Abstract A new generation of radio telescopes with unprecedented capabilities for astronomy and fundamental physics will be in operation over the next few years. With high sensitivities and large fields of view, they are ideal for cosmological applications. We discuss their uses for cosmology focusing on the observational technique of HI intensity mapping, in particular at low redshifts (z < 4). This novel observational window promises to bring new insights for cosmology, in particular on ultra-large scales and at a redshift range that can go beyond the dark energy domination epoch. In terms of standard constraints on the dark energy equation of state, telescopes such as Phase I of the SKA should be able to obtain constrains about as well as a future galaxy redshift surveys. Statistical techniques to deal with foregrounds and calibration issues, as well as possible systematics are also discussed.


All staff members of a child and adolescent mental health service were invited to participate in a survey about the use of email. Sixty-two of the 105 staff members responded to the survey, a participation rate of 59%. Of the respondents, 32 were allied health staff, 10 were nurses, seven were administrative staff, six were medical staff, three were operational staff and four were acting in a combination of these roles. The respondents reported extensive work-related email usage and considered that they were confident in using email despite low levels of training. However, they did not feel that they understood the legal and ethical issues involved. Furthermore, there was limited incorporation of email into standard record keeping. The majority of respondents thought that increased use of email would lead to a greater workload, a consequence they considered would probably increase over time. Many commented on the quick and practical use of this medium, but were wary about using email with individuals outside the service organization, especially if it were to contain clinical material. There was low use of email directly with clients, and clinicians were ambivalent about incorporating email into therapy. The results suggest that it is timely to consider the utility and appropriateness of email communication with clients and external service providers, and to formulate guidelines and procedures to ensure the confidentiality of client information and the safety of clients and staff.


ABSTRACT We provide an updated review of pre-selected RNA viruses causing ocular inflammation in humans. RNA viruses such as coronaviruses and arboviruses are reviewed elsewhere. A Google Scholar search was conducted to identify recent publications on ocular inflammation caused by the RNA viruses specified here. Human RNA viruses target a wide range of ocular tissues from the anterior to the posterior. Influenza, measles and mumps cause anterior segment manifestations including conjunctivitis and keratitis, while retinitis and optic neuritis may be seen posteriorly. Newcastle disease and RSV cause conjunctivitis, whereas HIV causes characteristic anterior uveitis. Cataracts, microphthalmos, and iris abnormalities are common in congenital Rubella, while Rubella virus is associated with Fuchs uveitis syndrome. Newer technologies make it possible to detect more than one pathogen if present simultaneously. RNA viruses may produce significant ocular morbidity, and care should be taken to investigate ocular symptoms during disease outbreaks.


The need for affordable stronger authentication for enterprise access is getting more urgent due to the high mobility of the workforce and the increasing threat of intrusion attacks. This paper presents a strong authentication solution for enterprises. The solution proposes to use as security token the mobile phone together with its SIM card. In fact, the mobile phone is currently the most used mobile device and to use and re-use it in the authentication of the user will not incur additional expenses. The strong authentication based on SIM card will therefore have low acceptance threshold. It is also universal since GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) is definitely the largest mobile system in the world. By placing the mobile phone close to the PC, the user can simply and safely log into his corporate Intranet.


This paper presents an adaptive augmented, gain-scheduled baseline LQR-PI controller applied to the Road Runner six-degree-of-freedom generic hypersonic vehicle model. Uncertainty in control effectiveness, longitudinal center of gravity location, and aerodynamic coefficients are introduced in the model, as well as sensor bias and noise, and input time delays. The performance of the baseline controller is compared to the same design augmented with one of two different model-reference adaptive controllers: a classical openloop reference model design, and modified closed-loop reference model design. Both adaptive controllers show improved command tracking and stability over the baseline controller when subject to these uncertainties. The closed-loop reference model controller offers the best performance, tolerating a reduced control effectiveness of 50%, rearward center of gravity shift of up to -1.6 feet (11% of vehicle length), aerodynamic coefficient uncertainty scaled 4× the nominal value, and sensor bias of up to +3.2 degrees on sideslip angle measurement. The closed-loop reference model adaptive controller maintains at least 70% of the delay margin provided by the robust baseline design when subject to varying levels of uncertainty, tolerating input time delays of between 15-41 ms during 3 degree angle of attack doublet, and 80 degree roll step commands.


A mechanism for converting human chromatid 17 into its isoforms-isochromatid 17q and isochromosome X17q--is discussed. The frequency of these isoforms in a subset of Ph+ chronic myeloid leukemia patients is traceable to singularities of the nuclear envelope of myeloid cells. When statistically interpreted, loss of tumor suppressor gene (p53) seems less significant than additive retention of genes on the q arm of 17, at least regarding evolution of clones carrying both Ph and X17q markers.


There are several known causes for the clinical syndrome of pulmonary hemorrhage and acute renal failure. Here, we report a unique case of a 50-year-old man presenting in this manner. The initial diagnosis was one of antiglomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease that responded well to steroids, cyclophosphamide, and plasma exchange (PE). The pulmonary hemorrhage resolved, but he remained dialysis dependent. However, despite falling anti-GBM titers, the symptoms relapsed and standard therapy was reinitiated with limited success. The anti-GBM antibody titer fell to zero despite clinical deterioration, prompting a search for an alternative diagnosis. He was found to be IgM anti-proteinase-3 antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (C-ANCA) positive. The pulmonary hemorrhage responded successfully to the use of intravenous immunoglobulin and the antilymphocyte monoclonal antibody CD52. To our knowledge, this is the first known case of IgM C-ANCA in association with anti-GBM disease. As such, it highlights the predominance of pulmonary hemorrhage in this condition, as well as the need to consider alternative therapies in refractory cases.


IMPORTANCE
Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a common and often chronic disorder. Intralaryngeal bevacizumab has gained recent interest as an adjuvant therapy for RRP. However, no histologic model has been published describing the effects of bevacizumab on the vocal fold.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the histologic effects of bevacizumab injections into the vocal fold and compare these findings with those for cidofovir and saline control injections.

DESIGN AND SETTING
In vivo animal study involving eighteen 1-year-old Yorkshire crossbreed pigs, with a blinded review of pathologic findings conducted in a veterinary research laboratory.

INTERVENTIONS
The pigs were randomly divided into six study groups receiving 2.5 or 5.0 mg of cidofovir or bevacizumab alone or in combination. Each pig received an injection of 0.5 mL of the test drug in the right vocal fold and 0.5 mL of saline in the left vocal fold. These injections were performed 4 times during the course of 8 weeks. One pig from each group was killed humanely and the larynges harvested 2 weeks after the last injection. The remaining pigs were killed 4 months after the last injection on the remaining pigs. The vocal folds were fixed and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and trichrome and reviewed for histologic changes by 3 blinded pathologists.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Histologic changes to the vocal folds.

RESULTS
Minimal inflammation, edema, and atypia were found in all treatment groups. No appreciable histologic differences were found among the 3 treatment groups and their controls. No difference was seen in the vocal folds that were harvested late (4 months) vs early (2 weeks) after last injection. No fibrosis was found in any of the specimens.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
No histologic evidence suggests that intralaryngeal cidofovir or bevacizumab alone or in combination resulted in significant changes to the porcine vocal fold. Future studies may build on this model to test higher dosages and/or may combine injections with potassium titanyl phosphate laser therapy.


The diuretic response of patients with congestive heart failure to establish doses of diapamide (750 mg) and furosemide (80 mg) was compared in an open, crossover study. Peak urine output occurred in the first 6 hours after administration of furosemide but somewhat later (12 to 18 hours) with diapamide. Both agents produced active diuresis and natriuresis in most patients. Comparisons of drug effect during the first days of each treatment period and analysis of the entire first treatment period indicated that urine output with furosemide was significantly greater than with diapamide. Urinary sodium excretion on the first day of treatment was not significantly greater with furosemide than with diapamide, nor were the differences significant on subsequent days. The observed differences between drugs on urinary potassium and chloride excretion were not statistically significant. The most frequently occurring adverse reaction was mild to moderate nausea, which was reported by five patients receiving diapamide and two patients receiving furosemide. Diarrhea and vomiting were also more frequent with diapamide. Diapamide would appear to serve a role between the milder thiazide diuretics and the more effective furosemide.


Animal welfare assessment has undergone considerable development. The management and rearing of big cats may lead these animals to express behavioral problems. This study was performed to assess the well-being of a non-breeding pair of Siberian tigers using ethological and physiological parameters. During the day, the animals were kept together in the outdoor exhibit, whereas overnight the tigers were individually housed. Twenty 45-min sessions were run for each subject. The Focal Animal Sampling method was used to record individual and social behaviors. In addition, fecal cortisol levels were monitored and determined by enzyme immunoassay. Single case analysis was run to analyze behavioral data and cortisol levels. Findings highlight that species-specific behaviors were performed by both animals. However, significant differences between the two tigers were observed in stress-related behaviors: the female showed stereotypic behavior, whereas the male did not. No significant differences in fecal cortisol levels were observed. Results suggest that the ethological parameters could be more sensitive than the physiological ones in detecting a stressful condition. Analyzing behavioral data together with physiological stress markers may allow for a more complete assessment of animal welfare.


"Intergenerational sustainability dilemma (ISD)†is a situation where the current generation chooses actions to her benefit without considering future generations under current economic and political systems, compromising intergenerational sustainability (Kamijo et al., 2017, Shahrier et al., 2017). We institute a new mechanism to improve intergenerational sustainability called "intergenerational accountability (IA)†and examine its effectiveness through field experiments consisting of ISD games (ISDGs). In Baseline ISDG, a sequence of six generations, each composed of three members, is organized, and each generation is asked to choose whether to maintain intergenerational sustainability (sustainable option) or maximize their payoff by irreversibly imposing costs on future generations (unsustainable option) within a 10-minute deliberation. With IA, each generation is asked to provide the reasons of her decision as well as her advice to future generations that are passed to subsequent generations. Our results show that generations under IA choose a sustainable option much more often than under Baseline ISDG, giving positive reasons and advice for sustainable options to subsequent generations. Overall, one-way communication of reasons and advice in IA is identified to function as a social device to not only transfer a common image but also decrease social distance over generations for intergenerational sustainability.


