Simple Summary In this study, the gene expression profile of a honey bee microsporidium, Nosema ceranae, was investigated at 5, 10, and 20 days post-infection. Based on transcriptome data, the common DEGs and stage-specific genes were identified and validated. Our data reveal that the gene expression of N. ceranae during infection is highly related to the mechanisms of gene transcription, protein synthesis, and structural proteins. This information could be a reference for the control of nosemosis at the genetic level in apiculture. Abstract Nosema ceranae is one of the fungal parasites of Apis mellifera. It causes physical and behavioral effects in honey bees. However, only a few studies have reported on gene expression profiling during A. mellifera infection. In this study, the transcriptome profile of mature spores at each time point of infection (5, 10, and 20 days post-infection, d.p.i.) were investigated. Based on the transcriptome and expression profile analysis, a total of 878, 952, and 981 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (fold change ≥ 2 or ≤ −2) were identified in N. ceranae spores (NcSp) at 5 d.p.i., 10 d.p.i., and 20 d.p.i., respectively. Moreover, 70 upregulated genes and 340 downregulated genes among common DEGs (so-called common DEGs) and 166 stage-specific genes at each stage of infection were identified. The Gene Ontology (GO) analysis indicated that the DEGs and corresponding common DEGs are involved in the functions of cytosol (GO:0005829), cytoplasm (GO:0005737), and ATP binding (GO:0005524). Furthermore, the pathway analysis found that the DEGs and common DEGs are involved in metabolism, environmental information processing, and organismal systems. Four upregulated common DEGs with higher fold-change values, highly associated with spore proteins and transcription factors, were selected for validation. In addition, the stage-specific genes are highly involved in the mechanism of pre-mRNA splicing according to GO enrichment analysis; thus, three of them showed high expression at each d.p.i. and were also subjected to validation. The relative gene expression levels showed a similar tendency as the transcriptome predictions at different d.p.i., revealing that the gene expression of N. ceranae during infection may be related to the mechanism of gene transcription, protein synthesis, and structural proteins. Our data suggest that the gene expression profiling of N. ceranae at the transcriptomic level could be a reference for the monitoring of nosemosis at the genetic level.


This paper analysis the economic incentives that affect the conciliation and mediation of conflicts in the Conciliation Sector of Forum - Joao Mendes Junior (Civil Courts) - in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The study indicates a greater efficiency of agreements celebrated during the pre-judicial conciliation phase (73 % success rate), if compared to the conciliation taken place in the judicial process (22 % success rate). The civil courts have different levels of efficiency in selecting the cases that fit to conciliation, indication that using a selection criterion seems to be more efficient than simply sending all-and-every case to a conciliation hearing. The data analyzed suggests the existence of a deadline effect, a point in time after which the potential of an agreement to the parties decreases sharply. The negotiation style and strategy adopted b the conciliator are fundamental to the success in reaching an agreement, and his (her) performance could follow a sequential bargaining game in which the conciliator initially suggests an offer immediately accepted by the parties in the first interaction. However, most conciliators do not follow that strategy, and nevertheless achieve good results, indicating the existence of psychological aspects that affect the parties' decision to negotiate, and also second level effects affecting the negotiation. The participation of the lawyers generally difficult the reaching of an agreement, since they have more propensity to litigation and to avoid agreements, if compared to the cases when the parties negotiate to each other directly. The contract curve indicates that the plaintiff may be quite right about the demand issued, or that the defendant has interest in reaching an agreement only to reduce the value of the debt, in case of an frustrated execution, he will be demanded by this new value, and not by the original value of the litigation. The parties' personal feeling about winning or loosing the litigation influences the propensity to reach an agreement. The formal training of the conciliator and the judges in necessary, but not sufficient, to the success of the negotiations, and it seems to be below the needs, reducing the success rate in mainly the judicial conciliation procedure. The conciliators that actively participate in negotiations are more successful than the ones that adopt a passive approach.


People's passion for golf manifests itself in many ways. Some enjoy the game so much, they want to make it a prominent part of their retirement surroundings. This work functions as both an informative source for golfing aficionados who are looking for a place to retire, and as a helpful guide for non-golfers in the family. Here, details on golf communities in six southeastern states are presented: North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. Organized by state, each chapter begins with information on state and city populations; sales, income and social security taxes; and a geographical description. Each state is divided into geographical areas that offer attractive retirement and golfing opportunities. For each city listed, a general introduction (including data from the 2000 Census) is provided. Information on the golf courses, a variety of real estate options, nearby dependable health care services, convenient and varied shopping, favorable year-round climate, continuing education opportunities, nearby recreation, attractions, and dining, and regional artistic and cultural amenities is offered. Lists of both a state's nationally ranked and overall best golf courses, as determined by Golf Digest, are also included at the end of each chapter.


Concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) were measured in three macroalgal species, Codium simulans, Sargassum sinicola and Gracilaria pachydermatica, and in the sea slug Elysia diomedea, living in marine ecosystems dominated by Sargassum species and located near exploited phosphorite deposits. Metal concentrations in macroalgae and sea slugs were significantly different among sites. The highest concentrations of Cd recorded in C. simulans and S. sinicola, as well as in E. diomedea were recorded at the site closest to the phosphorite deposit. In general, Cd and Zn concentrations in E. diomedea were higher than those recorded in specimens of C. simulans, S. sinicola and G. pachydermatica. In contrast, Pb, Cu, and Fe concentrations in E. diomedea were lower than or similar to those in macroalgae from all sampled sites. The information generated contributes to the knowledge about potential mobility and metal bioaccumulation at lower trophic levels in marine eco systems.


The objective of this study is to identify the trend for the annual and monthly rainfall time series data from 1963–1964 to 2018–2019 for Erbil city rainfall gauging station. The trend analysis was conducted for only rainy months (from October to May) using the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test, whereas a non-parametric Sen's slope estimator was used to determine the magnitude of the trend. A functional relationship has been developed between variables using linear regression analysis to determine a linear trend of rainfall for the study area. The annual trend analysis revealed negative (decreasing) trend because the Kendall's tau (Z) value and the Sen's slope estimator magnitude were both negative and found to be −0.093 and −1.37, respectively, and the slope of the linear regression analysis was also negative and equal to −0.9148 mm/year, which represents the rate of yearly annual rainfall decreasing trend. Considering the result of monthly rainfall, the trend analysis of rainfall has suggested that there is a trend variation of rainfall in the rainy months. Further, the analysis revealed a negative (decreasing) trend for months November, January, February, March, April, and May and positive (increasing) trend for months October and December. This study is important as it greatly contributes in water resources system planning and management in this region. Furthermore, the results obtained in this work are promising and might help hydraulic civil and water resource engineers in the design of hydraulic structures.


The ordinary assignment problem on a bipartite graph with weighted arcs is extended to the case where both of the two sets of vertices of the graph are given matroidal structures, and a practical solution algorithm is presented to this extended problem.


Background. We hypothesized that autologous skeletal cell (SC) sheets regenerate the infract myocardium in porcine heart as a preclinical trial. Methods and Results. The impaired heart was created by implantation of ameroid constrictor on left anterior descending for 4 weeks. SCs isolated from leg muscle were cultured and detached from the temperature-responsive domain-coated dishes as single monolayer cell sheet at 20°C. The following therapies were conducted: SC sheets (SC group, n=5); sham (C group n=5). Echocardiography demonstrated that cardiac performance was significantly improved in the SC group 3 and 6 months after operation (fractional area shortening, 3 months; SC vs. C=49.5±2.8 vs. 24.6±2.0%, P<0.05) and left ventricle dilatation was well attenuated in the SC group. Color kinesis index showed that distressed regional diastolic and systolic function in infarcted anterior wall was significantly recovered (SC vs. C=57.4±8.6 vs. 30.2±4.7%, P<0.05, diastolic: 58.5±4.5 vs. 35.4±6.6%, P<0.05, systolic). Factor VIII immunostains demonstrated that vascular density was significantly higher in the SC group than the C group. And % fibrosis and cell diameter were significantly lower in the SC group. And hematoxylin-eosin staining depicted that skeletal origin cells and well-developed-layered smooth muscle cells were detected in the implanted area. Positron emission tomography showed better myocardial perfusion and more viable myocardial tissue in the distressed myocardium receiving SC sheets compared with the myocardium receiving no sheets. Conclusions. SC sheet implantation improved cardiac function by attenuating the cardiac remodeling in the porcine ischemic myocardium, suggesting a promising strategy for myocardial regeneration therapy in the impaired myocardium.


A formal solution of the Ornstein-Zernike equation for a multicomponent fluid consisting of hard-spherical molecules is studied with the closure of the usual hard-sphere condition and the following: where cij(r) is the direct correlation function and sij is the closest distance between i and j species of molecules. The solution is expressed in terms of the physical solutions of a system of nonlinear algebraic equations. The result is a generalization of that of Blum (1980 J. Stat. Phys. 22 661).


The chronic sequelae of Stevens-Johnson syndrome cause severe ocular morbidity. Among the various manifestations, including dry eye, cicatrization causing forniceal shortening, adnexal disorders, lid margin keratinization, and limbal stem cell deficiency, keratinization of the lid margin leads to progressive ocular surface damage through constant blink-induced microtrauma. This damage induces corneal punctate keratopathy and neovascularization and can produce epithelial defects leading to corneal infection or perforation. Management strategies for chronic ocular sequelae are broadly categorized into ocular surface stabilization procedures, tectonic procedures, and visual rehabilitation procedures. Interventions in the acute stage of the disease include amniotic membrane grafting. Timely intervention helps to prevent deterioration of the ocular surface in these eyes.


