As part of a major program to use isolated Local Group dwarf galaxies as near-field probes of cosmology, we have obtained deep images of the dwarf irregular galaxy Leo A with the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. From these images we have constructed a color-magnitude diagram (CMD) reaching apparent [absolute] magnitudes of (M475, M814) ≳ (29.0 [+4.4], 27.9 [+3.4]), the deepest ever achieved for any irregular galaxy beyond the Magellanic Clouds. We derive the star formation rate (SFR) as a function of time over the entire history of the galaxy. We find that over 90% of all the star formation that ever occurred in Leo A happened more recently than 8 Gyr ago. The CMD shows only a very small amount of star formation in the first few billion years after the big bang; a possible burst at the oldest ages cannot be claimed with high confidence. The peak SFR occurred ≈1.5-4 Gyr ago, at a level 5-10 times the current value. Our modeling indicates that Leo A has experienced very little metallicity evolution; the mean inferred metallicity is consistent with measurements of the present-day gas-phase oxygen abundance. We cannot exclude a scenario in which all of the ancient star formation occurred prior to the end of the era of reionization, but it seems unlikely that the lack of star formation prior to ≈8 Gyr ago was due to early loss or exhaustion of the in situ gas reservoir.


Living-Learning Programmes (LLPs) in Residential Colleges (RCs) foster leadership, learning and sense of belonging amongst students. Any community engagement or service-learning initiative that takes place in such a context would benefit from the unique outcomes of LLPs. Building on this principle, we argue that the Community Engagement Festival (CE Fest), a unique, student-led, flagship event of a RC in an Asian university, functions as a platform to develop a diverse range of benefits amongst students involved in the programme – both student leaders, who design and execute CE Fest, and students who are participants in the event. This assertion is tested through: (1) analysis of the types of learning outcomes achieved by both groups of students; and (2) analysis of the features of CE Fest that enable the development of these learning outcomes. We employ the validated SErvice LEarning Benefit (SELEB) scale to capture the range of benefits experienced by both groups of students. A factor analysis of all 20 benefits in the SELEB scale found three categories of benefits: (i) civic consciousness, (ii) skills, and (iii) interpersonal relationships. A means comparison found that civic consciousness was the most successfully achieved learning outcome by both student leaders and participants alike, which aligns with the ethos of the RC. Additionally, student leaders were more likely than participants to have achieved outcomes related to skills and interpersonal relationships. Triangulation of the findings from the survey with qualitative data collected from student leaders and participants indicates that various structures and processes of CE Fest facilitated the development of specific outcomes, such as empathy and civic consciousness. As such, CE Fest is a unique learning space within LLPs that offers differentiated learning opportunities for students across various roles, while ensuring civic consciousness remains a central benefit to all students regardless of the nature of their participation.


Based on the Chinese General Social Survey of 2005–2013, with a sample of 41,242 people, this study carried out a hierarchical age–period–cohort cross-classified random-effects model on anxiety scores. The results indicated a U-shaped relationship between age and anxiety with increased anxiety from young to the middle age and a decline in the old. Population disparities showed cumulative advantage/disadvantage and age-as-leveler effects in different groups. Anxiety declined in earlier cohorts but emerged as a rising trend in more recent cohorts born in peaceful social contexts. Anxiety resulting from modernity is distinct in different social and historical environments.


Abstract The composites reported in this work were prepared from poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as polymeric matrix and boron carbide nanoparticles as filler using solution casting method. The synthesized composites were characterized using universal testing machine, thermogravimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of filler concentration on the various key properties of the resultant composites was investigated. The results revealed that by increasing the concentration of the filler, the mechanical strength and thermal stability increased. The results indicated that filler when used in 20 wt% concentration caused improvements in the thermal and mechanical properties of the composite including Young's modulus and tensile strength. The composites prepared using filler in optimum concentration (20 wt%) were further characterized using FTIR, XRD and SEM. The results inferred that the synthesized composites could achieve candidature for use in diverse applications.


Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), Senecavirus A (SVA) and swine vesicular disease virus (SVDV) are members of the family Picornaviridae, which can cause similar symptoms - vesicular lesions in the tissues of the mouth, nose, feet, skin and mucous membrane of animals. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of these viruses allows for control measures to prevent the spread of these diseases. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time RT-PCR are traditional and reliable methods for pathogen detection, while their amplification reaction requires a thermocycler. Isothermal amplification methods including loop-mediated isothermal amplification and recombinase polymerase amplification developed in recent years are simple, rapid and do not require specialized equipment, allowing for point of care diagnostics. Luminex technology allows for simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens. CRISPR-Cas diagnostic systems also emerging nucleic acid detection technologies which are very sensitivity and specificity. In this paper, various nucleic acid detection methods aimed at vesicular disease pathogens in swine (including FMDV, SVA and SVDV) are summarized.


Sociological understanding of how business travellers make use of travel time is somewhat lacking. This article addresses this gap in knowledge via presenting an analysis of survey-based data collected from business people travelling by plane, train and car. Through disaggregating the data by travel mode, journey stage, technology use and task type the article provides a level of granular detail in the general patterns of business travellers' travel time behaviour not previously provided by other surveys. Utilizing the concept of 'affordances', the article shows how the type of work activities undertaken are shaped by the dynamic interaction between the characteristics in the travel environment, the type of work tasks undertaken and work technologies utilized in carrying out these tasks and the active choices of business travellers.


An increasing number of oscillating or fluctuating cellular systems have been recently described following the adaptation of fluorescent technology. In diverse organisms, these variously involve signalling factors, heat production, central metabolism and reactive oxygen species (ROS). In response to many plant stresses and primarily via the influence of ROS, changes in mRNA and protein levels or in vivo activity of alternative oxidase are often observed. However, in several investigations, a lack of correlation between the mRNA, protein and in vivo activity has been evident. This discrepancy has made it questionable whether the induction of alternative oxidase has importance in regulating alternative pathway activity in vivo, or being diagnostic for a role of alternative oxidase in stress tolerance and ROS avoidance. Here, we suggest a role of alternative oxidase in counteracting deleterious short-term metabolic fluctuations, especially under stress conditions. This model emphasizes the importance of peak activity for establishing protein levels and allows an amalgamation of the present status of physiological, cellular and molecular knowledge.


Dissemination of ovarian cancer is promoted by deregulated cell adhesion that selectively enhances detachment at primary site and attachment and invasion at secondary sites. Modifications in the extracellular matrix composition within tumor microenvironment can facilitate deregulated cell adhesion, migration, and invasion. We aim to understand how tumor-intrinsic changes affect expression and composition of ECM proteins in disseminated ovarian cancer. The serine protease HtrA1 has been shown to inhibit TGFB by targeting TGFB family ligands and receptors for proteolysis. In addition, HtrA1 also degrades ECM proteins, such as decorin, fibronectin, and collagens.  We have shown that HtrA1 is down-regulated in ovarian cancer cells with loss contributing to chemotherapy resistance. We propose that loss of HtrA1 in the ovarian tumor microenvironment enhances TGFB signaling that in turn facilitate compositional changes in ECM proteins from stromal cells and promote cancer dissemination. To characterize compositional changes that occur in ECM proteins as a result of increased TGFB signaling, stable isotope amino acid labeling (SILAC) and LC-MS analysis were used. Mesothelial cells were cultured in heavy or light isotopically labeled media to confluence. Tumor cells expressing HtrA1 (NT) or stably transfected with HtrA1-targeting shRNA (sh1) were added to either heavy or light mesothelial cultures with or without TGFB (10 ng/ml). Cells were lifted by EDTA and the remaining matrix proteins were subjected to LC-MS. The data show that ECM compositional changes in fibronectin, laminin and collagen were up regulated in mesothelial cells co-cultured with sh1 compared to NT cells. All extracted proteins with ≥ 4 fold change were analyzed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. Proteins up regulated in co-cultures with HtrA1-deficient cancer cells (sh) were determined to be associated with migration, invasion and tumorogenesis whereas proteins upregulated in co-culture with HtrA1-expressing cancer cells (NT) were associated with protein modifications and ER stress. HtrA1-deficient cells show decreased adhesion to collagen I/III matrix and enhanced adhesion to collagen I/VI matrix. HtrA1-deficient cancer cells show morphology characteristics of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and shows higher motility and invasion through mesothelial cell layer.  Finally, in clinical samples, decreased HtrA1 expression in primary tumor was significantly associated with higher incidence of carcinomatosis and nodal metastasis in ovarian cancer.  We conclude that loss of HtrA1 in ovarian cancer cells results in compositional changes in ECM within the tumor microenvironment, and these changes may contribute to the dissemination of ovarian cancer. Citation Format: Megan Cooley, Jeremy Chien, Anirban Mitra, Alfonso Baldi, Andras Czirok, Edina Kosa. Characterization of ECM remodeling in disseminated ovarian cancer as a result of loss of HtrA1 and deregulated TGFB signaling. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2385. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2385


It can be fairly said that all epochs of Paraguay's past call out for thorough, professional attention. There is no such thing as a definitive work on Paraguayan history. Some areas and topics, however, deserve to be singled out as more in need of scholarly energies than others. In the general sphere, one could cite the 17th and 20th centuries as examples of periods badly in need of understanding. Social history as a focus, has been woefully ignored throughout the nation's chronological past, as has, in a slightly lesser degree, economic history. As for topics, despite the above-mentioned titles, we need an adequate history of the Paraguayan encomienda, the yerba mate and ranching activities, the War of the Seven Missions, the economic and social effects of the expulsion of the Jesuits, the independence movement, biographies of Francia and the Lopez (and many other luminaries), the Paraguayan War, the Reconstruction of Paraguay and the growth of the political parties (a gap partially filled by Warren's upcoming volumes), and the Chaco war and its effects upon Paraguay (politically, economically, and socially). The sources, not easily encountered in either printed or documentary form, exist and interest by both Paraguayan and foreign scholars is growing. It is to be hoped that Paraguay and her past will soon be better understood.


