In this paper, we propose a method based on 3-D electromagnetic simulations, for the characteristic impedance extraction of transmission lines employed in TRL calibration, focusing on lines integrated in silicon technologies. The accuracy achieved with TRL calibrations using the proposed characteristic impedance extraction is benchmarked versus conventional approaches, with an emphasis on aluminum pads structures operating in the (sub) millimeter-wave range. The proposed method proves to be insensitive to common sources of error (i.e., large pad capacitance and inductive pad-to-line transitions), which affect the accuracy of characteristic impedance extraction based on measurements, especially as the testing frequency increases. First, direct on-wafer TRL calibrations are performed on uniform CPWs (i.e., with no pads discontinuities) to demonstrate how the proposed method performs as good as the calibration comparison method and outperforms calibration transfer approaches. Finally, the method is applied to a nonuniform CPW-based calibration kit, demonstrating how the proposed method provides accurate results, improving the calibration quality that can be achieved using the calibration comparison method when inductive pad-to-line transitions are present.


Background Experimental and volunteer studies have reported pulmonary vasoconstriction during transfusion of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) stored for prolonged periods. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate whether transfusion of PRBCs stored over 21 days (standard-issue, siPRBCs) increases pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) to a greater extent than transfusion of PRBCs stored for less then 14 days (fresh, fPRBCs) in critically ill patients following cardiac surgery. The key secondary aim was to assess whether the pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRI) increases after transfusion of siPRBCs to a greater extent than after transfusion of fPRBCs. Methods The study was performed as a single-center, double-blinded, parallel-group, randomized clinical trial. Leukoreduced PRBCs were transfused while continuously measuring hemodynamic parameters. Systemic concentrations of syndecan-1 were measured to assess glycocalyx injury. After randomizing 19 patients between January 2014 and June 2016, the study was stopped due to protracted patient recruitment. Results Of 19 randomized patients, 11 patients were transfused and included in statistical analyses. Eight patients were excluded prior to transfusion, 6 patients received fPRBCs (10±3 storage days), whereas 5 patients received siPRBCs (33±4 storage days). The increase in PAP (7±3 vs. 2±2 mmHg, P = 0.012) was greater during transfusion of siPRBCs than during transfusion of fPRBCs. In addition, the change in PVRI (150±89 vs. -4±37 dyn·s·cm-5·m2, P = 0.018) was greater after transfusion of siPRBCs than after transfusion of fPRBCs. The increase in PAP correlated with the change of systemic syndecan-1 concentrations at the end of transfusion (R = 0.64,P = 0.034). Conclusion Although this study is underpowered and results require verification in larger clinical trials, our findings suggest that transfusion of siPRBCs increases PAP and PVRI to a greater extent than transfusion of fPRBCs in critically ill patients following cardiac surgery. Glycocalyx injury might contribute to pulmonary vasoconstriction associated with transfusion of stored blood.


Abstract The Multilevel in Space and Energy Diffusion (MSED) method accelerates the iterative convergence of multigroup diffusion eigenvalue problems by performing work on lower-order equations with only one group and/or coarser spatial grids. It consists of two primary components: (1) a grey (one-group) diffusion eigenvalue problem that is solved via Wielandt-shifted power iteration (PI) and (2) a multigrid-in-space linear solver. In previous work, the efficiency of MSED was verified using Fourier analysis and numerical results from a one-dimensional multigroup diffusion code. Since that work, MSED has been implemented as a solver for the coarse-mesh finite difference (CMFD) system in the three-dimensional Michigan Parallel Characteristics Transport (MPACT) code. In this paper, the results from the implementation of MSED in MPACT are presented, and the changes needed to make MSED more suitable for MPACT are described. For problems without feedback, the results in this paper show that MSED can reduce the CMFD run time by an order of magnitude and the overall run time by a factor of 2 to 3 compared to the default CMFD solver in MPACT [PI with the generalized minimal residual (GMRES) method]. For problems with feedback, the convergence of the outer Picard iteration scheme is worsened by the well-converged CMFD solutions produced by the standard MSED method. To overcome this unintuitive deficiency, MSED may be run with looser convergence criteria (a modified version of the MSED method called MSED-L) to circumvent the issue until the multiphysics iteration in MPACT is improved. Results show that MSED-L can reduce the CMFD run time in MPACT by an order of magnitude, without negatively impacting the outer Picard iteration scheme.


This paper presents a novel resonant frequency tracking control method for the full bridge type high frequency inverter. The proposed method uses only one ac current transformer though a general PLL as a frequency control method uses 2 current or potential transformers. Furthermore, the high frequency inverter system does not need to employ an active converter to control the DC bus voltage for the output power regulation although the inverter system using PLL has to have an active converter. Accordingly, the inverter that installs the proposed control method can control the operation frequency adequate and regulate the output power by one converter system. Hence, the high frequency inverter that is used for changing reactance load like an induction heating load can be simplified by introducing the proposed frequency control method. He operation principle is illustrated with a sample of block diagram. Simulation is implemented to estimate the control method and its results shoe a good performance for tuning the operation frequency to the resonant frequency. In addition, the control method is installed in an actual inverter for high power induction heating application. Observed and measured results verify the performance of the proposed frequency control method.


Autoantibodies to type VII collagen are characteristic of the blistering diseases epidermolysis bullosa acquisita and bullous systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Blisters in those diseases are due to defective adhesion of the lamina densa subregion of the epithelial basement membrane to the underlying dermis. Previous studies indicating that type VII collagen contributes to lamina densa-dermal adhesion by cross-linking lamina densa and dermal matrix proteins suggests that autoantibodies may contribute to blisters by interfering with type VII collagen function. That hypothesis is supported by previous studies showing autoantibodies from a small number of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita patients recognize proteolytic fragments containing the 145-kD noncollagenous domain of type VII collagen. In this study, we examined reactivity of autoantibodies from a large number of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita and bullous SLE patients with fusion proteins representing most of the noncollagenous domain of type VII collagen and that those regions are homologous to type III repeats of fibronectin. These results suggest autoantibodies binding to fibronectin homology regions within the 145-kD noncollagenous domain may interfere with the adhesion function of type VII collagen and contribute to lamina densa-dermal dysadhesion in epidermolysis bullous acquisita and bullous SLE.


PURPOSE
To establish the frequency of genetic mutations related to sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL); to verify if there is association between the degree of SNHL and the presence of genetic alteration; and to verify if the Minimal Response Levels (MRL) with hearing aids vary according to the genetic alteration.

METHODS
Thirty hearing aids users with ages between 8 and 111 months were evaluated. The evaluation procedures used were: pure-tone audiometry; the auditory steady state response (ASSR) on sound field, with and without hearing aids; and genetic study of the hearing loss.

RESULTS
Three genetic mutations were diagnosed: 35delG, A1555G and A827G, and the children with these mutations showed higher degree of SNHL. There was no difference between the genetic patterns regarding the degree of SNHL, except for patients with A827G mitochondrial mutation, because all subjects with this mutation had profound SNHL. The difference between the MRL obtained with and without amplification, considering the presence of mutation and the degree of SNHL, was higher in children with moderate SNHL without genetic alterations, both in behavioral and electrophysiological evaluations.

CONCLUSION
Genetic mutations were found in 36.7% of the sample, justifying the importance of genetic tracking in the hearing habilitation process. Children with genetic mutations showed higher degrees of hearing loss. The different mutation patterns do not directly determine the degree of hearing loss. The best thresholds with amplification were found in children with moderate hearing loss without genetic alterations.