Forced internal migration is a way of theft and deterritorialization increasing in Latin America. Overexploitation, justified in the development and exercise of violence are two articulated poles which swing and mix among armed conflicts, environmental disasters, infrastructure, and mining-energetic megaprojects; dynamics deeply related, as shown in the colombian case. Those activities are embedded in such precarious structural conditions, that disable it ́s timely resolution, fact that generates a long-term impact on a growing and inertial impoverishment.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the association of a diagnosis of lung cancer and combined detection of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), neuron specific enolase (NSE) as well as the cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1).

METHODS
Serum CEA, CA19-9, NSE and CYFRA21-1 were assessed in 150 patients with lung cancer, 100 patients with benign lung disease and 100 normal control subjects, and differences of expression were compared in each group, and joint effects of these tumor markers in the diagnosis of lung cancer were analyzed.

RESULTS
Serum CEA, CA19-9, NSE and CYFRA21-1 in patients with lung cancer were significantly higher than those with benign lung disease and normal controls (p<0.01). It is suggested that these four tumor markers combined together could produce a positive detection rate of 90.2%, significantly higher than that of any single test.

CONCLUSION
Combination detection of CEA, CA19-9, NSE and CYFRA21-1 could significantly improve the sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis of lung cancer, and could be important in early detection.


Proceeding from the major role played by kinins in the pathophysiology of endogenic intoxication among acute pancreatitis patients (AP), and the conflicting and scarce literature data on the issue, the changes in the level of prekallikrein, high-molecular kininogen, alpha 2-macroglobulin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, plasminogen and carboxypeptidase N in the blood are studied in dynamics at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 14 days after admission of 48 patients with mild, and 121 with severe form of acute pancreatitis. Forty-eight individuals are used for control purpose. PK, KG and plasminogen are assayed using the colorimetric method of the Boehringer Company--Mannheim, KG--by chronometric test of the Sigma Diagnostics Company, CPO N--after Folk's method, as modified by Erdös, alpha 2-MG--by radial immunodiffusion according to Mancini, and alpha 1-AJ--by immunoturbidometric method. As shown by the results, in acute pancreatitis KKS activation occurs, demonstrated by the reduced PK, KG and alpha 2-MG values, and by the statistically significant enhancement of alpha 1-DJ, COP N and plasminogen activity. In patients presenting mild forms the aforementioned changes are rather weakly manifested and transient, while in the serious forms they are markedly expressed and persisting. In either form the deviations are rather pronounced in the first three days of disease. Coinciding with a clinical course characterized by cardiovascular changes similarly strongly manifested.


Aim: The aim of the systematic study was to determine the effect of parenting practices on adolescent risk behaviours such as substance use and sexual risk behaviour. Method: Quantitative research studies were systematically collected from various databases such as Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE (Pubmed), JSTOR, Project Muse and SAGE for the duration of 2003-2013 which was within the 10 year period of relevant literature to the date of study. Results: Findings established that parental monitoring and communication prevented drug initiation, delayed alcohol initiation, and sexual debut, increased alcohol refusal efficacy, and decreased delinquent behaviour and risk taking behaviours in high risk adolescents. Conclusion: This review shows that parental practices play significant protective and promotive roles in managing adolescent risk behaviours.


Background: Osteoporosis is a common progressive bone disease that drastically impairs patient health, independent mobility, and quality of life, and there is an urgent need for improved preventive and therapeutic strategies. A shift in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) differentiation from osteogenic to adipogenic may contribute to disease pathogenesis. Mechanical stress on BMSCs is reported to promote osteogenesis, so we examined the effects of mechanical stimulation on BMSC differentiation and associated signaling pathways.Methods: A sinusoidal tensile stress loading device was developed and examined effects of mechanical (stretch) stimulation on cultured BMSC (isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats) phenotype under osteogenic and adipogenic culture conditions. Osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs was assessed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and expression of Runx2 and BMP2, while adipogenic differentiation was evaluated by oil red O staining and expression of PPARγ and C/EBPα.Results: It demonstrated that appropriate mechanical stimulation could promote osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs and inhibit differentiation into adipocytes. The mechanic stimuli could inhibit the expression of miR-140-5P in BMSCs, and the overexpression of miR-140-5P inhibited the osteogenic differentiation, whereas the inhibition of miR-140-5P promoted the osteogenic differentiation. Further, both mechanical stimulation and miR-140-5p knockdown promoted TGFβ1/Smad2 signaling, while miR-140-5p overexpression downregulated TGFβ1/ Smad2 signaling.Conclusions: Appropriate mechanical stimulation promoted osteogenic differentiation and inhibited the adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs by lowering miR-140-5p expression, which in turn upregulates the TGFβ1/Smad2 signaling pathway. Our results provide a foundation for the development of effective strategies to promote bone remodeling, thereby lowering the burden of osteoporosis.


The paper represents study of accumulation of various trace metals in a freshwater wetland (Varasda) located in Central Gujarat, India. The trace metal content (Arsenic, Lead, Chromiun and Cadmium) in four hydrophytes ( Nelumbo nucifera Gaerth, Typha angustata Bory Chaub, Ipomoea aquatica Forsk and Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle), water and sediment were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Analyser (ICP) during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons in the year 2008. It was observed that the content of trace metals in water considerably increased after religious activities like idol immersion during post-monsoon season. The paper also discusses the trace metal contents in different plants components (root, shoot, leaves and flower). It was noticed that the metal contents are higher in root system whereas lowest in flower. Furthermore, to improve the level of understanding, statistical techniques such as principal component and cluster analyses have been used.


Introduction: Medical cannabis' importance in Poland increased dramatically following its legalization as the 12th country in Europe in 2017. However, no studies have been published to give insight into Polish physicians' opinions about medical cannabis. Objectives: To investigate physician's opinions about cannabinoids' utility in clinical practice, concerns regarding their safety profile, and their clinical experience with cannabinoids. Methods: The survey using a self-developed tool was conducted online; participants were physicians with or without specialist training. Participation was voluntary. Physicians were recruited through personal networks, palliative care courses, and Medical Chambers. Results: From June to October 2020, we recruited 173 physicians from 15/16 voivodeships. The largest age group (43.9%; n = 76) was 30–39 year-olds. A similar proportion declared they never used cannabis and did not receive any training regarding cannabinoids (60% for both). Only 15 (8%) ever prescribed medical cannabis, although about 50% declared knowing suitable patients for such therapy, and 53.8% had at least one patient proactively asking for such treatment in the last 6 mo. The most common indication chosen was pain: chronic cancer-related (n = 128), chronic non-cancer (n = 77), and neuropathic (n = 60). Other commonly chosen conditions were alleviation of cancer treatment side-effects (n = 56) and cachexia (n = 57). The overall safety profile of THC was assessed as similar to most commonly used medications, including opioids; NSAIDs and benzodiazepines were, however, perceived as safer. Conclusions: Polish physicians favored the legalization of medical cannabis. However, it is of concern that a limited number have any experience with prescribing cannabis. The creation of clear guidelines to advise physicians in their routine practice and education about pain management and the risks related to the consumption of recreational cannabis for medical conditions are needed.


Background: Maternal and neonatal mortality remain a major problem in developing countries. Facility-based maternal death review is a process to investigate and identify causes mainly clinical and systemic which lead to maternal deaths in the health facilities and to take appropriate corrective measures to prevent future such deaths.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of maternal and neonatal death and identify preventable causes of maternal deaths in selected Hospitals of Wollega Zones.

Methodology: Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted. Documents and chart reviews were conducted using a standardized checklist. Maternal and neonatal deaths that occurred during 2014-2016 were included. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Health Research Ethics Review Committee of Wollega University. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20 statistical packages for windows.

Result: Sixty-nine (69) maternal deaths and 182 neonatal deaths occurred in five hospitals in the last three years from 2014-2016. The most common cause of maternal death was hemorrhage 36 (52.2), sepsis 23 (33.3), delay in health-seeking 20 (29%), and lack of transportation 19 (27.5%). The majority of the deceased were referral cases 54 (78.3%) and Most of them were admitted with complications 51 (73.9%). Majority of the neonatal death happened within 24 hours 100 (54.9). The majority of the deceased newborn were admitted with a diagnosis of prematurity 56 (30.8) followed by sepsis 42 (23.1%). Lack of materials in Neonatal Intensive Care Units was the major cause of neonatal death.

Conclusion and Recommendation: Mothers and newborn were dying of preventable causes like hemorrhage, sepsis, lack of partograph utilization, and lack of facilities in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Therefore, Health professionals should focus on and manage emergencies like hemorrhage, sepsis and should utilize partograph for all laboring mothers as per the guideline, and also they should council and promote individual birth plan to reduce delays in seeking health facility. Health facilities should equip the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with all necessary drugs and materials.


We studied the prominent bow shock in the merging galaxy cluster A520 using a deep Chandra X-ray observation and archival VLA radio data. This shock is a useful diagnostic tool, owing to its clear geometry and relatively high Mach number. At the "nose" of the shock, we measure a Mach number of M = 2.4+0.4 −0.2. The shock becomes oblique away from the merger axis, with the Mach number falling to '1.6 around 30◦ from the nose. The electron temperature immediately behind the shock nose is consistent with that from the RankineHugoniot adiabat, and is higher (at a 95% confidence) than expected for adiabatic compression of electrons followed by Coulomb electron–proton equilibration, indicating the presence of equilibration mechanisms faster than Coulomb collisions. This is similar to an earlier finding for the Bullet cluster. We also combined four archival VLA datasets to obtain a better image of the cluster's giant radio halo at 1.4 GHz. An abrupt edge of the radio halo traces the shock front, and no emission is detected in the pre-shock region. If the radio edge were due only to adiabatic compression of relativistic electrons in pre-shock plasma, we would expect a pre-shock radio emission detectable in this radio dataset; however, an interferometric artifact dominates the uncertainty, so we cannot rule this model out. Other interesting features of the radio halo include a peak at the remnant of the cool core, suggesting that the core used to have a radio minihalo, and a peak marking a possible region of high turbulence.


