Greater understanding of the risk factors and mechanisms of incident dementia in stroke survivors is needed for prevention and management. There is limited information on the long-term consequences and forms of incident dementia in older stroke survivors. We recruited 355 patients aged >75 years from hospital-based stroke registers into a longitudinal study 3 months after stroke. At baseline none of the patients had dementia. Patients were genotyped for apolipoprotein E and assessed annually for cognition and development of incident dementia over up to 8 years of follow-up. The effect of baseline vascular risk factors upon incidence of dementia and mortality were estimated by Cox proportional regression analyses adjusted for age and gender. Standard neuropathological examination was performed to diagnose the first 50 cases that came to autopsy. We found that the median survival from the date of the index stroke was 6.72 years (95% confidence intervals: 6.38–7.05). During the follow-up of a mean time of 3.79 years, 23.9% of subjects were known to have developed dementia and 76.1% remained alive without dementia or died without dementia. The incidence of delayed dementia was calculated to be 6.32 cases per 100 person years whereas that for death or dementia was 8.62. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses showed that the most robust predictors of dementia included low (1.5 standard deviations below age-matched control group) baseline Cambridge Cognitive Examination executive function and memory scores, Geriatric Depression Scale score and three or more cardiovascular risk factors. Autopsy findings suggested that remarkably ≥75% of the demented stroke survivors met the current criteria for vascular dementia. Demented subjects tended to exhibit marginally greater neurofibrillary pathology including tauopathy and Lewy bodies and microinfarcts than non-demented survivors. Despite initial improvements in cognition following stroke in older stroke survivors, risk of progression to delayed dementia after stroke is substantial, but is related to the presence of vascular risk factors. Careful monitoring and treatment of modifiable vascular risk factors may be of benefit in preventing post-stroke dementia in the general population.


Microwave line investigations have shown that several bright southern galaxies contain dense molecular clouds overlying bright radio nuclei (see e.g. Whiteoak 1978). In terms of general kinematic models of galaxies the clouds have velocities that are anomalous, being consistent with radial motions both towards and away from the nucleus. To extend our knowledge of these motions we are investigating the distribution of optical spectral lines near the nuclei of the galaxies. We present here preliminary results for NGC 4945 and 5128.


The subject of the research is digital technologies regarded as a priority in the economic development of Russia. The objectives of the research are a comprehensive study of the digital economy in Russia and abroad; the analysis of the Digital Economy program as a priority in the economic policy of the country; determining the prospects for the digitalization of the economy. Conclusions. Russia has all the prerequisites needed for further realization of the digital potential and acceleration of the economy digitalization. New technologies will have a significant impact on the development of business and public management, the growth of the life quality, the emergence of new forms of socialization of people and their communications. Russia has the necessary intellectual and scientific base; there are original organizational and technological solutions to create an effective infrastructure of the digital economy. For the implementation of the "Digital Economy of the Russian Federation" program the volume of the R&D funding should be increased and the staff training in the field of high technologies improved.


When a railway vehicle runs in crosswinds, the unsteady aerodynamic forces acting on the train induced by the vehicle speed, crosswind velocity and local landforms are a common problem. To investigate the dynamic performance of a railway vehicle due to the influence of unsteady aerodynamic forces caused by local landforms, a vehicle aerodynamic model and vehicle dynamic model were established. Then, a wind-loaded vehicle system model was presented and validated. Based on the wind-loaded vehicle system model, the dynamic response performance of the vehicle, including safety indexes and vibration characteristics, was examined in detail. Finally, the effects of the crosswind velocity and vehicle speed on the dynamic response performance of the vehicle system were analyzed and compared.


Abstract Enfortumab vedotin is a first-in-class Nectin-4-directed antibody-drug conjugate approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer (la/mUC) previously treated with a platinum-based chemotherapy and a programmed death receptor-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/L1) inhibitor, or patients with la/mUC who are ineligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy and have previously received one or more prior lines of therapy. Enfortumab vedotin is the only drug to have demonstrated survival benefit versus chemotherapy in a randomized controlled trial in patients with la/mUC previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy and a PD-1/L1 inhibitor. The development of dermatologic events following the administration of enfortumab vedotin is anticipated given the expression of Nectin-4 in epidermal keratinocytes and skin appendages (eg, sweat glands and hair follicles). There is the potential for rare but severe and possibly fatal cutaneous adverse reactions, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrosis, as described in the boxed warning of the US prescribing information for enfortumab vedotin. This manuscript describes the presumed pathophysiology and manifestations of dermatologic reactions related to enfortumab vedotin, and presents recommendations for prevention and treatment, to provide oncologists and other healthcare providers with an awareness of these potential adverse events to best anticipate and manage them.


Hybrid intelligent systems are discussed. These systems combine neural networks, which recognize patterns and adapt themselves to cope with changing environments, and fuzzy inference systems that incorporate human knowledge and perform inferencing and decision making. The integration of these complimentary techniques along with derivative-free optimization techniques based on genetic algorithms, results in a novel discipline called neuro-fuzzy and soft computing. These approaches are discussed and applied in classification of multisource remote sensing and geographic data. Both the rationale of the approaches and the results obtained are compared to more traditional techniques.


Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young individuals and athletes is generally caused by hereditary cardiac conditions, including cardiomyopathies such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Although historically HCM has been reported as the predominant cause of SCD in young athletes, it is unclear as to what degree exercise is a trigger for possible fatal arrhythmias.

 We aimed to report on the circumstances of SCD in a cohort of young individuals aged ≥10 and <30 whose autopsy was consistent with HCM.

 We reviewed 6860 consecutive cases of SCD referred to our specialist cardiac pathology centre 1994 and 2020. SCD was defined as death from a cardiovascular cause within 12 hours of apparent well-being. All cases underwent detailed autopsy evaluation of the heart, including histological analysis, by expert cardiac pathologists. A minimum of 10 blocks of tissue were taken for histological analysis. HCM was defined by the presence of increased heart weight or increased wall thickness and significant myocyte disarray at histological examination.

 Of the total cases of SCD, 264 (4%) were due to HCM. Our cohort of young decedents comprised of 66 individuals (average age 21±5 years, males 76%). For the majority (n=52, 79%) SCD was the first manifestation of HCM. The average heart weight was 507±152 grams and left ventricular (LV) fibrosis was found in 28 (42%) cases (Figure 1A). Death was more common between 16 and 20 years of age (n=24) (Figure 1B). Death occurred during exertion in 25 (38%) individuals and at rest or during daily activities in the remaining 41 (62%), including 5 individuals who died during sleep. Male sex was more represented among decedents who died during exertion (88% compared with 68% in the group that died at rest, p=0.07); LV fibrosis was more commonly observed in individuals who died during exertion (56% compared with 34% in the group who died at rest, p=0.08). Younger individuals between 10–15 years of age died mostly during exercise (80%), in other age groups death occurred mainly at rest (33% in age group 16–20 years, 30% in age group 21–25 years, 33% in age group 26–30 years) (Figure 1B).

 We observed a high age-related variability in terms of circumstances of death. In the context of HCM, our findings suggest that individuals aged 10–15 years are the most vulnerable in terms of exercise-related-SCD. This exemplifies the importance of preventative cardiac screening in young individuals who might be harbouring quiescent cardiac conditions associated with young SCD.

 Type of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): Acknowledgements: We thank the charitable organisation, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) who fund and support the CRY Cardiovascular Pathology Unit and CRY database.


Fungal chitin, as a typical microorganism-associated molecular pattern (PAMP), was recognized by plant LysM-containing protein to induce immunity called pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). To successfully infect host plant, fungal pathogens secreted LysM-containing effectors to inhibit chitin-induced plant immunity. Filamentous fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides caused rubber tree anthracnose which resulted in serious loss of natural rubber production worldwide. However, little is known about the pathogenesis mediated by LysM effector of C. gloeosporioide. In this study, we identified a two LysM-containing effector in C. gloeosporioide and named as Cg2LysM. Cg2LysM was involved not only in conidiation, appressorium formation, invasion growth and the virulence to rubber tree, but also in melanin synthesis of C. gloeosporioides. Moreover, Cg2LysM showed chitin-binding activity and suppression of chitin-triggered immunity of rubber tree such as ROS production and the expression of defense relative genes HbPR1, HbPR5, HbNPR1 and HbPAD4. This work suggested that Cg2LysM effector facilitate infection of C. gloeosporioides to rubber tree through affecting invasive structure and inhibiting chitin-triggered plant immunity.


Artificial neural networks revolutionized many areas of computer science in recent years since they provide solutions to a number of previously unsolved problems. On the other hand, for many problems, classic algorithms exist, which typically exceed the accuracy and stability of neural networks. To combine these two concepts, we present a new kind of neural networks—algorithmic neural networks (AlgoNets). These networks integrate smooth versions of classic algorithms into the topology of neural networks. A forward AlgoNet includes algorithmic layers into existing architectures while a backward AlgoNet can solve inverse problems without or with only weak supervision. In addition, we present the algonet package, a PyTorch based library that includes, inter alia, a smoothly evaluated programming language, a smooth 3D mesh renderer, and smooth sorting algorithms.


The genetic code endows neural networks of the brain with innate computing capabilities. But it has remained unknown how it achieves this. Experimental data show that the genome encodes the architecture of neocortical circuits through pairwise connection probabilities for a fairly large set of genetically different types of neurons. We build a mathematical model for this style of indirect encoding, a probabilistic skeleton, and show that it suffices for programming a repertoire of quite demanding computing capabilities into neural networks. These computing capabilities emerge without learning, but are likely to provide a powerful platform for subsequent rapid learning. They are engraved into neural networks through architectural features on the statistical level, rather than through synaptic weights. Hence they are specified in a much lower dimensional parameter space, thereby providing enhanced robustness and generalization capabilities as predicted by preceding work.