658 Objectives: Uncertainty in proton range in tissue is a limiting factor in accurate and optimal planning for proton therapy[1]. Positron emission tomography (PET) has the potential to verify range by imaging the positron emitters generated by nuclear reactions of protons with elements in the tissue[2]-[5]. Images can be taken shortly after any given treatment fraction and compared to treatment plan-based Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of the PET activity to check beam delivery. Accurate MC simulations, including biological effects, and appropriate comparison methods are necessary for appropriate assessment of dose accuracy. In this study we compared two MC simulation schemes to our measured PET images and are reporting our most recent clinical study results.
Methods: We scanned 15 patients undergoing proton therapy for brain and head and neck tumors. All patients were imaged with a brain PET/CT scanner within 3.5 minutes of treatment with 2 Gy of protons from one or two beams. Most patients had repeated scans to check to reproducibility, resulting in 40 scans total. MC simulations of the expected PET distribution were generated using TOPAS, a Geant4 based particle simulator[6]. Radioactive decay and biological washout were applied to the MC to match the timing of the PET scans. Adjustments were made to the simulations and decay scheme to account for differences between cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) in the head and the whole-body parameters typically used in the simulations. CSF has a similar composition to water, thus ventricles and resected regions were given material properties similar to water, rather than the default values with a greater carbon contribution[7]. Additionally, less biological washout was applied to CSF regions, given the slower flow than in the highly perfused gray and white matter. Reconstructed images were compared to the both the "original MC" and the CSF "modified MC" for accuracy. Profiles along the beam were generated and compared by shifting one profile relative to the other until the difference is minimized[8]. The shift distance is used in generating a map across the beam to designate areas of agreement or disagreement in range.
Results: Overall, the agreement between PET and MC-PET images was within a few millimeters. The average range difference for all patients and beams ranged from -1.85 to 2.77 mm with an average of 0.48 mm for the modified MC, and -1.87 to 3.83 mm with an average of 1.10 mm for the original MC. The RMSE of the differences ranged from 1.24 to 4.67 mm with mean 3.13 mm for the modified MC, and 1.92 to 6.07 mm with mean 3.43 mm for the original MC. While use of the modified MC resulted in smaller range differences, the majority of range differences detected by the automatic algorithm were due to remaining differences in the actual and predicted washout, and thus are not true range errors. A graphical user interface displaying the PET and MC, the 2D shift map, and profiles of selected points on the shift map was used to spot check the results. See Figure 2 for an example range comparison and 2D range map.
Conclusions: Despite the often-complicated geometry and the high washout, it is possible to use profiles to compare measured and expected range differences of proton treatments in the head. We are able to provide an assessment of range differences between PET and MC-PET, and thus planned and delivered dose, across the entire beam cross section. The modified MC parameters for CSF regions made the profile shape of the MC more realistic and improved the comparison with PET. Results of the range comparisons can be used on a patient/fraction basis to check individual fractions, or population basis to determine the overall accuracy achievable for a given beam/anatomical location combination. Increasing the PET signal by reducing the delay between treatment and imaging has the potential to greatly improve the results. In-beam PET systems could provide higher imaging quality for even more accurate comparisons.


This study to analyze cost eficiency at Islamic Banking Industry in Indonesia, by using Stochastic Frontier Approach (SFA), scale economies. The unit analyze of this study is Comercial Islamic Banking/ Bank Umum Syariah (BUS) that has operated at least since 2005. This study is using data panel.The data used is data of quarterly bank unit from financial report of Islamic Banking, The study shows that during 2005 – 2009 period, Islamic Banking Industry has average of eficiency level about 87,15 percent. However, the trend shows that the performance is improving.  It is also that economies of scale is more than 1 too, it meaning that Islamic Banking Industry is in economies of scale condition. Individually, Islamic Banking also shows the same condition.


Background Use of contraception in Panamanian indigenous groups is significantly lower than in the general population. Birth-rates in the Ng-be-Buglé group are the highest in the country. A large proportion of the Ng-be-Buglé live in isolated, rural communities with limited sanitation and education facilities and poor access to local health services. A non-governmental organisation (NGO) has been providing primary healthcare to these communities since 2011 and introduced the contraceptive injection in 2013. Aims To assess the level and trends of contraceptive injection use and to identify associated challenges. Methods An observational study of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) use in women attending the NGO clinics was carried out. Results 143 women from 16 communities have used DMPA from the NGO; 46.9% started in the last 6 months. The most common reason for commencing is family completion. Average age at commencing is 27.6 years (range 12–46) and number of children is 4 (range 0–14). Since starting, 13.3% have discontinued use and 25.9% have missed their most recent dose. Missed doses are commonly due to clinic non-attendance. Influence from spouses and misconceptions regarding side-effects are key factors in discontinuation. Discussion Ng-be-Buglé communities are experiencing unsustainable population growth. Contraceptive options available to these communities remain limited. Despite a recent surge in the uptake of DMPA from the NGO, major challenges regarding long-term use and compliance remain. Our ongoing work aims to broaden contraceptive options for these people and includes implementation of a pilot study introducing the contraceptive implant.


Action recognition models have shown a promising capability to classify human actions in short video clips. In a real scenario, multiple correlated human actions commonly occur in particular orders, forming semantically meaningful human activities. Conventional action recognition approaches focus on analyzing single actions. However, they fail to fully reason about the contextual relations between adjacent actions, which provide potential temporal logic for understanding long videos. In this paper, we propose a prompt-based framework, Bridge-Prompt (Br-Prompt), to model the semantics across adjacent actions, so that it simultaneously exploits both out-of-context and contextual information from a series of ordinal actions in instructional videos. More specifically, we reformulate the individual action labels as integrated text prompts for super-vision, which bridge the gap between individual action semantics. The generated text prompts are paired with corresponding video clips, and together co-train the text encoder and the video encoder via a contrastive approach. The learned vision encoder has a stronger capability for ordinal-action-related downstream tasks, e.g. action segmentation and human activity recognition. We evaluate the performances of our approach on several video datasets: Georgia Tech Egocentric Activities (GTEA), 50Salads, and the Breakfast dataset. Br-Prompt achieves state-of-the-art on multiple benchmarks. Code is available at: https://github.com/ttlmh/Bridge-Prompt.


The article reviews of the beginning of radars in Hungary. It gives a general picture of the time between the two World Wars in Hungary, what happened in the country related to this topic. After that the authors analysed the development process of building of radar capabilities in Hungary for WWII including the domestic development and imported systems.


This qualitative focuses on the personal experiences of partners to a spinal cord injured person. Using a Ricoeurian phenomenological-hermeneutic approach, we analysed seven partners' narratives 1 and 2 years after their partner's injury. The study revealed how the injury was experienced from the partners' perspective through the aftermath. In the acute phase after the injury, partners also felt harmed, and support was needed in relation to their own daily activities, eating, resting, and managing distress. During the institutionalized rehabilitation, partners felt torn between supporting the injured partner and the demanding tasks of everyday life outside the institution. After discharge, partners struggled for the injured partner to regain a well-functioning everyday life and for reestablishing life as a couple. The partner struggled to manage the overwhelming amount of everyday tasks. Some sought to reestablish their usual functions outside the family, whereas others focused on establishing a new life together. The partners experienced much distress and appreciated the support they got, but felt that they were mainly left to manage the difficult process on their own.


Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive skin cancer caused either by Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) T antigen expression, post integration (∼80% cases), or by UV mediated DNA damage. Interestingly, overall survival of patients suffering from MCV positive Merkel cell carcinoma is better, making this differential information of significant diagnostic and prognostic value. Also, MCV as a causative agent also provides a direct target for therapy in virus positive MCC patients. Currently, the methods used for diagnosis of MCV in tumours are often tedious, discordant and unreliable. In this study we used a guided molecular scissors based - DNA Endonuclease Targeted CRISPR Trans Reporter (DETECTR) technique to develop an in vitro molecular diagnostic tool for MCV positive MCC. DETECTR couples recombinase polymerase based amplification of target MCV DNA with Cas12a mediated detection. CRISPR diagnostics couple specific detection followed by cutting of the pathogenic DNA by the Cas enzyme – gRNA complex, with non-specific cutting of ssDNA that provides a measurable visual cue. To detect MCV DNA in MCC tumours, we designed Cas12a gRNAs targeting the MCV DNA and tested their targeting efficiency, and sensitivity using a fluorophore quencher labeled reporter assay. We show that this sophisticated MCV DETECTR system can detect MCV integrated in Merkel tumour rapidly, specifically and with femto-molar sensitivity. This new MCV DNA detecting system is promising and we hope it can be coupled with histopathological and immunohistochemical studies to diagnose the viral status of MCC in clinics in the near future.


Data parallelism has become a dominant method to scale Deep Neural Network (DNN) training across multiple nodes. Since the synchronization of the local models or gradients can be a bottleneck for large-scale distributed training, compressing communication traffic has gained widespread attention recently. Among several recent proposed compression algorithms, Residual Gradient Compression (RGC) is one of the most successful approaches—it can significantly compress the transmitting message size (0.1% of the gradient size) of each node and still preserve accuracy. However, the literature on compressing deep networks focuses almost exclusively on achieving good compression rate, while the efficiency of RGC in real implementation has been less investigated. In this paper, we develop an RGC method that achieves significant training time improvement in real-world multi-GPU systems. Our proposed RGC system design called RedSync, introduces a set of optimizations to reduce communication bandwidth while introducing limited overhead. We examine the performance of RedSync on two different multiple GPU platforms, including a supercomputer and a multi-card server. Our test cases include image classification on Cifar10 and ImageNet, and language modeling tasks on Penn Treebank and Wiki2 datasets. For DNNs featured with high communication to computation ratio, which has long been considered with poor scalability, RedSync shows significant performance improvement.