Abstract The Health & Social Care Bill has focused attention on the commissioning processes evident within the National Health Service (NHS) in England and Wales. Through a detailed exploratory empirical study of commissioning in the NHS, this paper examines how the implicit models constructed through the discourses surrounding the Bill create tensions for the existent commissioning process. Significantly for the research and more broadly in terms of healthcare policy, it highlights the centrality of legacy and trust when considering the introduction of change. The changed nature of the relationships within the commissioning process has wider implications on the commissioning partners, influencing strategic direction, and investment in innovation.


Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the psychological profile of families with mentally retarded children based on the family content process model in elementary schools of Shiraz in the years of 2013-2014. Methods: The present study was conducted using descriptive and casual comparative method. The statistical population includes all parents of mentally retarded students of elementary schools studying in Shiraz during the academic year of 2013-2014. The number of parents of mentally retarded students is 853 people. Using Krejcie and Morgan table, 200 individuals were selected as sample size and cluster random sampling was used. The used instrument are standard questionnaire of family process self-reporting scales, which contains 43 questions with five-point scale, and the standard questionnaire of family content self-reporting scale, which consists of 38 questions with five-point scale including seven subscales of physical and mental health, time of being with together, financial resources, physical appearance, place of living, educational facilities and social status. Results: The reliability coefficient through retest test with two week intervals and alpha coefficient for this test was 0.80 and 0.85 for the process, respectively, and this scale contains five subscales of decision making and problem solving, coping skill, coherence and mutual respect, communication skills and religious beliefs. The reliability of the questionnaires was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha method for questionnaire of family process self-reporting scales 0.85 of the reliability of the tool was confirmed by content validity method. Conclusion: The results of the research indicate a positive and significant relationship between the investigating style of psychological profile of families with mentally retarded children and family process self-reporting scales.


Fingerprint recognition is a widely used biometric identification mechanism. In case of correlation based fingerprint recognition detection of a consistent registration point is a crucial issue; this point can be a core point of a fingerprint. Many techniques have been proposed but success rate is highly dependent on input used and accurate core point detection is still an open issue. Here we discuss a core point detection algorithm which is computationally simple and gives consistent detection of a core point. The proposed technique is based on orientation field of the fingerprint which is calculated using gradient based technique and optimized neighborhood averaging to generate a smoother orientation field, on which we operate a specially designed mask for detecting core point as the orientation field in the region of the core point is different than the other area. Though all fingerprints don't possess core point still this algorithm is useful to detect high curvature regions. This algorithm is helpful in the development of correlation based Automatic Fingerprint Recognition System (AFIS).


ABSTRACT The impact of separation on children's well-being and family relations has attracted growing attention in the study of transnational families, but little is known about its continued effect on life-course transitions and pathways. Focussing on 25 returnee parents who as "parachute kids" had lived away from their families in Hong Kong, this study explores how their prior experiences of family separation affect how these parents plan for the emigration of their own children. Instrumentalism has been a common theme in the study of middle-class East Asian transnational families, but our findings reveal that emotions and cultural values, especially filial piety and family togetherness, are also integral to migration plans. Our discussion complicates the adverse impact of splitting the family transnationally, which is commonly studied at the point of separation. It unsettles the representation of East Asian transnational migration as an instrumental strategy for household accumulation. We argue that research into transnational migration benefits from a life-course perspective and more explicit attention to the emotional dimensions of migration. This is especially so when reverse migration to previous places of settlement is increasingly common among a younger generation of returnees.


Dental material has emerged in the last few decades with enhanced biological properties. The prime characteristics required for dental materials are that they should be compatible with oral cavity fluids such as saliva and gingival crevicular fluids. Their functionality should be enhanced in the presence of such biological factors. Scientific advancements in exploring innovative materials have led to the possibility of achieving beneficial results by using materials that respond more dynamically to the environment in which they are placed. Currently available dental materials are improvised. Restorative materials such as smart composites, smart ceramics, compomers, resin-modified glass ionomer, amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP)-releasing pit and fissure sealants, and other smart burs and orthodontic shape memory alloys have all benefited from the usage of smart materials in dentistry.


The huge cypress trees overhung the Rio Corona with their giant arms. Nearly touching the water in places, they shaded the river from the harsh Mexican sun. Traveling down an obviously worn path, I arrived at the river's edge only to capture a parting glimpse of several wild muscovy ducks. Despite being the size of a goose they maneuvered the the turns in the river like falcons. Bird watching generally isn't very productive during the mid-day hours so I spent more time looking for aquatic life than arboreal forms. A rustling in the trees, however, warranted attention and resulted in my introduction to the red-billed pigeon (Columba flauirostris).


Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase was purified 2900-fold from lamb thymus with a recovery of 5%. Addition of exogenous DNA was essential for activity of the purified enzyme, and the reaction was stimulated by the addition of either a mixture of histones or purified histone H1. The enzyme is inhibited by sulfhydryl binding agents such as phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride or N-ethylmaleimide. It does not require magnesium or other metal ion cofactors for activity. The enzyme migrated as a single polypeptide chain with an apparent molecular weight of 135 000 when gel electrophoresis was performed in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The apparent molecular weight was 175 000 when determined by gel filtration on Sepharose CL-6B-200. The isoelectric point was pH 9.6, and the pH optimum for activity was 8.6-8.8. The apparent Km for NAD+ was 160 microM at 37 degrees C. The activity of the purified polymerase was unaffected by the presence of ADP-ribose, 3',5'-cAMP, or NaF. Nicotinamide, 5-methyl-nicotinamide, theophylline, and thymidine markedly inhibited enzyme activity. Lamb thymus DNA, originally associated with the enzyme, was more effective than commercially obtained calf thymus DNA as an enzyme activator.


One of the major objective in story understanding is to discover the
causal reasoning behind characters' actions and to link these into a overall
picture of the characters' motivations and actions. Thus the main aim
when processing a sentence is to discover a character's goal in which this
sentence can be considered as a step towards its achievement. The above
process uses abductive reasoning in drawing its inferences and as a
consequence of this any facts that are derived from a sentence might be
invalid, causing a number of facts to be generated that are inconsistent
with the knowledge base. A further complication to story understanding is
that much of the information that is necessary for understanding to occur
can only be obtained using default reasoning. Any such default fact remain
valid unless a further statement proves that this is not the case.
As a consequence of the above any new statements must be check
against the rest of the knowledge base to make sure there are no
inconsistencies and a list of supporting statements must be held so that
any inconsistency found can be resolved and erased. An alternative to
erasing these inconsistent statements within the knowledge base is to
maintain a number of consistent environments using an assumption
based truth maintenance system to enforce consistency. This has the
advantage that more than one environment may be worked on at once
and environments can be compared.
The thesis discusses the maintenance of more than one environment
and proposes a blackboard system, along with an assumption based truth
maintenance system, as an ideal architecture to support the requirements
of a story understanding program. The thesis also describes the knowledge
sources, such as syntax and semantics, that are necessary for story
understanding and how their operation should be controlled using a
dynamic scheduling system.


In the October issue of theSei-I-Kwai Medical Journalre-appear two articles of mine, both on pre-Columbian syphilis, in which I endeavor to show a possible relation between East Asia and pre-Columbian America. The antiquity of syphilis in Japan and China is admitted by all Japanese students. Wake and Tamba, who both belong as far back as the seventh century, mention this disease. The authors of the Dai-do-rui-shiu-ho refer to a medicine used against it by Sukunahiko, the Esculapius of Japan, who lived in the time of Jimmu Tennō (660 B. C.) In China, syphilis was certainly known in the Chu dynasty 1122 B. C. to 314 B. C. From China the disease is supposed to have come to Japan, in the migratory way, landing first at some harbor in the Hijen district, it may have been Nagasaki. Hence, the newcomer spread in all directions over Japan. China itself seems


We have demonstrated enhancement mode operation of AlInN/GaN (MIS)HEMTs on Si substrates using the fluorine treatment technique. The plasma RF power and treatment time was optimized to prevent the penetration of the fluorine into the channel region to maintain high channel conductivity and transconductance. An analysis of the threshold voltage was carried out which defined the requirement for the fluorine sheet concentration to exceed the charge at the dielectric/AlInN interface to achieve an increase in the positive threshold voltage after deposition of the dielectric. This illustrates the importance of control of both the plasma conditions and the interfacial charge for a reproducible threshold voltage. A positive threshold voltage of +3 V was achieved with a maximum drain current of 367 mA mm−1 at a forward gate bias of 10 V.