On April 25, 2015, Nepal was hit by a massive earthquake. Thousands of lives were lost. Extensive damage to infrastructure and property was reported. Using 30 interviews, I firstly examine how the people survived in the early days of the disaster. Secondly, I discuss how the citizens of Nepal, perceived democracy as a political system that is still novel for them, in the aftermath of the crisis. The interviewees reflected on the government's response to the earthquake. Evidently, the study highlights the disjuncture between the kinds of relief a democratic state is expected to provide for the citizens and the state's actual response to the needs of the earthquake survivors. Nepal has adopted democracy since 1990, however, it has failed to deliver on its promises, and people are thus ambivalent about the system. However, in the final analysis, it becomes apparent that people are unwilling to revert back to the old autocratic system. The conclusions of the study compel one to consider certain social processes. What affects citizens' expectations of their government in the aftermath of a major disaster is contingent upon how states have acted in normal times. The state's response to disasters might be influenced by what citizens expect from the state in the first place, thus, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Finally, a democratic society is preferred by most, and the only way for the government to be more robust is to compel the leaders to adhere to the laws and regulations and operate according: those who break the laws must be made accountable.


The use of extrathoracic airway replicas in optimization of drug delivery to the lungs with nebulizers, dry powder inhalers (DPIs) and pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs) is discussed. Such airway replicas have been useful in evaluating new pulmonary drug delivery platforms mainly based on the comparison of the total lung dose (TLD) and the aerodynamic particle size distribution (APSD) of the aerosol distal to the physical models. The ability of these in vitro methods to replicate in vivo results has allowed advancements in respiratory drug delivery and in the accuracy and utility of in vitro-in vivo correlations (IVIVCs).


New radiofrequency lesion dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) electrodes for relief of facial pain were designed based on a neuroanatomic study in man of the trigeminal nucleus caudalis at the cervicomedullary junction. The human brainstems of 3 normal postmortem specimens were sectioned with measurements and relationships of the trigeminal nucleus caudalis, segmental tracts, spinocerebellar tracts and dorsal columns. Two right-angle DREZ electrodes were made by Radionics for producing DREZ lesions in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis to treat deafferentation facial pain.


41 middle-class families were interviewed at 1 month prepartum and 1, 4, 8, and 12 months after the birth of a second child to assess the reaction and adjustment of firstborn children to this event. Family members were also observed in a semistructured play session in order to obtain information concerning changes in familial interaction patterns. A log linear analysis was conducted to fit a hierarchical model to a 2 (child gender) X 2 (infant gender) X 4 (time of measurement relative to birth of infant) X 2 (presence or absence of problematic regressive behavior) X 14 (type of problematic behavior reported) matrix. A model with 2 statistically significant effects was found to fit the observed frequency matrix quite well, goodness-of-fit (GF) chi 2(312, N = 2,296) = 97.47, p less than .99. This model suggests (1) that the type of response displayed by the firstborns varied as a function of time since the birth; that their initial responses were either imitations of the infant or confrontations with the mother or infant, whereas responses at 4 months postpartum were characterized by numerous anxiety behaviors but fewer imitations or confrontations, and later responses were primarily confrontations with the increasingly intrusive and independent infant; and (2) that a greater frequency of problematic behavior was reported by the mothers of same-sex sibling dyads, especially at the 1- and 8-month postpartum assessments. Observational data indicated that mothers dramatically decreased their interactions with the firstborn children over time but that fathers tended to remain relatively stable in their frequencies of interaction.


Background The aberrant distribution of peripheral B cell subsets is associated with the pathogenesis of a variety of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, the distribution of peripheral B cell subsets in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has yet to elucidated. Methods Twenty-seven idiopathic DCM patients (DCM group), 18 heart failure controls (HF group) and 21 healthy individuals (HC group) were included in this study. Peripheral B cell subsets were analyzed by multi-color flow cytometry. Level of plasma β1 cholinergic receptor (β1-AR) autoantibody was assayed by ELISA. Additionally, clinical features were also collected. Results Compared with HF and HC groups, the percentage of B1 cells were significantly decreased, whereas the percentage of transitional B cells (Tr) were significantly increased in DCM group. Notably, the percentage of B1 cells was significantly lower in patients with β1-AR autoantibody positive DCM compared with β1-AR autoantibody negative patients. Correlation analysis showed that the percentage of B1 cells was negatively correlated with N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and positively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with DCM.Conclusions The study showed that B1 cells in peripheral blood of patients with idiopathic DCM were abnormally decreased, especially in those β1-AR autoantibody positive patients, while Tr cells are significantly increased, indicating that B1 cells and Tr cells may be implicated in the pathogenesis of idiopathic DCM.


Hollow microcapsules, composed of pH responsive polyelectrolytes via a layer-by-layer (LBL) adsorption technique, were prepared. Linear or star-shaped poly(glycerol metha crylate)s (PGOHMAs) modified with 1,4-butanediamine and 1,2-ethanediamine (EDA) were synthesized and used as polycations. Poly(acrylic acid) was employed as polyanion and SiO2 (about 170 nm) as template. After LBL absorption, SiO2 cores were removed by HF treatment. The particle size and zeta potential were measured by dynamic light scattering, showing that the diameter of star-shaped amino-PGOHMA was larger than linear counterpart. The LBL assembly and core-etching process were evidenced by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and energy dispersive spectrometer. The cytotoxicity experiments on human umbilical vein endothelial cells were carried out to evaluate the toxicity of LBL assembly. The star-shaped and EDA-modified PGOHMA exhibited better cell viability. The microcapsules were then used to load an anticancer drug, doxorubicin hydrochloride. High loading capacity (about 42%) and entrapment efficiency (84%) were obtained for star-shaped polymer-based microcapsules. The cumulative release rate was evaluated in vitro, showing faster release at an acidic condition compared to neutral pH. Confocal laser scanning microscopy evidenced the successful cellular uptake of DOX-loaded microparticles.


Many functional and structural neuroimaging studies call for accurate morphometric segmentation of different brain structures starting from image intensity values of MRI scans. Current automatic (multi-) atlas-based segmentation strategies often lack accuracy on difficult-to-segment brain structures and, since these methods rely on atlas-to-scan alignment, they may take long processing times. Recently, methods deploying solutions based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are making the direct analysis of out-of-the-scanner data feasible. However, current CNN-based solutions partition the test volume into 2D or 3D patches, which are processed independently. This entails a loss of global contextual information thereby negatively impacting the segmentation accuracy. In this work, we design and test an optimised end-to-end CNN architecture that makes the exploitation of global spatial information computationally tractable, allowing to process a whole MRI volume at once. We adopt a weakly supervised learning strategy by exploiting a large dataset composed by 947 out-of-the-scanner (3 Tesla T1-weighted 1mm isotropic MP-RAGE 3D sequences) MR Images. The resulting model is able to produce accurate multi-structure segmentation results in only few seconds. Different quantitative measures demonstrate an improved accuracy of our solution when compared to state-of-the-art techniques. Moreover, through a randomised survey involving expert neuroscientists, we show that subjective judgements clearly prefer our solution with respect to the widely adopted atlas-based FreeSurfer software.