The tourism industry in Malaysia is being transformed from low yield to high yield income. With the launch of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), Malaysia is set to achieve high income nation status by the end of the decade. Rural tourism and ecotourism is growing at a phenomenal rate in Malaysia and is expected to be a major contributor to the nation's tourism receipt. Nonetheless, in the last decade, the concept of ecotourism and rural tourism has melded with mainstream tourism to lose its distinctness. Consequently, the tourism industry's growth through-out the years has created an increasing amount of stress economically, socially and environmentally. For a sustainable development of the rural tourism sector, the benefits must be equitably distributed among the private interests, public sector, tourists and local population. Criteria and indicators of sustainability that reflect the costs and benefits must be precise yet simple enough to be understood and easily implemented by field staff. The objective of this study is to develop criteria and indicators of sustainability for Taman Negara. The study uses Delphi technique to identify and develop a set of priority criteria and indicators, which is used to determine the sustainability of the development of Taman Negara National Park. The results of the study produced a set of 15 criteria and 58 indicators of sustainability which are comparable to the lists adopted by international, regional and national programs in the development of criteria and indicators. The indicators encompass the components of economic, social and environmental values associated with responsible development. These indicators will then be used in the development of a tourism barometer that will act as a national integrated tourism management system. This fundamental study plays an important role in innovating new approaches by developing indicators to holistically measure the multi-dimensional relationships between different tourism models and the linkages to local economies and environment in key natural and rural destinations in Malaysia.


We have previously characterized five proteins induced by the presence of the E2 open reading frame (ORF) region of bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) in C127 mouse fibroblasts (R. M. Levenson, U. G. Brinckmann, M. K. O'Banion, E. J. Androphy, J. T. Schiller, F. Tabatabai, L. P. Turek, K. Neary, M. T. Chin, T. R. Broker, L. T. Chow, and D. A. Young, Virology 172:170-179, 1989). By specific immunoprecipitation, we now find that one of the papillomavirus-associated proteins (pvp1) is a highly glycosylated form of glucose-regulated protein 100 (grp100), a major constituent of the endoplasmic reticulum. A second set of pvps (2, 3, and 4) are shown to be related precursors of another protein already present in C127 cells (protein B). Based on their induction by the calcium ionophore A23187 and their positions on giant two-dimensional gels, we have tentatively identified pvp2, -3, and -4 and B as forms of calcium-regulated protein 55, another constituent of the endoplasmic reticulum (D. R. J. Macer and G. L. E. Koch, J. Cell Sci. 91:61-70, 1988). The mechanism by which BPV-1 brings about these changes is not yet defined; however, it is unlikely to involve calcium level perturbations or transformation per se, since ionophore treatment changes other proteins in C127 cells not seen with BPV and the papillomavirus-associated proteins are found in nontransformed cells harboring the E2 ORF region. Furthermore, the BPV changes are not associated with increased grp mRNA levels, as occurs in ionophore-treated cells. Rather, it appears that BPV-1 somehow retards the normal processing of these resident endoplasmic reticulum proteins that are believed to serve as critical regulators of host protein processing and assembly.


OBJECTIVES
to evaluate maternal and child healthcare, avoidable hospitalisation, access to emergency services among immigrants in Italy.

DESIGN
cross sectional study of some health and health care indicators among Italian and foreign population residing in Italy in 2016-2017.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS
indicators based on the national monitoring system coordinated by the Italian National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP) of Rome, calculated on perinatal care (CedAP), hospital discharge (SDO), emergency services (EMUR) archives for the years 2016-2017, by of the following regions: Piedmont, Trento, Bolzano, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, Basilicata, Sicily.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
number and timeliness of pregnancy visits, number of ultrasounds, invasive prenatal investigations; perinatal mortality rates, birth weight, Apgar score at 5 minutes, need for neonatal resuscitation; standardized rates of avoidable hospitalisation and access to emergency services by triage code.

RESULTS
more often than Italians, immigrant women have during pregnancy: less than 5 gynaecological examination (16.3% vs 8.5%), first examination after the 12th week of gestational age (12.5% vs 3.8%), less than 2 ultrasounds (3.8% vs 1.0%). Higher perinatal mortality rates among immigrants compared to Italians (3.6 vs 2.3 x1,000). Higher standardized rates (x1,000) among immigrants compared to Italians of avoidable hospitalisation (men: 2.1 vs 1.4; women: 0.9 vs 0.7) and of white triage codes in emergency (men: 62.0 vs 32.7; women: 52.9 vs 31.4).

CONCLUSIONS
study findings show differences in access and outcomes of healthcare between Italians and immigrants. National monitoring system of indicators, coordinated by INMP, represents a useful tool for healthcare intervention policies aimed to health equity.


We apply a meron cluster algorithm to the XY spin chain, which describes a quantum rotor. This is a multi-cluster simulation supplemented by an improved estimator, which deals with objects of half-integer topological charge. This method is powerful enough to provide precise results for the model with a θ-term — it is therefore one of the rare examples, where a system with a complex action can be solved numerically. In particular we measure the correlation length, as well as the topological and magnetic susceptibility. We discuss the algorithmic efficiency in view of the critical slowing down. Due to the excellent performance that we observe, it is strongly motivated to work on new applications of meron cluster algorithms in higher dimensions.


Efforts by online ad publishers to circumvent traditional ad blockers towards regaining fiduciary benefits, have been demonstrably successful. As a result, there have recently emerged a set of adblockers that apply machine learning instead of manually curated rules and have been shown to be more robust in blocking ads on websites including social media sites such as Facebook. Among these, AdGraph is arguably the state-of-the-art learning-based adblocker. In this paper, we develop A4, a tool that intelligently crafts adversarial samples of ads to evade AdGraph. Unlike the popular research on adversarial samples against images or videos that are considered less- to un-restricted, the samples that A4 generates preserve application semantics of the web page, or are actionable. Through several experiments we show that A4 can bypass AdGraph about 60% of the time, which surpasses the state-of-the-art attack by a significant margin of 84.3%; in addition, changes to the visual layout of the web page due to these perturbations are imperceptible. We envision the algorithmic framework proposed in A4 is also promising in improving adversarial attacks against other learning-based web applications with similar requirements.


AIM
To describe how organizational context and restructuring influenced nurse leaders' use of evidence in decision-making in their management practice.

METHOD
Qualitative descriptive study. Fifteen leaders at executive and front-line manager levels in one organization were interviewed using a semi-structured format.

FINDINGS
Inductive content analysis generated five main themes: leaders strove to keep relationships that preserve best decision-making ability; and sought the best knowledge to inform their decisions. However, a context of constant change; more scope; less autonomy; and decisional inertia in a sea of change had profound effects on their ability to employ evidence in decision-making.

IMPLICATIONS
Evidence-informed decision-making is a dynamic social process highly influenced by political instability in work environments. Organizational restructuring creates threats to common decision-making strategies, including information flow, relationships and priority setting. Healthcare restructuring is now a global constant, and there is a need for hospital leaders to understand and mitigate the effect restructuring has on the ability of leaders to engage in evidence-informed decision-making. Strategies are proposed to manage uncertainty and support nurse leaders in their evidence-informed decision-making to deliver quality health services. This research provides an in-depth examination of how evidence-informed decision-making is influenced in the context of instability and uncertainty due to ever-present organizational restructuring.


In this paper, the differential privacy problem in parallel distributed detections is studied in the Bayesian formulation. The privacy risk is evaluated by the minimum detection cost for the fusion node to infer the private random phenomenon. Different from the privacy-unconstrained distributed Bayesian detection problem, the optimal operation point of a remote decision maker can be on the boundary of the privacy-unconstrained operation region or in the intersection of privacy constraint hyperplanes. Therefore, for a remote decision maker in the optimal privacy-constrained distributed detection design, it is sufficient to consider a deterministic linear likelihood combination test or a randomized decision strategy of two linear likelihood combination tests which achieves the optimal operation point in each case. Such an insight indicates that the existing algorithm can be reused by incorporating the privacy constraint. The trade-off between detection and privacy metrics will be illustrated in a numerical example.


The results of the latest sociological studies indicate a sharp increase in the demand for justice and an emerging tendency for citizens to understand the category of justice in a human rights context. Based on the analysis of the work of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, approaches to the implementation of the principle of justice through the restoration of violated rights, lawmaking in the field of human and civil rights, international cooperation in the field of human rights and legal education on human rights and freedoms, forms and methods of their protection are revealed. The proposals on the need to improve legislation and law enforcement practice are substantiated.


We treated 14 patients with a cemented total hip replacement for old tuberculosis on an average 43 years after the onset of the coxitis. Nine patients were not given any antituberculous treatment, whereas in 5 patients treatment with antituberculous drugs was administered postoperatively for 6 to 12 months. The duration of postoperative follow-up was on an average 8 (5-10) years. Using the Mayo hip scoring system, 8 of the patients were classified as excellent or good, 3 as fair, and 3 as poor. The poor results were in 2 cases due to aseptic loosening of the prosthesis and infection in 1. None of the patients showed reactivation of the tuberculosis.


A brush-less type synchronous generator is driven by an internal-combustion engine that is used for emergency source. This kind of generator has to maintain output voltage in a range of some degree under the abrupt load irregular conditions such as a full load trip. This paper suggests a suppression method of increasing the output voltage over the rating. Automatic voltage regulator detects excessive rising of output voltage of the generator and supplies the signals to a switch installed in the rotating exciter through the photo-coupler. The current of main field rapidly decreases by additional resistor of the main filed circuit. Therefore, the output voltage of the generator is maintained effectively. The experimental results verified that the excessive value of the output voltage is limited in the range of 7% of the rated voltage.