Background: Due to increased frailty and comorbidities, surgeons may be reluctant to perform surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) in geriatric (≥65yr) and super-geriatric (≥80yr) patients. We hypothesized that elderly patients would have delayed time to operation and more complications. We aimed to determine whether advanced age was a factor in deciding to proceed with SSRF and presented a risk for mortality. Methods: Single-institution review of rib fracture (RF) patients from 8/2009-2/2017. Univariate analysis was performed for groups age ≤64yr, 65-79yr, and ≥80yr, and SSRF vs non-SSRF. Baseline injury characteristics were compared for all age groups. Results: We identified 3098 non-SSRF patients (≤64yr, n=1770; 65-79yr, n=706; ≥80yr, n= 622) and 277 SSRF (≤64yr, n=162pt; 65-79yr, n=73pt; ≥80yr, n=42pt). For SSRF, there were no differences in sex or race, time from admission to operation, number of RF, or SSRF indications between any age group. Mortality was greater for non-SSRF patients overall [155/3098 (5%) vs 4/277 (1.4%), P < 0.01], for non-SSRF patients less than 65 years old [63/1770 (3.6%) vs 0/159, P < 0.01], and between 65-79 years old [35/706 (5%) vs 0/76, P = 0.03] but similar between non-SSRF and SSRF patients in the 80 and older cohort [57/622 (9.2%) vs 4/42(9.2%), P = 0.9]. In analysis of injury characteristics, for SSRF≥80yr greater mortality was associated with GCS <14 vs GCS≥14 (1/3 vs 0/39, P < 0.01), and more RF [median 20RF in pts with mortality (IQR:5-13) vs 10RF in patients without mortality (IQR:10-29), P = 0.02). Conclusions: Age was not associated with longer time to OR nor with difference in injury pattern or severity as indication for SSRF. Although mortality increases for RF after 80yr, among appropriately selected super-geriatric patients SSRF is a safe and effective treatment. Level of Evidence: IV Study type: Therapeutic.


Abstract : This thesis explores techniques for extending Department of Defense (DoD) Information Technology (IT) capability from web-based desktop clients to mobile platforms. Specifically, we examine how existing data services can be consumed by native and web-based mobile clients without modification to the services. We consider the data access layer, the User Interface (UI) design, and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) as areas to compare and contrast each implementation. We develop a web-based application and implement comparable capability on native and web-based mobile clients. We determined that native applications and mobile aware web applications are capable of consuming an existing web service without modifying the service. In general, we find no clear advantage between our mobile implementations when consuming existing web services and maintaining a consistent UI. We found that, while developing a data access module, it is difficult to share code between an existing web application and a native mobile application. We find that in some cases, a mobile aware web application excels at rapidly deploying on multiple devices and because it maintains a single code baseline lowering the TCO.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the effect of varying size of fat free mass (FFM) on the precision and bias of body composition prediction by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) from four equations of Segal et al (BIA-Segal), Gray et al (BIA-Gray, Lukaski et al (BIA-Lukaski) and those from a manufacturer (BIA-EZC), by body mass index (BMI), and by skinfold methods with reference to estimation by densitometry.

SUBJECTS
73 men and 77 women aged 17-71 years, were measured for height, weight, FFM, bioelectrical impedance and age.

RESULTS
BIA-Segal gave the highest precision (men: R2 = 83%, women: R2 = 75%) and the least bias (men: slope = 0.88; women: slope = 0.81) of all BIA methods. There were poorer precision (R2 < or = 50%) and more bias (slope < 0.70) by BIA-Lukaski and BIA-EZC in both sexes, which were comparable to the simpler BMI method. The skinfold method gave R2 = 83% and slope = 0.84 in men and R2 = 61% and slope = 0.86 in women. Bland and Altman analysis showed BIA-Segal gave prediction of FFM within +/-6 kg of 95% confidence interval limit of agreement of that estimated by UWW in most subjects. Other BIA methods presented unacceptably large underestimates of up to 15-17 kg in FFM.

CONCLUSIONS
The BIA-Segal provide the best predictions of the methods tested, but using BMI-or waist-specific equations may be more practical than the original BIA-Segal method, which BIA methods are affected by large FFM, and not better than anthropometric methods in predicting FFM.


Purpose: The purpose of this research is three-fold. The first purpose is to establish a practical ideal model of Electronic Health Records (E.H.Rs) used in hospitals by reviewing relevant scholarly literature. The second purpose is to assess the extent Central Texas Medical Center (C.T.M.C) in San Marcos, Texas adheres to the elements of the ideal model. The final purpose is to provide recommendations for improving the current E.H.R system used at C.T.M.C. A thorough review of the literature identified eight key components of Electronic Health Records based on the Institute of Medicine Report, Key Capabilities of an Electronic Health Record, 2003. The components include: Health Information and Data, Results Management, Order Entry/Management, Decision Support, Electronic Communication and Connectivity, Patient Support, Administrative Processes, and Reporting and Population Health Management. Methodology: The components of an Electronic Health Record identified in the literature led to the development of the conceptual framework. The conceptual framework was the assessment tool used to gauge the Electronic Health Record (E.H.R) system used at Central Texas Medical Center (C.T.M.C). The methodology used to collect data and make assessments was structured interviews and direct observation. Findings: Structured interviews and direct observation revealed the E.H.R system used at C.T.M.C met all or the majority of components for Health Information and Data, Results Management, Order/Entry Management, and Patient Support. Components that were missing included reminders for preventive services for patients, epidemiologic data and automated real time surveillance in Decision Support, patient to provider communication and medical record integration across settings in Electronic Communication and Connectivity, clinical trial, drug recall and chronic disease management in eligibility determination in Administrative Processes, and public health reporting and disease registries in Reporting and Population Management.


Despite significant efforts in the field of Autonomic Computing, system operators will still play a critical role in administering Internet services for many years to come. However, very little is know about how system operators work, what tools they use and how we can make them more efficient. In this paper we study the practices of operators in a large-scale Internet service Amazon.com and propose a new set of tools for operators. The first tool lets the operators explore the health of system components and dependencies between them; the other monitors the actions of operators and automatically suggests solutions to recurring problems.


We studied a role of the inducible heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in cellular response to radiosensitizing treatments with inhibitors of the heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) chaperone activity. Cell lines derived from solid tumors of different origin were treated with the Hsp90 inhibitors (17AAG, geldanamycin, radicicol, NVP-AUY922) or/and γ-photon radiation. For comparison, human cells of the non-cancerous origin were subjected to the same treatments. We found that the Hsp90 inhibitors yielded considerable radiosensitization only when they cause early and pronounced Hsp70 induction; moreover, a magnitude of radiosensitization was positively correlated with the level of Hsp70 induction. The quantification of Hsp70 levels in Hsp90 inhibitor-treated normal and cancer cells enabled to predict which of them will be susceptible to any Hsp90-inhibiting radiosensitizer as well as what concentrations of the inhibitors ensure the preferential cytotoxicity in the irradiated tumors without aggravating radiation damage to adjacent normal tissues. Importantly, the Hsp70 induction in the Hsp90 inhibitor-treated cancer cells appears to be their protective response that alleviates the tumor-sensitizing effects of the Hsp90 inactivation. Combination of the Hsp70-inducing inhibitors of Hsp90 with known inhibitors of the Hsp induction such as quercetin, triptolide, KNK437, NZ28 prevented up-regulation of Hsp70 in the cancer cells thereby increasing their post-radiation apoptotic/necrotic death and decreasing their post-radiation viability/clonogenicity. Similarly, co-treatment with the two inhibitors conferred the enhanced radiosensitization of proliferating rather than quiescent human vascular endothelial cells which may be used for suppressing the tumor-stimulated angiogenesis. Thus, the easily immunodetectable Hsp70 induction can be a useful marker for predicting effects of Hsp90-inhibiting radiosensitizers on tumors and normal tissues exposed to ionizing radiation. Moreover, targeting the Hsp70 induction in Hsp90 inhibitor-treated cancer cells and tumor vasculature cells may beneficially enhance the radiosensitizing effect.


Digital technologies have a strong impact on changes in the educational environment and activities. In the context of such changes, aggravated by the spread of coronavirus infection and the transition of schools to distance learning, teachers and students are facing the need to actively master digital tools and educational platforms. The authors aim at analyzing the professional gaps of teachers associated with digital literacy and the ability to effectively use digital technologies in educational activities. The conducted sociological research and the results obtained allow the authors to study the existing internal teachers' gaps and show the main problems in the organization of educational activities in the context of the transition to distance learning and the existing gaps in the use of digital technologies by school teachers. Based on the results of the study, the authors have identified the key areas of the professional development of teachers. They have developed educational programs aimed at skill development and further training of teachers in the Russian Federation and foreign countries on such topics as the digital educational environment and the use of open educational resources, methods of using digital technologies in the organization of educational activities, methods and techniques of organization feedback, pedagogical communication in the digital environment, and information security and ethics in the digital environment. The authors have determined the conditions for the professional development of teachers in the process of skill development and further training, as well as self-education (including spontaneous training in the workplace).The authors believe that the increase in teachers' digital literacy, based on filling their professional gaps, will help to improve the quality of general education and create conditions for the elimination of the digital divide of the population.


Illustrated descriptions of new species of free-living nematodes Theristus gigas sp.nov., found in ground of artificial reservoir in Vietnam. Th. gigas sp. nov. morphological similar to Th. polychaetophilus Hopper, 1966, but differs from it by longer outer labial setae and cephalic setae, more close to anterior body end located vulva, longer spicules and gubernaculum and another gubernaculum structure.


We propose a pipeline for text extraction from infographics that makes use of a novel combination of data mining and computer vision techniques. The pipeline defines a sequence of steps to identify characters, cluster them into text lines, determine their rotation angle, and apply state-of-the-art OCR to recognize the text. In this paper, we formally define the pipeline and present its current implementation. In addition, we have conducted preliminary evaluations over a data corpus of 121 manually annotated infographics from a broad range of illustration types such as bar charts, pie charts, and line charts, maps, and others. We assess the results of our text extraction pipeline by comparing it with two baselines. Finally, we sketch an outline for future work and possibilities for improving the pipeline.


