporary theories of intimacy, this study explores the intimacy narratives and practices of single mothers at a time of, it is argued, social and cultural change in terms of intimacy. Narrative interviews of twenty-four single mothers draw out layers of personal, social and cultural complexity in terms of understanding, experiencing and making choices about intimacy in their everyday lives. The concept of 'intimacy scripts' (developed from Simon and Gagnon, 1973) is deployed to explore how single mothers develop blueprints for their intimate lives, drawing on a range of cultural, social and personal possibilities for intimate practices. This process is viewed within a wider context of gendered power relations and material constraints. Participants were often affected by stigmatizing depictions of single mothers and resisted these through their narratives which tended to emphasize how they had not chosen single motherhood. Indeed the transition to single motherhood was often experienced as traumatic, marked by shame, disappointment and loss. Perceptions of increased fluidity and the possibility for experimentation around intimacy are discernible, chiming with individualisation theorists (Bauman, 2003; Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, 1995; Giddens, 1992). However, basic economic survival often took precedence over the reflexive organisation of intimate lives (Jamieson, 1998). Intimacy narratives were unsettled, in turn depicting opportunities for intimate experimentations and invoking nostalgia for more traditional intimate forms, demonstrating ambivalence and liminality. Heteronormative ideals of coupledom, romance and traditional family remained aspirational for many, although the importance of equality in relationships was also highlighted. Yet many participants struggled to find suitable male partners and were aware of inequalities and the risks associated with re-partnering, often based on negative experiences. Intimate choices were shaped and constrained by socio-economic positioning; the protection of dependents; maintenance of their family unit; continuing gendered expectations and the ongoing centrality of heteronormative romantic couple-centred intimate practices.


A general algorithm to obtain the free energy values at various molecular states was developed. The effectiveness of the algorithm was shown by the application to reveal the free energy landscape of the cis-trans imide isomerization of a peptide dimer, -Ala-Pro-, by performing the multicanonical molecular dynamics simulations and the ab initio molecular orbital calculations. Because of the generality of the current algorithm, many different kinds of applications are available for analyses of the free energies of biological molecules in the activated states.


In plant factories, light is fully controllable for crop production but involves a cost. For efficient lighting, light use efficiency (LUE) should be considered as part of light environment design. The objectives of this study were to evaluate and interpret the light interception, photosynthetic rate, and LUE of lettuces under electrical lights using ray-tracing simulation. The crop architecture model was constructed by 3D scanning, and ray-tracing simulation was used to interpret light interception and photosynthesis. For evaluation of simulation reliability, measured light intensities and photosynthetic rates in a growth chamber were compared with those obtained by simulation at different planting densities. Under several scenarios modeling various factors affecting light environments, changes in light interception and LUE were interpreted. The light intensities and photosynthetic rates obtained by simulation showed good agreement with the measured values, with R2 > 0.86. With decreasing planting density, the light interception of the central plant increased by approximately 18.7%, but that of neighboring plants decreased by approximately 5.5%. Under the various scenarios, shorter lighting distances induced more heterogenetic light distribution on plants and caused lower light interception. Under a homogenous light distribution, the light intensity was optimal at approximately 360 μmol m−2 s−1 with an LUE of 6.5 g MJ−1. The results of this study can provide conceptual insights into the design of light environments in plant factories.


The use of soy flour (SF) and plantain flour (PF) substitution in wheat flour (WF), from 0 to 15% each, for the production of bread was investigated. The proximate analysis, sensory evaluation and aerobic plate count (APC) of the bread samples were determined. The crude protein, crude fiber, ether extract and ash contents of the soy supplemented breads (SSBs) increased with progressive increase in the proportion of soy flour, with the 15% SSB having highest values of 8.39, 0.14, 2.46 and 1.17%, respectively, while lowest values were recorded for the whole wheat bread (WWB). The carbohydrate content was observed to decrease with corresponding increase in the percentage of soy flour in SSBs. The sensory evaluation shows that no significant differences were observed between the WWB and the 5% SSB in the sensory attributes of aroma, internal texture, taste and general acceptability (p<0.05), but differences were significant in crust, shape and appearance. The crude protein of the plantain supplemented breads (PSBs) and the WWB ranges between 6.88 and 7.01%, with the WWB recording the highest value. The ash content increased with progressive increase in the proportion of the PF, the highest value (0.95%) was recorded for the 15% PSB. There were no significant differences (p<0.05) between the WWB and the PSBs up to 10% PF substitution in all the sensory attributes tested; crust, taste, aroma, shape, internal texture, appearance and general acceptability. Hence the PSBs had comparable sensory and nutritional qualities to the WWB, while the SSBs had higher proteins contents than the latter. However the WWB had highest Hedonic mean scores in all the sensory attributes tested.