A healthy 2-year-old girl bit a green chilli accidentally following which she had many bouts of vomiting. She became unconscious and was immediately admitted to hospital. In spite of all medical intervention, she died after one day. The autopsy confirmed that the death was caused by respiratory failure due to acute respiratory distress syndrome following aspiration of gastric contents into tracheobronchial tree. Aspiration of gastric contents resulting in acute respiratory distress syndrome and death is not uncommon; however, death following the accidental bite of a chilli is rarely reported in medical-legal literature.


This design was designed with the aim of introducing cultural heritage located in the Lunang District, Pesisir Selatan. So that in the future more people will visit with the aim of knowing more about the history that is in it. The media used is more effective in packaging the information conveyed.
Furthermore, it will be analyzed using SWOT analysis theory. This is done for a creative approach in reaching the target audience and the goals and messages contained in it can be conveyed properly and precisely. Then make the concept of strategies and creative programs that really provide solutions in solving problems in design.
The design process produces a promotional video for Rumah Gadang Mande Rubiah. This promotional video is the main media that has an attractive visual element, and a visual message that contains information about the promotional video for Rumah Gadang Mande Rubiah. The results of the design can later be used by Rumah Gadang Mande Rubiah as a way to introduce it to the wider community.


Purpose. Further evidence is presented that Landolt C acuity has an integration time extending over several hundred milliseconds, well beyond the Bunsen-Roscoe-Bloch critical duration within which the intensity-time reciprocity for visual thresholds holds. Methods. To test whether all segments of a longer exposure contribute equally to the uptake of acuity information, the acuity impairment caused by short-duration masking stimuli was measured for a range of onset asynchronies. Results. A 50-ms mask impairs resolution most when it is presented 50 to 100 ms after the onset of the target, and it no longer influences acuity when shown 50 ms after its extinction. Conclusion. Allowing for the well-established optimally-effective test-mask asynchrony of 50 ms or so, the results permit the conclusion that whereas acuity information is assimilated during the whole exposure of a target, the first 50 ms are more effective, and this fits with the initial peaking of impulse activity of neurons in the primate visual cortex to flashed visual stimuli.


Ethanol metabolism in rat hepatocytes isolated either from the periportal (pp) or the perivenous (pv) area by collagenase gradient perfusion was compared to reveal metabolic factors that could be associated with the development of perivenous alcoholic liver damage. Cells were also isolated from rats given ethanol (E) chronically by addition to the drinking fluid. One group (EM) received in addition the alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor 4-methylpyrazole, which potentiated the ethanol treatment by causing sustained elevated diurnal blood ethanol levels. Fatty degeneration ensued in only one-third of the E rats but in all of the EM rats. The periportal/perivenous activity distributions of alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) were 2.2 and 0.75, respectively. Both ethanol treatments significantly decreased the ALAT and increased the GLDH activities, but did not change their pp/pv distributions. Ethanol treatment also increased ethanol and acetaldehyde oxidation, but to the same extent in pp and pv cells. The increase was more marked in cells from EM rats despite their more severe liver fatty degeneration. Ethanol incubation also increased the lactate/pyruvate ratio to the same extent in pp and pv cells both from control or ethanol-treated rats. Our results indicate that periportal and perivenous hepatocytes convert ethanol via acetaldehyde to acetate equally well and with similar effects even after chronic ethanol treatment. Consequently, preferential damage of the perivenous area after chronic ethanol intake is not caused by inherent or acquired differences in ethanol metabolism between perivenous and periportal hepatocytes. Rather, sinusoidal gradients only established in the intact liver may exaggerate the metabolic imbalance by ethanol in the perivenous area, thus explaining its greater vulnerability to damage by alcohol abuse.


The Vietnamese economy is characterized by a high degree of international trade openness and a relatively low GDP share of net-exports. This paper examines the effect of growth in the terms of trade, and more specifically, in international commodity prices, on Vietnam's GDP per capita growth. The paper finds that, during 2000-2014, growth in the terms of trade contributed positively to Vietnam's GDP per capita growth but the effect is not large: less than one-tenth of Vietnam's GDP per capita growth was due to growth in its terms of trade. The paper argues that the relatively small effect of growth in the terms of trade on GDP per capita growth is due to a low GDP share of net-exports. Econometric model estimates show that transitional convergence accounted for about half of Vietnam's GDP per capita growth during 2000-2014.


It has long been recognized that the interphase, i.e., the region between adjacent phases in heterogeneous materials, is a major factor in determining many of the mechanical, optical, and electronic properties of such systems. Interphases are, in general, not abrupt, but exhibit a gradient in the composition from one pure phase to the other. For block copolymers of polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), it has been shown, using neutron reflectivity (NR) and fluorescence measurements, that the interphase can extend over several (∼5) nanometers. In this paper, it is shown for block copolymers of perdeuterated polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) (P(d-S-b-MMA)) that proton−deuterium CP/MAS experiments can be used for spin counting of deuterons in the interphase. Our approach takes into account the varying compositional profile across the interphase. The results are in reasonable agreement with those derived from NR studies. The basic assumptions underlying our approach to deuteron counti...


Background Treatment-induced accelerated tumor growth is a progression pattern reported with immune checkpoint inhibitors that has never been evaluated in randomized phase III studies because it requires two pretreatment scans. This study aimed to develop clinically relevant and applicable criteria for fast progression (FP), incorporating tumor growth kinetics and early death from disease progression to analyze data from the randomized phase III OAK study. Methods The OAK study evaluated the efficacy and safety of atezolizumab versus docetaxel as second-line or third-line treatment for stage IIIb/IV non–small cell lung cancer. FP rates and associated baseline factors were analyzed. FP was defined as either a ≥50% increase in the sum of largest diameters (SLDs) within 6 weeks of treatment initiation or death due to cancer progression within 12 weeks (absent post-baseline scan). Results Forty-two of 421 patients (10%) receiving atezolizumab and 37 of 402 (9%) receiving docetaxel had FP. Twenty patients with FP (48%) receiving atezolizumab versus 12 (30%) receiving docetaxel had a ≥50% SLD increase within 6 weeks. FP was significantly associated with an ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance status of 1 (vs 0), ≥3 metastatic sites at baseline, and failure of preceding first-line treatment within 6 months, but not with epidermal growth factor receptor mutation, programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 or tumor mutational burden. Overall survival in patients with FP and a ≥50% SLD increase at week 6 was similar with atezolizumab and docetaxel (unstratified HR 0.89 (95% CI 0.41 to 1.92)). Conclusions FP rates were similar with atezolizumab and docetaxel in the OAK study, suggesting that FP may not be unique to checkpoint inhibitors, although the underlying mechanisms may differ from those of chemotherapy. Applying the FP criteria to other phase III checkpoint inhibitor trials may further elucidate the risk factors for FP. Trial registration number NCT02008227.


Approximately 1% of all malignant tumors of the breast occur in the male. 1 Carcinoma is by far the most common, followed by sarcoma and melanosarcoma. Although the surgical literature contains numerous articles concerning cancer of the male breast, we feel that several misconceptions have been carried on from the older series and still persist, not only in literature, but also in the minds of patients and treating physicians. The general public is unaware of the fact that carcinoma of the breast can affect males. This misconception is shared by many physicians who, during routine physical examinations, fail to examine the male breast, justifying this omission by the relative rarity of this lesion. Even when a mass is palpable in the male breast, it is rarely treated with the same index of suspicion as in the female, leading to fewer early diagnoses. This is compounded by widespread opinion of incurability,


OBJECTIVE
The spleen is the most frequently involved organ in abdominal blunt traumas. In the last decade the treatment has changed from an exclusive surgical approach to a conservative approach. We report our experience in the last twenty years.

METHODS
Between 1983-2003, 54 patients with blunt abdominal traumas and isolated injury have been treated. The age at the time of diagnosis was 3 to 16 years (mean, 6.5). The diagnosis was made clinically and with imaging techniques (radiographic assessment, scintigraphy, US, CT). In all cases, a conservative treatment was started with continuous vital parameters monitoring, blood red cells count, hemoglobin, hematocrit; volume infusion and when necessary hemo-transfusion. Clinical follow-up and US monitoring were performed for six months after the trauma.

RESULTS
In the period 1983-1993 a conservative treatment was tried in 23 patients; in 15 cases it was successfully, in 8 cases a laparotomy with splenectomy was necessary due to hemodinamic instability. In the second decade we observed 31 patients, all had been treated conservatively. The mean hospital stay was of 12 days with no deaths.

CONCLUSIONS
Conservative treatment for splenic injuries in patients with hemodinamic stability is nowadays the treatment choice. Constantly monitoring of clinical, laboratory parameters and use of modern imaging techniques allows to follow the evolution of the lesion and to avoid, in most cases, a surgical treatment.


The epoch of Cosmic Dawn, when the first stars and galaxies were born, is widely considered as the final frontier of observational cosmology today. Mapping the period between Cosmic Dawn and the present-day provides access to more than 90% of the baryonic (normal) matter in the universe, and unlocks several thousand times more Fourier modes of information than available in today's cosmological surveys. We review the progress in modeling baryonic gas observations as tracers of the cosmological large-scale structure from Cosmic Dawn to the present day. We illustrate how the description of dark matter haloes can be extended to describe baryonic gas abundances and clustering. This innovative approach allows us to fully utilize our current knowledge of astrophysics to constrain cosmological parameters from future observations. Combined with the information content of multi-messenger probes, this will also elucidate the properties of the first supermassive black holes at Cosmic Dawn. We present a host of fascinating implications for constraining physics beyond the [Formula: see text]CDM model, including tests of the theories of inflation and the cosmological principle, the effects of nonstandard dark matter, and possible deviations from Einstein's general relativity on the largest scales.