It is known that variation can exist in grain-size data generated from automated sizing equipment currently in use; this is especially true for natural sediments, particularly for fine-grained marine muds. Over 98% of the sedimentary material recovered during Leg 155 consisted of fine-grained marine sediments, and since three shore-based laboratories have carried out the majority of the fine-grain-size analyses produced to date, it was deemed essential to carry out and present information on both analytical procedures and the sizing equipment used at each of the laboratories. This report presents interlaboratory comparisons carried out on identical samples using the Micromeritics SediGraph, the Coulter Counter, and the Coulter Laser system. Results of the interlaboratory comparisons carried out on size data generated from two Micromeritics SediGraph machines are in reasonable agreement, though it is noted that high levels of dispersant concentration appear to produce biased data, esp ecially within the very fine fraction. In addition, around 6 φ (16 µm), there are significant differences between the data generated using the SediGraph as compared with the Laser and Coulter Counter systems. These deviations are attributed to the different techniques adopted by each piece of analytical equipment in determining grain size, and are in general agreement with similar studies that have compared the various sizing techniques. Over 600 grain-size analyses are presented (in CD-ROM format) for subsamples of fine-grained material recovered from sites along the Upper Levee Complex and the Amazon Channel of the Amazon Fan.


Due to tense public budgets and other societal developments like ageing populations, alternative
providers of social services like social entrepreneurs are increasingly dependent on new external
sources of (financial) support. Simultaneously, corporate social responsibility and "Corporate Social
Action" (CSA) are becoming important issues for differentiation and therewith, competitive
advantage of companies nowadays. This thesis analyzes characteristics of motivation factors and
selection criteria of companies to support social organizations. Further, the innovative impact
assessment method "Social Return on Investment" (SROI) is enlightened on its potential to serve as a
selection criterion. The literature findings are refined and extended through qualitative research with
an elite sample consisting of five managers from medium to large German enterprises. In addition,
two expert interviews enrich the discussion on SROI. The characteristics of the decision-making
process are interpreted applying "Rational Choice Theory" (RCT) and "Social Exchange Theory" (SET).
Eventually, the concept of "emotional rationality" is introduced which neatly captures the interplay
of rational considerations and interpersonal aspects in decision-making.
Whereas the reported motivation factors are mostly confirming literature findings, a discrepancy
could be observed in selection criteria of companies. Here, transparency is desired by companies
from social organizations but not provided comparatively by themselves. Also, SROI - based on the
RCT and SET analysis – obviously contains the potential to be a selection criterion in the future.
Essentially, CSA decision-making characteristics – influenced by manifold variables ranging from
customer pressure over managerial preferences and shareholder considerations to altruistic
intentions – is a mixture of rationally assessing the added value a social investment can deliver to the
company while at the same time emotionally processing the personal, individual satisfaction a
project or social organization support might give to the person in charge.
Practical recommendations can be derived from the analysis' findings. First, the SROI community
should increase awareness within companies on this particular assessment tool, enforce
standardization and promote its application. Second, companies are encouraged to disclose generic
selection criteria for social support, therewith increasing internal and external efficiency. Third, social
organizations should more strongly emphasize in their fundraising campaigns the economic
advantages of CSA and allow more widely the practical approach of corporate volunteering. In
addition, social organizations can increase the likelihood to be supported if they focus on a high
company-organization thematic fit in advance when addressing potential donors. Finally, they can
increase transparency and professional behavior – which are important selection criteria, too –
through the application of e.g. a SROI analysis.
II
Theoretically, this thesis provides a request for a more integrated and complementary approach to
RCT and SET to analyze human decision-making. Rationality and emotionality should not any longer
be conceived of as different strands for diverse decision-making researches. Even findings from
neuroscience support this thesis' conclusions that human decision-making continuously represents a
straightforward interplay of RCT and SET aspects.


In my thesis I focused on the treatment of children with auto-aggressive or hetero-aggressive disorder. In general I can say that I will talk about children with special needs. This is a group of children and adolescents, which is very heterogeneous, but has one thing in common and that is the aggressive tendencies that are reflected in their behavior.
I was researching how different professions deal with the disorder that is often present with children/adolescents in institutions. In addition, I was researching how different professions, belonging to different discourses, interact with each other.

In the theoretical part I present the different discourses that are often present in the treatment of children with auto/hetero-aggressive tendencies and these are social, legal, pedagogical and medical discourses. Social discourse directs itself in a wider environment. So the cause of the problem is not solely the individual, but also focuses on environmental factors that strongly characterize an individual's experience and functioning. Medical discourse sees the disorder as an objective and intrinsic property of an individual and it does not see it in relation to the concrete life situations. The aim of the legal system is to protect society from deviance. Their focus is directed solely at the offense and sanctions that follow. Pedagogical discourse believes that with the help of education it can affects individuals.

In the empirical part with analyzing the personal folder of an adolescent and two interviews I sought to identify concrete ways of addressing children by different experts. In what ways and if at all do different experts exchange information. And how much can you learn from a personal folder of a child and how this important document can benefit an expert, who meets the child for the first time.


A series of dialkylaminoalkyl derivatives of cyclopenta[e] [1,5] benzodiazepin-10(9H)-one (E1-4) and its 6-chloro derivative (E5-8) was prepared to evaluate their CNS activity in comparison with that of isosteric pyridodiazepinones (A1-4) previously described. The results of the pharmacological screening show a significant depressant activity more remarkable in 6-chloro derivatives, which also revealed a high and lasting analgesic activity. The replacement of pyridine with benzene nucleus did not show any significant or homogeneous activity variation.


The aim of the study was to determine the effect of soaking catfish fillets into the solution of betel leaves on the quality of the smoke flavored catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus). The experiment method used was composed as blocked completely randomized design. The catfish was filleted then soaked in the solution of betel leaves at varied concentrations and combined with liquid smoke for 30 minutes, and then dried at the temperature of 60oC for 2 days. Results showed that the catfish fillets soaked in solution of 30 % betel leaves combined with 7 % liquid smoke produced good characteristics and high quality of the smoke flavored catfish. It was indicated by the appearance that was clean and tidy, brown colored, very specific of smoky odor and a little bit of additional odor of betel leaves, delicious tasted, savory, feels additional betel leaves and the texture was dense, compact, and quite dry. The chemical characteristic was including moisture content 18.79% and the value peroxide 4.22 mg eq/1000g. The presence of mushrooms was detected after stored for 22 days.Keywords : catfish fillets, betel leaves, liquid smoke


Theoretical results show that Bayesian methods can achieve lower bounds on regret for online logistic regression. In practice, however, such techniques may not be feasible especially for very large feature sets. Various approximations that, for huge sparse feature sets, diminish the theoretical advantages, must be used. Often, they apply stochastic gradient methods with hyper-parameters that must be tuned on some surrogate loss, defeating theoretical advantages of Bayesian methods. The surrogate loss, defined to approximate the mixture, requires techniques as Monte Carlo sampling, increasing computations per example. We propose low complexity analytical approximations for sparse online logistic and probit regressions. Unlike variational inference and other methods, our methods use analytical closed forms, substantially lowering computations. Unlike dense solutions, as Gaussian Mixtures, our methods allow for sparse problems with huge feature sets without increasing complexity. With the analytical closed forms, there is also no need for applying stochastic gradient methods on surrogate losses, and for tuning and balancing learning and regularization hyper-parameters. Empirical results top the performance of the more computationally involved methods. Like such methods, our methods still reveal per feature and per example uncertainty measures.


We report the results obtained with a novel readout system for scintillating fibres and X-ray imaging based on the combination of a silicon pixel detector and one stage of light amplification using a 2nd generation image intensifier. The pixel detector is a hybrid assembly of a high resistivity silicon detector bump-bonded to a CMOS binary readout chip and can be read out at a speed of 15 MHz. Each pixel element measures 75 /spl mu/m/spl times/500 /spl mu/m. Scintillating fibre ribbons and scintillating crystals are coupled to the detector array using one stage of light amplification provided by a micro-channel plate (MCP) image intensifier with fiberoptic faceplates. We have used the system to image electron tracks in a bundle of scintillating fibre ribbons. Further we have shown how the system can be used for imaging 122 keV X-rays such as those used in nuclear medicine. The system provides the possibility of single photon counting, high spatial resolution and Compton rejection. >


Dear colleagues worldwide,
Welcome to the workshop PANELFIT-LAWSci-02, H2020 Challenges in Law, Technology, Life, and Social Sciences; which was held from 2018-Nov-01 to 2019-Jan-25, MDPI AG, SciForum Platform, Basel, Switzerland. This workshop is associated to the European Commission Project PANELFIT H2020. In this sense, the workshop series will help to attract the attention of the pubic worldwide over the topics of the project. The project is concerned about changes in the regulation of ICT research and innovation are opening up a new scenario. It is expected that stakeholders, policy makers, and end users adapt to them as soon as possible. This, however, might be hard, especially for SMEs. PANELFIT is firmly committed to facilitating this adaptation process by producing a set of editable, open access Guidelines, validated by two data protection agencies. Once produced, they will serve as operational standards able to reduce the ethical and legal issues posed by ICT technologies while promoting innovation and market growth, enabling high-quality job creation and ensuring an adequate level of privacy and security/cybersecurity. Furthermore, we will produce a complementary set of six outcomes to 1) suggest possible concrete improvements to the current regulatory and governance framework, both at the EU and the national level, 2) create mutual learning and support tools and to promote networking among stakeholders and policy makers and 3) increase the quantity and quality of the information available to policy makers, professionals, researchers, journalists and the public.
All these outcomes will be produced by a co-creation process involving policy makers, stakeholders, and end-users. They will all participate in the creation of the main outcomes of the project through a range of engagement activities that includes workshops, public consultations, encounters, surveys, etc. This will be combined with a strong communication and dissemination strategy that includes numerous activities, such as webinars, MOOC courses, public debates, a constant use of a web site and social networks and the creation of a Platform for Mutual Learning, which is meant to become the reference forum for the discussion of the issues at stake even after the end of the project. The participation in PANELFIT of the European Data Journalism Network, with an aggregated web audience of almost 70 million monthly visits will help us reach this aim.
In this sense, LAWSci workshop series associated this year to PANELFIT Project in order to promote multidisciplinary collaborations and debate in the frontiers of Law, Technology, Life, and Social Sciences. The interaction between bio-science and ICTs has forged great developments in many fields. However, the appreciation of these discoveries is sadly, all too often, accompanied by a lack of understanding of the legal implications. This conference series aims to provide a reference to the various legal avenues that are available for the protection of scientific advances, but also the legal instruments to protect society from unwanted effects. It constitutes a study of some of the legal implications of bioscience and ICT advances, weighing their impact on society and the law's role in shaping that effect.
The presentations will be focused on legal trends in different fields covering, but not limited to: patentability in plants and human genomics, clinical procedures' standards, patients' personal data protection, informed consent, regulatory issues in drug discovery, biomedical research legislation, toxicology, medico-legal problems such as healthcare malpractice, medical insurance or ethics in medical practice, software protection in chemo-informatics, bioinformatics, medical informatics, and social sciences, taxes in the biotechnology industry and causality/liability in environmental pollution, criminology, etc. The conference will run on-line and free, saving traveling and participation costs (subscriptions, open publication, participation in forum, certificates, etc., are free of cost).