In the orthogonal magnetoresistive (MR) sensor the sense current runs orthogonal to the air bearing surface (ABS). With the active portion of the sensor recessed from the ABS, the design is more robust than conventional MR designs. Test devices were fabricated to assess the suitability of the design for high density recording. The data show that the sensitivity is greatly reduced by the magnetic field induced by the sense current. This leads to a smaller signal compared to a conventional head design at present track widths. However, the signal is independent of the track width at a constant current density, leading to the possibility of submicron track width with peak to peak signal in excess of 400 mu V. >


An important property of brain signals is their nonstationarity. How to adapt a brain–computer interface (BCI) to the changing brain states is one of the challenges faced by BCI researchers, especially in real application where the subject's real intent is unknown to the system. Gaussian mixture model (GMM) has been used for the unsupervised adaptation of the classifier in BCI. In this paper, a method of initializing the model parameters is proposed for expectation maximization‐based GMM parameter estimation. This improved GMM method and other two existing unsupervised adaptation methods are applied to groups of constructed artificial data with different data properties. Performances of these methods in different situations are analyzed. Compared with the other two unsupervised adaptation methods, this method shows a better ability of adapting to changes and discovering class information from unlabelled data. The methods are also applied to real EEG data recorded in 19 experiments. For real data, the proposed method achieves an error rate significantly lower than the other two unsupervised methods. Results of the real data agree with the analysis based on the artificial data, which confirms not only the effectiveness of our method but also the validity of the constructed data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This study examined the pharmacokinetic disposition, oral absorption and hepatic extraction of itraconazole and its active metabolite, hydroxyitraconazole, in rats. After i.v. injection, serum itraconazole concentrations decreased biexponentially, with an average terminal elimination half-life, volume of distribution and systemic clearance of 4.9 h, 6.0 l/kg and 14.2 ml/min/kg, respectively. When given orally, its absorption was low, with a mean absolute bioavailability of 16.6%. The metabolite to parent drug area under the curve (AUC) ratio was higher after oral administration compared with i.v. injection (mean ratio, 2.7 vs. 0.9). The hepatic drug extraction ratio determined after femoral and portal vein administration averaged 18.5%. When hydroxyitraconazole was injected i.v., the elimination half-life, volume of distribution and systemic clearance of itraconazole averaged 10.0 h, 2.4 l/kg and 3.4 ml/min/kg, respectively. The fraction of the systemically available itraconazole that was metabolized to hydroxyitraconazole was 21.0% and 76.0% after i.v. and oral administration, respectively. In summary, this study is the first reporting the hepatic extraction of itraconazole and the i.v. disposition characteristics of hydroxyitraconazole in rats. Itraconazole is a drug with a low hepatic extraction ratio and its systemic clearance appears to be largely accounted for by hepatic metabolism.


This paper is concerned with the estimation problem for discrete-time stochastic linear systems with multiple packet dropouts. Based on a recently developed model for multiple-packet dropouts, the original system is transferred to a stochastic parameter system by augmentation of the state and measurement. The optimal full-order linear filter of the form of employing the received outputs at the current and last time instants is investigated. The solution to the optimal linear filter is given in terms of a Riccati difference equation governed by packet arrival rate. The optimal filter is reduced to the standard Kalman filter when there are no packet dropouts. The steady-state filter is also studied. A sufficient condition for the existence of the steady-state filter is given and the asymptotic stability of the optimal filter is analyzed. At last, a reduced-order filter is investigated.


Introduction Cholera is a diarrhoea disease caused by the bacterium e. On 13th June 2011, there was a reported outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea at Medinya among people who eat at a mass traditional wedding ceremony in the Western Region of Ghana. We investigated to characterize the outbreak, and implement control and preventive measures. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study. We interviewed health workers, reviewed medical records, conducted environmental assessment and obtained water and stool samples for laboratory investigation. A suspected cholera-case defined as a person with acute watery diarrhoea, with or without vomiting, who ate food prepared at the mass traditional wedding in Medinya on 10th June 2011. We performed univariate and bivariate analysis. Results Of the 17 case-patients, 9 (52.9%) were males. The overall attack rate was 11.18% and case fatality rate was 5.9%. The most affected age group was 6-10 years (23.53%) with median age of 20 and ranged 6 to 38 years. Time of onset of symptoms was 2.00am and peaked at 10.am on 13th June. Compared to other food served, fufu with groundnut soup was more likely to have been contaminated (RR=7.3, 95%CI: 1.8-29.3). We isolated e serotype ogawa from stool samples. We observed open defaecation and poor personal hygiene. Conclusion e serotype ogawa caused a high case-fatality outbreak in Medinya. Contaminated fufu and groundnut soup were the sources. Hand washing with soap was initiated and a make shift latrine constructed following our health education and recommendations.