A hybrid model is proposed in order to exploit the idea of compensating semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) nonlinearity by adjusting cavity dispersion in a SOA-fiber ring mode-locked laser. The model is checked by analytical as well as experimental results. Excellent agreement is obtained in both cases. It is predicted that, once the cavity dispersion is correctly adjusted, the mode-locked pulses of 10 ps width will become distortion-free Gaussians, with their time-bandwidth product (TB) very close to the fundamental Gaussian limit (TB=1/2) using root-mean-square definition. We will show evidence and explain why other waveforms, notably soliton, are highly unlikely in such a system. Some interesting effects related to band-pass filter are revealed as well. Our results highlight the ambiguity of TB using full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) definition. As a consequence, the widely adopted notion of transform-limited pulse in its FWHM version might be misleading.


Detection of baby cries is an important part of baby monitoring and health care. Almost all existing methods use supervised SVM, CNN, or their varieties. In this work, we propose to use weakly supervised anomaly detection to detect a baby cry. In this weak supervision, we only need weak annotation if there is a cry in an audio file. We design a data mining technique using the pre-trained VGGish feature extractor and an anomaly detection network on long untrimmed audio files. The obtained datasets are used to train a simple CNN feature network for cry/non-cry classification. This CNN is then used as a feature extractor in an anomaly detection framework to achieve better cry detection performance.


Objectives: We quantified the characteristics of patients with treatment resistant hypertension (TRH) in a large multi-country sample of specialist tertiary centres and estimated incidence and prevalence in participating regions. Methods: The Survey of Patients with treatment Resistant hyperTension (SPIRIT) study was a retrospective review of medical records of patients seen at tertiary centres located in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Australia and Asia. Data on demographics, medical history and medication use were extracted from medical records. Prevalence and incidence of TRH were estimated based upon reported catchment populations. Results: 1555 patients from 76 centres in 15 countries were included from May-August 2017. Mean age was 64 (SD, 12.7), 60% were males and 62% were Caucasian, 36% had CKD (eGFR < 60 ml/min), 41% had diabetes, 12% were smokers and 27% had a previous CV event. Daytime ambulatory BP was the most frequently used measurement (46%) with a mean systolic BP of 144 mmHg (SD, 19.2) and diastolic BP 81 mmHg (SD, 13.8). 95% patients were prescribed diuretics (thiazides 75%), 93% an inhibitor of the renin-angiotensin aldosterone system, 86% a calcium antagonist, 75% a beta-blocker and 35% an aldosterone antagonist. There were moderate differences in participant characteristics and management patterns between regions. The overall estimated mean incidence of TRH was 5.8 per 100,000 per year (ranging between 2.3 and 14.0 across regions) and the corresponding estimated mean prevalence of TRH was 23.9 per 100,000, ranging between 7.6 and 90.5 across regions. Conclusion: TRH remains a common health issue. Observed variation between regions likely reflects some real differences in patient characteristics and physician management practices, but may also be due to inconsistent patient recruitment methods across participating centres.


Sediment micromorphology, chemistry and magnetic susceptibility of basin edge deposits at the small, mid-altitude peat site of Lago di Bargone, eastern Liguria, Italy, is compared with a full Holocene palynological sequence and radiocarbon dates from the central part of the peat bog. Micromorphology and MS550 results show that Neolithic to Copper Age forest disturbances and clearings as inferred from the pollen diagrams, occurred during a period of lower water-tables and intermittent drying out of the basin edge deposits. Extensive deforestation and expansion of heath and grassland during the Iron Age and Roman periods is associated with increases in soil erosion and in micromorphological indications of burning. It is argued that the very fine size range of the charred fragments seen in thin sections and the seeming absence of charcoal of coarser size range suggest a system of light, controlled burning, possibly akin to the local tradition of using fire to control weeds and to encourage new grass and herbaceous growth, and not local forest clearance by fire. Micromorphology of the late-Holocene peat contains herbivore dung possibly indicating the use of the site as a watering hole by domesticated stock. The overlying colluvium displays evidence of deep-seated erosion of the local soils and geology which is most likely to have been associated with local mining activities.


ABSTRACT Liu, Y. and Cui, L., 2020. Risk assessment for the logistics of shipping companies: An exploratory study. In: Gong, D.; Zhang, M., and Liu, R. (eds.), Advances in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 106, pp. 463–467. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. To promote the healthy development of shipping companies and improve their logistics, based on the research of scholars around the world, this paper further improves the study on risk assessment for shipping companies. After defining and explaining the basic concepts of maritime logistics and logistics risks for shipping companies, this paper focuses on the characteristics of the risk factors affecting each link in the logistics chain to identify the risks for the logistics of shipping companies. The logistics risk factors of shipping companies are systematically analyzed, and a risk indicator system is established. This paper discusses the application of the analytic network process (ANP) in risk assessment and constructs a risk assessment model for the logistics of shipping companies. By comparing the importance of each risk factor, the relative weight of the risk factors is scientifically reflected, providing a reference for the logistics management of shipping companies and the construction of a risk evaluation model.


The autoionising series 6pnf (J=2, 3, 4) and 6pnh (J=4, 5, 6) of barium have been studied in an atomic beam using multistep laser excitations from the 6s5d and 5d2 1G4 metastable states. Level assignments were made assuming jK coupling and using calculations of electric quadrupole splittings resulting from the long-range electrostatic interaction as well as calculated oscillator strengths. Effects of the interactions between the 6p1/2nf, h and 6p3/2 nf,h series as well as between the 6pnf and 6pnp configurations could be observed.


Fast and accurate power bus designer (FAPUD) for multi-layers high-speed digital boards is the power supply network design tool for accurate and precise high speed board. FAPUD is constructed based on two main algorithms of the PBEC (Path Based Equivalent Circuit) model and the network synthesis method. The PBEC model exploits simple arithmetic expressions of the lumped 1-D circuit model from the electrical parameters of a 2-D power distribution network. The circuit level design based on PBEC is carried with the proposed regional approach. The circuit level design directly calculates and determines the size of on-chip decoupling capacitors, the size and the location of off-chip decoupling capacitors, and the effective inductances of the package power bus. As a design output, a lumped circuit model and a pre-layout of the power bus including a whole decoupling capacitors are obtained after processing FAPUD. In the tuning procedure, the board re-optimization considering simultaneous switching noise (SSN) added by I/O switching in can be carried out because the I/O switching effect on a power supply noise can estimate for the operation frequency range with the lumped circuit model. Furthermore, if a design changes or needs to be tuned, FAPUD can modify design by replacing decoupling capacitors without consuming other design resources. Finally, FAPUD is accurate compared with conventional PEEC-based design tools, and its design time is 10 times faster than that of conventional PEEC-based design tools.


In this paper, a sensorless induction motor (IM) drive using speed observer system is presented. The system includes load torque computation for gear fault detection. Nonlinear control method is adopted for controlling the motor over a wide speed range. An LC filter for smoothing current and voltage waveforms is used at the output of the voltage inverter. The use of filter imposes more building of the used observer to avoid using additional current and voltage sensors. An analysis of the motor load torque makes it possible to detect existing problems in the load. The developed algorithm was verified by simulation and experiments for a 1.5 kW induction motor drive system.


Historically Rotherham Hospice provided support for counselling and psychology through the provision of clinical psychologist providing one-to-one support to all counselling and psychology patients at all levels. Bereavement services were delivered only through a volunteer befriending service which did not historically have a robust or consistent method of providing supervision and support to volunteers. This service redesign saw the formal introduction of a tiered Psychology and Counselling Service, providing appropriate support to patients and their families across levels 1–4. These four levels provide tiered support ensuring patients are seen at the right time by the most appropriate person. It also saw the introduction of a formal training, supervision and reflection process for all bereavement befriending volunteers. Finally in 2015, the hospice introduced 'Schwartz Rounds' to allow an increased focus on staff emotional well-being as well as patients, families and carers. Schwartz Rounds are monthly meetings for staff and volunteers to come together in a safe environment to think and talk about how it feels to do the work we do. They are not education sessions and they are not used for problem solving, but purely for reflection on emotions and resilience. Each month we will focus on a different case or theme. Outcomes These changes provided a skilled and dedicated workforce with increased ability to engage in complex communication with patients and families. They also allowed for robust governance in this area, providing supervision and reflection in line with best practice. Likert scaling tools are used in some areas to allow outcomes to be measured. It is often the case that children withdraw or experience behavioural issues when they are dealing with difficult emotions. We have found that teachers report improvements in children's general wellbeing, interaction with others, and performance when they have been attending Sunbeams. Children and young people also say that attending Sunbeams has a positive effect. Staff and volunteers report positive feedback form Schwartz Rounds attendances and measures in relation to sickness and absence will also be monitored in the future.


We introduce a correlation-aided distributed sample acquisition (CDSA)-based intercell synchronous direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS/CDMA) system for enhancing the robustness of the previously proposed distributed sample acquisition (DSA)-based system. The CDSA system incorporates the state symbol correlation process in the existing DSA process to maintain the fast acquisition performance even under very poor channel environment. For its realization, each CDSA-based mobile station stores in its memory a period of the possible state symbol sequences, which are determined by the long-period scrambling PN sequences used in the system and the sampling time parameters for the state samples. In the first stage of the synchronization procedure, the mobile station (MS) attempts to acquire the psuedo noise (PN) sequence by taking the comparison-correction based synchronization approach of the original DSA scheme. However, if it cannot acquire the synchronization until it collects a predetermined number of state symbols (e.g., a period of the state symbol sequence), then the MS determines the PN sequence timing by correlating the received symbol sequence with each shift of the prestored state symbol sequences. Performance analysis and simulation results reveal strong robustness of the CDSA-based system in low-signal-to-noise ratio, fading, and large frequency-offset channels.