Automation in maritime container terminals is gaining momentum as the advantages in terms of total life cycle costs have become apparent in western countries. However, expertise and experience in the design, development and operation of automated terminals is still limited. Many stakeholders or actors are involved in the design process and the entire process is supported by a substantial amount of documents created by different actors. These actors cover a wide range of perspectives, use specific information carriers and terminology, and have their own interests while having sometimes little understanding of the interests of others. A common framework of understanding is lacking which makes the communication within the design process problematic, and could result in suboptimal designs. Currently tools like simulation and animation are used to support communication in the design process. These tools are costly to use, have long throughput times to develop and often do not have an accurate realistic representation of the design. We propose to use a 3D visualization environment to present the design of automated terminals. This virtual environment, called the Virtual Terminal, can be used as a common framework for understanding and as a communication medium. The Virtual Terminal should overcome the disadvantages of the tools that are currently used. By automating the generation of 3D environments of container terminals based on CAD drawings and by using this virtual environment as a framework to structure existing knowledge, the Virtual Terminal can support decision makers throughout the decision making process. To evaluate the Virtual Terminal a case study is presented on the design process of a state-of-the-art automated container terminal.


The perceptual process of an object with multiple features mainly consists of two stages. At first, features are encoded independently at the modular level (feature level). Secondly, they are recombined to build a temporal representation of the object (conjunctive level). Using the apparent motion technique in which stimuli were defined by color and shape, we examined the levels at which the object-specific priming takes place. Although the discrimination of the second stimulus was facilitated when it shared the features with the first stimulus, the priming effects were different according to the number of stimulus items of the first frame. When the first frame contained one stimulus item, the priming benefits were obtained at the both conjunctive and the feature levels. However, the benefit was found only at the feature level when the item number was increased to eight (one of them disappeared in the following frames as the apparent motion stimulus). The roles of modular analysis and attention integration were discussed in terms of the economical validity of feature preservation in object perception.


This study examined women in commercialized subsistence economies: profit and factors influencing participation in small-scale cereal processing and marketing in Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria. Specific objective include; examine socioeconomic characteristics of the women participating in processing and marketing of cereal; determine the factors influencing women participating in processing and marketing of cereal; examine the profitability of processing and marketing of cereal; identify women sources of initial investment in the business and identify constraints to processing and marketing of cereal in the study area. Cluster sampling technique was adopted, six (6) areas selected, and ten (10) women (processors and marketers) were randomly selected, marking sixty (60) women for the study. Findings of the study indicated that most of the women belong to the age bracket of 31 and above years (51.67%), while 48.33% were between the ages of 18~30yrs, The data on capital indicated 90% had an average initial investment 5,000 Naira and only 1.67% of the women participants invested an average of 65,000 Naira in the business. Revelation on profitability showed that N 2, 287.72 k as gross margin in the processing of cereal in the study area per 100kg bag and that the highest cost incurred in the business was in the processing of the grains constituting 63.51% and the second highest cost incurred was cost of transportation (19.57%). The regression estimates suggest number of measures ( mudus ) sold/day; household size and start up capital significant at 1%. However, the negativity of the coefficients of age, marital status, household size, and education indicates that a 1% change in these variables will attract a reduction in the participation of women in the processing and marketing of cereal in the study area. The findings on problems indicated lack of credit facilities (36.67%) as the most identified problem hindering their participation in processing and marketing cereal. Only 28.33% cited price fluctuation. The study recommends formation of group cooperative to enhance acquisition of loans for the business.


Over the last few decades, considerable progress has been made in understanding biochemical abnormalities associated with clinical diabetes, particularly with its more short-term manifestations. Further, with the advent of insulin and improved acute resuscitation techniques, the morbidity and mortality rates in juvenileonset ketotic diabetics have been greatly reduced. Similarly, the development of oral hypoglycwmic agents, such as sulfonylureas and biguanides, has resulted in improved metabolic control of the non-ketotic, maturity-onset diabetics. Despite these advances in therapy, however, indeed partly because of the implied extension of the duration of clinical observation, awareness of the unsatisfactory state of our understanding of other, more chronic and less clearly biochemical problems in diabetics has increased rather than decreased. Among these problems one might single out: the relative influence of genetic endowment and environment; the more detailed and long-term natural history of the disease; the relationship between diabetes and obesity and that between juvenileonset and maturity-onset diabetes; and the


In the present study anti inflammatory activity of different doses of dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate viz., 9,18,36 and 72 mg/kg is investigated in both acute and sub-acute models of inflammation in rats. Similarly their analgesic activity and effect on gastric ulcer were also studied. The study also aimed to elicit the possible interactions of dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate with aspirin. Except 9 mg/kg, all the therapeutic equivalent doses of dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate in acute model and in the dose of 36 and 72 mg/kg in sub-acute model of inflammation exerted significant anti-inflammatory activity. Combination of sub anti-inflammatory (SAI) dose of dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate (9mg/kg) with that of aspirin (54mg/kg) showed significant anti-inflammatory activity in both the models of inflammation. Dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate in the dose of 18, 36 and 72 mg/kg individually and its SAI dose when coadministered with that of aspirin showed significant analgesic activity at 1 and 3 hours. Dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate in the dose of 36 and 72 mg/kg and combination treatment of SAI dose of dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate with that of aspirin found to be gastroprotective. These findings clearly indicate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate. In interaction studies, dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate acts synergistically with aspirin towards reducing inflammation and pain as well as the former reduced the gastric ulcerogenic potential of the latter. If these findings are extrapolated to human beings, Vitamin E can be used individually or else as an adjuvant to NSAIDs in the treatment of inflammatory conditions. Clinical studies in this regard are really worthwhile


This paper presents a graph-based approach to network vulnerability analysis. The method is flexible, allowing analysis of attacks from both outside and inside the network. It can analyze risks to a specific network asset, or examine the universe of possible consequences following a successful attack. The graph-based tool can identify the set of attack paths that have a high probability of success (or a low effort cost) for the attacker. The system could be used to test the effectiveness of making configuration changes, implementing an intrusion detection system, etc. The analysis system requires as input a database of common attacks, broken into atomic steps, specific network configuration and topology information, and an attacker profile. The attack information is matched with the network configuration information and an attacker profile to create a superset attack graph. Nodes identify a stage of attack, for example the class of machines the attacker has accessed and the user privilege level he or she has compromised. The arcs in the attack graph represent attacks or stages of attacks. By assigning probabilities of success on the arcs or costs representing level-of-effort for the attacker, various graph algorithms such as shortest-path algorithms can identify the attack paths with the highest probability of success.


Dr. Mills has done an admirable job in accomplishing the task which he has set out for himself. He states in the preface that the book is intended for medical students and for doctors who are not experts in the adrenal field, and that a certain amount of dogmatism is necessary to maintain simplicity of presentation. The book makes no attempt to give reference to the vast literature in this field but, instead, reflects chiefly the author's considerable experience. His own prejudice is reflected by the general underplay of the renin angiotensin system in control of aldosterone secretion and emphasis on corticoid secretion rates. Many clinical endocrinologists would take exception to the statement that 4,000 roentgens delivered to the pituitary may interfere with other pituitary functions and should not, therefore, be given to young patients. In spite of these minor defects, the author has written a small volume that is


Metabolism of aminopyrine, sodium benzoate and toxicity of cyclophosphamide were studied in 185 male rats under conditions of various content of vitamin B1 in the animals. Deficiency of thiamin led to an increase in excretion of 4-aminoantipyrine and especially of its acetylated derivative. After administration of thiamin metabolism of aminopyrine was not distinctly altered, while thiamin diphosphate inhibited the drug biotransformation. In deficiency of vitamin B1 transformation of benzoic acid into hippuric acid was inhibited but formation of glucuronides was elevated. Administration of thiamin or thiamin diphosphate stimulated the benzoic acid conjugation and inhibited the glucuronides formation. Deficiency of vitamin B1 accelerated the cyclophosphamide toxicity. Preadministration of thiamin and especially of thiamin diphosphate decreased the toxic effect of cyclophosphamide.