One of the paradoxes of mainstream Soviet cinema was that it tended to 'make a spectacle' of masculine physicality without (for the most part) drawing atteention to it in any explicit sense. Thee male hero's body was mythologized in patriarchal structures that imposed themselves as neutral. Theis paper examines the diff erent ways in which the director Kira Muratova challenges this cultural paradigm, by explicitly foregrounding the male body, and destabilizing the male perspective. In this respect Muratova's ficlms pose a challenge to the archetypal images of masculinity (and femininity) prevalent not just in the Soviet Union, or in mainstream cinema, but in many other places besides.


WLANs are become popular due to their completely different advantages. Beside of these advantages, WLANs also are facing the most important drawback of security, therefore that's why a lot of folks do analysis on wireless local area network to boost the safety as a result of several firms wish to transfer their smart information over wireless local area network. This report discusses the safety problems with wireless local area network supported IEEE 802.11 normal, such variety of networks are brought up as Wi-Fi network. Wireless local area network is deployed as associate degree extension of already existed wired-LAN. So it's necessary to supply the safety of wireless local area network equals to Wired-LAN. We tend to worked during a research lab atmosphere so as to piece the 3 completely different security solutions (WEP, WPA & WPA2 exploitation IEEE 802.1X) on infrastructure mode for personnel and enterprise design of wireless local area network. For every security resolution we tend to used the 'Backtrack' as a security cracking tool. so as to interrupt the WEP (64 and 128 bit long) security key of wireless local area network, build comparison between sixty four and 128 bit long WEP key and additionally analyzed the various quite attacks and a few problem of exploitation WEP security in wireless local area network. within the same means piece the WPA and WPA2 (using IEEE 802.1X) security resolution in infrastructure mode of wireless local area network and used identical security cracking tool double back so as to interrupt the safety of wireless local area network and analyze the various attacks on the network in these design and downsides of exploitation WPA and WPA2 security solutions. By exploitation IEEE 802.1X and RADIUS server we are able to improve the safety of enterprise network. Within the finish we tend to escort several conclusions and suggestions which will facilitate so as to supply higher security whereas deploying Wireless local


Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) results from the occlusion or flow reduction in the hepatic veins or inferior vena cava and can be treated with transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt when hepatic vein recanalization fails.1-3 Hypercoagulable patients with primary BCS are predisposed to development of new areas of thrombosis within the TIPS shunt or IVC. This case details a patient with BCS, pre-existing TIPS extending to the right atrium, and chronic retrohepatic IVC thrombosis who underwent sharp recanalization of the IVC with stenting into the TIPS stent bridging the patient until his subsequent hepatic transplantation.


Abstract : This thesis presents a comparison and analysis of two Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition methods: the formal acquisition process and the Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD). Both processes can be, and are, used by DoD to acquire information technology (IT), but while DoD has utilized the formal acquisition process for 30 years, the ACTD process is only 6 years old, and was specifically designed to improve upon the standard acquisition process (when applied to IT). By describing and studying the events surrounding, actors participating in, and results of one ACTD, this thesis will determine what lessons-learned can be applied to the standard acquisition process. While the ACTD and acquisition processes share some similarities in their management and funding, there are also significant differences. For example, ACTDs gain approval through a completely different process than acquisitions, and are subjected to less bureaucratic oversight. The recommendations provided in this thesis indicate that, based upon the experiences of the real-life ACTD sampled, the ACTD process does represent an improvement upon the standard acquisition process, specifically when the standard process is utilized to acquire IT.


Abstract. Wildfire risk is latent in Chilean metropolitan areas
characterized by the strong presence of wildland–urban interfaces (WUIs). The Concepción metropolitan area (CMA) constitutes one of the most
representative samples of that dynamic. The wildfire risk in the CMA was
addressed by establishing a model of five categories (near zero, low, moderate,
high, and very high) that represent discernible thresholds in fire
occurrence, using geospatial data and satellite images describing anthropic–biophysical factors that trigger fires. Those were used to deliver a model
of fire hazard using machine learning algorithms, including principal
component analysis and Kohonen self-organizing maps in two experimental
scenarios: only native forest and only forestry plantation. The model was
validated using fire hotspots obtained from the forestry government
organization. The results indicated that 12.3 % of the CMA's surface area
has a high and very high risk of a forest fire, 29.4 % has a moderate
risk, and 58.3 % has a low and very low risk. Lastly, the observed main
drivers that have deepened this risk were discussed: first, the evident
proximity between the increasing urban areas with exotic forestry
plantations and, second, climate change that threatens triggering more
severe and large wildfires because of human activities.