It is an effective way to improve the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) members by externally bonded carbon fiber reinforcement polymer (CFRP) laminates on the soffit of the members. However, there is little investigation on flexural performance of RC beam flexurally strengthened by side-bonded FRP laminates. To investigate the flexural behavior of RC beams side-bonded CFRP laminates and the difference of RC beams strengthened by soffit-bonded and side-bonded CFRP laminates, a total of 8 CFRP-strengthened beams and 1 control beam were tested. The experimental results show that: 1) the first crack loads of RC beams strengthened by side-bonded CFRP laminates are much higher than that of RC beams strengthened by soffit-bonded CFRP laminates. The first crack loads of side-bonded CFRP laminates beams improved significantly; 2) Side-bonded and soffit-bonded CFRP laminates have almost the same effect on the flexural stiffness of RC beams strengthened with same quantity of CFRP laminates before tension rebar yielding. However, side-bonded CFRP laminates can affect crack width and crack pattern of the strengthened beams, and the pre-crack stage of RC beam by side- bonded CFRP laminates extended remarkably. 3) different to soffit-bonded CFRP laminates RC beams, side-bonded CFRP laminates cannot improve the first yielding and the ultimate load bearing capacity of RC beams.


Objective To evaluate changes in lamotrigine (LTG) clearance before, during, and after pregnancy. Methods Twelve pregnancies that had complete steady-state data before, during, and after pregnancy were evaluated. Data included weight, LTG dose, and LTG blood levels at preconception, during pregnancy, and postpartum, and concomitant use of other antiepileptic drugs and their dosages. Apparent clearance (L/[kg·day]) of LTG was calculated by dose/level/weight for time points at preconception; during the first trimester, second trimester, and third trimester; and postpartum. Apparent clearance was compared between preconception and each of the three trimesters. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance, the Student–Newman–Keuls test, and the paired Student's t-test. Results An increase in apparent clearance (>65%) was observed between preconception and the second and third trimesters (p < 0.05). Eleven pregnancies required higher doses of LTG to maintain therapeutic levels during pregnancy. There was no significant change in apparent clearance between each trimester. A decrease in apparent clearance was observed between the last two trimesters and postpartum (p < 0.05). In the postpartum period, apparent clearances returned to the preconception baseline, and LTG doses needed to be reduced. Conclusion Pregnancy increases LTG clearance by >50%. This effect occurs early in pregnancy and reverts quickly after delivery. LTG levels should be monitored before, during, and after pregnancy.


The problem of forming a new system of global and regional security in the Arctic has been analyzed. The methodological approaches to forecasting the evolution of the national security system in the Arctic taking into account specific strategic, mainly geo-economic interests of the major geopolitical players have been justified. It has been shown that with all the divergence of the geo-economic and geopolitical interests of various countries there are grounds for reducing the risk of deployment of geopolitical confrontation in the region and stimulating development of cooperation in the field of security in the Arctic. The Ministry of Emergency Situations position in understanding of basic directions of the practical implementation of development objectives and improvement of the comprehensive security of the Russian Arctic has been determined. Ключевые слова: региональная безопасность, региональный комплекс по обеспечению безопасности, комплексная система безопасности, геополитика и геоэкономика, национальные интересы, Арктика.


Although anti-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 33 antibodies have been reported to be present in various connective tissue diseases (CTDs), the clinical significance of anti-RA33 in CTDs is still obscure. This study was performed to explore the clinical significance of anti-RA33 in CTDs, especially systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A total of 565 patients with positive anti-nuclear antibodies who had been tested for anti-RA33 were included in this study and were further classified into RA33-positive and RA33-negative groups. The association between anti-RA33 and the clinical features of CTDs was examined. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to explore the diagnostic value of anti-RA33 in SLE and SLE-related organ involvement. The results showed that SLE was the most common disease in CTD patients positive for anti-RA33 (48.8%). Compared with the RA33-negative group, higher proportions of SLE-associated antibodies and SLE patients with a high disease activity as well as lower levels of serum complement components were observed in the RA33-positive group (all p < 0.05). Furthermore, CTD patients with positive anti-RA33 were more likely to suffer from mucocutaneous and hematological involvement as well as interstitial lung disease (all p < 0.05). ROC analysis revealed an area under the curve value of 0.634 (95% confidence interval: 0.587–0.681) for anti-RA33 in the diagnosis of SLE, with a specificity and sensitivity of 92.9% and 13.5%, respectively. Taken together, this study reveals a significant association between anti-RA33 and the clinical features of CTDs, especially SLE, indicating a potential clinical significance of anti-RA33 in the management of SLE.


Therapeutic proteins are derived from complex expression/production systems, which can result in minor conformational changes due to preferential codon usage in different organisms, post-translational modifications, etc. Subtle conformational differences are often undetectable by bioanalytical methods but can sometimes profoundly impact the safety, efficacy and stability of products. Numerous bioanalytical methods exist to characterize the primary structure of proteins, post translational modifications; protein-substrate/protein/protein interactions and functional bioassays are available for most proteins that are developed as products. There are however few analytical techniques to detect changes in the tertiary structure of proteins suitable for use during drug development and quality control. For example, x-ray crystallography and NMR are impractical for routine use and do not capture the heterogeneity of the product. Conformation-sensitive antibodies can be used to map proteins. However the development of antibodies to represent sufficient epitopes can be challenging. Other limitations of antibodies include limited supply, high costs, heterogeneity and batch to batch variations in titer. Here we provide proof-of-principle that DNA aptamers to thrombin can be used as surrogate antibodies to characterize conformational changes. We show that aptamers can be used in assays using either an ELISA or a label-free platform to characterize different thrombin products. In addition we replicated a heat-treatment procedure that has previously been shown to not affect protein activity but can result in conformational changes that have serious adverse consequences. We demonstrate that a panel of aptamers (but not an antibody) can detect changes in the proteins even when specific activity is unaffected. Our results indicate a novel approach to monitor even small changes in the conformation of proteins which can be used in a routine drug-development and quality control setting. The technique can provide an early warning of structural changes during the manufacturing process that could have consequential outcomes downstream.


Medical text classification is still one of the popular research problems inside text classification domain. Apart from some text data compiled from hospital records, most of the researchers in this field evaluate their classification methodologies on documents from MEDLINE database. When whole documents in the database are taken into consideration, MEDLINE is a multi-class and multi-label database. A dataset, containing a small subset of MEDLINE documents belonging to disease categories, is constructed in this study. It is a multi-class but single-label dataset. Due to the highly unbalanced distribution of this dataset, only documents belonging to top-10 disease categories are used in the experiments. The performances of three different pattern classifiers are analyzed on disease classification problem using this dataset. These three pattern classifiers are Bayesian network, C4.5 decision tree, and Random Forest trees. Experiments are realized for the two different cases where the stemming preprocessing step is applied or not. Experimental results show that the most successful classifier among three classifiers is Bayesian network classifier. Also, the best performance is obtained without applying stemming.


OBJECTIVES
Thrombocytopenia is very common after cardiac surgery, but rarely studied systematically. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia has been studied extensively, but the diagnosis remains clouded by the lack of sensitivity and specificity of laboratory tests. It remains unknown whether a local initiative of screening program has been successful in the management of postoperative thrombocytopenia.

METHODS
We have implemented a screening protocol since 2002. Cardiac surgery patients were postoperatively screened for thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia was stratified by the anti-platelet factor 4/heparin antibody (enzyme-immune assay, Elisa) test. The presence of clinical embolithrombosis was sought in patients with antibodies. Preoperative and operative characteristics and outcomes were obtained from the departmental registry of cardiac surgical procedures.

RESULTS
A total of 16 529 patients were screened for thrombocytopenia from January 2003 to 2012. One thousand two hundred and sixty-one patients undergoing isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR) were included in this study. The overall incidence of thrombocytopenia after AVR was 26.8%. Elisa (+) occurred in 43 of the 1261 patients (3.4%), Elisa (+) plus thrombosis occurred in 14 (1.1%) and in 32.6% of Elisa (+) patients. Age and preoperative lower platelet count were independent predictors of thrombocytopenia. Elisa (+) alone was associated with increased operative mortality, stroke and bleeding. Patients developed thrombocytopenia and Elisa (+) were more likely to receive bioprosthetic valves.

CONCLUSIONS
Thrombocytopenia and Elisa (+) are more common after AVR than after other procedures, and both were associated with increased adverse clinical outcomes. Age and lower preoperative platelet count were associated with postoperative thrombocytopenia and Elisa (+).


Contact charge exchange measurements have been made on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films charged by repeated contacts to mercury. The authors have shown previously that charge accumulates with repeated contacts until the surface reaches saturation, and that the saturation potential is strongly affected by impurities in the mercury. In this study they show that molecularly thin adsorbate layers on the mercury surface play a dominant role in the charge exchange. They have demonstrated this effect by chemisorbing 3-methylthiophene onto the metal surface. Thiophenes are known to form stable, strongly adsorbed monolayers on the surface of mercury, and they find that these monolayers diminish the electron transfer from pure mercury to PTFE; in contrast, a 3-methylthiophene monolayer increases electron transfer from a sodium-doped mercury contact, suggesting that the monolayer displaces the tarnish layer from the impure metal surface.