. Social networks are progressively being considered as an intense thought for learning. Particularly in the research area of Intelligent Tutoring Systems, they can create intuitive, versatile and customized e-learning systems which can advance the learning process by revealing the capacities and shortcomings of every learner and by customizing the correspondence by group profiling. In this paper, the primary idea is the affect recognition as an estimation of the group profiling process, given that the fact of knowing how individuals feel about specific points can be viewed as imperative for the improvement of the tutoring process. As a testbed for our research, we have built up a prototype system for recognizing the emotions of Facebook users. Users' emotions can be neutral, positive or negative. A feeling is frequently presented in unpretentious or complex ways in a status. On top of that, data assembled from Facebook regularly contain a considerable measure of noise. Indeed, the task of automatic affect recognition in online texts turns out to be more troublesome. Thus, a probabilistic approach of Rocchio classifier is utilized so that the learning process is assisted. Conclusively, the conducted experiments confirmed the usefulness of the described approach.


This article focuses on social capital, a means for women working in the putting-out system sector to rise from adversity during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study explains that the pandemic has had a significant impact on the socioeconomic activities of women workers in Kalirungkut, Surabaya. This study aims to analyse working women who experience social downturns to get back up with the social capital they have. This qualitative research uses a non-positivistic paradigm but an interpretive approach through observation and in-depth interviews involving informants exposed to COVID-19. This study found four categories: helping behaviour as an act of humanitarian solidarity; reforestation and vegetable planting movement; networks for physical and social health services; and strengthening the economy. The researchers concluded that the social capital possessed by women workers in the putting-out system increased women's enthusiasm to rise from adversity during the Covid-19 pandemic.


With increasing distance and bit rate in fiber optic links the effects of polarization mode dispersion (PMD) have been highlighted. Since PMD has a statistical nature, using a control signal that can provide accurate information to dynamically tune a PMD compensator is of great importance. In this paper, we apply the data fusion method with the aim of introducing a method that can be used to evaluate more accurately the performance of control signals before applying them in a PMD compensation system. Firstly, the minimum and average degree of polarization (DOP_min and DOP_ave respectively) as control signals in monitoring differential group delay (DGD) for a system including all-order PMD are calculated. Then, features including the amounts of sensitivity and ambiguity in DGD monitoring are calculated for NRZ data format as DGD to bit time (DGD/T) varies. It is shown that each of the control signals mentioned has both positive and negative features for efficient DGD monitoring. Therefore, in order to evaluate features concurrently and increase reliability, we employ data fusion to fuse features of each control signal, which makes evaluating and predicting the performance of control signals possible, before applying them in a real PMD compensation system. Finally, the reliability of the results obtained from data fusion is tested in a typical PMD compensator.


An accurate in situ electrical resistivity measurement of cuprous oxide cubes has been conducted in a diamond anvil cell at room temperature with pressures up to 25 GPa. The abnormal electrical resistivity variation found at 0.7-2.2 GPa is attributed to the phase transformation from a cubic to a tetragonal structure. Three other discontinuous changes in the electrical resistivity are observed around 8.5, 10.3, and 21.6 GPa, corresponding to the phase transitions from tetragonal to pseudocubic to hexagonal to another hexagonal phase, respectively. The first-principles calculations illustrate that the electrical resistivity decrease of the tetragonal phase is not related to band-gap shrinkage but related to a higher quantity of electrons excited from strain-induced states increasing in band gap with increasing pressure. The results indicate that the Cu(2)O cubes begin to crush at about 15 GPa and completely transform into nanocrystalline at 25 GPa.


Thank you very much for reading key concepts in cultural theory. As you may know, people have search numerous times for their favorite novels like this key concepts in cultural theory, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some harmful bugs inside their laptop. key concepts in cultural theory is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our book servers saves in multiple countries, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the key concepts in cultural theory is universally compatible with any devices to read.


An investigation of the dielectric properties of powdered materials using a parallel plate waveguide is presented. The numerical model is implemented using a finite element method with a TE/sub 10/ mode current source. Small particles are simulated by applying the dielectric constant to a random selection of triangles in the material region. In the two dimensional case, an adaptive mesh technique is implemented to obtain an efficient mesh. A comparison with analytic models and measurements is provided.


Excessive fragmentary myoclonus (EFM) is an incidental polysomnographic finding requiring documentation of ≥20 minutes of NREM sleep with ≥5 fragmentary myoclonus (FM) potentials per minute. Manual FM scoring is time‐consuming and prone to inter‐rater variability. This work aimed to validate an automatic algorithm to score FM in whole‐night recordings. One expert scorer manually scored FM in the anterior tibialis muscles in 10 polysomnographies of as many subjects. The algorithm consisted of two steps. First, parameters of the automatic leg movement identification algorithm of the BrainRT software (OSG, Belgium) were modified to identify FM‐like activity. Second, a post‐processing algorithm was implemented to remove FM activity not meeting sufficient amplitude criteria. The parameter choice and the post‐processing were optimised with leave‐one‐out cross‐validation. Agreement with the human scorer was measured with Cohen's kappa (k) and correlation between manual and automatic FM indices in different sleep stages was evaluated. Agreement in identifying patients with EFM was computed. The algorithm showed substantial agreement (average k > 0.62) for all sleep stages, except for W, where a moderate agreement was observed (average k = 0.58). Nonetheless, the agreement between human scorer and the algorithm was similar to previously reported values of inter‐rater variability for FM scoring. Correlation coefficients were over 0.96 for all sleep stages. Furthermore, the presence/absence of EFM was correctly identified in 80% of the subjects. In conclusion, this work presents a reliable algorithm for automatic scoring of FM and EFM. Future studies will apply it to objectively and consistently evaluate FM indices and the presence of EFM in large populations.


We have created a high-density gas of interacting positronium (Ps) atoms by irradiating a thin film of nanoporous silica with intense positron bursts and measured the Ps lifetime using a new single-shot technique. When the positrons were compressed to 3.3 x 10(10) cm-2, the apparent intensity of the orthopositronium lifetime component was found to decrease by 33%. We believe this is due to a combination of spin exchange quenching and PS2 molecule formation associated with colliding pairs of oppositely polarized triplet positronium atoms. Our data imply an effective cross section for this process of 2.9 x 10(-14) cm-2.


Ductal carcinoma in the breast of a 64-year-old male is reported. Diagnosis, therapy, prognosis and follow-up are discussed. Current standard therapy is ablatio mammae, with axillary lymph node dissection. A decision in respect of chemotherapy depends on the results of staging. A follow-up control of the patients for early detection and therapy of metastasis is recommended. Our data as well as recent data from literature suggest that with respect to TNM Stages in mammary carcinoma, there is no prognostic difference between men and women.


Background The long-term risk of stroke or myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with minor neurological symptoms who are not clinically diagnosed with transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke is uncertain. Methods We used data from a rapid access clinic for patients with suspected TIA or minor stroke and follow-up from four overlapping data sources for a diagnosis of ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, MI, major haemorrhage and death. We identified patients with and without a clinical diagnosis of TIA or minor stroke. We estimated hazard ratios of stroke, MI, major haemorrhage and death in early and late time periods. Results 5,997 patients were seen from 2005–2013, who were diagnosed with TIA or minor stroke (n = 3604, 60%) or with other diagnoses (n = 2392, 40%). By 5 years the proportion of patients who had a subsequent ischaemic stroke or MI, in patients with a clinical diagnosis of minor stroke or TIA was 19% [95% confidence interval (CI): 17–20%], and in patients with other diagnoses was 10% (95%CI: 8–15%). Patients with clinical diagnosis of TIA or minor stroke had three times the hazard of stroke or MI compared to patients with other diagnoses [hazard ratio (HR)2.83 95%CI:2.13–3.76, adjusted age and sex] by 90 days post-event; however from 90 days to end of follow up, this difference was attenuated (HR 1.52, 95%CI:1.25–1.86). Older patients and those who had a history of vascular disease had a high risk of stroke or MI, whether or not they were diagnosed with minor stroke or TIA. Conclusions Careful attention to vascular risk factors in patients presenting with transient or minor neurological symptoms not thought to be due to stroke or TIA is justified, particularly those who are older or have a history of vascular disease.


VDM 601 (Nicrofer 6023 H) is a nickel-chromium-iron alloy with additions of aluminum and titanium. This alloy is specifically recommended for service above 550 °C (1020 °F) because of its superior creep-rupture properties resulting from its controlled carbon content and coarse grain size. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, hardness, elasticity, and tensile properties. It also includes information on corrosion resistance as well as heat treating, machining, and joining. Filing Code: Ni-769. Producer or source: VDM Metals GmbH.


Due to the advance in wireless communication technologies, smartphones and tablets are becoming part of our life. People can use mobile devices to take pictures to share their life with others. In consideration of privacy and usability, this paper focuses on developing a private platform for content sharing in home. To facilitate content management and fast content retrieval, we design a Content-Centric Platform (CCP) that allows users to manage and search contents according to the tags (or attributes) of contents. With CCP, family members can access shared contents by the tags of contents without knowing the exact physical locations of the contents. The CCP platform has an auto-tagging subsystem that can add annotated tags automatically for the shared contents. It then applies a data mining technique to analyze the tags of the contents and creates a Tag Tree to represent the association of contents based on the tags. Furthermore, CCP also adopts a Tag Cloud mechanism to guide users to retrieve contents of interest. The functionalities provided by CCP include device joining and leaving, content information collection and distribution, auto-tagging and tag analysis. Finally, we have implemented a prototype system to verify the effectiveness of the CCP for content sharing in home networks.