Imagery training with adult athletes is widely used to improve performance. One underlying mechanism is the optimization of mental movement representations. However, past research has focused mainly on adults and has left open for further research on whether imagery also improves mental representations and performance in young athletes. The present study examined these questions in a sample of 56 female gymnasts aged 7 to 15 years. In a cross-over experimental design (imagery first vs. imagery last), regular training with imagery was compared with regular training only in high- versus low-expertise athletes. The 4-week long imagery training had positive effects on performance only for the high-expertise athletes in the imagery-last condition. The results of the Structural Dimensional Analysis of Mental Representation method regarding changes in the mental representations were inconsistent. Thus, imagery training can promote motor learning in young athletes only under some conditions. We discuss possible reasons for the heterogeneous results and ways for improving the strength and reliability of the intervention effects.


Numerous studies have reported that, at rest, maximal carotid baroreflex gain is modulated by cardiopulmonary baroreceptors. The purpose of this study was to measure the maximal gain for carotid baroreflex control of heart rate (HR) and blood pressure [mean arterial pressure (MAP)] during dynamic exercise alone and when exercise was accompanied by two levels of cardiopulmonary baroreceptor unloading. Lower body negative pressure (LBNP) produced similar reductions in central venous pressure (CVP) at rest and during exercise. Baroreflex gain for HR at rest was not affected by low-level LBNP but was significantly increased by high-level LBNP [-0.31 +/- 0.05 to -0.57 +/- 0.23 beats.min-1.mmHg-1 carotid sinus pressure (CSP), no LBNP vs. high-level LBNP, P < 0.05]. Exercise combined with low- and high-level LBNP resulted in reflex HR gains (-0.83 +/- 0.44 and -0.83 +/- 0.17 beats.min-1.mmHg-1 CSP, low- vs. high-level LBNP, P < 0.05) that were significantly greater than the algebraic sum of the HR gain measured during exercise and LBNP alone. Neither exercise nor the two levels of LBNP significantly altered baroreflex gain for MAP. The slope relating HR gain to CVP at rest was significant (0.07 +/- 0.02 beats.min-1.mmHg CSP-1.mmHg CVP-1, P < 0.01) and increased 114% during exercise (P < 0.05). A similar analysis of MAP gain found no difference in slope between rest and exercise (P > 0.05). Together these data indicate 1) a tonic inhibitory interaction between cardiopulmonary baroreceptors and carotid baroreflex control of HR during exercise, and 2) a nonlinear relationship between deactivation of cardiopulmonary baroreceptors and changes in carotid baroreflex gain. This interaction may improve overall cardiovascular regulation when central blood volume and/or CVP is reduced, as has been reported during prolonged exercise in the heat.


An initial study of hydraulic characteristics of the ASSUT-1 channel has been produced and the results are presented here. This experimental equipment was created in order to develop studies in the modelling of transport and accumulation of sediments. The ASSUT-1 channel is part of the Laboratori de Simulacio de Processos Geologics (SIMGEO). This laboratory which is shared with the Institut de Ciencies de la Terra (CSIC) is located in the underground of the building of the Faculty of Geology. The aim of this work is to know the flux velocities pattern of this experimental equipment such as the first step to project and develop some transport and sedimentation simulations.


The dynamic stress-strain curves of 93% tungsten (W) alloy in the forged state at strain rates up to (5 000 s~(-1)) and in the temperature range from 223 K to 473 K were measured with the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) technique. Based on the above experimental data a dynamic constitutive equation considering the effects of strain rate, temperature and the special microstructure of such a kind of W-alloy was proposed. The numerical simulation for the experimental process with this constitutive equation was also carried out, the results show that the constitutive relationship constructed in this paper is very satisfactory for representing the dynamic responsive behavior of material..


An unusual occurrence of a colony of microcrinoids from shale within a fragment of a large orthoconic nautiloid body chamber is described from the Imo Formation (Mississippian, Chesterian) near Elba, Arkansas. The colony, about 70 individuals, consists principally of immature specimens that lack facets for the arms, and a few mature specimens with four or five arm facets. The crinoids are interpreted as record of a census population that was engulfed suddenly by mud. The crinoids are assigned to Allagecrinus coronarius Gutschick, 1968. The body chamber may have been broken during predation by other large cephalopods, or sharks, known from the Imo, or by post-mortem transport. The shell served as a firm substrate on which the microcrinoid larvae could settle and the convex sides may have provided some protection from currents.