Expanding on the recommendation of Assaf et al. (2022), this research note provides insights and recommendations for the post-COVID-19 future of tourism research. We reviewed 56 recent papers related to COVID-19 published in the top three high quality tourism journals. Whilst there was a glut of relatively descriptive research on the pandemic, especially involving the economic impacts as a result of the virus, the results indicate that inadequate attention has been given to technology adoption and tourists' well-being. Recent discussions of post-COVID-19 tourism have emphasised crisis management, which remains an important direction for future research. We recommend tourism recovery and resilience as one of the major focuses for tourism research and for greater importance to be attached to crisis planning and preparation so that lessons can be learned from COVID-19. Rather than a single country, cross-sectional studies, the adoption of cross-cultural, cross-contextual, and longitudinal study approaches is also recommended. Keywords COVID-19; Tourism; Future; Post-COVID-19 tourism research


It has been shown that the long term evolution of the Gross Product of the World after World War II can be well portrayed by the exponential function with the crossover at the year 1973, cinsiding with the Oil Crisis onset. For the the Standard and Poor 500 index the single exponential behavior extends down to at least the mid of the nineteen century. It is notable that the detailed short-term insight focused on the last quarter of century revealed the emergence of the power like dependence. However, such dependences can be introduced only when taking into account the behavior at reference-baselines years. The possible relationship to the growth/death evolution of microorganisms is also discussed. The report proposes the new discussion of the past and nowadays time of the global economy. It recalls econonophysics and sociophysics as disciplines within which the effective parameterization of trends is possible. Finally, possible future trends are discussed.


Recent research has showed a breakthrough in investigating the effect of non-Saccharomyces yeast on wine quality and sensory properties. The aim of this study was to compare the influence of conventional yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, vs. that of the non-Saccharomyces Torulaspora delbrueckii on the sensory profile of the white wine Graševina, and to establish if there are any differences in physical–chemical properties in regards to the applied yeast. Sample One was inoculated with both yeasts, while Sample Two was inoculated only with S. cerevisiae. The results indicated that a combination of T. delbrueckii and S. cerevisiae resulted in somewhat higher ethanol content in the finished wine. Sensory evaluation showed no significant discrepancies for any of the wines. Aspect and flavor were graded similarly, but the quality and intensity of the bouquet of Sample One was graded somewhat higher (14 and 6.6) than Sample Two (13.6 and 6.4). These findings open a very wide gate for future research in white wines.


Plants have multiple mechanisms to maintain efficient photosynthesis. Photosynthetic cyclic electron transports around photosystem I (CET), which includes the PGR5/PGRL1 and NDH pathways, and photorespiration play a crucial role in photosynthetic efficiency. However, how these two mechanisms are functionally linked is not clear. In this study, we revealed that photorespiration could compensate for the function of CET in efficient photosynthesis by comparison of the growth phenotypes, photosynthetic properties monitored with chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and photosynthetic oxygen evolution in leaves and photorespiratory activity monitored with the difference of photosynthetic oxygen evolution rate under high and low concentration of oxygen conditions between the deleted mutant PGR5 or PGRL1 under NDH defective background (pgr5 crr2 or pgrl1a1b crr2). Both CET mutants pgr5 crr2 and pgrl1a1b crr2 displayed similar suppression effects on photosynthetic capacities of light reaction and growth phenotypes under low light conditions. However, the total CET activity and photosynthetic oxygen evolution of pgr5 crr2 were evidently lower than those of pgrl1a1b crr2, accompanied by the upregulation of photorespiratory activity under low light conditions, resulting in severe suppression of photosynthetic capacities of light reaction and finally photodamaged phenotype under high light or fluctuating light conditions. Based on these findings, we suggest that photorespiration compensates for the loss of CET functions in the regulation of photosynthesis and that coordination of both mechanisms is essential for maintaining the efficient operation of photosynthesis, especially under stressed conditions.


BACKGROUND
The effects of novel non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy drugs for cancer treatment on human testicular function have not been studied systematically.

OBJECTIVES
The present study aimed to characterize effects of non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy drugs in patients with cancers who had not been previously treated with gonadotoxic chemo- or radiotherapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study involved 34 men, not previously treated with gonadotoxic regimens, in a mixed longitudinal (Cohort 1: 19 men about to start and approximately 1 year on non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy treatment) and cross-sectional (Cohort 2: 15 men already on non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy treatment) study using data modeling to estimate within-person time-course changes in testicular exocrine and endocrine functions. Cohort 1 provided 45 paired semen and blood samples (34 prior to and nine during treatment) and Cohort 2 provided 45 sets of samples (15 pre-treatment, 30 on treatment), including six men in Cohort 2 who had pre-treatment spermatozoa cryostorage prior to the study. Men on non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy treatment had undergone a median of 33.5 months long-term treatment.

RESULTS
Spermatozoa output and concentration were reduced by about 50%, with corresponding increases in serum follicle-stimulating hormone and decreases in serum inhibin B. Serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and sex hormone-binding globulin were unaffected by non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy treatment.

CONCLUSION
Within limits of the present study of sample size and duration of on-non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy treatment, non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy drugs have a modest effects on testicular exocrine function (sperm production) or its hormonal correlates (follicle-stimulating hormone, inhibin B), with minimal impact on testicular endocrine (testosterone, luteinizing hormone) function.


Abstract : Profiling of the glycan structures that differ between the serum of serous ovarian cancer and benign conditions have been performed using lectin array for biomarker studies. These arrays have used 16 different lectins which respond to specific glycan structural moieties of glycoproteins in patient serum. It has been found that there are distinct changes in the level of fucosylation between cancer and benign using LCA, AAL and UEA lectins which detect both core and outer arm glycosylation. Some difference was also observed for SNA which detects 2,6 sialylation. Using these lectins we have been able to extract the glycoproteins from patient serum and have evaluated the differentially expressed glycoproteins based on mass spec and glycoarray technologies. We have identified 10-12 glycoproteins which show distinct changes in expression between benign conditions, normals, early stage ovarian cancer and stage 3c serous ovarian cancer. These glycoproteins have been used for further blinded validations using a limited set.


Assumptions and procedures for the setting of space and time scales in arbitrary quantized media as well as their transformation properties are analyzed. In the particular case of a three dimensional linear dispersive ether Lorentz-type transformations are obtained. *This work was supported by the Director, Office of Energy Research, Office of High Energy and Nuclear Physics, Division of High Energy Physics of the U. S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC03-76SF00098. tSupported by the Rotary-Foundation


Accountable for more than 70% of the worldwide CO2 emissions (World Energy Outlook Internatioal Energy Agency 2008) and constantly growing, urban metropolises are the key actors of climate change. A rapid transition of urban areas towards energy efficiency is highly required, in particular for the building stock, which represents the main urban energy consumer. In this context, city municipalities, energy suppliers, housing companies and private owners must be mobilized and bonded around a common low-carbon urban energy strategy. GIS simulation offers a first step into the development of this long-term strategy. It has long been applied to demographics, social and economic indicators, housing density, property costs, infrastructure, transport and water consumption. In regard to building energy modelling, it has the potential to move from a basic overview calculation down to a precise diagnosis of consumption; its causes, function, location, and time of use. Furthermore, it can allow for prediction of operational energy and carbon emission savings through identifying retrofitting upgrades and refurbishment priorities. This study demonstrates the potential and implications of an energy modelling framework for Australian cities. A case study of a city's CBD region that encompasses 665 buildings is modelled in 2D and 3D, comparing residential, commercial and industrial development energy prediction. Several strategies are proposed and investigated towards developing a better understanding and mapping of the energy use at a regional scale, suggesting retrofitting potential, energy targets and infrastructure capabilities.


Abstract Background: Mitragyna speciosa (Korth.) or kratom is an indigenous medicinal plant of Southeast Asia. Kratom is widely reported to have dose-dependent effects based on available literature, but to our knowledge, this has not been established conclusively. Objective: This study sought to evaluate if kratom use produces dose-dependent effects, with a stimulant effect at low doses and a sedative effect at high doses, in a sample of regular kratom users. Methods: A total of 63 regular kratom users participated in this cross-sectional study. The Brief-Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (B-BAES) was used to determine subjects self-report kratom use experiences. Results: Almost all in the sample were male (98%, n = 62/63), and the majority of subjects were Malays (94%, n = 59/63). The mean age of the subjects in the sample was 43.8 years (SD = 12.1). Seventy-five percent (n = 47/63) have >5 years kratom use history, and 65% (n = 41/63) consumed >3 glasses of kratom daily. Results from first test showed no significant difference in the stimulant (t61 =0.371, p < .331) and sedative effects (t61 =502, p < .759) between those who consumed >3 glasses a day or less than this amount, regardless of duration of use. In the second test, no significant differences in the mean scores were found among those who consumed >3 glasses daily or less than this amount among short-term or long-term uses. Conclusions: Daily kratom use produced both stimulant and sedative effects but they were not statistically significantly associated with the dose consumed, both among short-term and long-term users in our sample.


The entrepreneurial ecosystem in developing countries is not as vibrant as in the developed countries, this is because of the inherent institutional, organizational, and framework conditions that exist in these countries, bureaucracy is one of the reasons that affects entrepreneurship in these countries and especially startups, this study aims to investigate these hypotheses, for this study 214 owners and founders of companies and startups were selected randomly from different areas of Sindh, Pakistan. Using PLS-SEM we investigated how different domains affect entrepreneurial satisfaction including bureaucracy. Our findings suggest that bureaucracy significantly affects the entrepreneurial satisfaction region as this study suggests in the case of Pakistan. These results indicate the need for changing the model of the entrepreneurial ecosystem where bureaucracy should be incorporated to make this model work in the context of developing countries.