In this report are mentioned the results and comments of clinical investigation of 169 cases with the buckwheat allergose gathered from the whole country by sending out enquêtes. The purpose of this studies is to corroborate the clinical character of the buckwheat allergose and to establish the typical pattern of manifestation. The most distinguishing traits of the buckwheat allergose are that 1) the manifestation develops both when the allergen substance invades into the body through mouth and when through air way, and 2) among such hypersentitive manifestations with buckwheat as asthmatic attacks, urticaria eruption, gastrointestinal disorders, nasal symptoms or congestion of conjunctiva, the boundary line cannot be drawn. And from the results of various kinds of allergic examinations the authors have come to a conclusion that the buckwheat allergose is the model of the type I allergy (that is immediate type allergy) proposed by Coombs and Gell. The authors have been unable to find any medicial records on the similar subject by preceding investigators, and this is, the authors believe, quite unique in the world.


This paper describes the status of the implementation of the WHO Set of Recommendations on the Marketing of Foods and Non-alcoholic Beverages to Children (2010). The Set of Recommendations, adopted by the World Health Assembly, urges Member States to reduce the impact on children of the marketing of energy-dense, highly processed foods and beverages that are high in saturated fats, trans fats, free sugars and/or salt (HFSS). A growing body of independent monitoring and research indicates that existing policies and regulations are markedly insufficient to address the continuing challenges in this field. This report identifies loopholes, ongoing challenges, and factors that Member States need to consider to effectively limit the harmful impact that HFSS food marketing has on children, their health and their rights.

Policies and regulations tend to use narrow definitions and criteria (they frequently apply to pre-digital media only, to younger children and not to adolescents, and to "child-directed" media, rather than those with the greatest child audiences), and they almost never address the complex challenges of crossborder marketing. This situation can be explained, in part, by the strong scrutiny and opposition that countries have faced from parts of the private sector, and by weak self-regulatory schemes. As a result, and in order to ensure that States uphold their legal obligations to protect the child's right to health and related rights, the World Health Assembly requested that WHO provides additional technical support to Member States in implementing the Set of Recommendations. This report identifies challenges States need to address.


A 61-year-old woman was admitted with the chief complaint of left lumbodorsal pain. Left renal cell carcinoma invaded to the spleen, pancreas body, pancreas tail and left diaphragm, which was diagnosed by computed tomography. Transabdominal radical nephrectomy with en bloc resection of the spleen, pancreas body, pancreas tail and one third of the left diaphragm was performed. A similar case was first reported by Suzuki et al. in 1982. This case seems to be the second in the Japanese literature.


In this paper, the authors report WRF-Chem simulations for the Indo-Gangetic Plan region of India, by focusing on Delhi for the Winter Fog Experiment during winter 20172018. The authors conducted coupled meteorology-chemistry simulations by deploying the state-of-the-art atmospheric chemistry model WRF-Chem. Three chemistry mechanisms with different levels of complexity were tested. All the simulations are evaluated by comparing the model output with the in-situ measurements of various meteorological parameters and chemical species, and the satellite AOD data. I have reservations with respect to the design of the numerical experiments and the interpretation of the model results.


In most subcritical planar shear flows, the transitional regime features oblique large-scale laminar-turbulent patterns. So far, such laminar-turbulent patterns have only been investigated in flows over perfectly smooth walls and little attention has been devoted to cases with rough surfaces as found in most practical engineering, urban applications, and in nature. In this study, we investigate laminar-turbulent patterns in plane Couette flow with one rough wall by means of direct numerical simulation, as a function of the Reynolds number and of the roughness height. The roughness is modeled using a force term in the Navier–Stokes equations. The focus of this study is on a new regime featuring non-oblique turbulent bands transverse to the motion of the walls, and separated by arbitrary long laminar gaps. This regime is found when the wall is sufficiently rough. This transverse turbulent band occurs at Reynolds numbers just below the onset of self-sustained turbulence found in the smooth wall case. The localized turbulence patches have a streamwise extent as large as 50–180 gap widths, decreasing with decreasing Reynolds number. The turbulent fraction as well as the band width show a linear relationship with the Reynolds number.


We report on the effects of via plasma etching of low-dielectric-constant (low-k ) polymers, used as interlayer dielectrics (ILDs), on the characteristics of sub-half-micron n-channel metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). The low-k polymers investigated are benzocylobutene and fluorinated poly-arylene-ether. The MOSFETs employed are made sensitive to via etching by incorporating an array of either 58 × 58 or 183 × 213 via holes to the gate electrode. We have found that the via etching of the polymer ILD damages the MOSFET as witnessed by the observed degradation in the transistor's parameter. The damage incurred by the MOSFET is of a charging type and is caused by plasma-induced stress current flowing into the gate oxide and oxide-Si interface through regions in the polymer ILD that are rendered leaky by the via etching plasma. We have observed that the inclusion of an insulating layer, such as Si3 N4 , can significantly inhibit the damaging effects of the via etch. Annealing at ~350 °C is found to eliminate the via-etch-induced damage and to improve the MOSFET's parameters.


The gene encoding the taste-modifying protein miraculin was introduced under the control of the 35S or El2 promoter into strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to produce transgenic plants. Although miraculin was detected in the leaves and fruits of the transgenic plants, the level of accumulation among the transgenic lines, which ranged from 0.5 to 2.0 μg g−1 fresh fruit, was not significantly different and was lower than that in miracle fruits (145 μg g−1 fresh fruit). High levels of miraculin accumulation were detected in the mature fruits. The transgenic lines were subsequently propagated via the runners for three vegetative generations, and miraculin was detected at equal levels in the leaves and fruits of the plants from each generation. In conclusion, although the level of accumulation was not high, miraculin was stably expressed and accumulated in the vegetative progeny of the transgenic strawberry plants.


Throughout much of the 20th century, water was seen as plentiful and water rates did not promote conservation. Today, water is treated as a relatively scarce resource and governments are concerned about financing new and rehabilitated infrastructure. However, most municipalities still do not set prices for water at levels that would encourage conservation, thereby allowing the overconsumption of water, and leading to increased demand for expensive infrastructure. Setting efficient prices for water, sewage collection and treatment, and stormwater runoff would include (1) multi-part pricing for water to accommodate capacity constraints, economies of scale, and peak-load demand; (2) greater use of meters and volumetric pricing for residential and commercial sewer usage; and (3) stormwater user fees based on the volume of runoff. In smaller or remote municipalities, the amalgamation, regionalization, or privatization of water and sewer systems could lead to greater efficiencies. Meanwhile, the Province should set water safety standards, coordinate water utility systems, and put in place a regulatory framework that would support necessary but unpopular increases in water rates.


Background To help improve our understanding of the potential transmissibility of gonococcal infections from the pharynx and rectum we measured gonococcal bacterial loads at these sites and examined clinical and laboratory determinants of these loads. Methods Men who had sex with men were tested for pharyngeal and rectal gonorrhoea by culture using modified Thayer Martin medium and by two real-time quantitative qPCRs targetting opa gene, and porA pseudogene. Results 1011 rectal and 1076 pharyngeal specimens were obtained from 1076 MSM. Forty three (3.9%) pharyngeal specimens were PCR positive of which 17 were culture positive (sensitivity 39%, 95% CI: 25% to 54%). Forty seven (4.6%) rectal specimens were PCR positive of which 25 were also culture positive (sensitivity 58%, 95% CI 44% to 71%). The median bacterial load among PCR positive rectal infections (18 960 copies per swab) was significantly higher than that for PCR positive pharyngeal infections (2,100 copies per swab) (p=0.001). The median bacterial load among men with symptomatic rectal infection was higher (278 800 copies per swab) than with asymptomatic men, PCR positive rectal infections (13,980 copies per swab, p<0.001). The median bacterial load of gonorrhoea was significantly higher in culture positive than culture negative specimens. This applied for both rectal (p<0.001) as well as pharyngeal infections (p=0.03). Conclusion Higher bacterial loads of gonorrhoea were observed in rectal infections, particularly with symptomatic rectal infections. This has implications for gonococcal transmission and control.