Short circuit currents are analyzed for glitch and glitch-free cases within this paper. Within the glitch power-formulas introduced in literature short circuit power consumption is neglected. We examined that short-circuit power consumption contributes more significantly to a gate-transition's total power consumption for glitches than for common complete transitions. Simulation results are presented which exemplify that generated and propagated glitches can lead to excessive power consumption (between 10% and 60% of its total power consumption for typical cases). These examinations can be used for accurate glitch power modelling and circuit optimization on gate level, which is particularly important for arithmetic and DSP circuits.


Background Regardless of the technique applied for chemomechanical preparation, postoperative pain is a very relevant matter in endodontics. Objective: To evaluate postoperative pain after endodontic treatment of necrotic teeth submitted to large apical preparation (LAP) using oscillatory kinematics. Material and Methods The sample included 60 asymptomatic necrotic teeth with or without apical radiolucency, and with normal periodontal status, referred for endodontic treatment. Following initial procedures, the position and approximate size of the apical constriction were determined by using an apex locator and K Flexofiles, respectively. The chemomechanical preparation was conducted using oscillatory kinematics and 2.5ml of 2.5% NaOCl at each file change to achieve LAP, and the filling was done with Tagger's hybrid technique and EndoFill sealer. Phone calls were made to all the patients at 24, 48 and 72 hours after treatment to request their classification of postoperative pain, and data were submitted to statistical analysis. Results Only 3 patients (5%) reported severe pain after 72 hours. Moderate pain was reported by 17, 9 and 1 patient after 24, 48 and 72 hours, respectively (P = 0.000). However, paired analyses showed a statistically significant difference only between 24 and 72 hours (P = 0.001), and 48 and 72 hours (P = 0.014). Age and tooth type did not influence the postoperative pain, regardless of time (P> 0.05). After 72 hours, women experienced significantly more pain than men (P = 0.012), and teeth without periradicular lesion were more sensitive that teeth with perirradicular lesion (P = 0.027). Conclusions Acute or moderate postoperative pain was uncommon after endodontic treatment of necrotic teeth submitted to LAP using oscillatory kinematics. Key words:Endodontic treatment, oscillatory kinematics, postoperative pain, pulp necrosis.


PURPOSE
The relations between image quality in last image hold images and dose in grid controlled fluoroscopy in comparison to the continuous mode need to be characterised and recommendations for the clinical application of this technique should be given.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Spatial resolution, signal-noise ratio and, contrast-detail visibility were evaluated by phantom measurements in grid controlled pulsed and continuous fluoroscopy. Dose was measured at the image intensifier entrance. Image quality of last image hold (LIH) images of clinical examinations was graded in relation to single shot exposures.

RESULTS
Signal-noise ratio and contrast-detail visibility depend on the dose per puls. Spatial resolution and contrast-detail visibility in grid controlled fluoroscopy are superior than to in the continuous mode. Image quality of the LIH images from the grid controlled fluoroscopy was improved. Radiation exposure could be reduced to 10-46%.

CONCLUSIONS
Combinations of puls-dose and -frequency are recommended for achieving extensive dose reduction and improved image quality of LIH images.


Although the word gliderman does not appear in the dictionary, a brave group of World War II soldiers known as glidermen flew into combat inside unarmed and unarmored canvas-covered gliders known as "flying coffins." Masters tells of these men and of their fragile aircraft in a war of mechanized chaos. In copious detail, he describes the gliders and the Americans who boarded them during the American D-Day glider attack, a mission that was part of the overall cross-Channel plan code-named "Operation Neptune." The son of a gliderman with the 82nd Airborne Division, Masters had unique access to the surviving glidermen and comrades of his father. During the course of his research, he located and interviewed 106 of the men who had flown the D-Day mission in gliders. Often harrowing and always riveting, the stories these men told an eager listener and researcher are very much a part of this narrative. Masters has also assembled the finest existing collection of photographs of the American D-Day glider attack. These photographs afford the opportunity to actually examine the inside of the combat gliders used on D-Day, to observe the glidermen in action, and to witness the often tragic consequences of the glider attack.


At present, there is a clear need for alternative non-toxic solvents able to meet the Principles of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering and preferentially obtained from renewable sources. In the present work, three green solvents have been used, namely ethanol, ethyl lactate and limonene, to obtain high value lipids from the cyanobacteria Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis). Among the lipids found in Spirulina, γ-linolenic acid (GLA) is the most valuable, and is found at high concentration. Moreover, considering that Spirulina is easy to grow, and that the syntheses of different compounds mainly depend on growing conditions, the interest of obtaining lipids from algae and microalgae is increasing every day. Ethyl lactate and limonene are from natural origin and easily biodegradable; they can be found traditionally in consumed foodstuff like wine or beer (ethyl lactate) or fruits (limonene). These solvents have polarities in the range of acetonitrile and hexane, respectively. Therefore, these solvents, together with ethanol, can be used to cover a wide range of polarities. In order to achieve greener extractions, pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) with ethanol, ethyl lactate, limonene and their binary mixtures, together with ethanol-expanded CO2 (gas-expanded liquid; GXL) extraction were selected. Advantages of PLE are mainly the low solvent consumption, short extraction times and improved kinetics. On the other hand, the use of GXLs has, over SFE, the advantage of milder pressures and can be considered as an extraction liquid media ranging from the neat organic solvent to supercritical-CO2 (SC-CO2). Optimization of extraction conditions was carried out using chemometric approaches, namely: a Taguchi L9 design for the gas expanded liquid extractions (ethanol:CO2) and a central composite (4 3 ) for PLE experiments. The responses elected for the optimization were: total yield, fatty acid content and γ-linolenic acid in extracts. For its quantification GC-MS was used previous derivatization by ethylation.


The emerging semantic web era makes the entire web, user friendly to the humans by shifting the producer centric paradigm to consumer centric paradigm. Enhancing the web components still more user friendly increases its business value. For this purpose customization has to be done at runtime to provide sophisticated service to the business people and the customers. Business process Customization done for business goal analysis with BPEL, OWL, has shifted to OWL-BPC [web ontology language for business process customization] based on semantic markup language for web based information. We represent the conceptualization in an Extensible Markup Language (XML), based on the semantic markup language for Web-based information, i. e. , OWL. The novelty of the work done in this paper is Customization done during or after the runtime time. Enabling the customers to customize the service and process during Requirement process, design process and testing the correctness of process logic while deploying process, modifying dynamically, substituting services and handling Runtime Exceptions according to the rules as services requested by customers. The framework is designed to handle the runtime customization. Dynamic customization is emphasized in the paper and it is the advantage of the proposed approach. We present an architectural


The n‐type and p‐type cuprous oxide thin films were electrodeposited potentiostatically in acetate and lactate baths, respectively. Sulfur treatment of n‐type and p‐type cuprous oxide surfaces were achieved using gaseous (NH4)2S. Sulfur‐treated Cu2O films were annealed in air at 100, 150, 200, 250, 350, and 450 °C for unique times to obtain the best photocurrent. Unannealed and annealed samples of sulfur‐treated and untreated cuprous oxide were then investigated using high‐energy X‐ray diffraction (HEXRD). The HEXRD measurements and the pair distribution function (PDF) analysis revealed that the sulfur treatment leads to the formation of crystalline CuS on Cu2O film surfaces. The present study also shows that the sulfur treatment causes minor structural changes in Cu2O samples due to the formation of CuS. It was observed that the sulfur‐treated cuprous oxide samples retarded the formation of CuO at higher temperatures showing good thermal stability and enhancement of the photoactivity of the n‐type and p‐type cuprous oxides.


Background: Immunotherapy has become an emerging anti-cancer therapy, as immune checkpoint blockade with PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibition have been active against multiple cancer types. Nonetheless, there remain many non-responders, suggesting that combinations may improve activity, particularly combinations which can target tumors and have low toxicity. Methods & Results: We have developed a novel Hsp90 targeted photodynamic therapy (Hsp90-PDT), which causes local anti-tumor responses. Hsp90-PDT can be combined with immune checkpoint blockade to generate potent anti-tumor effects. We synthesized well characterized PDT agent, verteporfin (VP) tethered to a HSP90 small molecule inhibitor, to create a Hsp90-PDT agent (Hsp90i-VP). We first compared the uptake of VP and Hsp90i-VP into the breast cancer cell lines (E0771-OVA) in vitro. Hsp90i-VP showed stronger incorporation than VP when the compounds were added 3μM or less in concentration. We next performed in vitro and vivo PDT with Hsp90i-VP and laser exposure (690 nm wavelength). Killing efficiency of VP and Hsp90i-VP was analyzed by MTT assay, which showed increased killing in a dose dependent manner for both photosensitizers (0-30µM) and laser (0-120J/cm2). Next, we treated E0771-OVA tumor-bearing C57BL/6 mice with Hsp90i-VP (25nmol/mouse) administration alone, laser irradiation (240J/cm2) alone, or the combination of Hsp90i-VP and laser. Suppression of the tumor growth was confirmed only in Hsp90i-VP and laser group. In addition, induction of tumor-specific immune response by PDT was confirmed by ELISA, where the elevation of anti-OVA antibody was seen only in PDT group. Furthermore, combination treatment of Hsp90-PDT and anti-PD-L1 mAbs was able to enhance cytotoxic T-cell response and suppress tumor growth significantly even with relatively PDT-resistant cell line. Conclusions: Hsp90-PDT showed a significant ability to induce antigen-specific immune response in both in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that Hsp90-PDT can play an important role in anti-cancer immune therapy. Our future plan is to investigate the effect of local photodynamic therapy combined with various types of checkpoint inhibitor in breast cancer models. Citation Format: Kensuke Kaneko, Takuya Osada, Timothy A. Haystead, Michael A. Morse, Herbert K. Lyerly. Induction of enhanced tumor-specific immunity by Hsp90 targeted photodynamic therapy (Hsp90-PDT) combined with immune checkpoint inhibition [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4709. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4709


Several antiphishing methods have been employed with the primary task of automatically apprehending and ruling out or preventing phishing e-mail from users' mail stream. Phishing attacks pose great threat to internet users and the extent can be enormous if unchecked. Two major category techniques that have been shown to be useful for classifying e-mail messages automatically include the rule based method which classifies email by using a set of heuristic rules and the statistical based approach which model emails statistically usually under a machine learning framework. The statistical based methods have been found in literature to outperform the rule based method. This study proposes the use of the Maximum Entropy Model, a generative model and show how it can be used in anti-phishing tasks. The model based feature proposed by Bergholz et al (2008) will also be adopted. This has been found to outperform basic features proposed in previous studies. An experimental comparison of our approach with other generative and non-generative classifiers is also proposed. This approach is expected to perform comparably better than others method especially in the elimination of false positives.