This study examined the effects of perfectionism and cognitive-emotion regulation strategies on the test anxiety. The participants in this study were 423(227 boys, 196 girls) 6th graders recruited from four elementary schools in Seoul, Korea. The participants completed the Test Anxiety Inventory-Korea(Kim, 1991), the Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale(CAPS; Flett at al, 2000), and the Cognitive-Emotion Regulation Questionnaire(CERQ; Garnefski, 2001). The results of this study were as follows. First, self-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism were both positively associated with test anxiety. Additionally, the children who used more adaptive cognitive-emotion regulation strategies reported lower test anxiety, whereas the children who used more maladaptive cognitive-emotion regulation strategies reported higher test anxiety. Secondly, there was an interactional effect between self-oriented perfectionism and maladaptive cognitive-emotion regulation strategies on test anxiety. Lastly, socially prescribed perfectionism and cognitive-emotion regulation strategies had a significant effect on children`s test anxiety. However, there were no interactional effects observed between socially prescribed perfectionism and cognitive-emotion regulation strategies on test anxiety.


Aim: To search for the key factors of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) in China and to improve the early identification of AIP in order to avoid misdiagnosing it as pancreatic carcinoma. Methods: Clinical, imaging, laboratory, and pathological data about AIP were collected and analyzed from 1996 to 2011 in The Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital. Results: A total of 33 patients (male 29, female 4) aged 35-76 years (52.3 ± 9.3 years) meeting the International Consensus Diagnostic Criteria for type 1 (n = 32) or type 2 (n = 1) AIP were included. With improved understanding of AIP, the misdiagnosis rate and unnecessary laparotomy rate was decreased from 95.7% (22/23) and 91.3% (21/23) before 2006, to 20.0% (2/10) (p = 0.001) and 0.0% (p = 0.001) respectively after 2006. The major symptoms were jaundice in (24/33, 72.7%) and abdominal pain (12/33, 36.4%). Half of the patients had other accompanied autoimmune disorders. Laboratory tests showed an elevated level of serum IgG in 9 out of 11 patients (81.8%) and an increased eosinophil count in 16 out of 33 patients (48.5%). The serum IgG4 levels were twice the upper limit of the normal value. CT scan showed a low-contrast margin characterized by a capsule-like rim in 24 of 32 patients (75.0%). Pathologic examinations showed fibrosis and infiltration of massive lymphocytes and plasma cells in the pancreas. Prednisone was given to the patients and proved to be quite effective for all of them (12/12, 100%). Conclusion: Type 1 AIP shows a sex predilection compared with type 2 AIP in China. In order to diagnose AIP exactly, a comprehensive strategy, especially including imaging and pathological examination, should be used. With growing awareness, fewer AIP patients with this diagnosis would be misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated.


Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion was found in 3-7% of all patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer. The efficacy of ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (ALK-TKI) in EML4-ALK has been extensively studied, whereas little evidence is available on its efficacy in rare ALK fusions. Here, we report the performance of crizotinib in a 50-year-old male lung adenocarcinoma patient with a novel rare SEC31A-ALK fusion. Computed tomography (CT) scan revealed multiple patchy high-density shadows in both lungs. The larger ones are located near the spine in the right lung lower lobe (55 × 34 mm) and the left hilar region (45 × 26 mm), with multiple enlarged mediastinal and axillary lymph nodes. Biopsy by bronchoscopy revealed invasive adenocarcinoma. The pathological stage of T4N3M1b (clinical stage: IVA) was confirmed. Next-generation sequencing revealed SEC31A: exon20~ALK: exon20 fusion, ABCB1 amplification, FGF19 amplification, DAXX p.S213L, MUTYH p.R19*(germline mutation and pathogenic) with tumor mutational burden at 3.2 mutations/Mb, microsatellite stable, proficient mismatch repair and PD-L1 positive [immunohistochemistry, tumor proportion score(TPS) 1-49% (TPS = 25%)]. Based on these findings, crizotinib was recommended for the first-line treatment at 250 mg twice daily. The first CT assessment after 2-month therapy showed partial response (PR) for the two larger lesions, multiple shadows and nodules in both lungs and the mediastinal and axillary lymph nodes. Crizotinib at 250 mg twice a day was applied in the following 9 months. Assessment at every 3 months (up to 1-year after diagnosis) showed further absorption for all lesions (continuous PR). We reported a novel rare ALK fusion SEC31A: EXON20~ALK: exon20 and showed the effectiveness of crizotinib against the fusion. This study provided strong evidence for the efficacy of ALK-TKI for rare ALK fusion.


Two characteristics, high basicity and high viscosity, are required for the anti-entrapment mould flux. However, it had been difficult to apply the high basicity and high viscosity mould flux for a round billet casting because of heat flux fluctuations in the mould.We supposed that the heat flux fluctuations were caused by unstable crystallization of the flux film between the mould and the solidified shell. Assuming that the contaminating constituents which do not compose the main crystal phase bring the unstable crystallization of the flux film, we have researched an adequate main crystal for the high basicity and high viscosity mould flux which has proper composition and melting point. As a result, there was no proper single crystal, but we have found an adequate combination of two crystals, gehlenite and akermanite. These two crystals have similar constructions each other to make a solid solution, melilite. Melilite behaves as a single phase crystal as well as it can take any compositions between gehlenite and akermanite. These properties of melilite diminish restraints on mould flux design.Consequently, we have successfully developed the anti-entrapment mould flux for the round billet casting, achieving a result to reduce mould flux defects effectively.


We recommend changing the name of the milk-alkali syndrome to the calcium-alkali syndrome, because the new terminology better reflects the shifting epidemiology and understanding of this disorder. The calcium-alkali syndrome is


Introduction: The fibrinolytic activity has been shown to be reduced in many vascular diseases, including hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) after stem cells transplantation (SCT). Defibrotide (DF) is a polydisperse oligonucleotide with antithrombotic, profibrinolytic, anti-ischemic, and anti-adhesive properties. Numerous clinical studies have shown promising results with DF in the treatment of VOD, with minimal toxicity. In laboratory studies, DF has been shown to decrease plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), increase tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) levels and increase the overall plasma fibrinolytic activity in patients with VOD. Similar results have been observed in pre-clinical studies with endothelial cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide. Plasmin is a potent and nonspecific serine protease, generated from the proenzyme plasminogen by plasminogen activators. Plasmin plays a pivotal role in fibrinolysis by virtue of its ability to effectively degrade fibrin clots. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether DF is capable of modulating the activity of plasmin in different in vitro studies. Method: Plasmin activity was measured in the presence and absence of DF, at different concentrations, by following the cleavage of the chromogenic substrate S-2251. S-2251 contains the preferential cleavage site for plasmin and mimics the fibrin polymer substrate present in fibrin clots. In addition, we evaluated the activity of plasmin generated by t-PA and urokinase-plasminogen activation as well as the plasmin activity in plasma in the presence and absence of DF. Further, plasmin activity generated in fibrin clot plate was measured in the presence and absence of DF. Finally, the inhibition of plasmin by aminocaproic acid was tested in these systems. Results: DF increased the activity of plasmin, to hydrolyze its substrate, in a dose dependent manner. Similar concentration-dependent effects of DF were observed when plasmin was generated by t-PA or urokinase activation of plasminogen and on plasmin in plasma samples (p Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that DF is capable of enhancing the activity of plasmin. The stimulation of plasmin by DF was concentration-dependent. These findings can, in part, explain the fibrinolytic activity of DF and support its effect in restoring the fibrinolytic vascular phenotype in conditions such as VOD.


16 patients with lower leg dermatitis and venous ulcers had been subject to patch-testing during 1974 to 1977. When retested in 1982, the number of positive reactions per patient increased from 3.82 to 5.87 on an average. 54% of the positive epicutaneous test reactions could be reproduced in the repeated patch test. Meanwhile, 9 of 16 of patients were free of lower leg dermatitis and 8 of them were free of venous ulcers. This paper deals with the problematic nature as well as the likely causes of the apparent inconsistency of epicutaneous test reactions in patients with lower leg dermatitis and venous ulcers.


Objective:  To determine the surgical Outcome for a prolapsed lumbar intervertebral disc based on a visual analog score.
Materials and Methods:  A prospective study was conducted in the Department of Neurosurgery at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi. A total of 55 patients were included in the study. Questionnaires were used to collect demographic data, presenting symptoms, and the level of the herniated discs. The patients underwent different surgical interventions and then these patients were followed for 2 weeks postoperatively and the surgical outcome was assessed using the Visual Analog Score (VAS).
Results:  A total of 34 (61.8%) males and 21 (38.2%) females were included in this study. The average age of the patients was 36.14 ± 9.30 years. L5/S1 was the most commonly affected level. Laminar fenestration was the most common surgical procedure done in 23 (41.8%) patients followed by hemilaminectomy in 19 (34.5%) patients and bilateral laminectomy in 13 (23.6%). Post-operative pain was relieved in the majority of patients which is 43 (78.2%).
Conclusion:  Medical management remains the mainstay in the majority of patients having lumbar disc prolapse. However, in cases where the pain is refractory to conservative management, surgery is considered after careful patient selection. It was seen that surgical intervention successfully reduced the intensity of pain and resulted in a symptomatically improved patient. Hence it is safe to conclude that surgery is an effective measure and ultimately enhances the quality of life.


This paper follows up on a recent pre-print (Durham [2005]) by first deriving a set theoretic relationship between the generalized uncertainty relations and the Clauser-Horne inequalities. The physical, metaphysical, and metamathematical implications and problems are then explored. The discussion builds on previous work by Pitowsky [1994] and suggests that there is a fundamental problem in quantum correlation that could potentially lead to a paradox. It leaves open the question of whether the problem is in experiment, theory, or phenomena.