Objective: Epithelial ingrowth is a known complication after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), with a high incidence after repeat surgery or trauma. The authors report the occurrence of epithelial ingrowth 23 months after primary LASIK and its subsequent spontaneous resolution over the following 6 months. Methods: A 35-year-old man underwent bilateral uneventful microkeratome-assisted LASIK in June 2008. The patient presented 23 months later after noticing a "white spot" in his left eye. Examination of the left eye showed an oval patch of epithelial growth in the superonasal quadrant. Uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) was 1.0 OD and 0.6 OS. Topical fluorometholone 0.1% eye drops were prescribed four times a day. Over the next 2 weeks, the UDVA improved to 1.0 and the size of the interface opacities decreased slightly. However, no further change was observed with continuation of corticosteroid eye drops over the next 2 weeks. All treatment was stopped. Three months later, the epithelial ingrowth expanded toward the visual axis. An option of surgical intervention was refused by the patient. Results: Subsequent monthly follow-ups over another 3 months showed gradual decrease in the size of epithelial growth. Final slit-lamp examination showed complete clearance of the epithelial cells from the interface. The UDVA returned to 1.0 in the left eye. Conclusions: Epithelial ingrowth can occur after a long interval after primary LASIK. In our case, the epithelial cells disappeared without any surgical intervention over a period of 6 months.


Making decisions under uncertainty is very challenging but necessary as most real-world scenarios are plagued by disturbances that can be generated internally, by the hardware itself, or externally, by the environment. Hence, we propose a general decision-making framework which can be adapted to optimally address the most heterogeneous real-world domains without being significantly affected by undesired disturbances. Our paper presents a multi-agent based structure in which agents are capable of individual decision-making but also interact to perform subsequent, and more robust, collaborative decision-making processes. The complexity of each software agent can be kept quite low without a deterioration of the performance since an intelligent and robust-to-uncertainty decision-making behaviour arises when their locally produced measure of support are shared and exploited collaboratively. We show that by equipping agents with classic computational intelligence techniques, to extract features and generate measure of supports, complex hybrid multi-agent software structures capable of handling uncertainty can be easily designed. The resulting multi-agent systems generated with this approach are based on a two-phases decision-making methodology which first runs parallel local decision making processes to then aggregate the corresponding outputs to improve upon the accuracy of the system. To highlight the potential of this approach, we provided multiple implementations of the general framework and compared them over four different application scenarios. Results are promising and show that having a second collaborative decision-making process is always beneficial.


sample. NCSS statistical software (www.ncss.com) was used for the analyses. Po.05 was taken as statistically significant. In 2003, the average age ! standard deviation was 75 ! 4 in both groups (P5.30). In 1974, men in the high-risk group had significantly higher body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides than the low-risk group. Except for the more-frequent history of diabetes mellitus in the high-risk group (P5.04), there were no significant differences in the history of diseases after 1974 between the groups. The mean summary z-scores of the neuropsychological assessment in 2003 are shown in the Figure 1. The cross-sectional study of Vogels et al. showed that neuropsychological status in general was best in healthy controls, worse in cardiac patients, and worst in patients with CHF. The longitudinal Helsinki Businessmen Study gives perspective to this result by showing that higher cardiovascular risk factor status in healthy middle-aged men predicted worse cognitive function 29 years later, in old age. This result in a socioeconomically homogenous cohort is in accordance with other studies showing long-term adverse effects of vascular risk factors on the development of dementia. The prevention of cognitive decline should thus be started early.


Physicians should recognize that a more competitive health-care market would provide the best defense against government regulation. Aside from group-practice health-maintenance organizations, the cost-containment steps that might be taken in such a market are not well understood. In particular, little attention has been paid to how private health insurers might redefine their coverage to limit the cost-increasing effects of third-party payment. Insurer-provider agreements negotiated in a competitive environment would seem to be especially promising. Competing insurance plans would be variously organized and operated according to provider and consumer preferences. Traditional doctor-patient relations as well as fee-for-service payment could be preserved. The antitrust laws, while curbing concerted effort to prevent change, should assure that physicians are not exploited by dominant buyers. Lucrative opportunities already exist for enterprising and efficient providers.


Purpose of review To review the most recent publications focusing on the use of genetic markers (DNA, RNA and nucleosides) in urine and serum and provide an opinion on their potential utility for screening, diagnosis and prognosis of urothelial carcinoma. Recent findings Several studies have shown the diagnostic utility of urine tests based on improved microsatellite analysis of loss-of-heterozygosity, detection of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 mutations, detection of single RNA and multiple gene signatures as well as nucleoside profiles. Although of interest, all these studies lack appropriate controls and validation before being considered as serious candidate clinical biomarkers. The presence of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 mutations in tumors was identified as a hallmark of tumors of low malignant potential. Serum DNA analysis of hypermethylation of a set of genes shows promise as an indicator of cancer progression and mortality. Finally, a case–control study of 775 patients and 397 controls showed that DNA hypomethylation of blood cells combined with smoking habits can provide stratification of cancer risk that may be very helpful in conceiving bladder cancer screening studies. Summary The challenge is not so much to identify better markers or methods but rather to commit to implementing them into clinical practice by stimulating and funding the clinical trials required.


This paper discusses issues encountered in developing a retrofit project for a roadway in a densely developed, commercialized area. The project was initiated, directed, and funded by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). Numerous major shopping centers and a high volume of through traffic produce congestion and affect safety. NY-27, also known as Sunrise Highway, is a principal arterial in suburban Long Island. The conditions along NY-27 reflect what happens when development approvals are granted by local land use agencies without sufficient consideration of whether the transportation system can accommodate the associated traffic. NYSDOT, in this case, was put in the position of attempting to implement a retrofit project to mitigate the traffic and safety conditions. The proximity of shopping center driveways to each other and to nearby intersections results in weaving movements and heavy turning-movement volumes that block the through travel lanes and cause overlapping conflicts. The significant traffic congestion and high accident rate reflect the problems caused by inadequate access spacing and need for improved access management. The improvement options identified represented a wide range of access management strategies and configurations. The options were screened and modified to reflect community desires and business concerns. This paper reviews operational and safety problems, identifies a theoretical access configuration along the NY-27 corridor that could mitigate these problems, and reviews the alternative that was approved and is being progressed. The approved alternative reflects real-world considerations that affect a retrofit project.


Turbulent flow over rough walls is investigated through acoustic doppler velocimeter measurements. Smooth rods with a diameter of 6 mm are used as roughness elements. The rods are arranged at the channel bottom wall in three ways: longitudinally (along the flow direction); transversely (orthogonally to flow direction); and mesh-shaped (in a staggered mesh). The transverse roughness elements produce higher disturbance and flow drag than longitudinal roughness. Both turbulence intensity and flow drag for mesh-shaped roughness are not significantly different from those of transverse roughness, indicating that the transverse roughness elements mainly affect turbulence characteristics. Both turbulence intensity and flow drag are greatest for transverse rough walls at w/k = 7; likewise, both increase with decreasing w/k for longitudinal rough walls. Compared with channel flow over a smooth wall, the turbulence intensity increases considerably, while the flow drag only increases slightly when w/k is small for the three arrangements. This is beneficial for enhancing heat transfer and mixing in channel flows with relatively small flow resistance.


In the Apollo spacecraft electrical power system weight is at a premium. Energy loss actually increases the system weight by added fuel requirements. A new type of switch gear was developed for the fuel cell system which eliminates the use of circuit breakers, diodes and uses instead solid state relay operated switches. Consideration was also given to use saturable reactor type current metering in the fuel cell line.


direct traction as far as possible in the axis of that part of the birth canal through which the head is passing." Is it not a mistake to create the impression that this teaching is out of date and that axis traction is only " of academic and historical interest rather than of living practical value " ? Even if we allow the doubtful proposition that the high-forceps operation has no place in modern obstetrics, is the corollary relating to axis traction to be truly derived from it ?-I am, etc.,


Recently, the demand for the direct shipment of purchased goods by express couriers has increased as the result of an explosive growth in e-tailing, telemarketing, and TV home-shopping industries. However, since too many express courier companies have been emerging over the last several years, competitiveness for market share is very severe among them. This study suggest a network design model for strategic alliance in order to overcome the circumstances in hot express courier service market. We propose an integer programming model and a solution procedure based on maxmin criterion. To demonstrate practicality and efficiency of the proposed model and solution procedure, a numerical example is derived and tested.


This paper reports on a meta-analysis of behavioural data gathered using single case research methodology, while evaluating the immediate effects of a treatment (sensory stimulation) on 24 individuals diagnosed as being in vegetative state following trauma. The data derived from time sampling have been used to compile measures of behavioural change in response to environmental events, which are referred to as arousal profiles. In addition to this, interviews were conducted regularly to elicit structured observations from the nursing staff concerning behavioural changes that they had observed. The subjects were divided into two groups according to whether they had emerged from vegetative state or not at the time the meta-analysis commenced. Statistically significant differences were found between the outcome groups in terms of modal arousal profile characteristics; one profile type was characteristic only of those that emerged. The two groups could also be differentiated by the mean recovery curves derived from the interview data. Behavioural differences between the outcome groups have been found which are detectable while the patients are in vegetative state. These findings have prognostic potential.


The use of freeform (sculptured) surfaces in the product design process is accelerating at an exponential rate driven by functional as well as esthetics demands. CAD/CAM software is a must in their design and manufacture. While the geometric aspects of the design are relatively wellcovered, issues still remain when it comes to the actual manufacture of freeform surfaces. The major issues are related to the generation of the proper toolpaths that would assure the required surface quality, the minimization of the total maching time, the control of the magnitude of the cutting forces, etc. This paper presents an algotithmic procedure for tool path generation based on the criterion of maintaing the cutting forces at a constant pre-defined level for 3-axis ball end milling processes. To this end, a model for cutting force prediction is formulated and incorporated into the tolpath generation algorithm and software that is compatible with all CAD/CAM systems. It has been experimentally confirmed that the proposed algorithm offers a number advantages over the machining strategies used in commercial CAD/CAM software.