: A common approach to demands for lawful access to encrypted data is to allow a trusted third party (TTP) to gain access to private data. However, there is no way to verify that this trust is well placed as the TTP may open all messages indiscriminately. Moreover, existing approaches do not scale well when, in addition to the content of the conversation, one wishes to hide one's identity. Given the importance of metadata this is a major problem. We propose a new approach in which users can retroactively verify cryptographically whether they were wiretapped. As a case study, we propose a new signature scheme that can act as an accountable replacement for group signatures, accountable forward and backward tracing signatures .


CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2008 Abstracts

Abstract #46

Background: Cross-talk between growth factor and steroid receptor pathways has been implicated in endocrine resistance in breast cancer. Combining EGFR/HER2-targeted therapy with aromatase inhibitors for HR+ postmenopausal breast cancer may enhance endocrine responsiveness and delay the onset of resistance. [EGF30008][1] is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, first-line phase III trial to explore the benefit of letrozole with/without lapatinib, an oral dual tyrosine-kinase inhibitor of HER2 and EGFR, in patients (pts) with HR+ postmenopausal MBC. Methods: 1286 postmenopausal women with HR+ untreated MBC from 212 international centers were randomized to once daily treatment with letrozole 2.5 mg and lapatinib 1500 mg or letrozole and placebo. Pts were stratified according to presence of visceral vs bone only disease and time since completion of prior adjuvant endocrine tamoxifen therapy (<6 mo or ≥6 mo/never received). 219 pts were HER2+ (IHC 3+ and/or FISH amplified). The primary endpoint of the study was investigator assessed progression free survival (PFS) in the HR+ HER2+ population, and secondarily in the overall ITT population in closed hierarchical testing procedure. Additional secondary endpoints included overall survival, overall response rate, clinical benefit rate, time to and duration of response, and safety of letrozole with/without lapatinib. Results: Median PFS in the HER2+ population was significantly increased from 3.0 months (mos) in the letrozole group to 8.2 mos in the lapatinib\letrozole group [Hazard Ratio (95% CI)=0.71(0.53,0.96), stratified log rank p =0.019]. Median PFS in the ITT population increased from 10.9 mos to 11.9 mos, respectively [Hazard Ratio (95% CI)=0.86 (0.76,0.98), stratified log rank p =0.026]. In a pre-planned Cox regression analysis exploring stratification and well known baseline prognostic factors in the HER2+ population, a significant benefit was confirmed [Hazard Ratio (95% CI)=0.65 (0.47-0.89), p =0.008]. In the ITT population, 952 tumor samples were centrally confirmed as HER2 negative. In this group, the Cox regression model after retaining treatment group identified ECOG status, prior adjuvant tamoxifen therapy stratification, number of metastatic sites, and baseline serum HER2 ECD as having a significant impact on PFS [Hazard Ratio (95% CI)=0.77(0.64,0.94), p =0.010]. Overall response rate (ORR) in the HER2+ population was significantly increased from 14.8% to 37.9% in the combination group [Odds Ratio = 0.4 (0.2, 0.9), p =0.021], with a clinical benefit rate (CBR) improvement from 28.7% to 48.7% [Odds Ratio = 0.4 (0.2,0.8), p =0.003]. There was no difference in ORR or CBR in the HER2 negative population. With 41% of pts still being followed, an overall survival trend was noted in the HER2+ group [Hazard ratio (95% CI) = 0.77 (0.52, 1.14), p =0.185]. The combination of letrozole and lapatinib was well tolerated and no new safety issues were identified. Conclusion: This is the largest clinical trial to test whether combined endocrine and targeted EGFR/HER2 inhibition enhances endocrine responsiveness in HR+ MBC. Lapatinib significantly improved the clinical efficacy of an aromatase inhibitor in pts with known HR+ HER2+ MBC, and identified a subset of HR+ HER2-negative that may also benefit.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 46.

 [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=GENPEPT&access_num=EGF30008&atom=%2Fcanres%2F69%2F2_Supplement%2F46.atom


Higher demands on efficiency, cost and functionality have contributed a great deal towards the advent of Mechatronic systems where mechanics, electronics and computer software integrate together to provide the required functionality. This integration has its effects in the design process as well, and a good design requires careful integration of methods and tools to satisfy the overlapping objectives. The set of requirements a designer needs to satisfy for a good design are in all three domains, hence various design and modelling tools are used by engineers to satisfy these multi-domain requirements. With the advent of systems modelling languages for specifying the complete system in one system model, there is an increased urge to link the system modelling tools to the domain specific tools such as Matlab/Simulink. In this paper we present an attempt to achieve an integrated design environment by building mapping between SysML and Matlab/Simulink models. The complexities that can be solved using SysML and the ones which necessitate a communication between SysML and other tools are discussed. Models of an industrial pattern generator are presented to explain the practical influence of this integration approach. The resulting integrated model is more comprehensive for the designer when investigating various design alternatives. This is important for companies considering they have to consistently embed innovation and sustainability in their products.


The problem of the accuracy of current data regarding prognosis of brachial plexus palsy in the newborn infant was studied by means of a retrospective review of hospital records, letters to parents of affected infants, and follow-up examinations of available children. Only 11 cases of mild upper plexus injuries were found in a review of 19,314 newborn infants' charts, an incidence of 0.57 per 1,000 live births. Four cases were available for examination and 4 others were evaluated from follow-up records. Three were lost to follow-up. No instance of permanent paralysis was found, thus raising the possibility that while permanent paralysis is still seen, it may now represent a diminishing minority of the total, at least in the United States with modern obstetrical care. This is in contrast to the opinion one might formulate from a review of the orthopedic literature on this subject.


Certain members of the class of dorsal unpaired median (DUM) neurones do not only innervate skeletal muscles, but they also establish neurohaemal release sites on the surface of peripheral nerves. These release sites may be associated with well-known neurohaemal organs, but they also occur in other parts of the peripheral nervous system. These DUM neurones are most likely responsible for the release of octopamine into the haemolymph as has been observed in certain behavioural contexts.


Children's interview responses are often read monologically, as mirror reflections of their spontaneous thinking. In contrast, analyses of alignments and collaboration imply a dialogical approach. We argue that in a dialogical analysis, children's interview responses should be read in terms of a relational rationality. Against the backdrop of such a rationality, 'immature' responses can be understood in terms of children's desire to please the interviewer, and by their rational desire to align themselves with their co-participants. In contrast to the scientific rationality of Grice's conversational maxims, relational rationality is instead discussed in terms of social relations.


Assessing the effect of the timing and sequencing of various policy regimes on optimizing agent behavior is both important and difficult. To offer some insights, this article examines a timing decision from sports. The penalty shootout in football (soccer) has long been seen as problematic, among other reasons because it creates incentives for excessively cautious play during extra time. One proposal to alleviate this has been to alter the timing, and stage the shootout before (rather than after) extra time with the result binding only if the subsequent extra time offers no resolution. Carrillo's (2007) theoretical model shows that since the effect of this rule change is ambiguous in theory, the proposal's desirability needs to be assessed empirically. Using a comprehensive match data set, the authors compare scoring outcomes of various treatment and control groups, whereby the former simulate closely players' incentives from the proposed rule change, and the latter represent the current timing. Most importantly, the authors examine how extra time scoring probabilities depend on a goal being scored in the first 5 (or 15) min of extra time. Their estimates suggest that bringing the shootout before extra time would substantially alter the players' incentives in extra time and produce more overall attacking play. Quantitatively, the rule change is predicted to increase the odds of extra time scoring about threefold. Specifically, for the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA club competitions, the probability of scoring in extra time is estimated to increase on average by 45–60%, depending on various factors such as the result in regulation time, balancedness of the teams, and home ground advantage. In summary, all these results suggest that the case for trialing the proposed rule is strong. More generally, they highlight the incentive channels through which sequencing of policies may determine their effectiveness.


Since some time, the so-called plural approach has become very popular in many European countries. According to its partisans, integrated language teaching should allow creating bridges between the pupils' different languages and promote a functional multilingualism. This article concentrates on one of its aspects consisting in developing receptive skills in various tongues of the same language family : teaching intercomprehension. Discussing the benefits as well as the more negative aspects is based on the results of several empirical studies of the processes of intercomprehension, with special focus on a research project of the Scientific Center of Skills in Plurilingualism (Fribourg) that tested the applicability of a didactics of intercomprehension in history class.