Because it is known that bivalve hearts contain various modulatory systems activated by neuroendocrine substances, it was examined whether different classes of endogenous and synthetic drugs of neuroendocrinological importance can influence cardiac functions of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Cholinergically active agents acetylcholine and carbachol increased heart rates while diminishing cardiac contractility. Adrenergically active substances norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (Epi) also induced heart rate increase and contractility decrease. An -adrenergic receptor-selective agonist phenyephrine (PE) failed to modulate either parameter. The Epi-induced heart rate increase and contractile depression were both blocked significantly by non-selective -adrenergic antagonist propranolol. A -selective antagonist atenolol prevented Epi-induced heart rate decrease but not the contractile depression, suggesting possible receptors for Epi-induced contractile depression. The three autacoids examined exerted discrete responses: histamine increased heart rate and depressed contraction; -amino-butyric acid increased both parameters; serotonin failed to change either parameter. The 5 piscine anesthetic agents examined, MS-222, benzocaine, quinaldine, urethane, pantocaine and pentobarbital, all failed to influence the cardiac function of oysters. Collectively, activities of neuroendocrinologically acting agents in mammals showed unexpected and distinct activities from those in mammalian cardiovascular systems. These results obtained from substances of different physiological functions can serve as a basis for understanding neuroendocrine control of the heart function in Pacific oyster.


This paper presents the design of a silicon bipolar Class-E wideband envelope elimination and restoration (WBEER) power amplifier with a wideband high efficiency envelope amplifier. The envelope amplifier is composed of a linear op-amp stage and a switch buck converter, which achieves high fidelity and high efficiency amplification of wideband high peak to average (PAR) envelope signals. Experimental results show that the envelope amplifier has a bandwidth of 20MHz and 50-60% efficiency. An overall EER power added efficiency (PAE) of 28% at an output power of 19 dBm was achieved for a WEAN OFDM signal at 2.4 GHz.


Educational technology is commonly used. The use of technology at preschool education has an important role with a lot of effective methods so that children can learn. Preschool teachers use the technology to support children's development. Early literacy skills have gained more importance especially in the recent years. As a result, the use of technology has been necessary to develop early literacy skills. Based on dialog, interactive book reading is an important activity to give children the opportunity for them todevelop their early literacy skills. It was found in the previous studies, that the literacy skills of the children; for whom readingbooks based on dialogue by teachers or families, were at a better level. In this study, the previous studies related to E-book interactive book reading are gathered and it aims to introduce based on dialogue E-book to families and teachers and makes some proposals to support the early literacy skills through based on dialogue E-book. Besides, by studying the related literature, developing early skills to reading E-book or reading book were compared and the results were argued.


The concept of heterosis has already been put forward for a century. The hypothesis of Dominance, Superdominace and Epistasis has also been brought forward to explain the phenomenon of heterosis. As we know, there is spatio-temporal speciality about the expression of gene and only expressed genes contribute to the formation of heterosis. So the study on heterosis in expression level becomes more meaningful. A lot of studies on heterosis in this level have been done in plants, but there is no such study carried on animals in this area. In this study, the technique of mRNA Reverse Transcription Differential Display was used to research the heterosis molecular mechanism of animal. In order to expound the molecular genetic mechanism of animals heterosis, the 4 x 4 completely diallele cross experiment of 4 purebreds chicken was conducted among White Polymouth Rock (EE), Chinese Silk Chicken (CC), CAU Brown (DD) and White Leghorn (AA). The chicken of 16 cross combinations were reared to 8 weeks old, then 30 chicken in each combination were selected randomly and slaughtered. The traits of body weight of 8 weeks, wing weight, eviscerated weight, eviscerated weight with giblet, breast muscle yield, leg muscle yield, body length, abdomen fat weight, intramuscular fat width, tibia length were measured, and in which 8 individuals in each combination were selected randomly to collect the liver tissue samples, which were stored in liquid nitrogen or at -80 degrees C to be used for total RNA (TRNA) extracting. After the total RNA (TRNA) was extracted, 16 TRNA pools were formed in the same quantitative according to the concentration of 8 individual TRNA. They were reversely transcribed with three anchor primers H-T11 A, H-T11 G and H-T11 C. Then the reverse transcription PCR for each transcript product was done in two repeats at the same time with the same anchor primers and 8 random primers. The polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of each PCR product was run in Bio-Rad Power 3,000 temperature control system. After electrophoresis, the gel was stained by AgNO3 according to the stain method described by Echt et al. The differential display bands in the polyacrylamide gel were counted. The band displayed is counted as 1 whereas no band is counted as 0 and only expression bands reproducible in two repeats were statistically analyzed. The correlation analysis between heterosis percentage and gene expression patterns was done with statistic analysis software (SAS) package. The statistic results indicated that among 690 total numbers of bands, the percentage of differential expression bands reproducible (457) is 66.23%. Eight kinds of gene differential expression patterns were found and listed as follow: 1): Band presents only in one purebred (P1);2): Band in one crossbred and its corresponding paternal purebred; or Band in one crossbred and its corresponding maternal purebred (P2);3): Band in purebreds and one crossbred (P3); 4): Band only in one crossbred (P4);5): Bands in both crossbreds and one purebred (P5);6): Bands only in both crossbreds (P6);7): Bands only in purebreds (P7);8): Bands both in purebreds and crossbreds P8. The differential expression of gene between purebred and crossbred chicken was detected for the first time. The proportion of each pattern in each kind of purebred combination is different. The percentage of P8 (75.34%) is the highest. The total percentage of differential expression patterns (24.66%) showed that the gene differential expression exists as a matter of fact. Among all the gene differential expression patterns, the percentage of P3 is the highest whereas the percentage of P7, P6 and P4 is very low, it indicated that different genes may have different expression patterns in purebreds and crossbreds. The results are similar to the study results on plants, which indicates that the gene differential expression between purebred and crossbred exists universally in biology. The correlation between gene expression patterns and heterosis percentage was studied, but correlation between P8 and the heterosis percentage is not significant (P > 0.05), it indicates that some patterns of gene differential expression may be the molecular genetic basic of heterosis. Among all the gene differential expression patterns, each pattern affects the expression of meat trait in different manner. There is significantly negative correlation between P4 and heterosis percentage of body weight of 8 weeks, breast muscle yield, leg muscle yield, eviscerated weight with giblet and eviscerated weight (P < 0.05); P1 is of significantly negative correlation with heterosis percentage of abdomen fat weight (P < 0.05) and of very significantly negative correlation with heterosis percentage of body length (P < 0.01); The negative correlation between P2 and heterosis percentage of intramuscular fat width is significant (P < 0.05); The positive correlation between P7 and heterosis percentage of leg muscle yield, wing weight, eviscerated weight with giblet and intramuscular fat width is significant (P < 0.05); The positive correlation between P5 and heterosis percentage of tibia length (P < 0.05) is significant. These results show that these 5 kinds of patterns play important role in heterosis forming of meat trait. P1 and P7 show that expressed gene in purebreds is depressed; P4 indicates that new gene expression occurs in crossbreds; P5 reveals that expressed gene only in one purebred express in all crossbreds. All genes of crossbreds come from purebred, which are not only the simple adding of these purebred genes, giving birth to unknown interaction between these genes coming from different purebreds, then leading to differential expression of genes. These gene differential expressions maybe form the heterosis of meat trait.