Five sporadic cases of cleidocranial dysostosis are described. Besides the classical findings, the clinical and roentgenological evaluation showed bilateral macrodactily of the second toe, aplasia of the 12th rib and severe acetabular dysplasia. This features had not been previously reported in medical literature. The importance of an early diagnosis is stressed for adequate orthopedic and odontologic management, as well as for opportune genetic counseling.


Tests are being conducted on NASA's rodent Food Bar in preparation for long-term use as the rat and mouse diet aboard the International Space Station. Nutritional analyses are performed after the bars are manufactured and then repeated periodically to determine nutritional stability. The primary factors analyzed are protein, ash, fat, fiber, moisture, amino acids, fatty acids, and minerals. Nutrient levels are compared to values published in the National Research Council's dietary requirements for rodents, and also to those contained in several commonly used commercial rodent lab diets. The Food Bar is manufactured from a powdered diet to which moisture is added as it is processed through an extruder. The bars are dipped into potassium sorbate, vacuum-sealed, and irradiated. In order to determine nutrient changes during extrusion and irradiation, the powdered diet, the non-irradiated bars, and the irradiated bars are all analyzed. We have observed lower values for some nutrients (iodine, vitamin K, and iron) in the Food Bars compared with NRC requirements. Many nutrients in the Food Bars are contained at a higher level than levels in the NRC requirements. An additional factor we are investigating is the 26% moisture level in the Food Bars, which drops to about 15% within a week, compared to a stable 10% moisture in many standard lab chow diets. In addition to the nutritional analyses, the food bar is being fed to several strains of rats and mice, and feeding study and necropsy results are being observed (Barrett et al, unpublished data). Information from the nutritional analyses and from the rodent studies will enable us to recommend the formulation that will most adequately meet the rodent Food Bar requirements for long-term use aboard the Space Station.


Novel rubbery wound closures containing various proportions and molecular weights of polyisobutylene (PIB) and poly(2-octyl cyanoacrylate) [P(OctCA)] for potential clinical use were designed, synthesized, characterized, and tested. Homo-networks were prepared by crosslinking 3-arm star-shaped PIBs fitted with terminal cyanoacrylate groups, [O(PIB-CA)3], and co-networks by copolymerizing O(PIB-CA)3 with OctCA using N-dimethyl-p-toluidine (DMT). Neat O(PIB-CA)3, and O(PIB-CA)3/OctCA blends, upon contact with initiator, polymerize within seconds to optically transparent strong rubbery co-networks, O(PIB-CA)3-co-P(OctCA). Homo- and co-network formation was demonstrated by sol/gel studies, and structures and properties were characterized by a battery of techniques. The Tg of P(OctCA) is 58 °C by DSC, and 75 °C by DMTA. Co-networks comprising 25% O(PIB-CA)3 (Mn = 2400 g/mol) and 75% P(OctCA) are stronger and more extensible than skin. Short and long term creep studies show co-networks exhibit high dimensional stability and <6% creep strain at high loading. When deposited on porcine skin co-networks yield hermetically-adhering clear rubbery coatings. Strips of porcine skin coated with co-networks could be stretched and twisted without compromising membrane integrity. The co-network is nontoxic to L-929 mouse fibroblasts. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015, 53, 1640–1651


In football, having greater acceleration ability may decide the most important moments within matches. Up to now, commonly used acceleration variables have typically been investigated in isolation, with each variable suffering from unique limitations. Subsequently, any findings may provide a limited representation of what specific acceleration demands had actually occurred. Without gaining a comprehensive understanding of acceleration demands in football, it appears difficult to identify how to best monitor and maximize the long-term development of acceleration ability in footballers, all whilst doing so in a safe, sport-specific manner. Moving toward a more comprehensive analysis of acceleration profiles addresses this, as it can provide a more robust, informative understanding of the unique acceleration demands of competitive match-play. This perspective article aims to discuss the benefits of adopting a more comprehensive analysis of the acceleration demands during competitive matches for football players, by simultaneously analyzing high-intensity accelerations, repeated high acceleration ability (RHAA), and average acceleration. We discuss examples of the calculation and application of a more comprehensive acceleration profile at a team level throughout the course of an entire elite youth football season, as well as on an individual level. Monitoring acceleration profiles more comprehensively not only appears important from a training load/injury prevention perspective, but also, equips coaches and conditioning staff with the specific information necessary to develop and prescribe individualized, acceleration-emphasized training protocols that are replicable to the demands of match-play. Examples of such protocols are provided.