The initial focus of the thesis is on Ireland, a small militarily neutral state, but one with a long tradition of contributing to peacekeeping operations. Despite its significant contribution to peace support operations to date, there is little research on the past and future implications of this for Ireland. This thesis seeks to address some of the key legal and political issues confronting Ireland, and to provide a unique perspective on the dilemmas and problems confronting many small states of the UN in the post cold war era.
The thesis uses two case studies, Somalia and Lebanon, to conduct a comparative analysis of traditional peacekeeping and that of peace enforcement The conduct of UN forces in Somalia, and the outcome of the UN mandated operations there, had a profound effect on the willingness of states to support UN peace support operations in the post cold war period. UNOSOM II was one of the most ambitious and controversial multidimensional operations ever mounted by the UN. It reflected the optimism associated with the dawn of a 'new world order' and an effective Security Council. The UN operation in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in contrast, was a less ambitious traditional peacekeeping mission, but it too was controversial and the Force encountered serious difficulties implementing the apparently more straightforward mandate. Both operations show that whatever the nature of a peace support operation, its role and effectiveness is dependent upon support from the Security Council. Without political support and adequate resources, especially at the time of its establishment, a UN force remains at the mercy of the parties to the conflict. Both operations also highlighted serious difficulties that arise in the command and control of UN peace support operations, although the larger more complex UNOSOM II mission presented significantly more serious dilemmas in this regard. These problems are often exacerbated by deficiencies in the municipal laws and domestic political concerns of contributing states.
An important distinguishing feature between traditional peacekeeping operations and that of more robust peace enforcement operations is the policy regarding the use of force. Nevertheless, both Lebanon and Somalia presented remarkably similar difficulties regarding devising and adopting appropriate rules of engagement, and the differing interpretations of what action justified the resort to, and the degree of force deemed appropriate in a UN multi-national operation.
The thesis seeks to draw lessons from the experiences of UNIFIL and UNOSOM in regard to these and related issues. The matter of the applicability of international humanitarian law to UN forces was also relevant to both sets of operations. Despite the recent adoption of the Convention on the Protection of UN Personnel, and a Secretary-General's bulletin on the applicability of humanitarian law to UN forces, the situation remains unsatisfactory.


Background: Mobile health technology has demonstrated significant impacts on improving asthma disease management, adherence and control.

Aims and Objectives: We aimed to determine whether a sensor-enabled, non-clinically integrated mobile health asthma program could improve asthma outcomes, including frequency of rescue medication use, asthma-free days and control.

Methods: Adults and children (n=299) in in Louisville, Kentucky, with physician-diagnosed asthma and a prescription for a short-acting beta agonist were enrolled in a non-randomized pre-post pilot study at retail pharmacies and community asthma education events. Participants received an electronic inhaler sensor to track the date, time and GPS location of rescue medication use. After a 30-day control period, participants received 12 months of access to smartphone and web-based applications that provided visualizations of their data, personalized education and support based on national guidelines.

Results: At study exit, rescue inhaler use declined by 75%, and the proportion of participants with an asthma-free day increased significantly by 39%. Results from logistic mixed model regressions show the proportion with an asthma-free day in the first month (control period) was significantly lower than all subsequent months (p<0.01). The proportion considered well controlled increased by 33% between intake and exit (p<0.01). Improved adherence to clinical guidelines also showed improvement; 57% of participants reported having an asthma action plan at study end, compared to only 41% at intake.

Conclusion: Mobile health interventions can support improved asthma outcomes even in a non-clinically integrated community-based program.


The use of a transcaruncular approach to the medial orbit provides excellent exposure of the medial wall and avoids a cutaneous scar. This article presents the clinical procedure in a retrospective study of 8 patients. An incision through the caruncle, combined with an incision along the inferior conjunctival fornix, provides wide exposure of the medial and inferior orbit. Traumatic fractures of the orbit typically involve the thin bone of the medial and inferior walls. The clinical history and findings in 8 patients with bony orbital fractures are presented. In each case, surgical repair was based on the transcaruncular approach. Results of postoperative evaluation (range of 24 days to 32.5 months) are described, with a mean follow-up period of 8.5 months. The authors conclude that the transcaruncular approach is well suited to surgical repair of blow-out fractures to the medial orbit, in combination with an inferior transconjunctival incision.


The aim of the article is to show the role of eugenic concepts in the views of Polish legal criminologists looking for solutions to reduce crime. One way they considered was castration and especially sterilization of criminals, believing that the propensity to commit crimes is hereditary. These concepts raised great moral and ethical doubts as well as legal ones. Most of them met with opposition from Polish lawyers, but were still popular due to the influence of the anthropological school in the study of criminal law. In the 1930s, the solutions were adopted in German law.


Two distinctive isoforms of the enzyme α‐L‐fucosidase are found within human semen in substantial amounts, suggesting specialized functions during reproduction. The membrane‐associated isozyme of human sperm cells was previously characterized biochemically, and here we report on its subcellular localization. Intact, detergent permeabilized, capacitated, and acrosome‐reacted sperm were investigated using antifucosidase immunofluorescence, binding of the fluorescent fucosylated glycoconjugate RITC‐BSA‐fucose (RBF), and enzyme activity in the presence and absence of selected inhibitors. Both immunolocalization and RBF binding show that fucosidase is broadly distributed over the membrane systems of human sperm, but is relatively enriched within the equatorial segment. Upon detergent treatment or induction of acrosome reaction (AR), a portion of enzyme activity is recoverable in the supernatant, presumably associated with released remnants of the outer acrosomal membrane. Surprisingly, cell‐bound enzyme activity increases sharply following permeabilization of intact sperm, representing cryptic fucosidase that is relatively stable and corresponds with strong fluorescence in the equatorial segment and other sperm membranes. These observations support the notion that the fucosidase has a role in the intimate species signature interactions between sperm and oocyte. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 74: 758–766, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


In many cases, textual information can be associated with speech signals such as movie subtitles, theater scenarios, broadcast news summaries etc. This information could be considered as approximated transcripts and corresponds rarely to the exact word utterances. The goal of this work is to use this kind of information to improve the performance of an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system. Multiple applications are possible: to follow a play with closed caption aligned to the voice signal (while respecting to performer variations) to help deaf people, to watch a movie in another language using aligned and corrected closed captions, etc. We propose in this paper a method combining a linguistic analysis of the imperfect transcripts and a dynamic synchronization of these transcripts inside the search algorithm. The proposed technique is based on language model adaptation and on-line synchronization of the search algorithm. Experiments are carried out on an extract of the ESTER evaluation campaign [4] database, using the LIA Broadcast News system. The results show that the transcript-driven system outperforms significantly both the original recognizer and the imperfect transcript itself.


Recently several serology tests have been used to detect IgM and IgG antidengue, and NS1 antigen. On the last study was launched a new diagnose test using immunochromatography method to detect the specific antidengue IgA antibody. The aim of this study was to evaluate the IgA antidengue performance using immunochromatography method in Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever patients. The study was carried out during March up to July 2010 by a cross sectional method. The samples taken were 1–14 year's old patients from the Infectious Tropical Sub Division of the Department of Paediatric, Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital, Makassar. The samples were diagnosed Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever based on the criteria of WHO 1997 and they also subjected to IgM and IgG serology tests as well. The test for IgA is using immunochromatography method. The data was analyzed by Spearman Correlation Test. From the total 40 samples, which consist of 16 (40%) male and 24 women (60%), generally were taken on the fourth day until the sixth day of onset. There were more IgA anti Dengue detected rather than IgM on the secondary infection. The researchers found moderate correlation among the IgA test with IgM (+), IgG (+), or both positive. Based on this study so far it can be concluded that the Dengue IgA test can be used to detect the primary or secondary Dengue virus infection.


ABSTRACT Water-distilled essential oils from aerial parts, leaves, flowers and stems with branches ofNepeta caesarea, an endemic species, were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Twenty-five compounds constituting 95.1–98.1% of the total components detected were identified. 4aα,7α,7aα-Nepetalactone (91.20–95.34%) was found to be the major component in the oils


BACKGROUND
In this study, we prepared acetated-Ringer containing 10% dextran, and evaluated its efficacy in a rat model of acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH).

METHODS
Under sevoflurane anesthesia, 21 rats (350-400 g) underwent ANH. In all rats 10 ml of blood was withdrawn, and they were infused with 10 ml of acetated-Ringer containing 10% dextran (Group-A, n = 11) or lactated-Ringer containing 10% dextran (Group-L, n = 10). For each rat, ANH procedure took 20 minutes. Hemodynamics and arterial blood gas data before and after ANH were compared.

RESULTS
All results but for blood lactate level after ANH were comparable between the 2 groups. Blood lactate level was elevated in both groups after ANH; however, the elevation was significantly higher in Group-L.

CONCLUSIONS
No differences in hemodynamics after ANH reveal that 2 plasma substitutes used in this study have almost the same quality in maintaining intravascular volume. Blood lactate level is generally recognized as an indicator of tissue hypoxia. A possible explanation for the significantly higher blood lactate level in Group-L after ANH is that exogenous overload of lactate as well as tissue hypoxia might have elevated blood lactate levels after ANH in this study. These results suggest the efficacy of acetated-Ringer containing 10% dextran.


Hierarchical porous structures have been widely synthesised to provide the most beneficial flow and surface area characteristics for a range of liquid and gas phase processes. We present three novel hierarchical porous structures based on carbonised olive seeds, coconut shells and coconut fibres coupled with zeolite Y. The structures are synthesised using a new seeding technique based around milling commercially available zeolite Y to provide nano-seeds for the growth step. The efficacy of the structures for the removal of ionic cobalt and arsenic contaminants is demonstrated with complete arsenic removal at simulated pollution levels. In addition, the vitrification of the structures to completely encapsulate cobalt ions, allowing no detectable release, is also described. All steps of the synthesis are tailored to produce the most economically viable materials using inexpensive starting materials and replacing, costly, colloidal seeds of zeolite Y with ball milled replacements.