It is a fact that dextrin products used in numerous occupations, such as paper hanging and bookbinding, can often produce a dermatitis. What is not so well known, however, is that dextrin appearing on the adherent surfaces of stamps or labels can have the same effect. There are establishments in which employees affix tax stamps, by hand, to cigaret packages. Some of these workers do not have the opportunity to change the stamp water as frequently as it should be done. The continuous contact of the hands (and fingers) with the dextrin in the stamp water and with the cloths used to dry the excess fluid off the packages sometimes produces a dermatitis. Two such cases have come to our attention. REPORT OF CASES Case 1.— M. P., a woman aged 26, was employed in March 1938 to affix tax stamps. Two months later a dermatitis appeared on the palmar


Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery (RAMIS) was introduced in the mid-eighties, when a PUMA robotic arm was used in a neurosurgical biopsy, successfully. RAMIS has evolved since then and has brought a revolution in surgical procedures. In 1990 the AESOP system was introduced by Computer Motion, became the first robotic endoscopic surgical system. Ten years later in year 2000 a fullfledged master/slave Da Vinci robotic surgical system was introduced by Intuitive Surgical,consists of a master console and a slave robotic system.


Introduction Focus HerpeSelect type specific ELISA is the most commonly used commercial assay for detection of HSV-1 and HSV-2 serostatus. We evaluated the accuracy of the HerpeSelect ELISA in patients who were seeking to confirm their serostatus with the University of Washington Western blot (UW WB). Methods We reviewed charts of all persons who were tested for HSV antibody at the Westover Heights Clinic in Portland, OR between July 2010 and April 2014, and who were tested with both HerpeSelect ELISA and UW WB. Results We evaluated test results on 442 persons, of whom 49% were women, with a median age of 36 (range 18–68). Overall, by UW WB, 61 persons tested HSV-2 seropositive only, 81 tested HSV-1 and HSV-2 seropositive, 170 were HSV-1 seropositive only, and 130 were seronegative for an overall HSV-2 prevalence of 32% and HSV-1 prevalence of 57%. Among 199 persons who tested HSV-2 positive on HerpeSelect ELISA according to manufacturer's cutoff of index value ³1.1, 58% confirmed by the UW WB. Among 131 persons with an index value 1.1–2.9, 50% confirmed; among 37 persons with an index value ≥3, 81% confirmed with the UW WB (c 2 test, p = 0.0007). The risk of false positive HSV-2 results was similar among persons with and without HSV-1 antibody (44% vs 39%, c 2 test, p = 0.41). Among 156 persons who tested HSV-2 negative by ELISA, 2% were found UW WB positive. Among 143 persons who tested HSV-1 positive by ELISA, 133 (92%) confirmed by the UW WB. However, an additional 49 persons were HSV-1 seropositive by UW WB but negative by the ELISA, for a negative predictive value of 72%. Conclusion HerpeSelect ELISA has poor positive predictive value for HSV-2 and poor negative predictive value for HSV-1 in clinical practice. More accurate commercially available tests are needed for HSV antibody diagnostics. Disclosure of interest statement No pharmaceutical grants were received for this study.


Disturbance-observer-based control (DOBC) and related methods have been researched and applied in various industrial sectors in the last four decades. This survey, at first time, gives a systematic and comprehensive tutorial and summary on the existing disturbance/uncertainty estimation and attenuation techniques, most notably, DOBC, active disturbance rejection control, disturbance accommodation control, and composite hierarchical antidisturbance control. In all of these methods, disturbance and uncertainty are, in general, lumped together, and an observation mechanism is employed to estimate the total disturbance. This paper first reviews a number of widely used linear and nonlinear disturbance/uncertainty estimation techniques and then discusses and compares various compensation techniques and the procedures of integrating disturbance/uncertainty compensation with a (predesigned) linear/nonlinear controller. It also provides concise tutorials of the main methods in this area with clear descriptions of their features. The application of this group of methods in various industrial sections is reviewed, with emphasis on the commercialization of some algorithms. The survey is ended with the discussion of future directions.


Pumping the resonance transition Ca 4s2 1S0 to 4s4p 1P1 at lambda =422.7 nm with the linear polarized light of a ring dye laser the subsequent excitation by the linear polarized VUV light of the synchrotron radiation source BESSY was used to investigate the photoionization process from laser-excited aligned Ca atoms. Using the dependence of the photoelectron signals on the polarization axes of both radiation sources the symmetry character of core-resonances 3p53d4s4p was determined.


The Global Medical Device Nomenclature is the first European nomenclature available for medical devices. The purpose of a medical device nomenclature system is to facilitate identifying, medical devices. It is a registry composed by 7000 generic terms (preferred terms) for describing and identifying medical devices in an unambiguous manner. Terms are built according to pre-established rules and are assigned with a unique code and a definition. GMDN is the result of a collaborative international work own by the European community also used in USA, Japan or Australia. The main goal of GMDN is to facilitate regulatory data exchange on vigilance.


Photonic crystals (PCs) are a promising technology for the realization of high-density optical integrated circuits. PC-based couplers have been proposed as a compact means of achieving wavelength multiplexing and demultiplexing. However, the performance of such devices can be limited by fabrication imperfections such as rod size nonuniformities. In this paper, coupled mode theory (CMT) is applied in order to study the implication of the variation of the size of the rods. CMT can provide a useful insight in the effect of size variations, and unlike other numerical methods such as the finite difference time domain, it does not require excessive computational time. Using CMT, the relation between the size nonuniformities and the coupler's insertion loss and extinction ratio is analyzed. It is shown that even a small size variation of the order of 2%-3% can degrade the performance of the device.


In OFDM system, because of sensitivity to carrier frequency offset, frequency offset must be compensated before DFT in the receiver. In this paper, we present a maximum likelihood estimation for carrier frequency offset, based on OFDM symbol has no virtual sub-carriers. The estimation are compose of two parts, blind estimation makes use of cyclic prefix for every symbol and data-aid estimation makes use of two consequent OFDM symbols which are similar or relative to each other. Data-aid estimation performs well and simulation result converges upon Cramer-Rao lower bound. Blind estimation performs inferior, but it can be used in tracking mode.


John Ruskin was a philanthropist as well as a critic, both activities informed by strong moral principles. Ruskin's charity was extensive in its form and type of beneficiaries, ranging from donations of material objects, such as drawings and mineral specimens, to schools to financial support for his pupils and friends. Ruskin scholarship has presented many different aspects of Ruskin's charitable mind and practice, yet his practice is nonetheless always treated as a partial aspect of the life of the polymath. This thesis takes Ruskin's charity as its research focus and aims to draw an integrated and broader picture of his particular approach to charity through an investigation of the ideas, motives and dynamism of his activities. It also hopes to depict Ruskin's complexity and fluidity in his approach to charity, emotions and human relationships.The thesis uses several methods to achieve its objectives. First of all, Ruskin's primary texts are analyzed in order to dig more deeply into his theoretical understanding of charity. These are contextualized against his religious and family background, to show how both underpin the shaping and reshaping of his ideas. Subsequent chapters then take the form of case studies, to explore Ruskin's application of theory to practice. Each case study casts a light on different periods, modes and interests of Ruskin's life, for example, by analyzing letters exchanged between him and his beneficiaries, which vividly illustrates the dynamism of Ruskin's charitable practice and relationships. In so doing, this thesis will advance our understanding of Ruskin's theory and practice of charity in a long history from the nineteenth century through to the present day: Ruskinian charitable enterprises are now flourishing worldwide, within and outside the UK, as Ruskin's legacy.


Optical metrology provides full field, noncontact, precise measurement of various physical parameters of materials, structures, and devices. These properties include kinematic parameters (displacement, velocity, and acceleration), deformation parameters (strains, curvature, and twist), surface parameters (shape and roughness), and mechanical properties of materials (Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, etc.). Researchers have developed many delicate optical measurement techniques and methods, such as photoelasticity, holographic interferometry, speckle metrology, Moire methods, fiber sensing, laser Doppler vibrometry and velocimetry, and computer-vision-based techniques. However, new requirements arise with the recent development in fundamental research and industry applications to fulfill nondestructive and precise measurement under extreme conditions, such as high temperature or pressure, micro/nanoscale samples, large-scale curved structures, and transient events.

It is our pleasure to have this opportunity to present the readers of The Scientific World Journal (SWJ) to some of the current research being performed in optical techniques and image processing under some extreme conditions. There are 10 papers in this special issue, which cover a broad range of topics from microscopic image analysis to nanoscale strain field research, from interfacial mechanical analysis to Raman spectroscopy detection, and from high temperature measurement to large-scale structure optical tracking and dynamical or transient optical metrology. All of the published papers are peer-reviewed.

Xide Li

Giancarlo Pedrini

Yu Fu


Anomalous small-angle scattering (ASAXS) spectra from Al–Zn and Al–Zn–Ag alloys have been recorded at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL). The data were obtained at different energies close to the Zn absorption edge. For the binary alloy, the ASAXS intensities follow quantitatively the variation in the atomic scattering factor of zinc. For the ternary alloys, the anomalous effect decreases when the Zn content decreases. Although only weighted sums of the partial structure functions could be determined, it is shown that the results are consistent with the `two-phase' unmixing model and the direction of tie lines of the metastable miscibility gap has been determined. A new method for analyzing ASAXS data for two absorption edges is proposed.


Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are frequently and successfully used in medical prediction tasks. They are often used in combination with transfer learning, leading to improved performance when training data for the task are scarce. The resulting models are highly complex and typically do not provide any insight into their predictive mechanisms, motivating the field of 'explainable' artificial intelligence (XAI). However, previous studies have rarely quantitatively evaluated the 'explanation performance' of XAI methods against ground-truth data, and transfer learning and its influence on objective measures of explanation performance has not been investigated. Here, we propose a benchmark dataset that allows for quantifying explanation performance in a realistic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) classification task. We employ this benchmark to understand the influence of transfer learning on the quality of explanations. Experimental results show that popular XAI methods applied to the same underlying model differ vastly in performance, even when considering only correctly classified examples. We further observe that explanation performance strongly depends on the task used for pre-training and the number of CNN layers pre-trained. These results hold after correcting for a substantial correlation between explanation and classification performance.


Cyclosporine A (CsA) efficacy and safety have been proven in various dermatoses both in adults and in children even as long-term treatment. Over the last 25 years, Italian dermatologists have gathered relevant experience about CsA treatment for psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. This paper has been developed by an Italian Consensus Conference and it is aimed at providing recommendations based on real-world clinical experience in adult patients, consistent with efficacy and safety data arising from the scientific literature. The paper is mainly focused on the analysis of the optimal therapeutic schemes for psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, in terms of doses and treatment duration, according to individual characteristics and to the severity of the disease. Moreover, it overviews ideal management, taking into account pharmacological interactions, influence of comorbidities, and the most common adverse events related to CsA treatment.


BACKGROUND Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. Gram-negative bacteremia was reported to have a high risk of septic shock and poor prognosis. This study aimed to evaluate the role of procalcitonin in predicting mortality in patients with sepsis due to Gram-negative bacteria.
METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study performed based on medical records and sepsis registry of Tropical and Infectious Disease Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital. The inclusion criteria were patients aged ≥18 years diagnosed with sepsis due to Gram-negative bacteria based on blood culture on admission and hospitalized between March 2017 and October 2020. Data taken from medical records included subjects' characteristics, laboratory parameters, and 28-day mortality outcomes during hospitalization. Receiver operating characteristic was used to determine the area under the curve (AUC) of procalcitonin and its accuracy.
RESULTS A total of 128 patients were eligible. The cumulative survival of patients with Gram-negative bacteremia was 48.4% (standard error 0.96%). The AUC of procalcitonin to predict mortality was 0.45 (95% confidence interval 0.36–0.54). Escherichia coli was the predominant microorganism in blood culture (n = 38, 29.7%).
CONCLUSIONS Procalcitonin has a poor performance in predicting mortality of patients with sepsis due to Gram-negative bacteria.


Nanoporous Cu–O system catalysts with different oxidation states of Cu have been fabricated through a combination of dealloying as-milled Al66.7Cu33.3 alloy powders and subsequent thermal annealing. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) have been used to characterize the microstructure and surface chemical states of Cu–O catalysts. The peculiar nanoporous structure can be retained in Cu–O catalysts after thermal treatment. Catalytic experiments reveal that all the Cu–O samples exhibit complete CO conversion below 170 °C. The optimal catalytic performance could be achieved through the combination of annealing in air with hydrogen treatment for the Cu–O catalyst, which shows a near complete conversion temperature (T90%) of 132 °C and an activation energy of 91.3 KJ mol−1. In addition, the present strategy (ball milling, dealloying and subsequent thermal treatment) could be scaled up to fabricate high-performance Cu–O catalysts towards CO oxidation.


The purpose of this study is to verify the effects of storytelling-centered arts educational activities based on the famous painting appreciation on young children's appreciation ability of pictures and creativity. The study was conducted with a total of 50 5-year-old young children in two classes of B Day Care Center in the city of J, Jeollabukdo. The children were randomly divided into an experimental group(25) and a control group(25). The storytelling-centered arts educational activities based on the famous painting appreciation was conducted for the experimental group for 12 weeks from April 29, 2013 to July 19, 2013. The activities were composed of 3 steps of 'appreciation-expression-exhibition & assessment' on the basis of 2-week basic units. The appreciation activities were composed basing upon the types of the famous painting appreciation and storytelling, and expression and exhibition & assessment activities were composed of 4 areas of arts(music/movement/language/ art). The results of the study are as follows. First, the storytelling-centered arts educational activities based on the famous painting appreciation generally improved young children's painting appreciation abilities in all sub-areas(observation and description/artist's intention of subject expression/mood of a work/ material and technique/artistic factors/attitude to the work). Second, the storytelling-centered arts educational activities based on the famous painting appreciation generally improved young children's creativities in all sub-areas(originality/fluency/flexibility/imagination).


In connection with treating our charges in correctional institutions, we speak often of rehabilitating men, of changing their lives. As a matter of fact we don't change other people's lives; we can only help them to do so themselves. In this process of so assisting men, we lay stress on academic and vocational training. These do not of themselves change men. These are effective tools in helping a man to lead a better life, once he has determined to do so. However, something must happen to a man intellectually and spiritually before he is going to get the inspiration so to direct his life that he will make good use of such talents and skills as he may have, or may develop under our tutelage in the schools.'


Absract The structural complexity of the right ventricle has made quantitative evaluation difficult. Conventional cross-sectional echocardiographic methods are limited by geometric assumptions and the position of the planes used for imaging. Previous reports have demonstrated accurate three-dimensional echocardiographic quantitation of the right ventricle in-vitro and in experimental animals. We adapted a previously described method for three-dimensional reconstruction of the left ventricle to compute right ventricular volume and ejection fraction in a clinical setting. We examined 29 patients aged from 2 to 42 years with pulmonary hypertension, by three-dimensional echocardiography and resonance imaging. Correlation and agreement were calculated for volumes and ejection fractions. Three-dimensional echocardiographic reconstruction, when compared to resonance imaging, yielded r values of 0.95 and 0.93, and mean differences (bias) of 31% ± 19% and 33% ± 18%, for systolic and diastolic volumes respectively. Interobserver variability was low (12.9% and 8.0%). Ejection fraction as calculated by three-dimensional echocardiography showed close agreement with resonance images (bias=l% ±7%). Three dimensional echocardiography is now a method of measuring right ventricular ejection fraction in the clinical setting which produces results comparable to those of resonance imaging. Volume measurements correlated well for systole and diastole, but consistently underestimated values produced from resonance images.


Background Commercial bleaching gels with remineralizing agents were developed to reduce the adverse effects of dental bleaching. The present study evaluated the effects on teeth of in-office bleaching gels containing 35-40% hydrogen peroxide (HP) with Calcium (Ca) or Fluoride (F). Material and Methods Bovine enamel/dentin blocks (4x4x2.5 mm) were randomly divided into the following groups (n=12): no treatment (control); 35% HP (Whiteness HP, FGM); 35% HP with Ca (Whiteness HP Blue, FGM); 40% HP with F (Opalescence Boost, Ultradent). The specimens were analyzed for color (ΔL*, Δa*, Δb*, and ΔE), roughness (Ra), and Knoop microhardness (KHN). The color and KHN data were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey's test, while Ra values were analyzed using mixed models for repeated measures and Tukey-Kramer's test (α=0.05). Results The bleached groups did not exhibit statistical differences among them for color. For roughness, 35% HP provided a slight increase of Ra, which was statistically different from the control. For microhardness, 35% HP and 40% HP with F presented KHN values that were statistically lower from the control, while the 35% HP with Ca did not statistically differ from the control. Conclusions The presence of Ca or F in bleaching gels did not interfere with bleaching efficacy. However, only the enamel exposed to the bleaching gel containing Ca obtained microhardness values similar to unbleached enamel. Key words:Hydrogen peroxide, tooth bleaching, tooth bleaching agents, laboratory research.


A knowledge-centered approach to aircraft flight safety enhancement is proposed. Using an example of modeling and simulation of a flight accident, a concept of the Intelligent Situational Awareness and Forecasting Environment (the S.A.F.E. concept) is introduced. The purpose of this type of onboard system is short-term prediction of a tree-network of possible safe and unsafe flightpaths under complex (multifactor) flight situations. Two notional systems are discussed: the Situational Forecast Display and the Flight Safety Indicator. Potential applications include pilot-vehicle intelligent interface, automatic flight envelope protection, autonomous (robotic) flight, knowledge-centered pilot assistance and pilot training, and automatic resolution of conflicts in close 'free flight' navigation space, etc.


Tumor hypoxia hampers the efficacy of radiotherapy because of its increased resistance to ionizing radiation. The aim of the present study was to estimate the potential added clinical value of the specific hypoxia tracer 18F-fluoroazomycin arabinoside (18F-FAZA) over commonly used 18F-FDG in the treatment of advanced-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Eleven patients with stage III or stage IV NSCLC underwent 18F-FDG and 18F-FAZA PET before chemoradiotherapy. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was used to depict 18F-FDG uptake, and the tumor-to-background (T/B) ratio and tumor fractional hypoxic volume (FHV) were used to quantify hypoxia. The spatial correlation between 18F-FDG and 18F-FAZA uptake values was investigated using voxel-based analysis. Partial-volume correction was applied. Results: All 11 patients showed clear uptake of 18F-FAZA in the primary tumor. However, different patterns of 18F-FDG and 18F-FAZA uptake distributions were observed and varied widely among different tumors. No significant correlation was observed between 18F-FDG SUVmax and 18F-FAZA T/B ratio (P = 0.055). The median FHV of 1.4 was 48.4% (range, 5.0–91.5). A significant positive correlation was found between the 18F-FAZA T/B ratio and FHV of 1.4 (P < 0.001). There was no correlation between the lesion size and FHV or between the 18F-FDG SUVmax and FHV. The pattern of tumoral 18F-FDG uptake was rather homogeneous, whereas 18F-FAZA uptake was more heterogeneous, suggesting that 18F-FAZA identifies hypoxic areas within metabolically active areas of tumor. A significant correlation between 18F-FDG SUVmax and lesion size (P = 0.002) was observed. Conclusion: 18F-FAZA PET imaging is able to detect heterogeneous distributions of hypoxic subvolumes out of homogeneous 18F-FDG background in a clinical setting. Therefore, 18F-FAZA might be considered a tool for guiding dose escalation to the hypoxic fraction of the tumor.