Leaves of the plant species Isatis indigotica Fortune ex Lindl. (Chinese woad) produce the metabolites tryptanthrin, indirubin and N‐formylanthranilic acid upon spraying with an aqueous solution of copper chloride but not after spraying with water. The antifungal activities of these metabolites against the phytopathogens Alternaria brassicicola, Leptosphaeria maculans and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum established that tryptanthrin is a much stronger growth inhibitor of L. maculans than the phytoalexin camalexin. The biosynthetic precursors of tryptanthrin and N‐formylanthranilic acid are proposed based on the deuterium incorporations of isotopically labeled compounds. The overall results suggest that tryptanthrin is a phytoalexin and indirubin and N‐formylanthranilic acid are phytoanticipins in the plant species I. indigotica and that chemical diversity and biodiversity are intimately connected.


Forty Salmonella strains sensitive to the bactericidal action of serum were investigated. All these strains were susceptible to complement activated by the classical pathway though in part (60%) of these strains the presence of lysozyme was necessary for killing. S. typhimurium rods were susceptible to only one mechanism of the action of bactericidal factors. On the contrary, S. enteritidis strains were sensitive to three various mechanisms of bactericidal action of serum. Next eight forms of Salmonella typhimurium LT2 differing with respect to the structure of LPS were studied. Original strain was a smooth, form S, and remaining strains were various rough (R) forms such as Ra, Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd1, Rd2, Re. The S form was susceptible only to the complete human serum what means that all bactericidal factors of serum were needed for killing. Ra form was susceptible to two independent bactericidal mechanisms: complement (C) activated by the alternative pathway in the presence of lysozyme and C activated simultaneously by both bactericidal C pathways without the participation of lysozyme (al, ac). The next form, Rb1, besides the mechanism mentioned above was also susceptible to C activated by the classical pathway in the presence of lysozyme (al, ac, cl). Other forms (Rb2, Rc, Rd1, Rd2, Re) were susceptible to three mechanisms (al, ac, cl) as well as to C activated by the classical pathway without lysozyme (c). The mechanism (c) was weakly efficient against forms Rb2 and Rc and somewhat more efficient against Rd1 and Rd2 and the most efficient against Re.


CONTEXT
Recent animal studies have suggested that 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) increase bone formation, volume, and density. It is unknown whether use of statins is associated with a decreased risk of fractures in humans.

OBJECTIVE
To determine whether exposure to statins, fibrates, or other lipid-lowering drugs is associated with reduced bone fracture risk.

DESIGN
Population-based, nested case-control analysis.

SETTING
The UK-based General Practice Research Database (GPRD), comprising some 300 practices, with data collection from the late 1980s until September 1998.

SUBJECTS
Within a base population of 91,611 individuals aged at least 50 years (28,340 individuals taking lipid-lowering drugs, 13,271 untreated individuals with a diagnosis of hyperlipidemia, and 50,000 randomly selected individuals without diagnosis of hyperlipidemia), we identified 3940 case patients who had a bone fracture and 23,379 control patients matched for age (+/-5 years), sex, general practice attended, calendar year, and years since enrollment in the GPRD.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Use of statins, fibrates, or other lipid-lowering drugs in case patients vs control patients.

RESULTS
After controlling for body mass index, smoking, number of physician visits, and corticosteroid and estrogen use, current use of statins was associated with a significantly reduced fracture risk (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44-0.69) compared with nonuse of lipid-lowering drugs. Current use of fibrates or other lipid-lowering drugs was not related to a significantly decreased bone fracture risk (adjusted OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.70-1.08 and adjusted OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.41-1.39, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that current exposure to statins is associated with a decreased risk of bone fractures in individuals age 50 years and older. This finding has a potentially important public health impact and should be confirmed further in controlled prospective trials. JAMA. 2000;283:3205-3210


Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find out the background and factors that enabled SK and POSCO, which are producing remarkable results by creating social values, to grow by changing the corporate paradigm. Method: In this study, I reviewed the management philosophy as a mission by replacing the corporate values such as SK and POSCO, 13 major groups among the successful companies in our country, and the social contribution that implemented the vision and core values as embedded shared values. Our economy. Society. Corporate social responsibility(CSR) to the environment is changing to improve corporate trust and value, and today's trend is to expand the total amount of shared value by simultaneously creating 'economic value' and 'social value' with the evolution of CSR. The results of briefly examining the management philosophy as mission, vision and core values as embedded shared values, and implemented social contribution activities, replacing corporate values are as follows. SK is the founder's corporate philosophy(business support: contributing to the development of the nation and human society through corporate management) Results: It is the social value that SK pursues to promote the happiness of the society and the company together as a business to challenge the business of social worries by inheriting the values and values. And Chairman Choi Tae-won emphasized the importance of social values and took the lead. The influence of strong driving force was absorbed into the corporate culture among members, and the shared value of voluntarily solving social problems existed and was exerted. Pohang Steel(now POSCO) was born in the 1960s with a national desire to create a welllived Korea. Even after privatization, community behavior and mentality in ethical management and social contribution activities continued through win-win, consideration, and sharing activities with local communities. Based on POSCOIN's unique DNA, the leadership of Chairman Jeong-Woo Choi and "Corporate Citizens Growing Together" were born as a new management philosophy. Conclusion: The result of this study shows that the symbiosis and shared value that companies have to match their own capabilities are not suddenly created, but accumulated over time and generation. The philosophy of the company and the shared value of the mission are the power to move the mind, and the value created by connecting the capabilities of the company is my. A greater consensus can be gained on outside members, and social support must be united and connected with the members of society. In the end, the basic basis of SK's social value and happiness setting and POSCO's corporate citizen management philosophy is not much different. Today, social value creation is limited to specific companies, so it is linked to participation as a basic data for companies with new values in cooperation with SK and POSCO. It is expected that further studies will be carried out by suggesting expansion. [Keywords] Csr, Csv, Sharing Value, Social Value Creation, Management Philosophy The Implications of Corporate Philosophy and Shared Value for SOCIAL VALUE Creation


Abstract Background Early detection of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDRP) remains challenging. Existing risk prediction tools are difficult to translate to bedside application. The goal of this study was to develop a simple electronic medical record (EMR)–integrated tool for prediction of MDRP infection. Methods This was a mixed-methods study. We conducted a split-sample cohort study of adult critical care patients with P aeruginosa infections. Two previously published tools were validated using c-statistic. A subset of variables based on strength of association and ease of EMR extraction was selected for further evaluation. A simplified tool was developed using multivariable logistic regression. Both c-statistic and theoretical trade-off of over- versus underprescribing of broad-spectrum MDRP therapy were assessed in the validation cohort. A qualitative survey of frontline clinicians assessed understanding of risks for MDRP and potential usability of an EMR-integrated tool to predict MDRP. Results The 2 previous risk prediction tools demonstrated similar accuracy in the derivation cohort (c-statistic of 0.76 [95% confidence interval {CI}, .69–.83] and 0.73 [95% CI, .66–.8]). A simplified tool based on 4 variables demonstrated reasonable accuracy (c-statistic of 0.71 [95% CI, .57–.85]) without significant overprescribing in the validation cohort. The risk factors were prior MDRP infection, ≥4 antibiotics prior to culture, infection >3 days after admission, and dialysis. Fourteen clinicians completed the survey. An alert providing context regarding individual patient risk factors for MDRP was preferred. Conclusions These results can be used to develop a local EMR-integrated tool to improve timeliness of effective therapy in those at risk of MDRP infections.