The required pumping power for the liquid metal ergodic limiter/divertor REVOLVER-D (Reactor-oriented Effectively VOLumetric VERtical Divertor), which is considered as an optional divertor design for the LHDtype helical fusion reactor FFHR-d1, has been estimated with a consideration of the change in the strength of transverse magnetic field along the flow channel. It is found that the pressure drop and the required pumping power can be suppressed to an acceptable level by using insulated ducts.


ESPITE the unsettled state of North America and the United States, views on population, anticipatory of Malthus, were expressed as early as 175i by Benjamin Franklin and in I790 by an anonymous writer. Not until after the War of i8I2, however, is there apparent among American journalists and pedagogues a considerable amount of support of Malthus' tenets. The pro-Malthusian view did not preponderate in American economic thinking until after the Civil War. In the present paper I shall trace the growth of pro-Malthusianism in nineteenth-century America.


Introduction:  In the today's world with faster ways of transportation  high velocity accidents and  the compound fracture are increasing day by day producing a challenge preventing post operative  wound infections after internal fixation of  fracture.
Materials and Methods: 50 patients of compound fractures were included in the study and were randomly divided in 2 groups of 25 each . Both the groups undergone internal fixation with stainless  steel implant and one group wound is closed with gentamicin loaded collagen in it and other group without it
Method: In both the groups same process of  and lavage  is used and  fractures were  fixed internally fixed . A group has 25 patients in which after internal fixation the gentamicin loaded collagen is placed  inside and in B group after internal fixation  wound is closed without gentamicin loaded collagen.
Results: In  group A where Gentamicin loaded collagen was placed wound infection was there in 2 patients . In  Group B were no gentamicin loaded collagen was used  9 patietns has infections. P value  0.0275
Discussion: After surgery wound is assessed for post operative infection on  2 nd post op day  14 day  at 4 weeks    6 weeks   3 months  and 6 months
Conclusion: The Author  believe  that  use of gentamicin loaded collagen significantly reducing the chance of infection in  compound fractures surgeries.
Keywords: compound fracture, gentamicin loaded collagen, post operative infection


Reaction of phosphazenes derived from aminophosphonates with acetylenic esters leads to conjugated phosphorus ylides. The formation of these stabilized ylides is explained through a [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of the P = N linkage of the phosphazene (1,2-addition) and the triple bond of the acetylenic ester followed by ring opening of the azaphosphete intermediate. However, in the case of N-vinylic phosphazenes, the phosphazenes derived from triphenyl- and trimethyl-phosphine react as enamines (1,4-addition) with diacetylenic esters, whereas in phosphazenes derived from trimethylphosphine a 1,2-addition of ethyl propiolate to the P = N linkage of the phosphazene is produced.


Entomopathogenic fungi are natural enemies of D. citri adults in Mexico. Natural prevalence (%) of fungi on live adults in central Veracruz (summer) and southern Tamaulipas (fall) were: Hirsutella citriformis (7-35); Isaria fumosorosea (5-15); Lecanicillium (2 in Tamaulipas), and Beauveria (<1). Torrubiella (=Sporothrix) is a hyperparasite of Hirsutella. In inland Tamaulipas only Isaria was found. Entomophthora (<2%), a new report for Diaphorina, was found at Veracruz in October 2012.


AIM
To investigate aggressive-protective factors in patients with erosive lesions of gastroduodenal mucosa.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Intragastric pH-metry, tests for Helicobacter pylori, lysozyme activity, content of bile acid in gastric juice, components of gastric mucous gel were made in 106 patients.

RESULTS
It is shown that there are two alternative paths of erosions development in the gastroduodenal zone: infectious and non-infectious.

CONCLUSION
In patients infected with Helicobacter pylori, lowering of a protective ability of the mucous gel is caused by prevalence of synthesis of immature mucous components while in non-infected patients this happens as a result of high catabolism of mucous components.


Quartz in garnet ("QuiG") barometry is a relatively new technique that uses physical properties of minerals to estimate the pressure
 of garnet nucleation and growth history independent of chemical equilibrium. QuiG barometry was used to determine pressures of garnet
 growth and compared to thermodynamically calculated P-T conditions for two samples (FH-1M and Z3H) from the Lower Shieferhülle (Formation),
 Tauern Window, Austria. FH-1M was the first sample for which a P-T path was calculated through inversion of chemical zoning in garnet
 (Selverstone et al., 1984). Mineral Assemblage Diagrams (MADs) and geothermobarometric techniques were used to determine P-T conditions for
 garnet nucleation and peak metamorphism. No MAD reproduced either the results of Selvserstone et al. (1984) or petrologic observations such
 as mineral assemblages and likely P-T conditions as determined using independent thermobarometers. Thermobarometrically calculated rim conditions
 were consistent between our study and previous work in the Lower Schieferhülle. However, without appropriate inclusion assemblages and compositions,
 the accuracy of calculated core P-T conditions could not be independently assessed using thermobarometry for either rock. QuiG isomekes from both
 samples are broadly consistent with growth of garnet during exhumation with heating as originally proposed by Selverstone et al. (1984). However,
 the QuiG isomekes for Z3H suggest that 90% or more of the Z3H garnet grew over small changes in pressure and temperature or along a QuiG isomeke
 (heating with a slight increase in pressure). These results support the accuracy of prior P-T paths and their tectonic interpretations. However,
 inconsistencies between QuiG barometry vs. thermodynamic calculations remain unresolved.