The purpose of this study is to examine profitability, financial leverage, and firm size, on income smoothing in banking companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange 2009-2012. This study uses income smoothing as the dependent variable, the independent variable we use profitability, financial leverage, and firm size. Purposive sampling method we used to get the sample, and from 32 firms that we observed, we got 19 firms as the samples. To analize the data Multiple Linier Regression, F-test and t-test analysis are used SPSS 20. The results shows that the information profitability, financial leverage, and firm size variables simultaneously have significant effect on income smoothing. Meanwhile partially, Profitability has negative significant effect on income smoothing, financial leverage has positive significant on income smoothing and firm size has positive significant effect on income soothing. Keywords: Profitability, Financial Leverage, Firm Size and Income Smoothing


In this work, we study supervisory control of discrete event systems in the presence of network-based attacks on information delivered to and from the supervisors. The attacks are modeled by finite state transducers (FSTs), having the ability to nondeterministically rewrite a word to any word of a regular language. A desired language is called controllable if there exists a security-aware supervisor that ensures that the restricted language executed by the plant for any possible attack behavior is the desired one – we refer to such supervisors as attack-resilient. First, we solve the problem of computing the maximal controllable sub-language (MCSL) of a desired language and propose the design algorithm for an attack-resilient supervisor, in scenarios where no security guarantees exists for communication between the plant and the supervisor. Then, we consider the case where the supervisor has active but intermittent access to a size-limited secure channel, which ensures integrity and availability of the data transmitted over it. Specifically, we propose the notion of accessibility as a measure of distance between a language and its sub-language, and show that a desired language is controllable with intermittently secure communication if and only if its difference from its MCSL without secure channel is bounded by the accessibility measure. Finally, we illustrate our approach on several examples.


Aim. To provide rationale for early basic therapy in patients with gonarthrosis.
Subjects and methods. Three hundred and eight female and male patients with early stages of gonarthrosis and 50 healthy individuals were examined. Clinical, X-ray, and arthrosonographic studies were performed; the levels of interleukin (IL) 1β, IL-1B receptor antagonist, and IL-6 were measured and quality of life was assessed.
Results. The findings have led to the conclusion that the early stages of gonarthrosis are characterized by significant clinical symptomatology and lower femur condylar cartilage height; synovitis is frequently revealed by arthrosonography; there is IL-1β hyperproduction; the quality of life in the patients is worse than that in the healthy individuals from the control group.
Conclusion. Therapy aimed at alleviating the symptoms of gonarthrosis and local inflammation and reducing the rate of articular cartilage degradation and X-ray progression of the disease should be initiated at the earliest, including pre-X-ray, stages of the pathological process.


The performance of a likelihood ratio processor must often be determined via computer simulation. This correspondence suggests an effective method of calculating the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) that avoids emphasizing the upper tail region of the likelihood ratio's estimated probability density function. A specific example is presented.


In order to maximize their efficiency, modern aircraft engines feature reduced nominal clearances between rotating (such as bladed disks) and static (casing) components. As a consequence, structural contacts between these components are now more likely to occur and must be accounted for as early as in the design stage of the engine. To this day, there exists no relevant criterion to discriminate contacting components, such as blades, according to their sensitivity to contact events. In a recent study, it was found that a redesigned blade, featuring significant improvements with respect to its vibratory response following structural contacts, essentially differed from the original design with respect to its clearance consumption — a quantity that characterizes the evolution of blade/casing clearance as the blade vibrates over its first free-vibration modes. From this observation, it was decided to carry out a thorough investigation on the possible relation between clearance consumption and the nonlinear vibratory response following structural contacts. This paper presents an automated structural optimization procedure of a blade design using an objective-function related to the blade's clearance consumption. Thus, optimized blades feature a lower clearance consumption. By means of an in-house numerical tool dedicated to the simulation of structural contact events with a surrounding casing, it is found that optimized blades feature lower amplitudes of vibration following contacts in comparison with the original blades. Overall, it is evidenced that the blade sensitivity to contact has been lowered as certain critical speeds vanish for the optimized profile. The current paper aims at establishing a proof-of-concept and thus only considers structural aspects. Aerodynamic considerations that are key for designing efficient blades are purposely left aside in order to focus on the feasibility of blade dynamics optimization.


On August 3, 1900, bubonic plague (Yersinia pestis) broke out in Glasgow for the first time during the Third Pandemic. The local sanitary authorities rigorously tracked the spread of the disease and they found that nearly all of the 35 cases could be linked by contact with a previous case. Despite trapping hundreds of rats in the area, there was no evidence of a rat epizootic and the investigators speculated that the outbreak could be due to human-to-human transmission of bubonic plague. Here we use a likelihood-based method to reconstruct transmission trees for the outbreak. From the description of the outbreak and the reconstructed trees, we infer several epidemiological parameters. We found that the estimated mean serial interval was 7.4 days and the mean effective reproduction number dropped below 1 after implementation of control measures. We also found that there was a high rate of secondary transmissions within households and observations of transmissions from individuals who were not terminally septicemic. Our results provide important insights into the epidemiology of plague that are useful for modeling current and historic plague epidemics.


Genetic studies of early-onset periodontitis (EOP) are hampered by several factors. These include delayed onset of the trait, an upper age limit of expression of the disease, and lack of phenotypic information for edentulous family members. Segregation analyses of families with EOP support a major locus hypothesis but fail to define clearly the criteria used for diagnosis of the relatives. Confirmation of a proposed mode of inheritance and the identification of risk genes is awaited by means of family linkage studies. It is suggested that a system can be developed for the current and retrospective diagnosis of relatives of EOP probands. In addition, it is hypothesized that the large family presented here is suitable for a linkage study. Relatives of the proband who were unavailable for a full periodontal examination, were edentulous, or were deceased, were diagnosed by means of documented clinical evidence of periodontal disease or from reported case histories. Segregation analysis was performed. Analysis of the power of the pedigree to detect linkage was carried out by means of the SIMLINK program. Three different categories were defined according to the reliability of diagnosis of EOP. Segregation analysis indicated either autosomal-dominant or X-linked-dominant inheritance in this family. The simulations showed lod scores above 3.0 for all locations of the disease gene, and for each category of diagnosis. In conclusion, a method has been developed which can be used for the diagnosis of relatives of EOP probands when ideal clinical data are unavailable. The simulations suggest that this family is suitable for a genetic linkage study with the aim of identifying the location of one or more susceptibility genes.


The importance of human factors in nuclear power plant central control room (CCR) design is well recognised. British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) has gone beyond the now 'normal' design process incorporating human factors, and has invested in the development and application of virtual reality (VR). The focus of this paper is the design of the Sellafield Mox Plant (SMP) CCR, from the design phase through to commissioning.


The shift from particle to field theories has been crumbling pillars of classical objective science, and is reverberating in philosophy of science. Fundamental issues implicit in objective science—process of observing, observer or subject, dividing line between objective and subjective—are now more explicit. These issues are examined in this critique of scientific realism, held to be the best argument for objective science. A developmental model of levels of reality in different states of consciousness is introduced as a more integrated framework for addressing the core challenges to scientific realism.

NeuroQuantology | September 2013 | Volume 11 | Issue 3 | Page 477-502


This thesis investigates the origin of children's literature in China and traces its evolution in connection with the author Zhang Tianyi, who is officially considered as one of the forerunners of Chinese children's literature. Children's literature in China is a little studied field, although the sources for a study are abundant. The thesis studies children's literature in its social context, which involves both social and economic aspects, such as education, popular literacy and the idea of childhood, but it is also seen as being part of a literary tradition. In the early 20th century Chinese literature was influenced both by Western literature and by national traditional forms. Zhang Tianyi, the author of satirical books in the 1930's, is here considered to be a representative of a return to traditional forms. In the thesis his literature for children is analysed as seen from a child's perspectiv, an aspect from below. Some other authors of the same generation - Ding Ling, Ba Jin, Lao She and Ling Shuhua - are singled out for a comparison and representative works are analysed in the same way. Zhang Tianyi's works of the 1950's are also analysed and compared to works by the authors Ren Dalin, Xiao Ping and Gao Xiangzhen and some of the prize-winning works in the 1954 nation-wide competition of children's literature. In the thesis I have tried to show how the literary form of children's books adapts to different purposes, in the first half of the 20th century when Chinese authors were seeking for a new public. The genre of children's literature became a mixture of literary styles and opened up for a literary dialogue between different classes of society. Zhang Tianyi pursues the tradition of satire in the shape of children's literature but his uncertainty about the genre helps to explain why he is seen as a forerunner of children's literature. Hopefully I have contributed to a better understanding of the origin of children's literature in China and the different aspects - social and literary - involved in the evolution of this literary genre. I also hope to have made a contribution to the research on the author Zhang Tianyi, whose writings for children need more scholarly attention.