HIL sensor is used to measure Hemoglobin (Hb), Icterus and Lipemia in plasma. Conventionally, HIL is detected in centrifuged plasma sample using a spectrophotometer. Such centrifuged sample provides uniform sample without impurity and it is possible to use longer optical path lengths in the range of millimeter. In such situations, a spectrophotometer is sufficient to provide signal to quantify the HIL concentrations. In the proposed work, we have demonstrated HIL detection at shorter optical path length and with plasma with slight impurities. A system is developed with multi-LED illumination and an algorithm is developed to retrieve the concentration of free Hb, Icterus and Lipemia from the plasma sample containing impurities such as stray RBCs. In this work, we will discuss about the performance of a multi-LED system and the underlying algorithm.


Abstract 1. The purpose of this study was to establish a population pharmacokinetic (PK) model of tacrolimus and evaluate the influence of clinical covariates, including the genetic polymorphisms of the cytochrome P450 3A5 gene (CYP3A5) and gene-encoding P-glycoprotein (ABCB1), on the PK parameters in Chinese adult liver transplant recipients. 2. Details of drug dose, sampling times and concentrations were collected retrospectively from routine therapeutic drug monitoring data early after liver transplant. Tacrolimus PKs was studied by a non-linear mixed-effect modeling (NONMEM) method. CYP3A5 genotypes, ABCB1 C3435T and G2677T/A polymorphism and a number of clinical covariates were tested for their influence on TAC PKs. 3. A one-compartment model with first-order absorption and elimination adequately described the data. Apparent clearance (CL/F) and apparent volumes of distribution (V/F) in final population model were 17.6 L/h and 225 L, respectively. The absorption rate constant (Ka) was fixed at 4.48 h−1. The inter-individual variability in CL/F and V/F was 53.9 and 68%, respectively. In the final model, CYP3A5 genotype, post-operative day, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, hematocrit and blood urea nitrogen were found to significantly influence the CL/F, whereas POD and HB influence V/F. 4. Population PK analysis of tacrolimus in Chinese adult liver transplant patients resulted in identification of the CYP3A5 genotype, POD, BUN, ALP, HCT, TBIL and HB as significant covariates on the PK parameters of tacrolimus.


Despite the apparent complexity of nuclear structural evolution, recent work has shown a remarkable underlying simplicity that is unexpected, global, and which leads to new signatures for structure based on the easiest-toobtain data. As such they will be extremely valuable for use in experiments with low intensity radioactive beams. Beautiful correlations based either on extrinsic variables such as NpNn or the P-factor or correlations between collective observables themselves have been discovered. Examples to be discussed include a tri-partite classification of structural evolution, leading to a new paradigm that discloses certain specific classes of nuclei, universal trajectories for B(E2: 2* —» 0+) values and their use in extracting hexadecapole deformations from this observable alone, the use of these B(E2) values to identify shell gaps and magic numbers in exotic nuclei, the relationship of (3 and 7 deformations, and single nucleon separation energies. Predictions for nuclei far off stability by interpolation will also be discussed.


This paper studies the problem of constructing minimum-cost multicast trees with end-to-end delay and delay variation constraints to meet the quality of service (QoS) requirements of real-time interactive applications operated in high-speed packet-switched environments. The paper first discusses the routing problem with bounded delay along the paths from the source to each destination and bounded variation among the delays along these paths, and then presents a new algorithm based on Hopfield neural networks to optimize the multicast tree with delay and delay variation constraints. The simulations show that the proposed algorithm achieves its best performance in constructing constrained multicast tree in computer networks.


Game engine is the framework of the games. To develop a game engine owns good performance will reduce repetitive work and technical difficulties effectively during game development process. Considering the advantages and prospect of Android platform, the author studied the development principle of the game engine and Android platform, and then proposed a game engine on Android platform.


For DNA replication to occur, chromatin must be remodeled. Yet, we know very little about which proteins alter nucleosome occupancy at origins and replication forks and for what aspects of replication they are required. Here, we demonstrate that the BRG1 catalytic subunit of mammalian SWI/SNF-related complexes co-localizes with origin recognition complexes, GINS complexes, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen at sites of DNA replication on extended chromatin fibers. The specific pattern of BRG1 occupancy suggests it does not participate in origin selection but is involved in the firing of origins and the process of replication elongation. This latter function is confirmed by the fact that Brg1 mutant mouse embryos and RNAi knockdown cells exhibit a 50% reduction in replication fork progression rates, which is associated with decreased cell proliferation. This novel function of BRG1 is consistent with its requirement during embryogenesis and its role as a tumor suppressor to maintain genome stability and prevent cancer.


A novel receptor-type tyrosine kinase gene flt (fms-like tyrosine kinase, flt-1) was isolated from human placenta cDNA library. Flt-1 receptor carries a ligand binding domain which contains seven immunoglobulin-like stretches. Further, Flt-1 tyrosine kinase domain is separated by an approximately 70 amino acid-insert region similar to the cases of Fms/Kit/PDGF-R (fms family). However, unlike the fms family members, Flt-1 insert region does not contain "Tyr-X-X-Met" motif, which is known to be important for signal transduction and for the binding of P13 kinase to the receptor. Thus, a unique structure of Flt-1 suggests that a signal transduction pathway from Flt receptor is different from that in the fms family. The expression of flt-1 gene is detectable in a variety of normal tissues, and cell fractionation studies indicate that the flt-1 mRNA is highly expressed in endothelial cell-enriched fraction. VEGF, which has recently been reported as a ligand for Flt-1 receptor, dramatically stimulated growth of endothelial cells in culture. Many human tumors were found to express VEGF mRNA but not Flt-1 message, suggesting a paracrine mechanism for tumor angiogenesis. Interestingly, VEGF could not stimulate proliferation of Flt-1-overexpressing NIH3T3 fibroblast cells. These results suggest that Flt-1 is an endothel-specific growth factor receptor and that the signal transducing pathway through Flt-1 receptor is inactive in the fibroblast background.


Arguably, the most significant event in the life of a person with cystic fibrosis (CF) is the acquisition of chronic pulmonary infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It heralds, in many cases, more hospitalisations,1 a more rapid decline in pulmonary function and a shorter life expectancy.2 P aeruginosa has the ability to form biofilms which are composed of non-motile organisms embedded in an exopolysaccharide matrix and which confer resistance to antibiotics.3 In individuals with CF, biofilms have been observed in lungs examined at autopsy and explanted lungs from transplant recipients.4 The extraordinary persistence of infection with P aeruginosa in the CF lung is thought to derive from biofilm formation. The mucoid phenotype of P aeruginosa is a marker of biofilm formation,4 and this phenotype is in turn associated with a worse prognosis compared with non-mucoid organisms.5 However, in the initial stages of infection when the organism is mainly in planktonic form, there is an opportunity to eradicate the infection before it becomes persistent.

The first randomised controlled trial of an eradication regimen for early P aeruginosa infection was reported by Valerius and Koch in 1991.6 This evaluated a 3-week regimen of nebulised colistin and oral ciprofloxacin …


We prove in detail a theorem which completes the evaluation and parametrization of the space of constant mean curvature (CMC) solutions of the Einstein constraint equations on a closed manifold. This theorem determines which sets of CMC conformal data allow the constraint equations to be solved, and which sets of such data do not. The tools we describe and use here to prove these results have also been found to be useful for the study of non-constant mean curvature solutions of the Einstein constraints.