Pr:LuAG have good scintillation properties of high energy resolution, very fast 5d-4f emission decay time, higher density and high light yield. In order to apply Pr:LuAG to medical imaging application such PET and PEM, the optimization of light output and energy resolution of scintillators is very important. Especially Therefore, to choose a suited reflector is very important because Pr:LuAG has short emission wave length at 310 nm. In this work, we studied spatial and energy resolution of pixilated Pr:LuAG with various reflectors (Teflon tape, ESR, BaSO4) by irradiation of 22Na source. Using the BaSO4 reflector, the light output has increased by ~210% compared to the ESR reflector, and ~170% compared to the Teflon tape reflector. The BaSO4 reflector also resulted in the best improvement of the energy resolution up to 12%.


Communities of Practice (CoPs) are known to increase knowledge sharing and personal development. In this pilot study in a UK higher education institution, we explored using CoPs with Postgraduate (Masters and PhD) students with a view to investigating the CoPs' impact on the Masters students' dissertation engagement and achievement. We conducted action research, forming 4 CoPs, each including 1 PhD student and approximately 3 MSc students. We analysed the 11 MSc Project Management students' engagement, results and feedback and the 4 Project Management PhD researchers' feedback using mixed methods from questionnaires, feedback forums and quantitative analysis of dissertation results (marks). We found four categories of outcome: (i) MSc students' mode of communication with their CoP; (ii) MSc students' contribution to their CoP; (iii) benefits to MSc students; and (iv) impact on MSc dissertation results. Our outcomes show that the CoP had an impact on MSc student engagement and performance, and indicate CoPs as worthy of further investigation for enhancing students' learning experience.


Acylpeptide hydrolase (APH; EC 188.8.131.52), which belongs to the S9 family of serine peptidases (MEROPS), catalyzes the removal of an N-acylated amino acid from a blocked peptide. The role of this enzyme in mammalian cells has been suggested to be in the clearance of oxidatively damaged proteins as well as in the degradation of the β-amyloid peptides implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Detailed structural information for the enzyme has been reported from two thermophilic archaea; both of the archaeal APHs share a similar monomeric structure. However, the mechanisms of substrate selectivity and active-site accessibility are totally different and are determined by inter-domain flexibility or the oligomeric structure. An APH homologue from a bacterium, Deinococcus radiodurans (APHdr), has been crystallized using microbatch-under-oil employing the random microseed matrix screening method. The protein crystallized in space group P21, with unit-cell parameters a = 77.6, b = 189.6, c = 120.4 Å, β = 108.4°. A Matthews coefficient of 2.89 Å(3) Da(-1) corresponds to four monomers, each with a molecular mass of ∼73 kDa, in the asymmetric unit. The APHdr structure will reveal the mechanisms of substrate selectivity and active-site accessibility in the bacterial enzyme. It will also be helpful in elucidating the functional role of this enzyme in D. radiodurans.


Study Design. A 22-month prospective cohort study. Objectives. To describe the course of an inception cohort of patients with chronic low back pain. Summary of Background Data. Chronic low back pain is a debilitating condition with great medical and social cost. Methods. A cohort of 1246 patients with acute low back pain who sought treatment from 208 North Carolina providers was observed. Patients who developed chronic low back pain were identified. Entry criteria were back pain of less than 10 weeks' duration, no previous care for this episode of low back pain, no previous spine surgery, not pregnant, no nonskin malignancy, and access to a telephone. The providers were of four types: primary care medical doctors, doctors of Chiropractic, orthopedic surgeons, and health maintenance organization-based primary care providers. Patients were contacted by telephone shortly after enrollment and at 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks, with a final interview at 22 months. Patient functional status, care-seeking, and satisfaction were evaluated. Results. Ninety-six patients had chronic, continuous symptoms for 3 months, forming the inception cohort of chronic low back pain. A valid, reliable measure of back-specific functional disability also was used. Predictors of the development of chronicity were poor baseline functional status and sciatica. A more powerful predictor of chronicity was poor functional status at 4 weeks. Two thirds of patients with chronic low back pain at 3 months had functionally disabling symptoms at 22 months, and a majority of these were employed. Satisfaction with care was low. Forty-six patients (2.6% of the entire cohort) underwent surgery, with no statistically significant difference in surgical rates among initial provider strata. Patients who underwent surgery after 3 months had a Roland disability score at 22 months of 10 (7.7, 12.3). Forty-one percent of patients with chronic low back pain see an orthopedic or neurologic surgeon. Chronic low back pain occurs in 7.7% of patients who seek care for acute low back pain, with unremitting pain for 22 months in 4.7%. Conclusion. Once established, chronic low back pain is persistent. Most patients with chronic low back pain seek little care, and a majority are employed. Future research should emphasize maintenance of employment and function.


Abstract: A herpetofaunal inventory and distribution study was conducted at the Inhotim Institute in Brumadinho Municipality (State of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil). The Inhotim Institute is located in a transition area between the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes, and the study site encompasses natural forest fragments (secondary forest) and landscaped areas with buildings and gardens representing human occupancy. Comparison between these habitats provides a test as to whether human habitats designed to be interwoven with small tracts of wild habitat are sufficient to maintain a broad array of native species, as proposed in the concept known as "reconciliation ecology." We conducted field work during 7 d per month from January 2008 to January 2009, except for December 2008. We used pitfall traps with drift fences, visual and auditory surveys, and random records and capture by persons not directly involved in the study in both forest and anthropogenic habitats. We recorded 65 species which included 32 amphibians and 33 reptiles. Three anurans and one lizard were introduced species (probably from the transport of plants from other states for landscaping) and were excluded from our analyses. Most species recorded have a wide geographic distribution and generalist habits. Herpetofaunal species richness was greater in anthropogenic areas, possibly due to the generalist habits of most species and because such areas have a greater availability of suitable breeding habitats for amphibians. The sampling methods used proved to be complementary, with no single method capturing all species. The number of species recorded was high compared to other Brazilian sites, suggesting that the reconciliation ecology approach might be an effective conservation strategy for herpetofauna at the Inhotim Institute.


Statistical postprocessing techniques are nowadays key components of the forecasting suites in many National Meteorological Services (NMS), with for most of them, the objective of correcting the impact of different types of errors on the forecasts. The final aim is to provide optimal, automated, seamless forecasts for end users. Many techniques are now flourishing in the statistical, meteorological, climatological, hydrological, and engineering communities. The methods range in complexity from simple bias corrections to very sophisticated distribution-adjusting techniques that incorporate correlations among the prognostic variables. The paper is an attempt to summarize the main activities going on this area from theoretical developments to operational applications, with a focus on the current challenges and potential avenues in the field. Among these challenges is the shift in NMS towards running ensemble Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) systems at the kilometer scale that produce very large datasets and require high-density high-quality observations; the necessity to preserve space time correlation of high-dimensional corrected fields; the need to reduce the impact of model changes affecting the parameters of the corrections; the necessity for techniques to merge different types of forecasts and ensembles with different behaviors; and finally the ability to transfer research on statistical postprocessing to operations. Potential new avenues will also be discussed.


In this Letter, an enhanced bidirectional modified lateral silicon-controlled rectifier (EBMLSCR) is proposed for advanced dual-directional electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection applications. The ESD characteristics of the novel EBMLSCR and conventional bidirectional modified lateral silicon-controlled rectifier (BMLSCR) are measured using the transmission line pulsing tester. Compared with the BMLSCR, the EBMLSCR owns a lower trigger voltage down to 7.7 V, a higher failure current up to 6.5 A, a suitable holding voltage as well as the same superior leakage current. Based on these advantages, the proposed EBMLSCR can provide an effective ESD protection for the advanced 2.5 V/3.3 V input/output circuits, while the traditional BMLSCR becomes invalid for these applications due to its high trigger voltage and low robustness. In addition, the impact of some critical dimensions of the EBMLSCR has also been evaluated to further optimise the device performances.


The thermal and degradable properties of carbodiimide (EDC) or glutaraldehyde (GTA) cross-linked gelatin membranes have been investigated in order to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of two kinds of cross-linking reagent on the stability of membranes. In the thermogram recorded from a gelatin membrane cross-linked with EDC solution, the endothermic peak of 0.8% EDC cross-linking gelatin was centered at about 61°C that was higher than other samples treated with EDC solutions. Denaturation temperature (Td) of gelatin samples increased on increasing EDC concentration (0.2% to 0.8%), in agreement with the simultaneous increased of the extent of cross-linking. But increasing GTA concentration from 0.05% to 0.6%, the Td values of gelatin samples were decreased from 66.2°C to 56.3°C . In addition, two endothermic peaks were observed in 0.4% and 0.6% GTA cross-linking groups because of the GTA concentration was too high to complete cross-linking reaction. Therefore, partial of gelatin membrane was cross-linked completely but others were not. In the thermogravimetric analysis, the proportion of cracking endothermic peak of 0.6% GTA cross-linking gelatin (g15G0.6) was higher than the peak of 0.6% EDC cross-linking gelatin (g15C0.6). Therefore, g15G0.6 cracked to smaller molecules has to absorb more calorific capacity than g15C0.6. The increase in the strength of covalent binding on increasing the proportion of endothermic peak was evident. The results of degradable rate were in agreement with the lower concentration of cross-linked reagent the faster degraded rate of gelatin membrane. The MTT assay showed that 15% gelatin cross-linked by 0.8% EDC has the least cytotoxicity, and cell activity of this group was similar to control group (blank dish). As the concentration of GTA in gelatin membranes was down to 0.05% or 0.1% the cell viability was returned to approach the value of control group.