Background & Aims Among children hospitalized for pneumonia, those with parapneumonic effusion (PPE) are at particular risk for nutritional deterioration. This study aimed to 1) investigate the evolution of the nutritional status during hospitalization and at outpatient follow-up; 2) determine clinical risk factors for weight loss during hospitalization; 3) describe the nutritional interventions for these children. Methods Retrospective chart review (January '07 - September '12) of 56 children with pneumonia, complicated by PPE in two Belgian hospitals for data on body weight and height at admission (t0) and discharge (t1), and two weeks (t2) and one month (t3) after discharge. Length of hospitalization (LoS), length of stay in paediatric intensive care (LoSPICU) and maximal in-hospital weight loss (tmax) were calculated and nutritional interventions were recorded. Results The median (range) age was 3.5 (1.0–14.8) years. Weight or height was lacking in five (8.9%) children at t0 and in 28 (50%) at t1; 21.4% was weighed only once during hospitalization. At tmax, respectively 17/44 and 5/44 children lost ≥5% and ≥10% of their weight. Median (range) LoS and LoSPICU were 18.0 (10–41) and 4.0 (0–23) days. One-fourth received a nutritional intervention. Weight for height at admission (WFH(t0)) significantly predicted maximal weight loss (β (95% CI) = −0.34 (−2.0–−0.1); p = 0.03). At t2 and t3, 13/32 and 5/22 of the children with available follow-up data did not reach WFH(t0), whilst in 4/35 and 5/26 body weight remained ≥5% under the weight(t0). Conclusions One-third of children with pneumonia complicated by PPE and monitored for weight and height, lost ≥5% of their body weight during hospitalization. One-fourth did not reach initial WFH one month after discharge. Those with a higher WFH at admission were at higher risk of weight loss. More attention for monitoring of weight loss and the nutritional policy during and after hospitalization is warranted.


In resource-constrained environments, organizations helping disadvantaged communities often rely on mobile devices as their field worker's primary computing device. While over two-thirds of the world's population have mobile phones, less than half the world's population is connected to the Internet [14]. Thus, many existing mobile frameworks that rely on Internet connectivity are not well suited to long periods of disconnected data collection and management. Furthermore, many existing frameworks are generally aimed at developers or users with significant technical skills and/or financial resources, making it difficult for organizations in resource-constrained communities to adapt mobile frameworks to their highly context dependent field deployments. My research focuses on creating tools that adapt mobile technologies to meet the needs of under-served populations by creating a modular, service-based mobile application framework suited to disconnected data management. The aim is to enable organizations to create domain-independent mobile applications by leveraging customizable frameworks designed to adapt to extreme mobile networking conditions. Designing flexible tools that are configurable by global development organizations necessitates new abstractions that are usable by non-programmers with limited technical expertise. These abstractions should be based on open standards to enable interoperability with other tools to establish an ecosystem of modules that can be used together or independently to create custom information management solutions.


Articlefocuses on issues related to early care and education for children in the context of the current challenges facing social policy. Its aim is to show the importance of early care and education of children as part of the systemic impact in the area, forming part of the family and educational policy, and bringing tangible benefits to individual and social. The text points to the important role of education in society from the point of view of both the functionalist perspective, as well as the theory of conflict and education starting from the earliest years of a child's life. Furthermore, the article shows the elements of the system of early care and education of children in Poland and its transformations, as well as the challenges faced by local authorities in ensuring the effective and efficient functioning.


Studies of renal function in four hypertensive patients under various conditions of diet, therapy, and position were undertaken in an effort to clarify their relationship to THH2Oc and to further illucidate the mechanism by which THH2Oc is altered. The results indicate that the decrease of THH2oc induced by a low-salt diet is not due to the concomitant decrease of glomerular filtration rate, clearance of sodium, or sodium load to the loop of Henle. Acute decrease of GFR by standing position is accompanied by a significant increase of THH2oc. It was also shown that the modification of ! occurred apparently independently of the variations in renal plasma flow. Finally it was not possible, in our patients, to detect the actual mechanism by which a low-salt diet decreased THH2oc.

recumbent and standing position; normal diet; Na-deficient diet

Submitted on August 8, 1963


5-fluorouracil (5-FU), widely used for chemotherapy of colorectal carcinoma, requires intracellular anabolic conversion to cytotoxic nucleotides and exhibits a narrow therapeutic range with dose-dependent and concentration-dependent effects. 5-FU undergoes extensive metabolic degradation to several catabolites, which are excreted mainly by the kidneys. Alteration of the pharmacokinetics of 5-FU and its catabolites as a result of renal dysfunction might augment systemic toxicity. Because no data are available for patients with severe renal failure, the pharmacokinetic parameters of 5-FU and its catabolites were determined for a patient with colorectal carcinoma and end-stage renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis therapy. Plasma was analyzed by 19F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for the first 5-day treatment cycle (daily bolus injections of 5-FU for 5 days in combination with low-dose folinic acid). On days 1 and 5, the pharmacokinetic parameters for 5-FU (total area under the plasma concentration-time curve, terminal half-life, total plasma clearance, volume of distribution based on the terminal phase) and its initial catabolite dihydrofluorouracil (total area under the plasma concentration-time curve, terminal half-life) were in the ranges reported in the literature for patients with normal renal function, implying no need for primary dose adjustment. In contrast, the final 5-FU catabolite alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine (FBAL) accumulated to a concentration of 276 micromol/L on day 5 (approximately twofold higher than expected from the literature) despite good removal by hemodialysis with extraction ratios of 0.6 to 0.85 over the filter membrane. Negative effects of FBAL or enhancement of 5-FU-related toxicity could not be judged in this individual case, but further study is warranted to determine the possible benefits of more intensive dialysis treatment.


Abstract Factors affecting horn size in wild Caprinae are of biological and socio-economic interest because several species are selectively harvested on the basis of this heritable character. We analysed temporal trends in horn size in two mountain ungulates from south-eastern Spain, the Iberian wild goat Capra pyrenaica and the aoudad Ammotragus lervia. Trophy harvest is the main way in which these two species are exploited, although 'poor-quality' aoudads are also selectively removed. In recent years, both populations have suffered drastic decreases in number due to outbreaks of sarcoptic mange that led to the suspension of hunting for several years. Horn length in harvested male wild goats and aoudads declined during our study period. Over an 18-year period, the mean age of male goats shot as trophies rose by four years, while the age of trophy-harvested aoudads decreased by around six months over a 9-year period. Age and environmental conditions during the first few years of life explained 20% of variance in horn size in Iberian wild goat and 53% in aoudad. Population density early in life explained much of the reduction in goat horn size over time. Nevertheless, the major fall in population densities after the sarcoptic mange outbreaks did not lead to a recovery in horn size in either species. We suggest that the selective removal of large-horned animals may contribute to a decline in horn size. Other factors that may also explain the observed pattern include changes in interspecific competition, long-lasting maternal effects and reduced carrying capacity due to overgrazing during high density periods. Unfortunately, our data sets did not allow us to account for the possible effects of these factors.


Abstract The 2008-2009 global crisis has severely affected the world economy. Most national governments utilized fiscal policy measures including subsidies to reinforce and sustain their economies. In this study we examine the impact of the 2008-2009 global crisis on subsidies paid to manufacturing firms either by their governments or the European Union (i.e. EU). Our results indicate that, overall, a significantly larger proportion of firms had received subsidies after the global crisis. When we look into different subgroups, we find that firm size, female ownership, female management, and quality certification did not matter (more firms in all of these subgroups had received subsidies). On the other hand, our results demonstrate that firm type and top manager's experience level made a difference in terms of subsidies received after the crisis.


The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of cooperative learning method enhanced with metacognitive strategies on metacognitive skills of 6 th grade students in mathematics education. The research was designed as a mixed method in which qualitative and quantitative methods were used together.  The quantitative research was planned as a pre-test post-test control group quasiexperimental design. Document review method, one of the qualitative research techniques, was used to obtain qualitative data. The research participants were composed of 101 6 th grade students. Cooperative learning method enhanced by metacognitive strategies was used in the first experimental group and only cooperative learning method with no support of metacognitive strategies was used in the second experimental group. There was no intervention for the control group. Data were collected using the "Junior Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (Jr. MAI)" developed by Sperling, Howard, Miller, and Murphy (2002) and through the written opinions of the students about implementation process. The quantitative data was analyzed by performing the dependent group t-test and analysis of variance. For the qualitative section, data was analyzed using descriptive analysis. According to the results of the data analysis, at the end of the interventions, it was seen that the levels of metacognitive skills of the first experimental group were significantly higher than of both the second experimantal group and the control group. Also, the levels of metacognitive skills of the second experimental group were higher than those of the control group. According to the results based on the analysis of students' views, it was seen that, the students in the first experimental group expressed their thoughts on the development of their metacognitive skills. In this context, it was observed that, the students' questioning the problems and their solution processes, analyzing their mistakes and their planning skills have been improved. Also, the second experimental group students stated that they did reciprocal questioning on paired worksheets and their group work skills improved.