A robust model-based segmentation method for automatically detecting left ventricular endocardial borders in cardiac MRI short-axis slices is proposed. The method is evaluated with expert drawn contours on an extended dataset (83 cases). The contour detection involves the four steps: (a) A region of interest enclosing the left ventricle is computed using a size invariant circular Hough transform, (b) Segmentation is performed by an adaptive threshold detection method taking model-based information into account, (c) Papillary muscles are included into the endocardial border by merging scattered regions and interpolating the resulting contour with approximating periodic splines, (d) Outliers and partially wrong contours are finally removed by applying a three dimensional median filter.


Background Anti-nuclear antibodies (ANAs) are autoantibodies binding to various components of the cell nucleus. ANAs are often detected in various systemic autoimmune diseases. IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a newly recognized systemic fibroinflammatory condition of unknown etiology1) involving various organs. ANAs are detected in 15% of IgG4-RD patients1) and this fact is the basis of the suggestion that IgG4-RD may be autoimmune in nature. However, disease-specific ANAs such as anti-SS-A antibody and anti-dsDNA antibody remain to be clarified in IgG4-RD. Objectives The present study was conducted to clarify the positive rate, titer, and clinical significance of ANAs in IgG4-RD. Methods We enrolled 70 IgG4-RD patients (45 males, 25 females; mean age 64.1±1.2 years) diagnosed according to comprehensive diagnostic criteria for IgG4-RD2). The positive rate, titer and staining pattern of ANA in IgG4-RD patients using immunofluorescence method were retrospectively compared to those in 65 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 22 with anti-SS-A antibody positive Sjögren's syndrome (SjS), and 341 healthy controls (HC) who received medical examination. In addition, we analyzed the relationship between the titer of ANAs and serum IgG level in the IgG4-RD patients. Results The ANA titers were as follows (Figure); 21 (30.0%) patients showed ≥1:40 and 7 (10.0%) patients ≥1:160 in IgG4-RD; 65 (100%) patients showed ≥1:40 and 55 (86.4%) ≥1:160 in SLE; 21 (95.5%) patients showed ≥1:40 and 19 (86.4%) ≥1:160 in SjS; 96 (30.9%) HC showed ≥1:40 and 5 (1.5%) ≥1:160. The dominant staining pattern of ANAs was homogenous (79.0%) in IgG4-RD, but speckled with/without homogenous in SLE (speckled 31.7%, speckled + homogenous 31.7%) and SjS (speckled 47.8%, speckled + homogenous 26.1%). Serum IgG level was not different between IgG4-RD patients showing ≤1:80 and ≥1:160 of ANAs (≤1:80, mean 2,084 mg/dL, range 1,078-5,358 mg/dL; ≥1:160, mean 3,068 mg/dL, range 1,765-4,661 mg/dL; p =0.078), although serum IgG levels tended to be high in cases in which ANAs revealed high titers. Conclusions The positive rate, titer and staining pattern of ANAs in IgG4-RD were similar to those in HC, and are quite different from those in SLE and SjS. These results indicate that ANA detection is nonspecific in IgG4-RD, appearing according to serum IgG elevation. ANAs are not useful in the diagnosis and do not contribute to the pathogenesis in IgG4-RD. References Yamamoto M, Takahashi H, Shinomura Y. Mechanisms and assessment of IgG4-related disease: lessons for the rheumatologist. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2014; 10, 148-159. Umehara H, Okazaki K, Masaki Y, et al. Comprehensive diagnostic criteria for IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), 2011. Mod Rheumatol 2012; 22, 21-30. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Today, pets are the source of numerous infectious diseases that can be transmitted to humans, as a result of their increasingly frequent contact. The most important viruses with zoonotic potential include rabies and influenza viruses as well as rotaviruses and noroviruses. However, the importance of individual viruses varies depending on the climate and infectious disease control systems in certain countries. Dogs, cats, and other increasingly popular types of pets can transmit bacterial zoonotic agents to humans in various ways. In addition to known pathogens such as the bacteria causing leptospirosis, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, or brucellosis, the bacteria Pasteurella multocida and Bartonella henselae transmitted by bites or scratches are also significant in human pathology. There has been a significant increase in the prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus in isolates originating from pets and the transmission of these strains between humans and animals requires special attention. Furthermore, fungi causing diseases such as sporotrichosis or dermatophytosis are linked to long-term and persistent infections in humans. The epidemiological situation caused by SARS-CoV-2, and the assumption of an interspecies jump of this virus from animals to humans, including its documented presence in domestic cats, dogs, tigers, and martens, have raised the question of the possibility of virus transmission from pets to humans. However, the current pandemic is caused exclusively by SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the human population, and these animals are not a source of infection for humans. A significant number of zoonoses originating from pets is a threat to public health, thus requiring the "One Health" approach through close cooperation between human and veterinary medicine to develop and implement effective health measures for both humans and animals. As part of responsible ownership, pet owners must be informed by veterinarians about measures to prevent infectious diseases and certain risks that are related to keeping certain species of animals.