A large amount of birds are harvested from the natural environment for the pet market. This trade is a conservation issue and an economic income for many people, two aspects not analyzed yet as a complex system of causes and effects. Though bird trade is common in Latin-America there are few published studies. Therefore, we reviewed available literature to understand the background of this topic and to identify future relevant research topics. We collected, summarized and discussed literature about bird use as pets in Latin-America, with a detailed approach in Mexico. We searched by keywords in search engines. We got a database of 128 documents. Brazil was identified as one of the main countries of bird use research. Most of the papers focused on parrots (27%) and were conducted at a local geographical level (47%). Half of the papers are focused on the general use of birds, 44% on the use as pets and 5% on other uses. The most common techniques employed for gaining information belong to the social sciences. In Mexico, 82% of the information is "gray literature", mainly congress abstracts. This literature review shows that wildlife use in general and wild birds use as pets in particular are common in Latin-America. We bring to light that most information is not found in peer review journals and contains only useful bird lists. Finally, we found that social organization and actor's perception research is scarce so we suggest more research in this direction in order to implement better management policies


Abstract The massive amount of impact-generated atmospheric CO2 at the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary (KPB) would have accumulated globally in the surface ocean, leading to acidification and CaCO3 undersaturation. These chemical changes would have caused a crisis of biocalcification of calcareous plankton and enhanced dissolution of their shells; these factors together may have played a crucial role in forming the biogenic calcite-poor KPB spherule layers observed at numerous oceanic sites and marine (now on land) sites in Europe and Africa. Experimental data and observations indicate that the deposition spherule layer probably lasted only a few decades at most.


One of Islamic law purposes is to protect of wealth, either positive protection or negative protection. The positive preserving can be implemented by giving punishment to whom steal the other wealth, or by giving compensation to whom broke the other wealth. The negative preserving can be implemented by investing in order to improve the wealth, and to circulate the riches and also to creating social justice in the society. There is some rules and standardization in the infestation that must be considered. The rules and the standardization those of faith and moral, social and economic development, "la dhara wa la dhirara"' and balances honor and sharing of profit and lost proportionally.


[Paragraph 1 of Introduction] : Marketers and marketing researchers have become accustomed to thinking about consumption behaviors as expressions of personal identity embedded in social networks. This paper argues that philanthropic behaviors (whether to donate or not, amount to donate, portfolio of donations) may likewise express personal identity in the service of, or resulting from, networks of social ties – that is may be mediated by social capital. The paper examines the relationship between Jewish identity, religious practice, social capital and philanthropy in the North American Jewish community. Using social capital theory the paper argues that Jewish identity gives rise to binding social capital. This network structure, in turn, induces members to support the network through philanthropic behavior, and makes networkmediated benefits available to members.

Keywords: CVSS, Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies, Working Paper Series,TRSM, Ted Rogers School of Management

Citation:


Plasma beta-endorphin (beta-END) levels were measured before, after exercise tests and at the onset of spontaneous angina in 23 anginal patients (group 1), 23 patients with silent myocardial ischemia (group 2) and 15 healthy volunteers (group 3). The pain perception in three groups was also measured. Before and after exercise, the concentration of beta-END in group 1 was significantly lower than that in group 2 and group 3. The concentration of beta-END during onset of spontaneous angina was also lower than that of angina-free period in group 1. There was no significant difference of beta-END between group 2 and 3. The values of the pain threshold and tolerance in group 1 were lower than those of group 2 and 3. These data suggested that plasma levels of beta-END may be related to occurrence of angina. The anginal patients had a hypersensitivity and hypotolerance for pain. A positive correlation was found between plasma beta-END and pain threshold, the levels of beta-END might affect the pain perception during the onset of myocardial ischemia.


This work proposes a deep neural network approach known as the column-structured deep neural network (COL-DNN- R ) for predicting crowd density in an indoor environment using historical Wi-Fi traces of individual visitors. With a structure designed to minimize feature engineering, COL-DNN accepts raw features such as crowd density, opening and closing hours and peak visitor counts for extracting features. The extracted features are used by a regression model R for predicting the crowd densities. Standard regression models such as MLP, RF and SVM can be used as R . Experiments are performed to investigate the effect of feature representation and model structure on the prediction accuracy. Experiment results show the best prediction accuracy is obtained using features extracted by COL-DNN and using MLP as the regression model, i.e., R = MLP .


Shock-induced damage assessment in metals is required for a good understanding of teh behavior of a pyrotechnical device, and for its modeling. At the laboratory level, a shock can be reproduced by means of impact experiments on various matallic samples representative of the structures of the device. Preliminary expertises of the metallurgical features of a sample before impact, and post-impact measurements aimed at quantifying the obtained damage level, are necessary. During the shock, the privileged diagnosis consists in a measurement of the so-called "free surface velocity" on the rear side of the impacted sample. This paper reviews the different experimental methods used at the CEA-DAM.


The paper deals with the construction of radially symmetric heat waves, which are solutions to the heat conduction equation with an arbitrary form of nonlinearity under nonzero boundary condition specified on a moving manifold. The boundary value problem under study is a generalization of those solved by us earlier. Firstly, the class of the considered parabolic equations is extended; secondly, the boundary condition generating a heat wave in a space of arbitrary dimensionality has a more general form. A new theorem of the existence and uniqueness of the heat-wave-type analytical solution is proved for this problem. An approximate method of constructing solutions of the required form is proposed, which is based on expansion in radial basis functions combined with the collocation method. At each time step, the solution is constructed in two stages. The first stage is solving a problem in the region bounded by a specified moving manifold and a heat wave front, which is a priori unknown and evaluated during solving. Herewith, a special substitution is used, i.e. the required function and the spatial variable change their roles. In the second stage, the solution is completed in the region bounded by the positions of the specified moving manifold on a current step and at the initial time. The boundary conditions are defined from the first-step solution. In the test example, the solutions constructed by the developed algorithm are compared with the known exact solution. Calculations show a good accuracy of the numerical solutions at various values of the numerical parameters, including space dimensionality. The observed numerical convergence with respect to the time step shows the correctness of the proposed computational procedure.


Automatic malware categorization plays an important role in combating the current large volume of malware and aiding the corresponding forensics. Generally, there are lot of sample information could be extracted with the static tools and dynamic sandbox for malware analysis. Combine these obtained features effectively for further analysis would provides us a better understanding. On the other hand, most current works on malware analysis are based on single category of machine learning algorithm to categorize samples. However, different clustering algorithms have their own strengths and weaknesses. And then, how to combine the merits of the multiple categories of features and algorithms to further improve the analysis result is very critical. In this paper, we propose a novel scalable malware analysis framework to exploit the complementary nature of different features and algorithms to optimally integrate their results. By using the concept of clustering ensemble, our system combines partitions from individual category of feature and algorithm to obtain better quality and robustness. Our system composed of the following three parts: (1) extract multiple categories of static and dynamic features; (2) use the k-means and hierarchical clustering algorithms to construct the base clustering; (3) proposed an efficient method based on mixture model clustering ensemble to conduct an effective clustering analysis. We have evaluated our method on two malware datasets, namely the Microsoft malware dataset and our own malware dataset which contained 10868 and 53760 samples respectively. Our experiment results show that our method could categorize malware with better quality and robustness. Also, our method has certain advantages in the system run time and memory consumption compared with the state-of-the art malware analysis works


Three new NIST standard reference materials (2709–2711) have been analysed by a widely-used sequential chemical extraction method to provide analyte levels that are particularly useful for the characterization of contaminated soils. Each chemical fraction is operationally defined as follows: (i) exchangeable; (ii) bound to carbonates or specifically adsorbed; (iii) bound to Fe–Mn oxides; (iv) bound to organic matter and sulfides; and (v) residual. The extraction solutions resulting from the five steps have been analysed for 15 elements (Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, Sr, Ti, V, and Zn) using ICP-AES. The over-all recovery rates (the sum concentrations from the five steps/the certified total concentrations) were observed to lie between 90 and 105% for most of the elements. The precision was estimated to be approximately 5%(2s) for most extraction steps. The high concentrations and proportions of trace elements in the exchangeable fraction (step 1) in NIST 2710 suggest that this reference material can be especially appropriate for studies of mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals in contaminated soils. Using sequential extraction methods, the elemental concentrations in these reference materials determined by ICP-AES for some major elements (Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mn, P and Ti) help to indicate the mineralogical compositions actually dissolved in each step.


Two synthetic pyrethroid (cypermethrin) based pour-on insecticide formulations, with high cis/trans isomer ratios (80:20) but differing in their respective active ingredient concentrations and solvent component(s), were applied to sheep infested with the biting-louse, Bovicola ovis. All treated sheep were penned with louse-infested sheep 9,12 and 15 weeks after the insecticide was applied. The 2% cypermethrin formulation achieved a higher level of control than the 1.25% cypermethrin formulation at each challenge interval when applied 12 weeks after shearing. The 2% cypermethrin formulation provided 97-100% control of lice from 4 to 16 weeks after application on sheep shorn 6 or 12 weeks prior to treatment. The 1.25% cypermethrin formulation provided 85% control of lice 4 weeks after application on sheep shorn 12 weeks prior to treatment, the level of control increasing to a maximum of 100% by week 9, and declining thereafter. The 2% cypermethrin formulation may provide a better level of control in long-woolled sheep than 1.25% cypermethrin, by compensating for the diluent effect of lipid.