Two hundred and six pregnancies occurring after in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer (ET) during a 7‐year period in Goteborg were analysed with respect to pregnancy outcome. The clinical abortion rate was 26%, the rate of ectopic pregnancy was 10%, the rate of ongoing pregnancies beyond 24 weeks was 15%, and the rate of deliveries was 49% (n = 100). The hospital records of 98 women with the 100 deliveries resulting in 131 infants were studied. Multiple pregnancy occurred in 27%, including one quadruplet and two triplet pregnancies. Preterm birth occurred in 30% of all pregnancies and in 20% of singleton pregnancies. Thirty‐four percent of the infants had a birth weight of less than 2500 g. The perinatal mortality was 46/1000, as estimated from the 24th week of pregnancy. The incidence of major malformation, 2.3%, was similar to that reported from studies in the general population. The first 100 infants born were followed up for 18 months to 8 years. Long‐term sequelae were associated with immaturity and low birth weight. No problems during follow‐up were disclosed in children who had had an uneventful neonatal period. It is concluded that IVF pregnancies are an obstetric risk group requiring special attention


The psychological impact of a critical care admission is sufficient to precipitate significant psychiatric morbidity for those who survive it. The true proportion of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is unclear. A prospective longitudinal study of 90 survivors was conducted to examine the proportion of PTSD, using a structured clinical interview and compared to that identified through a self- report questionnaire. Assessments of anxiety, depression, cognitive function and quality of life, were also performed. The primary aim was to determine the true prevalence of PTSD after critical care discharge The proportion of survivors of critical care treatment who developed PTSD, according to a structured clinical interview after discharge was modest and lower than that reported previously in most critical care studies or compared to that identified through self-report questionnaires. However, the identified proportion of 10% PTSD still represents a significant minority who could potentially benefit from detection and treatment. A model stepped care pathway is proposed, to support survivors in their psychological recovery after discharge from critical care.


ABSTRACT A promoter active in the late phase of the lytic cycle of lactococcal bacteriophage TP901-1 has been identified. The promoter is tightly regulated and requires the product of the phage TP901-1orf29 for activity. A deletion analysis of the late promoter region showed that a fragment as small as 99 bp contains both the promoter and the region necessary for activation by ORF29. The transcriptional start site of the promoter was identified by primer extension to position 13073 on the TP901-1 genome, thus located 87 bp downstream of orf29 in a 580-bp intergenic region between orf29 and orf30. Furthermore, the region located −85 to −61 bp upstream of the start site was shown to be necessary for promoter activity. During infection, the transcript arising from the late promoter is fully induced at 40 min postinfection, and our results suggest that a certain level of ORF29 must be reached in order to activate transcription of the promoter. Several lactococcal bacteriophages encode ORF29 homologous proteins, indicating that late transcription may be controlled by a similar mechanism in these phages. With the identification of this novel regulator, our results suggest that within the P335 group of lactococcal phages at least two regulatory systems controlling transcription in the late stage of infection exist.


Malaria is the most important parasitic disease of humans. Cochrane Review support the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for malaria treatment which recommend that in all settings clinical suspicion of malaria should be confirmed by parasitological diagnosis using microscopy or Malarial Rapid Diagnostic Test (MRDT). Microscopic diagnosis sensitivity requires expertise and may not be feasible in developing countries in endemic areas and hence MRDT may complement this test. As declared in the World Malaria report 2013 there has been increased use of MRDT which reflect that this test is being taken seriously for diagnostic and management. With every diagnosis test there are lacunae which must be reviewed before interpretation of result. A rapid diagnosis test may be used in endemic areas because it is cost effective, so that rational treatment would be given and hence prevent drug resistance as well as reduce the economic burden.


In this paper, we try to further demonstrate that the models of random CSP instances proposed by Xu and Li are of theoretical and practical interest. Indeed, these models, called RB and RD, present several nice features. First, it is quite easy to generate random instances of any arity since no particular structure has to be integrated, or property enforced, in such instances. Then, the existence of an asymptotic phase transition can be guaranteed while applying a limited restriction on domain size and on constraint tightness. In that case, a threshold point can be precisely located and all instances have the guarantee to be hard at the threshold, i.e., to have an exponential tree-resolution complexity. Next, a formal analysis shows that it is possible to generate forced satisfiable instances whose hardness is similar to unforced satisfiable ones. This analysis is supported by some representative results taken from an intensive experimentation that we have carried out, using complete and incomplete search methods.


Range aggregate queries find frequent application in data analytics. In some use cases, approximate results are preferred over accurate results if they can be computed rapidly and satisfy approximation guarantees. Inspired by a recent indexing approach, we provide means of representing a discrete point data set by continuous functions that can then serve as compact index structures. More specifically, we develop a polynomial-based indexing approach, called PolyFit, for processing approximate range aggregate queries. PolyFit is capable of supporting multiple types of range aggregate queries, including COUNT, SUM, MIN and MAX aggregates, with guaranteed absolute and relative error bounds. Experiment results show that PolyFit is faster and more accurate and compact than existing learned index structures.


Abstract.
 Hurricanes are important disturbances shaping tropical forest structure. In the last 35 years the frequency and intensity of these events have changed, and it is predicted that intense hurricanes will become even more frequent with continued ocean surface warming. In 2005, the northeastern region of the Yucatan peninsula was hit by two subsequent category-5 hurricanes (3 months apart), Emily and Wilma. I conducted vegetation surveys to evaluate forest structure and composition soon after each disturbance and after one year, determining number of species, number of stems, basal area, and type of impact presented (defoliated, snapped, or uprooted), for all stems ≥ 5 cm DBH in two different forest stand ages (8–15 yr and > 30 yr). Number of species and basal area varied by forest stand age and survey; stem density decreased after the hurricanes. The highest percentage of damaged individuals was after the second hurricane (60%), but one year later this percentage was greatly reduced (13%). In all surveys, defoliation was the most common damage and uprooting the least common. In general, larger trees suffered more uprooting and snapping than did smaller ones. The importance value of most common species remained similar over time but increased for a few late successional species by the final survey. This forest showed a high degree of recovery to multiple disturbances, reflecting a long history of adaptation to these events.


Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1)/Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)/S1PRs signaling pathway is known to involve the advancement of liver fibrosis. Exosomal SphK1 promotes hepatic stellate cells (HSC) migration. Salidroside (Sal) inhibits liver fibrosis, but its mechanism is yet to be elucidated. This study was to explore the influences of Sal on the SphK/S1P/S1PRs signaling pathway in liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in vivo, and investigated the mechanism of Sal affecting the migration and activation of HSC triggered by exosomal SphK1 in vitro. Our data showed that Sal reduced the activities of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum, and hydroxyproline (Hyp) content in the liver tissue. Sal subdued the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibronectin (FN) and type I collagen (Col I) of the liver. Sal also reduced mitochondria-induced hepatocyte apoptosis and to inhibit JNK activation. Furthermore, Sal remarkably eradicated the influence of SphK1, SphK2, S1P, and S1PRs triggered by CCl4, whether stimulating or hindering. Compared with serum-derived exosomes from model group mice, serum-derived exosomes from Sal group mice expressed lower SphK1 and reduced JS 1 (mouse HSC cell line) migration. In addition, Sal was also observed to subdue Col I expression, AKT activation, and LX-2 migration induced by exosomal SphK1 from SK-HEP-1 (a kind of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) cell line). In conclusion, Sal could effectively alleviate liver injury, hepatocyte apoptosis, and liver fibrosis in vivo, providing supports that the protective effects of Sal might be realized by suppressing JNK activation and modulating the SphK/S1P/S1PRs axis. In vitro, it was observed that Sal might alleviate LX-2 migration and activation induced by exosomal SphK1 by inhibiting the AKT activation.


The Belle II experiment, being constructed at the KEK laboratory in Japan, represents a substantial upgrade of both the Belle detector and the KEKB accelerator. It is expected that Belle II will collect 50 times more data than existing B-Factory samples beginning in 2019. Belle II is uniquely capable of studying the so-called "XYZ" particles: heavy exotic hadrons consisting of more than three quarks. First discovered by Belle, these now number in the dozens, and represent the emergence of a new category within Quantum Chromodynamics. In this article we summarize the capabilities of Belle II to explore both exotic and conventional bottomonium physics, with a particular focus on the physics reach of the first data, where opportunities exist to make an immediate impact in this area.


The influence of maize (zea mays L.) cultivars and levels of NPK (15–15–15) fertilizer application was studied for two years at the Experimental Farm of the University of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State in the rainforest zone of South Western Nigeria. Commercial NPK (15–15–15) fertilizer was applied at 0, 250, 500 and 750kg/ha to DMRESR–Y, SUWAN–Y and DMRLSR–Y maize cultivars. Results showed that growth parameters and grain yield of maize were significantly influenced by maize cultivars and levels of NPK fertilizer. Height and growth of DMRLSR–Y were either superior or similar to that of SUWAN while DMRESR–Y gave least values of these parameters. Leaf area production and grain yield were highest in DMRLSR–Y followed by SUWAN and lowest in DMRESR–Y. Maize height, stem girth, leaf area production and grain yield of maize also increased with the increasing rates of NPK fertilizer.


Effects of nano SbSbS_4particles on contact fatigue life of a steel ball were evaluated on a self-made ball-rod contact fatigue tester. The anti-fatigue mechanisms of SbSbS_4 additive were analyzed by means of SEM and EDAX. It was shown that, when the grease contained SbSbS_4, contact fatigue life was improved compared with that of base grease. Nanoparticle absorption action, nanoparticle infiltration action, and extreme pressure and anti-friction performance, explained why SbSbS_4 increased the contact fatigue life of the steel ball tested.


A high-speed signal processing system for 2-D state-space digital filter is proposed. The architecture of the signal processing system is a linear systolic array. The performance of the system implemented with discrete ICs is evaluated. One processing element of the system consists of 2750 gates and 2.5 kbit ROMs and thus can be integrated into a single LSI chip. The processing time of the system is 10.1 ms for 2-D signals of size 512*512. Thus, the proposed system can process television images in real time.<<ETX>>


Scepticism about the possibility of a democratically governed global polity is often rooted in beliefs about 'necessary conditions'. Some democracy scholars consider a transition to global democracy to be incompatible with necessary conditions for democratic governance, while some International Relations scholars consider it to be incompatible with necessary conditions for international structural change. This article assesses hypotheses and evidence about democratic transitions within states and transformations in the interaction among states and concludes that arguments based on necessary conditions are not compelling. This suggests that global democracy may be unlikely but it is not impossible.