The authors consider the golden mean invariant curve for the standard map and give a strong numerical evidence that its conjugacy to a circle, regarded as a complex analytic function of the nonlinearity parameter, has a natural analyticity boundary found to be a circle of radius equal to the believed breakdown threshold.


DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM
 In 1984, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a position statement on screening for atlantoaxial instability (AAI) in youth with Down syndrome.1 In that statement, the AAP supported the requirement introduced by the Special Olympics in 1983 that lateral neck radiographs be obtained for individuals with Down syndrome before they participate in the Special Olympics' nationwide competitive program for developmentally disabled persons. Those participants with radiologic evidence of instability are banned from certain activities that may be associated with increased risk of injury to the cervical spine. This policy seemed to be prudent in light of the information available at that time. However, the AAP Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness recently has reviewed the data on which this recommendation was based and has decided that uncertainty exists concerning the value of cervical spine radiographs in screening for possible catastrophic neck injury in athletes with Down syndrome. The 1984 statement therefore has been retired. This review discusses the available research data on this subject.
 BACKGROUND
 AAI, also called atlantoaxial subluxation, denotes increased mobility at the articulation of the first and second cervical vertebrae (atlantoaxial joint). This condition is found not only in patients who have Down syndrome but also in some patients who have rheumatoid arthritis, abnormalities of the odontoid process of the axis, and various forms of dwarfism.1 The causes of AAI are not well understood but may include abnormalities of the ligaments that maintain the integrity of the C-1 and C-2 articulation, bony abnormalities of C-1 or C-2, or both.1-11


Model evolution is an essential activity in software system modeling, which is traditionally supported by manual editing or writing model transformation rules. However, the current state of practice for model evolution presents challenges to those who are unfamiliar with model transformation languages or metamodel definitions. This demonstration presents a demonstration-based approach that assists end-users through automation of model evolution tasks (e.g., refactoring, model scaling, and aspect weaving).


The state of Madhya Pradesh is one of the traditional maize growing states, accounting for 13 per cent of the total maize area and contributing equally to the total maize production in the country. However, its productivity when compared to other maize growing states is very low. The study has found that even though a majority of the farmers cultivate improved maize cultivars, the overall technology adoption by them is poor. This may be due to the inability of a majority of farmers to follow the recommended package of practices for the improved cultivars because of the high costs involved in their adoption and lack of infrastructural facilities. Therefore, steps need to be initiated to solve this problem. A comparison of costs on cultivation of traditional, composite and hybrid cultivars has revealed that the cost increases significantly on using the improved cultivars due to higher requirements of fertilizers, irrigation, and plant protection chemicals as compared to those in the traditional varieties. However, with the significant increase in yield, the unit cost of production has been much lower in the case of improved cultivars. The economics of cultivation of maize when compared with its competing crops like paddy and soybean have revealed that the paddy is superior to all the maize cultivars in output/input ratio. The hybrid maize has been found superior to soybean as well as paddy in terms of net returns and hence the farmers could cultivate maize rather than paddy since the latter has higher water requirement. The estimation of technical efficiency of the farmers has revealed that on an average the sample farms operate 23 per cent below the frontier output levels. Hence, it has been observed that the maize output can be increased through adoption of proper technology by the farmers. It requires support from both the state government (in terms of providing infrastructural/ institutional support like drying and storage facilities, arrangement for assured procurement, etc.) as well as the private companies (in terms of supply of quality seeds and chemical pesticides at reasonable prices).