Agricultural activities that involve animal wastes can result in the contamination of subsurface soils by nitrates (NO3). In saturated or nearly saturated soils, microbial biobarriers are a common method used to remove contaminants from water. This study evaluated the presence of NO3 in the soil profile beneath a cattle corral and the use of biobarriers to prevent the movement of NO3 through these semiarid vadose zone soils. Soils from beneath the pen contained as much as 330 mg kg−1 (330 ppm) nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), and a well located ~50 m (~55 yd) from the pens contained 18 mg L−1 (18 ppm) NO3-N, indicating that denitrification activity in the surface soils of the corral had not prevented NO3 from migrating into deeper soils where denitrification activity was limited by electron donor (i.e., carbon [C] substrate) availability. Biobarriers used to intercept the percolating soil water contaminated with NO3 included a control that contained only sand and treatment biobarriers that contained sand blended with sawdust, soybean (Glycine max L.) oil, or sawdust and soybean oil. A distinctive attribute of the study was that the biobarriers were installed near the surface of a semiarid soil well above the water table. Results show that all of the treatment biobarriers removed NO3 from percolating soil water. Water collected from beneath the control barriers contained 99 mg L−1 (99 ppm) NO3-N while NO3-N levels in water that moved through the sawdust, soybean oil, and sawdust plus soybean oil barriers averaged 4, 17, and 28 mg L−1 (4, 17, and 28 ppm) NO3-N for removal efficiencies of 96%, 83%, and 72%, respectively. In waters from the sawdust plus soybean oil barriers, 6.8 mg L−1 (6.8 ppm) nitrite-N was detected. With all three substrate combinations, biobarrier life was such that barriers of this type should last for many years before substrates need to be replaced.


Richard Epstein's work on private law emphasizes themes that have survived since ancient Roman law. This paper highlights two practical benefits that those themes can offer, to ease some flashpoints in modern debates about the interface between intellectual property (IP) and trade. Arguments grounded in private law may avoid the open-textured public policy debates between concern over too much or too little protection for IP and trade law while largely addressing the major stated concerns raised by both sides. They also can avoid many arcane doctrines in IP and trade law. Private law's attention to business norms helped Grokster explore a modern online services' liability for indirect IP infringement. Private law's common-law approach to agency can similarly help address joint liability for IP infringement around modern online services after Limelight. Private law also may help address business opportunism around trade in electronic transmissions and set top boxes.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Transcription factors (TFs) are convergence points of signaling cascades that coordinate cell differentiation, proliferation, survival, and migration; and are commonly deregulated in solid and hematologic malignancies, including multiple myeloma (MM). Several recent studies indicate that the inhibition of TFs may lead to selective tumor cell death with little or no consequences for normal cells due to redundancy in signaling pathways. Nuclear hormone receptor (NHR)- TFs belong to the most common therapies in oncology today. In contrast, non-NHR-TFs have been considered 'un- druggable' until most recently. Areas covered: This review article summarizes advances of our knowledge on the complex composition of non-NHR-TFs and their binding to cognate DNA sequences that are propelling the development of novel strategies in MM. Expert opinion: Protein-protein and protein-DNA- binding inhibitors, proteolysis- targeting chimeric molecules, and chromatin remodeling/epigenetic reader inhibitors are among the most promising novel compounds with a potentially high therapeutic index; they are likely to once more advance MM treatment strategies and improve patient outcome in the near future.


We have studied one-hole dynamics in a quantum antiferromagnet by use of the anisotropic three-dimensional t-J model in the simple cubic lattice within the self-consistent Born approximation. The hole spectral function, the density of states, the quasiparticle dispersion relationship, the effective mass, the quasiparticle spectral weight, and the incoherent multiple spin-wave background are determined as functions of the Heisenberg exchange and hopping amplitude in the thermodynamic limit.


Cerebellopontine angle (CPA) is an atypical site for adult medulloblastoma (MB) with only 12 cases reported in pure extra-axial location. None was predicted on preoperative imaging while the most common misdiagnosis was petrous meningioma. We add the 13th case to this list, attempting to reiterate the radiological features for preoperative prediction of this rare pathology on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Molecular subtyping also is not yet reported for adult extra-axial CPA MB. We propose the routine use of MRI-based nomograms, in atypical CPA extra-axial masses, for noninvasive prediction of molecular subgroup, especially in resource-limited setups that lack the facility of genetic profiling.


Abstract Bone-metastasis prostate cancer (BMPCa)-targeting gene therapy is gaining increasing concern in recent years. The peptide T7-modified polypeptide nanoparticles for delivery DNA (CRD-PEG-T7/pPMEPA1) was prepared as our previous study. However, the feasibility of CRD-PEG-T7/pPMEPA1 for BMPCa treatment, the mechanisms underlying cellular uptake, anti-BMPCa effect, and administration safety requires further research. LNCaP cells treated with endocytosis inhibitors and excessive T7 under different culture condition were carried out to investigate the mechanisms of cellular uptake of the CRD-PEG-T7-pPMEPA1. A transwell assay was applied to evaluate the cell migration ability. Besides, the tumor volume and survival rates of the PCa xenograft mice model were recorded to estimate the anti-tumor effect. In addition, the weight profiles of the PCa tumor-bearing mice, the blood chemistry, and the HE analysis of visceral organs and tumor was conducted to investigate the administration safety of CRD-PEG-T7/pPMEPA1. The results showed that PCa cellular uptake was decreased after treating with excessive free T7, endocytosis inhibitors and lower incubation temperature. Besides, CRD-PEG-T7/pPMEPA1 could inhibit the LNCaP cells chemotaxis and tumor growth. In addition, the survival duration of the PCa tumor-bearing mice treating with CRD-PEG-T7/pPMEPA1 was significantly prolonged with any systemic toxicity or damage to the organs. In conclusion, this research proposes a promising stratagem for treatment BMPCa by providing the biocompatible and effective carrier for delivery DNA therapeutic agents.


An impredicative class is a class definable only by reference to a totality to which the class itself belongs. Usual systems of set theory contain principles which provide us with infinitely many ways of generating such classes. We shall prove that we cannot in general replace these by finitely many, as we can in the case of predicative classes. In order to render the proof and what we prove clearer, we shall concentrate our attention on a rather special simple case. It will be obvious that other cases can be treated similarly. Let L be the system determined by Bernays's axioms' I-III and Va. This is a system with finitely many axioms. Roughly speaking, in L we are assured that all finite classes obtained from the empty class by applying (any finite number of times) the operations of forming unit classes and sum classes are sets (membership-eligible classes), that every subclass of a set is a set, and that we have all predicative classes of these sets. Bernays has shown in detail that, by identifying natural numbers with certain sets of L, we can obtain the usual number theory in L. For our purpose, we may describe L in the following manner. L contains the first-order predicate calculus (quantification theory) for one kind of variables X, Y, etc. (whose range consists of all classes) and an additional two-place predicate e (membership). Since sets are merely classes which can be members of classes, variables ranging over sets can be introduced by contextual definitions such as: (x)+ stands for (X) ((2 Y)(X E Y) D OX). It follows immediately that if (X)+X then (x)+x. Let us agree further that X = Y stands for (x) (x e X = x e Y) The axioms of L can be stated thus :2


Bacampicillin, a new oral prodrug which in vivo is rapidly transformed to ampicillin, was compared with ampicillin, pivampicillin, and amoxycillin in a randomized cross-over study on 11 healthy volunteers. All drugs were given in oral doses equimolar to 400 mg of bacampicillin (800 μmol). The mean of the individual peak concentrations in serum was 8.3 μg/ml for bacampicillin, 7.1 μg/ml for pivampicillin, 7.7 μg/ml for amoxycillin, and 3.7 μg/ml for ampicillin. Furthermore, bacampicillin had a higher absorption rate than all the other drugs, although there were statistically significant differences only versus ampicillin. The peak serum levels of the individual subjects were more dispersed with ampicillin and amoxycillin, suggesting a more uniform absorption of bacampicillin and pivampicillin. The relative bioavailability of bacampicillin and pivampicillin was comparable, whereas ampicillin was only 2/3 that of the others.


During the course of breeding mice, deaths sometimes occur because of sudden-onset disease or accident. In the case of valuable mutant or transgenic mice, it is of interest to know whether ovarian tissue taken after death can be grafted successfully into ovariectomized female recipients. Such a procedure would be helpful in the maintenance of rare mouse strains. In this study, we examined whether recipient mice became fertile after receiving ovaries taken from transgenic mice at various intervals after death. The transgenic mice used as donors were euthanized by cervical dislocation and left for 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, or 24 h after death at constant temperature (22 +/- 2 degrees C) and humidity (55 +/- 5%). The recipient mice were nontransgenic littermates of the donor mice, and they were mated with proven-fertile males after ovary transplantation. It was confirmed that the progeny carried the transgene by means of polymerase chain reaction analysis. Ovaries taken at 1 or 2 h after death could maintain fertility. However, mice receiving ovaries taken at 4, 6, 12, or 24 h after death failed to conceive. We have shown here that ovaries taken from dead mice within 2 h after death can be transplanted successfully.


Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains a global epidemic, but it is often studied in the context of obesity and aging. Nutritional deficits, however, also trigger hepatic steatosis, influencing health trajectories in undernourished pediatric populations. Here, we report that exposure to specific gut microbes impacts fatty liver pathology in mice fed a protein/fat-deficient diet. We utilize a multiomics approach to (i) characterize NAFLD in the context of early undernutrition and (ii) examine the impact of diet and gut microbes in the pathology and reversal of hepatic steatosis. We provide compelling evidence that an early-life, critical development window facilitates undernutrition-induced fatty liver pathology. Moreover, we demonstrate that sustained dietary intervention largely reverses fatty liver features and microbiome shifts observed during early-life malnutrition. ABSTRACT Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), largely studied as a condition of overnutrition, also presents in undernourished populations. Like NAFLD, undernutrition disrupts systemic metabolism and has been linked to gut microbiota dysbiosis. Indeed, chronic exposures to fecal microbes contribute to undernutrition pathology in regions with poor sanitation. Despite a growing prevalence of fatty liver disease, the influence of undernutrition and the gut microbiota remain largely unexplored. Here, we utilize an established murine model (C57BL/6J mice placed on a malnourished diet that received iterative Escherichia coli/Bacteroidales gavage [MBG mice]) that combines a protein/fat-deficient diet and iterative exposure to specific, fecal microbes. Fecal-oral contamination exacerbates triglyceride accumulation in undernourished mice. MBG livers exhibit diffuse lipidosis accompanied by striking shifts in fatty acid, glycerophospholipid, and retinol metabolism. Multiomic analyses revealed metabolomic pathways linked to the undernourished gut microbiome and hepatic steatosis, including phenylacetate metabolism. Intriguingly, fatty liver features were observed only in the early-life, but not adult, MBG model despite similar liver metabolomic profiles. Importantly, we demonstrate that dietary intervention largely mitigates aberrant metabolomic and microbiome features in MBG mice. These findings indicate a crucial window in early-life development that, when disrupted by nutritional deficiency, may significantly influence liver function. Our work provides a multifaceted study of how diet and gut microbes inform fatty liver progression and reversal during undernutrition. IMPORTANCE Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains a global epidemic, but it is often studied in the context of obesity and aging. Nutritional deficits, however, also trigger hepatic steatosis, influencing health trajectories in undernourished pediatric populations. Here, we report that exposure to specific gut microbes impacts fatty liver pathology in mice fed a protein/fat-deficient diet. We utilize a multiomics approach to (i) characterize NAFLD in the context of early undernutrition and (ii) examine the impact of diet and gut microbes in the pathology and reversal of hepatic steatosis. We provide compelling evidence that an early-life, critical development window facilitates undernutrition-induced fatty liver pathology. Moreover, we demonstrate that sustained dietary intervention largely reverses fatty liver features and microbiome shifts observed during early-life malnutrition.


Packing density and moisture content are important factors in investigating the ensiling quality. Low packing density is a major cause of loss of sugar content. The moisture content also plays a determinant role in biomass degradation. To comprehensively evaluate the ensiling quality, this study focused on developing a compound sensor. In it, moisture electrodes and strain gauges were embedded into an ASABE Standard small cone for the simultaneous measurements of the penetration resistance (PR) and moisture content (MC) of silage. In order to evaluate the performance of the designed sensor and the theoretical analysis being used, relevant calibration and validation tests were conducted. The determination coefficients are 0.996 and 0.992 for PR calibration and 0.934 for MC calibration. The validation indicated that this measurement technique could determine the packing density and moisture content of the silage simultaneously and eliminate the influence of the friction between the penetration shaft and silage. In this study, we not only design a compound sensor but also provide an alternative way to investigate the ensiling quality which would be useful for further silage research.


Introduction At home suture or staple removal can be stressful for patients and may lead some to seek out additional instruction via online resources as an adjunct to what was explained to them by their provider. The purpose of this study was to examine the existing online resources available to patients who may be interested in or have been instructed to remove sutures at home after a simple procedure, such as a skin biopsy or excision. Methods A systematic search was conducted using internet search engines to identify videos and webpages targeting at home suture removal instruction. The DISCERN instrument was used to evaluate the information quality of each included resource. Results There was no statistically significant difference between average DISCERN scores for videos and webpage resources, and the majority were rated poor in quality. Conclusions The online resources for at home suture and staple removal were often not comprehensive and were below the standard quality for written information. Health care providers should consider referring their patients to validated online sources for suture removal to prevent misinformation and improve patient safety.


We present a theoretical investigation of cold reactive and non-reactive collisions of Li and Rb atoms with C$_{2}^{-}$. The potential energy surfaces for the singlet and triplet states of the Li--C$_{2}^{-}$ and Rb--C$_{2}^{-}$ systems have been obtained using the CASSCF/ic-MRCI+Q approach with extended basis sets. The potential energy surfaces are then used to investigate the associative detachment reaction and to calculate rotationally inelastic cross sections by means of the close-coupling method. The effect of the core correlation on the potential energy surfaces is discussed and we estimate the error on the collisional cross sections induced by freezing the $1s$ orbitals of the carbon atoms. The results are compared to those obtained for the Rb-OH$^{-}$ system and the applications for hybrid trap experiments are explored. Furthermore, we discuss the possibility to perform Doppler thermometry on the C$_{2}^{-}$ anion and investigate the collision process involving excited states. The implications for sympathetic cooling experiments are also discussed.


Sago plant produces sago starch, which can be processed into various food and non-food uses and has high demand in the domestic and international market. However, sago starch marketing is still facing problems that make the crop has not yet optimally support the economy of sago growing and processing households and communities. The study aimed to assess the market structure of sago starch in Konawe District of Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Data collection was done in two sago growing subdistricts. Respondents consisted of 55 sago producers, four subdistrict collectors, and two large traders. Data were collected using questionnaires, observation, and in-depth interviews, and were analyzed using Concentration Ratio and descriptive statistics. Study results showed that market participants consisted of producers, collectors, large traders, and retailer. The producer or seller concentration was low, and the atomistic selling condition prevailed in the sago extraction industry. The market share of the four largest collectors was 67.25%. Product differentiation was not present or low among the sago producers. Observed barriers to entry into the sago starch production included lack of technical skills, availability of water sources, knowledge of the area, and the nature of sago extraction operation. Barriers to entry into sago marketing were moderate and included capital requirement, economies of scale, knowledge of the area, and networking with both producers and large traders. The sago starch market has deviated from the norms of competitive market structure, namely, an oligopsonistic market structure. The structural features of the industry need to be improved by establishing standard and grades to facilitate marketing and to lead to product differentiation. Key-Words: marketing, market structure, producer, sago, starch, Indonesia Received: February 28, 2021. Revised: March 23, 2021. Accepted: March 26, 2021. Published: April 2, 2021.


Statistical study, using objective variables, was carried out to draw the profile of psycho-social cases at the emergency unit of Publics hospitals. The study analyses the attitude of the nursing and medical staff. This paper looks the problem throw three parameters: the symptoms, the diagnosis and the final destination. The most important conclusion is: staff seems to see his work with emergencies cases like a shunting problem and not like a beginning of therapeutical work.


ESL Teachers' Perceptions Academic Performance Among Hispanic EL Students of Deported/Immigrant Parents by Osiris Ciminera Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Clinical Psychology Walden University August 2019 Abstract The sudden removal of immigrant parents by deportation can have lasting effects on children's overall wellbeing. While many studies demonstrate the impact parental deportation has on the child development, more research has been called for on how deportation and the removal of parents by deportation can affect school performance among ESL students. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the student factors that predict 5 domains of school performance among ELS students of undocumented parents as perceived by their ESL teachers. Sewell's duality of structures served as the theoretical framework. A quantitative correlational design using an online survey research method was used to examine the extent to which student factors, (e.g., ability to focus, make friends, and persist on school tasks) predicted the 5 domains (e.g., basic skills, arts, humanities, STEM and physical fitness) using a questionnaire completed by 122 ESL teachers. Each of the factors were composed of 3 to 5 items, and interitem analyses revealed that all scales had adequate internal consistency. The data produced no significant correlations between the predictor variables and 5 measures of academic performance. The lack of relationship was likely a function of methodological challenges, and it is recommended that future studies consider more direct measures of immigrant student home and school variables that could influence academic performance.The sudden removal of immigrant parents by deportation can have lasting effects on children's overall wellbeing. While many studies demonstrate the impact parental deportation has on the child development, more research has been called for on how deportation and the removal of parents by deportation can affect school performance among ESL students. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the student factors that predict 5 domains of school performance among ELS students of undocumented parents as perceived by their ESL teachers. Sewell's duality of structures served as the theoretical framework. A quantitative correlational design using an online survey research method was used to examine the extent to which student factors, (e.g., ability to focus, make friends, and persist on school tasks) predicted the 5 domains (e.g., basic skills, arts, humanities, STEM and physical fitness) using a questionnaire completed by 122 ESL teachers. Each of the factors were composed of 3 to 5 items, and interitem analyses revealed that all scales had adequate internal consistency. The data produced no significant correlations between the predictor variables and 5 measures of academic performance. The lack of relationship was likely a function of methodological challenges, and it is recommended that future studies consider more direct measures of immigrant student home and school variables that could influence academic performance. ESL Teachers' Perceptions Academic Performance Among Hispanic EL Students of Deported/Immigrant Parents by Osiris Ciminera Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Clinical Psychology Walden University August 2019


The complete nucleotide sequence of infectious cloned DNA components (A and B) of the causal agent of squash leaf curl disease in the Philippines was determined. DNA-A and DNA-B comprise 2739 and 2705 nucleotides, respectively; the common region is 174 bases in length. Five ORFs were found in DNA-A and two in DNA-B. Partial dimeric clones containing DNA-A and DNA-B. constructed in a binary vector and transformed into Agrobactterium tumefaciens, induced systemic infection in agro-inoculated pumpkin plants (Cucurbita moschata). The total DNA-A sequence was most closely related to that of Squash leaf curl China virus (SLCCNV) (88% identity), although the existence of B component of SLCCNV has not been reported. The deduced coat protein was like that of SLCCNV (98% amino acid sequence identity) and the Philippines virus has low sequence identity to Squash leaf curl virus (SLCV) and Squash mild leaf curl virus (SMLCV) (63 and 64% total nucleotide sequence identities, respectively). From these results, we propose that the Philippines virus be designated Squash leaf curl China virus-[Philippines] (SLCCNV-[PH]).


We report here the first study of the protonated, neutral form of tetrazoles as anion binding functional groups. Our studies reveal them to be capable of binding anions with extremely high potency in polar solutions. In studying carboxylic acid-containing congeners, we find a remarkable discrepancy: a strictly analogous acid-containing host binds anions > or = 50,000-fold more weakly than the tetrazole under study. We can explain this functional difference by considering tetrazole tautomerization equilibria and carboxylic acid conformational preferences.