This paper presents a novel method to perform regression on a finite sample of noisy data. The purpose is to obtain a mathematical model for data which is both reliable and valid, yet the analytical expression is not restricted to any particular form. To obtain a statistical model of the noisy data set we use symbolic regression with pseudorandom number generators. We begin by describing symbolic regression and our implementation of this technique using genetic programming (GP) and gene expression programming (GEP). We present some results for symbolic regression on computer generated and real financial data sets in the final part of this paper.


Caspases are restricted to animals, while other organisms, including plants possess metacaspases (MCAs), a more ancient and broader class of structurally-related yet biochemically distinct proteases. Our current understanding of plant MCAs is derived from studies in streptophytes, and mostly in Arabidopsis expressing nine MCAs with partly redundant activities. In contrast to streptophytes, most chlorophytes contain only one or two hitherto uncharacterized MCAs, providing an excellent platform for MCA research. Here we investigate CrMCA-II, a single type II MCA from a model chlorophyte Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Surprisingly, unlike other studied MCAs and similar to caspases, CrMCA-II dimerizes both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, activation of CrMCA-II in vivo correlates with the dimerization. Most of CrMCA-II in the cell is present as a zymogen attached to the plasma membrane (PM). Deletion of CrMCA-II by CRISPR/Cas9 compromises thermotolerance leading to increased cell death under heat stress. Adding back either wild-type or catalytically dead CrMCA-II restores thermoprotection, suggesting that its proteolytic activity is dispensable for this effect. Finally, we link the non-proteolytic role of CrMCA-II in thermotolerance to the ability to modulate PM fluidity. Our study reveals an ancient, MCA-dependent thermotolerance mechanism retained by Chlamydomonas and probably lost during the evolution of multicellularity.


The growth of internationalization of higher education, both in developed and in emergent countries is a result of globalization. In spite of the growing literature on higher education, results from the process of internationalization, its benefits and risks, have not been widely discussed. Studies of different internationalization strategies and comparative analysis are also scarce. This paper contributes, on the one hand, towards, a reflexion on those topics by reviewing literature on the evolution of strategies and suggesting guidelines for a national strategy for Higher Education (HE); on the other hand, by analysing recent data, compares the scope of high education internationalization among European and other countries. There has been an evolution from mobility of students and staff towards transnationalization of courses and services/products from higher education institution (HEI). Global surveys point to different approaches to internationalization and different results and perceptions. The view that internationalization is a condition for high performance of higher education institutions and national competitiveness does not appear to be clearly supported by evidence.


The primary goal of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is to regulate the rights and duties of citizens and organizations over personal data protection. Implementing the GDPR is recently gaining much importance for legal reasoning and compliance checking purposes. In this work, we aim to capture the basics of GDPR in a well-founded legal domain modular ontology named OPPD (Ontology for the Protection of Personal Data). Ontology-Driven Conceptual Modeling (ODCM), ontology layering, modularization, and reuse processes are applied. These processes aim to support the ontology engineer in overcoming the complexity of the legal knowledge and developing an ontology model faithful to reality. ODCM is used for grounding OPPD in the Unified Foundational Ontology (UFO). Ontology modularization and layering aim to simplify the ontology building process. Ontology reuse focuses on selecting and reusing Conceptual Ontology Patterns (COPs) from UFO and the legal core ontology UFO-L. OPPD intends to overcome the lack of a representation of legal procedures that most ontologies encountered. The potential use of OPPD is proposed to formalize the GDPR rules by combining ontological reasoning and Logic Programming.


True VoD systems provide interactive on-demand video service by allocating each client a dedicated stream. Such a scheme is inefficient when the system has a large number of users. A more scalable solution is to use a combination of multicast and unicast channels with client buffering. We show the design of a VoD proxy server that accepts interactive commands from the users using unicast channels and using short unicast streams to "merge" users onto the existing multicast streams by using patching and prefetching technique. The VoD proxy server is augmented with a dynamic media delivery algorithm which, guarantees the media delivery without starvation or glitches, reduces the usage time of unicast channels and reduces the service time of media delivery. Performance results obtained from a real implementation show the viability of the proposed VoD.


Feeding injury of Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari, Tetranychidae) on bean plant Ieaves was examined using Iight and electron microscopy. Histological effects are directly related to the feeding intensity of the mites and are a function of time. The thickness of infested Ieaves is strongly reduced as a result of a reduction of both mesophyll layers. Cells which have been punctured by feeding mites collapse and exhibit no contents . Adjacent unpunctured cells show coagulated protoplasts and, as further damage, degenerative processes in the chloroplast structures. Thus, the feeding injury of Tetranychus is not limited to punctured ceils, but ceils of ail mesophyll layers are affected. Possible mechanisms are discussed . ZUSAMMENFASSUNG : Das Schadbild von Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari, Tetranychidae) an BohnenbHittern wurde Iichtund elektronenmikroskopisch untersucht. Histologische Effekte sind direkt abhangig von der FraBintensitat der Milben und stellen damit eine Funktion der Zeit dar. Die Dicke befallener Blatter ist stark reduziert, was auf eine Abnahme der Zellzahl beider Mesophyllschichten zurückzuführen ist. Zellen, die von Milben angestochen wurden, besitzen keinen Inhalt mehr. Benachbarte, nicht ausgesaugte Zellen, zeigen ein koaguliertes Plasma und ais Folgeschaden Abbauprozesse in den Chloroplasten. Somit ist der Fraf3schaden von Tetranychus nicht nur auf angestochene Zellen beschrankt, sondern auch benachbarte Zellen werden in Mitleidenschaft gezogen. Die verschiedenen Ausloser dieses Sekundarschadens werden diskutiert. INTRODUCTION dies of spider mites feeding injury (A VERY and BRIGGS 1968 a, c, BOULANGER 1958, LEIGH 1963, STORMS 1971, WIESMANN 1968) have led to the conclusion that fundamental metabolic pathways such as dissimilation, assimilation and water balance are disturbed before visible changes in the leaf occur (HALL and FERREE 1975). LIESERING (1960) reported that feeding injury by the two spotDue to feeding injury on different cultivated plants the phytophagous mites, to which tetranychids belong, are known as an important economie group. Little is known about the histological alterations of plant tissue which may occur as result of feeding by these mites. Biochemical stu* Dept. Zoology, Philipps University, Lahnberge, D-3550 Marburg, Federal Republic of Germany. Acarologia, t. XXlll, fasc. 2, 1982. 150 ted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch is caused by mechanical puncturing of plant cells with the stylets. He found 18-22 injections per minute resulted in 100 totally exhausted cells after 5 minutes. MOTHES and SElTZ (1981 a) found that the alimentary canal of T. urticae contained cell constituents such as granal thylakoids, storage products and cytoplasmic portions. lt was suggested that salivary secretions had partly digested chloroplasts prior to absorption and that whole cells had been exhausted. Light microscopical investigations of GEIJSKES (1938), BLAIR (1951), AVERY and BRIGGS (1968 b) and LIESERING (1960) show flattened ~pidermal cells, collapsed palisade and spongy parenchyma cells after mite feeding. TANIGOSHI and DAVID (1978), examining apple leaves injured by T. mcdanieli, reported coagulated protoplasts, sorne devoid of any visible contents, in punctured cells. In addition, they showed that apparently unattacked cells were affected, the swollen chloroplasts exhibited cup-shaped thylakoids. Morphological responses of strawberry leaves to infestations of twospotted spider mite were examined by SANCES et al. (1979 a). They reported that mite • feeding injury at 4.8 mite-days/cm was restricted to localized areas of the spongy mesophyll and lower palisade mesophyll layer. The present paper describes cytological alterations resulting from feeding of T. urticae on bean plant leaves using light and electron microscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS The animais were reared according to the procedure of MOTHES and SElTZ (1980). Non-infested and infested bean plants were cultured under constant conditions with regard to humidity (50-60 OJo), temperature (24°C} and amount of light (16 : 8/day : night). Weil differentiated leaves of the same age (noninfested and infested) were used for electron microscopy. Fixation of leaf pieces ( 0 20 mm ) in different stages of mite injury (2d, 6d) and non-infested, symptomless plants was in a solution of 4 % glutaraldehyde, 5 OJo tannic acid and 2 OJo sucrose in 0.1 M sodium cacodylate buffer pH 7.2 according to the method described by LOCKE ans HUIE (1972, 1975). Fixation time was 12 h under partial vacuum (10-20 torr). Postfixation followed in buffered 1 % Os04 for 30 min. The samples were dehydrated and embedded in Spurr's medium (SPURR 1969). Ultrathin sections were eut with a diamond knife on an LKB ultrotome and stained with KMn04 and lead citrate (REYNOLDS 1963) using a method modified from SOLOFF (1973). Semithin sections (1-2 p.m) were eut on a LKB pyramitome and stained with alcoholic methylene blue. The resin was removed prior to staining by means of a method derived from LANE and EUROPA (1965) and MAYOR et al. (1961) . Examination of the ultrathin sections was done with a Hitachi HU 12 A electron microscope, of the semithin sections with a LEITZ Orthoplan microscope.


In this paper, we investigate the asymptotic behavior of solutions to the Cauchy problem for the scalar viscous conservation law where the far field states are prescribed. Especially, we deal with the case when the viscosity is of non-Newtonian type, including a pseudo-plastic case. When the corresponding Riemann problem for the hyperbolic part admits a Riemann solution which consists of single rarefaction wave, under a condition on nonlinearity of the viscosity, it is proved that the solution of the Cauchy problem tends toward the rarefaction wave as time goes to infinity, without any smallness conditions.


In the present innovation controlled world power is most important thing for us in everyday life exercises. We as a whole are unaware of the way that the sustainable sources of power are draining at a very rapid pace. Thus this is the ideal opportunity for us to move concentration from conventional energy resources to non-conventional source of energy to supply power. For this purpose hybrid power plant can be very useful. Hybrid power plants are the combination of two different power plants to produce energy. Among all type of combination of hybrid power plant, wind and solar based hybrid power plant is most beneficial as both sun and wind are universally available. The main aim of this paper is to examine of different aspects of solar wind hybrid power generation system. This paper also includes the reviews of the studies done based on the hybrid solar wind power generation system.


Relativistic thermodynamics is treated from the point of view of kinetic theory. It is shown that the generalized Juttner distribution suggested in (1) is compatible with kinetic equilibrium. The requirement of compatibility of kinetic and thermodynamic equilibrium reveals several generalizations of the Gibbs relation where the velocity field is an independent thermodynamic variable.


The Canal del Dique, located on the Colombian Caribbean Coast, can be seen as an "artificial" branch of the River Magdalena. Since its inception in 1650, it has undergone a series of interventions aimed at optimising river navigation between Cartagena and the interior of the country, little consideration having been paid to institutional, economic, social and environmental impacts. This paper presents a systemic assessment of environmental impact (SAEI) methodology, based on systemic parameterisation of the environment, proposed by Vega [2011], for the strategic environmental assessment of policy, plans, programmes or large-scale projects, considering a case study of the Canal del Dique environmental rehabilitation as proposed by the Colombian government. Information arising from the framework of an inter-administrative agreement between the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and the Regional Autonomous Corporation for the Rio Grande de la Magdalena (CORMAGDALENA) was used for studying the environmental restoration of and navigation in the Canal del Dique [UN-LEH, 2008]. The authors developed and summarised SAEI regarding six alternatives for hydrosedimentological management in the canal to obtain results concerning environmental impairment or improvement regarding each factor considered, and the degree of aggressiveness or betterment involved in each alternative. Alternative 4, an enhanced version of current condition (ECC) would have produced the greatest environmental benefit (i.e. limited dredging plus optimising channel-wetland interconnection) requiring the narrowing of three straight reaches along the canal and the construction of a sluice-gate system in the Strait of Paracuica (near the town of El Recreo).


Apoptosis is one of the cell-intrinsic suicide programs and is an essential cellular behavior for animal development and homeostasis. Traditionally, apoptosis has been regarded as a cell-autonomous phenomenon. However, recent in vivo genetic studies have revealed that apoptotic cells actively influence the behaviors of surrounding cells, including engulfment, proliferation, and production of mechanical forces. Such interactions can be bidirectional, and apoptosis is non-autonomously induced in a cellular community. Of note, it is becoming evident that active communication between apoptotic cells and living cells contributes to physiological processes during tissue remodeling, regeneration, and morphogenesis. In this review, we focus on the mutual interactions between apoptotic cells and their neighbors in cellular society and discuss issues relevant to future studies of apoptosis.


The impact of the European Union (EU) on international policy in Turkey is already regarded as minimal because of the absence of genuine membership prospects. Nevertheless, the approval by Turkey of the asylum laws in the past that fulfills virtually all of the EU's requirements speaks to the continued impact of the EU throughout this policy position. Most of our web-based study's academic scholars believed EU membership to be a key element in the passage of the bill. The conversations with Turkish State officials, as well as the European Commission, show how the EU affected the drafting process. This study discusses the influence and development of Europeanization on policy structures in Turkey within the asylum and refugee policy framework. It looks at the effect of Europeanization on the transition of Turkish pre-accession to the EU. Also, it explores how Turkey carries out its duties at the policy level in relation to an international refugee protection framework as well as asylum seekers harmonization.


Terrestrial photogrammetry was the standard method for mapping high mountain terrain in the early days of mountain cartography, until it was replaced by aerial photogrammetry and airborne laser scanning. Modern lowprice digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras and highly automatic and cheap digital computer vision software with automatic image matching and multiview-stereo routines suggest the rebirth of terrestrial photogrammetry, especially in remote regions, where airborne surveying methods are expensive due to high flight costs. Terrestrial photogrammetry and modern automated image matching is widely used in geodesy, however, its application in glaciology is still rare, especially for surveying ice bodies at the scale of some km2, which is typical for valley glaciers. In August 2013 a terrestrial photogrammetric survey was carried out on Freya Glacier, a 6km2 valley glacier next to Zackenberg Research Station in NE-Greenland, where a detailed glacier mass balance monitoring was initiated during the last IPY. Photos with a consumer grade digital camera (Nikon D7100) were taken from the ridges surrounding the glacier. To create a digital elevation model, the photos were processed with the software photoscan. A set of 100 dGPS surveyed ground control points on the glacier surface was used to georeference and validate the final DEM. Aim of this study was to produce a high resolution and high accuracy DEM of the actual surface topography of the Freya glacier catchment with a novel approach and to explore the potential of modern low-cost terrestrial photogrammetry combined with state-of-the-art automated image matching and multiview-stereo routines for glacier monitoring and to communicate this powerful and cheap method within the environmental research and glacier monitoring community.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of Er:YAG laser irradiation on the debonding of metal and ceramic brackets and enamel damage ex vivo.

BACKGROUND DATA
The principle of safe bracket debonding is to degrade the adhesive resin strength connecting the tooth and bracket. Removal of adhesive resin from tooth surfaces without iatrogenic damage (enamel loss) is generally the main problem of the otherwise very successful method of aesthetic straightening of teeth.

METHODS
Forty ceramic and metal brackets (Clarity™ Advanced and Victory Series™; 3M Unitek, Monrovia, CA) were standardly bonded to buccal polished enamel surfaces of 30 caries-free human third molars. Two types of adhesive resins (Transbond™ XT Light Cure Adhesive; 3M Unitek, and Variolink II Professional Set; Ivoclar Vivadent AG) were used. Before debonding, the brackets in the laser group were irradiated with the Er:YAG laser (FJFI CVUT) 280 mJ, 250 μs long, repetition rate 6 Hz, spot focus 1 mm, and 140 sec. The control group was debonded without the laser irradiation. During the bracket irradiation, temperature changes inside the tooth were monitored using a thermal image infrared camera. The enamel surface was investigated by SEM.

RESULTS
It has been observed that bracket removal was easier after the Er:YAG laser irradiation, and temperature rise was limited (from 2.0°C to 3.2°C) also for metal brackets. As against the nonirradiated samples, SEM investigation has confirmed no damage to enamel.

CONCLUSIONS
Irradiation with Er:YAG laser radiation before debonding of ceramic brackets significantly decreases the bonding failure and amount of remaining adhesive.


In economics literature, it is accepted that all people are rational and they try to maximize their utilities as possible as they can. In addition, economic theories are formed with the assumptions not suitable to real life. For instance, indifference curves are drawn with the assumptions that there are two goods, people are rational, more is preferred to less and so on. Hence, the consumer behaviors are guessed according to this analysis. Nevertheless, these are invalid in real life. And this inconsistencey are examined by behavioral economics and neuroeconomics. Behavioral economics claims that people can behave what they are not expected since people can be irrational, their willpower is limited and altruistic behaviors can be seen and they can give more value to what they own. As a result of these, consumer behaviors become more different than that of economic theory. In addition to behavioral economics, neuroeconomics also examines consumer behaviors more differently than mainstream economic theory. It emphasizes the people using prefrontial cortex of the brain are more rational than the people using hippocampus of the brain. Therefore, people can make illogical choices compared to economic theory. In these cases, levying taxes such as personal income tax or value added tax can be ineffective or effective. In other words, the effect becomes ambiguous. Hence,the hypothesis that if government desires to levy personal income tax or value added tax, it makes a detailed research in terms of productivity of taxes forms the fundamental of this study.


The inevitable expansion of industries for development is at the cost of release of industrial pollutants into the natural reservoirs of the environment. Biosorption is becoming an important component in the integrated approach to the treatment of aqueous effluents. The adsorption properties of Gallus Domesticus are determined as a function of batch operating conditions including contact time, solution initial concentration and temperature. Metal ion fixed Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectrum depicted amine, alcohol, carboxyl, and carbonate ion as active sites for metal sorption. Augmentation of removal capacity to 5 and 17% is tailored by esterification and acetylation of different surface functional groups of the base matrix. Kinetics is dissected through diffusion-based kinetic models, and best fit was figured out for Elovich equation. The thermodynamic relationship draws that enthalpy (Δ H ° 45.48 KJ/mol) and entropy (Δ S ° 153.32 J/mol K) are positive and entropy of the system is much larger than enthalpy. Results propose alteration of domestic waste into economical adsorbent for commercialization with no processing in the efficient removal of cadmium from wastewater.


Problems related to public policy, organizational strategy, and organizational change in infrastructure management can be seen as complex multi-actor problems. Actor analysis methods are therefore receiving more and more attention. However, no general definition and categorization exists to date. In this paper we present a categorization of actor analysis methods.


Heatmap regression based face alignment has achieved prominent performance on static images. However, the stability and accuracy are remarkably discounted when applying the existing methods on dynamic videos. We attribute the degradation to random noise and motion blur, which are common in videos. The temporal information is critical to address this issue yet not fully considered in the existing works. In this paper, we visit the video-oriented face alignment problem in two perspectives: detection accuracy prefers lower error for a single frame, and detection consistency forces better stability between adjacent frames. On this basis, we propose a Jitter loss function that leverages temporal information to suppress inaccurate as well as jittered landmarks. The Jitter loss is involved in a novel framework with a fine-tuning ConvLSTM structure over a backbone replaceable network. We further demonstrate that accurate and stable landmarks are associated with different regions with overlaps in a canonical coordinate, based on which the proposed Jitter loss facilitates the optimization process during training. The proposed framework achieves at least 40% improvement on stability evaluation metrics while enhancing detection accuracy versus state-of-the-art methods. Generally, it can swiftly convert a landmark detector for facial images to a better-performing one for videos without retraining the entire model.