Previous studies have shown that paramedian reticular nucleus (PRN) possessed sympathetic and parasympathetic inhibitions on autonomic nervous system. In the present study, the cardiovascular reactions of PRN by locally-applied DL-homocysteic acid (DLH), acetylcholine (ACh), monoamines and electrophysiological properties of PRN neurons responding to intravenous injection of ACh and NE were studied in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. In PRN, electrical stimulation caused hypotension and mild bradycardia while microinjection of DLH, which excites only cell body of the neurons but not passing fibers, evoked similar responses. Furthermore, direct application of ACh, norepinephrine (NE) or serotonin (5-HT) in PRN also produced hypotension, suggesting that these putative neurotransmitters may be involved in the cardiovascular responses in PRN. The electrophysiological properties of PRN neurons were studied: Neurons in PRN could be categorized into three types according to their neuronal activities in response to the changes of systemic arterial blood pressure (SAP) by ACh or NE given intravenously. Type I neurons (25/69) were activated in the same direction of SAP changes. Type II neurons (17/69) responded opposite to the direction of SAP changes. Type III neurons (27/69) responded inconsistently to the changes of SAP. All the three types of neurons were excited by locally-applied DLH and possessed a similar unfiltered action potential duration of greater than 0.5 msec.


The large-scale integration of converter-interfaced resources in electrical power systems raises new threats to stability which call for a new theoretic framework for modelling and analysis. In this paper, we present the intrinsic analogy of a power system to a communication system, which is here called power-communication isomorphism. Based on this isomorphism, we revisit power system stability from a communication perspective and thereby establish a theory that unifies the heterogeneous power apparatuses of a power systems and provide a bridge the between the electromagnetic transient (EMT) and phasor analysis frameworks. This theory yields several new insights into power system stability and new possibilities for stabilisation. In particular, we demonstrate that a system of 100% converter-interfaced resources can achieve stable synchronisation in small- and large-signal sense under grid-following control which was commonly considered impossible.


The conversion of Zearalenone by some strains of microorganisms was investigated. When the selective strains of Rhodotorula sp., Arthrobacter sp., Saccharomyces sp., and Candida sp. were incubated by shaking or standing at 28 degrees C for 72 h with an alcoholic solution of Zearalenone as the substrate at a concentration of 2-10 mg/ml ethanol (50-100 micrograms/ml medium), it was readily converted to give Zearalenols, consisting either mainly of the alpha-isomer (e.g. 96% in case of Rhodotorula sp. and 84% in case of Arthrobacter sp. as determined by HPLC) or beta-isomer (e.g. 91% and 92% in Saccharomyces sp. and Candida sp., respectively). The structure of the product was confirmed by 13C-NMR, MS and HPLC.


BACKGROUND
The authors conducted a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of a biopsychosocial intervention for patients who were at high risk (HR) of progressing from acute to chronic temporomandibular disorder (TMD)-related pain.

METHODS
The authors classified subjects' risk using a predictive algorithm and randomized them into an early-intervention (EI) or a nonintervention (NI) group. The EI included cognitive behavioral skills training and biofeedback. The authors assessed pain and psychosocial measures at intake and at a one-year follow-up. Subjects' self-reported pain levels were measured on an analog scale and as a response to palpation.

RESULTS
At one year, EI-group subjects had significantly lower levels of self-reported pain and depression. At one year, more NI-group subjects than EI-group subjects had utilized health care for jaw-related pain. NI-group subjects were 12.5 times as likely to have a somatoform disorder, more than seven times as likely to have an anxiety disorder, and 2.7 times more likely to have an affective disorder at one year, compared with EI-group subjects.

CONCLUSIONS
EI-group subjects had reduced pain levels, improved coping abilities and reduced emotional distress at one year.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
The TMD-related pain experience is complex and requires early identification with a biopsychosocial EI to achieve maximal, sustainable results.


Precise electrochemical synthesis under ambient conditions has provided emerging opportunities for renewable energy utilization. Among many promising systems, the production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has attracted considerable interest in past decades due to the increasing market demands and the vital role of ORR in the electrocatalysis field. This work describes recent advances in cathodic materials for H2O2 synthesis from 2e- ORR. By using Pt as a stereotype, the tuning knobs are overviewed, including the intrinsic binding strength of oxygenated species, the intermediate diffusion path and the isolation of Pt–Pt ensembles that enable 2e- ORR pathway from 4e- total reduction. This knowledge is successfully applied to other transition metal systems and leads to the discovery of more efficient alloy catalysts with balanced improvement on both activity and selectivity. In addition, mesostructure engineering and heteroatoms doping strategies on carbon‐based materials, which significantly boost the H2O2 production efficiency as compared to intact carbon sites, are also reviewed. Finally, future directions and challenges of transferring developed catalysts from lab scale tests to pilot plant operations are briefly outlooked.


The remains of fishes discovered in the Cambridge Greensand are all very fragmentary, and have not hitherto been subjected to the detailed comparison with other Cretaceous Ichthyolites which their interesting stratigraphical position renders desirable. Many specimens, however, are capable of at least generic determination, while many others are sufficiently characteristic fragments for the definition of the species. The present writer has thus been much interested during the past few years in studying collections of these fossils, and the following notes embody some of the results in reference to the ganoid fishes. The British Museum (Natural History) having recently acquired the collection made from the Cambridge Greensand by Mr. Thomas Jesson, F.G.S., nearly all the known species are now represented here; but the writer has also availed himself of the privilege of making use of the fine series in the Woodwardian Museum, Cambridge, and the Philosophical Society's Museum, York, thanks to the kindness of Professor McKenny Hughes, Mr. Henry Woods, and Mr. H. M. Platnauer. Mr. James Carter, M.R.C.S., has also kindly lent some Pycnodont jaws from his private collection


We present a systematic characterization of fluctuations in submicron Hall devices based on GaAs/AlGaAs two-dimensional electron gas heterostructures at temperatures between 1.5 to 60 K. A large variety of noise spectra, from 1/f to Lorentzian, are obtained by gating the Hall devices. The noise level can be reduced by up to several orders of magnitude with a moderate gate voltage of 0.2 V, whereas the carrier density increases less than 60% in the same range. The significant dependence of the Hall noise spectra on temperature and gate voltage is explained in terms of the switching processes related to impurities in n-AlGaAs.


Purpose
The changing environment of today's organizations creates an atmosphere ripe for emotions. This ebb and flow of emotions need to be managed to facilitate positive outcomes such as job satisfaction. This paper aims to provide evidence that emotional intelligence directly impacts one's satisfaction at work. This paper attempts to go beyond these higher-order findings to examine the dimensional aspects of emotional intelligence and the impact each one has on job satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach
Using a quantitative survey conducted among 427 US-based workers, this paper tests a disaggregated emotional intelligence model and its hypothesized relationships with job satisfaction through structural equation modeling (SEM). Additional analysis includes confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and a two-stage common method variance assessment.

Findings
The results confirmed the positive impact of the dimensions of emotional intelligence on job satisfaction. However, with interactive effects in place, the results also found signs of reciprocal suppression and could not confirm that all four emotional intelligence dimensions significantly and positively related to job satisfaction.

Originality/value
These findings are significant in that they are among the first to elaborate on the dimensions of emotional intelligence and their role in the improvement of one's satisfaction at work. Further, these findings legitimize the use of the theoretical higher-order model of emotional intelligence in lieu of investigating its dimensional aspects.


Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most important causes of nosocomial infections that easily gains resistance to many antibiotics. This opportunistic pathogen is a major health hazard particularly in immunocomprmied patients and patients with surgical wound infection. P. aeruginosa may be originated from different sources and comprises a high colonization and transmission capacity. The aim of this study is to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the P. aeruginosa isolates and to investigate the potential sources of infection in surgical site infected patients by genotyping using RAPD-PCR. Methodology: samples were taken from patients (217), health staff (30), environment (88) and antiseptics and hand washing solutions (60). After isolation and identification of P. aeruginosa, antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using disc diffusion method. DNA was extracted from the isolates and RAPD-PCR method was applied to the DNA extract using a short single primer of 272. The technique created repetitive electrophoresis patterns which was used for genotypic differentiation. Results: 24.8% of patient samples were positive for P. aeruginosa and 10% of staff hand samples were positive. The highest frequency of pseudomonas isolation from environmental samples was from mops (55.6%) followed by door handles (44.4%) and sinks (40%). The RAPD typing method gave higher discriminatory index (0.807) than antibiogram (0.617). Epidemiological linkages were proven by analyzing antibiogram and RAPD-PCR typing data. Conclusion: hand hygiene, environmental cleaning and disinfection of patient objects to reduce environmental reservoirs of P. aeruginosa. It is better to limit the usage of antibiotics in the hospitals as ceftolozanetazobactam and ceftazidimeavibactam to be used only when absolutely needed. RAPD molecular typing method was superior to antibiotic typing and should be used in tracing the source of infection.


Abstract Objective: The shortest pen needle (PN) for subcutaneous insulin therapy is 4 mm. Clinicians may hesitate to use it in obese patients. We report a post hoc analysis of a previously published study of the 4 mm × 32 G PN, evaluating responses in obese (≥30 kg/m2) and non-obese (<30 kg/m2). Methods: Subjects (BMI 20 to 49 kg/m2, 52% obese) with diabetes used 4 mm × 32 G PNs and either 5 mm or 8 mm PNs (both 31 G) in two, 3-week treatment periods in a randomized noninferiority cross-over trial. Percentage absolute change in fructosamine (%│Δ Fru│) was the primary endpoint. Equivalent glycemic control was defined as %│Δ Fru│ within 20% (including 95% CI). The impact of obesity on change in fructosamine, pain and reported insulin leakage from the skin is described. Clinical trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov – identifier: NCT00928057. Limitations: This report is a post hoc analysis of two BMI subgroups resulting in smaller sample sizes. Results: Of 168 who completed the study, 163 were included in the fructosamine analyses − 83 and 80 in the 4/5 mm and 4/8 mm groups, respectively. For the 4/5 mm group, mean BMI ± SD in non-obese and obese groups were 25.9 ± 2.3 and 35.0 ± 4.9 kg/m2, respectively; 4/8 mm group 25.2 ± 2.6 and 35.6 ± 4.2 kg/m2. BMI group was not significant for %│Δ Fru│ for either 4/5 mm or 4/8 mm. Between BMI groups, the difference of the means in %│Δ Fru│ was 0.4% (4/5 mm) and 0.3% (4/8 mm). The 4 mm PN was significantly less painful in all subject groups, except non-obese in 4/5 mm. Regardless of needle size, obese subjects reported more leakage events. For both BMI groups, there were fewer total reported leakage events when using the 4 mm vs 5 mm and 8 mm needles. Conclusions: The 4 mm pen needle provided equivalent glycemic control in both obese and non-obese patients compared to 5 mm and 8 mm needles with no increase in reports of skin leakage, in this post-hoc analysis. These findings should be confirmed in a prospective randomized controlled trial.


Mondor's disease in association with hepatitis C. We report a case of a 40 years old patient suffering from Mondor's disease. Neither a malignancy nor a disturbance of the clotting system was found. This case is remarkable for the association with hepatitis C.


Abstract The COVID‐19 pandemic has been characterized by misinformation, politicization of public health, and extreme differences in risk assessment. In two studies, we sought to understand factors that contribute to differences in people's understanding of the virus and associated risks. We found that conservative participants reported higher levels of acceptable risk, have lower risk estimates of activities, and endorsed more misinformation. Participants with personal health risk factors rated COVID‐19 risks as higher, more reflective participants had lower acceptable risk levels, and impulsive participants endorsed more misinformation. In our second study, we also found that reflective participants were more likely to wear a mask, get vaccinated, and maintain social distancing, and that participants judged arguments about COVID‐19 measures largely based on the claim rather than supporting reasons. By clarifying these individual differences, public health experts can more effectively create targeted interventions for at risk populations, and be better prepared for future outbreaks.


Application is the driving force of system evolvement. Satellite communication has seen its progression based on service provisioning capability and user experience. In this paper, we present an 'integrated' next-generation architecture, providing global users seamless connectivity, improving quality of service, and achieving synergy by robust network design. Satellite plays an important role in various aspects of our system. Techniques, such as powerful regenerative onboard processing, multi spotbeams with tunable structure, tailored frequency plan and flexible intersatellite links, etc., enable satellites with remarkable competence. Based on these, converged satellite-terrestrial network, cross-layer protocol stack and cooperative robust framework, as a trinity, together accomplish the integration of satellite communication system. Keywords-integration; satellite; communication; converge; cross-layer; cooperative.


We present a new investigation of the intergalactic medium (IGM) near the end of reionization using "dark gaps" in the Lyα forest. Using spectra of 55 QSOs at z em > 5.5, including new data from the XQR-30 VLT Large Programme, we identify gaps in the Lyα forest where the transmission averaged over 1 comoving h −1 Mpc bins falls below 5%. Nine ultralong (L > 80 h −1 Mpc) dark gaps are identified at z < 6. In addition, we quantify the fraction of QSO spectra exhibiting gaps longer than 30 h −1 Mpc, F 30, as a function of redshift. We measure F 30 ≃ 0.9, 0.6, and 0.15 at z = 6.0, 5.8, and 5.6, respectively, with the last of these long dark gaps persisting down to z ≃5.3. Comparing our results with predictions from hydrodynamical simulations, we find that the data are consistent with models wherein reionization extends significantly below redshift six. Models wherein the IGM is essentially fully reionized that retain large-scale fluctuations in the ionizing UV background at z ≲6 are also potentially consistent with the data. Overall, our results suggest that signatures of reionization in the form of islands of neutral hydrogen and/or large-scale fluctuations in the ionizing background remain present in the IGM until at least z ≃ 5.3.


Coumestrol, a phytoestrogen compound found in various plants, has been shown to act as a potent estrogen receptor (ER) agonist, with a higher binding affinity for ERβ than for ERα. However, there is currently limited information regarding its beneficial effects in postmenopausal disorders and its ER-mediated mechanisms. Herein, we investigated the effects of coumestrol (subcutaneous or oral treatment) on metabolic dysfunction in ovariectomized (OVX) mice fed a high-fat diet, in comparison with the effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) replacement. Coumestrol was administered daily at a dose of 5 mg/kg for 10 weeks. Coumestrol treatment through the subcutaneous route stimulated uterine growth in OVX mice at a level lower than that of E2. E2 and coumestrol prevented body fat accumulation, adipocyte hypertrophy, and hepatic steatosis, and enhanced voluntary physical activity. Coumestrol showed estrogen-mimetic effects in the regulation of the protein expressions involved in browning of white fat and insulin signaling, including increased hepatic expression of fibroblast growth factor 21. Importantly, the metabolic effects of coumestrol (oral administration at 10 mg/kg for 7 weeks) were mostly abolished following co-treatment with an ERβ-selective antagonist but not with an ERα-selective antagonist, indicating that the metabolic actions of coumestrol in OVX mice are primarily mediated by ERβ. These findings provide important insights into the beneficial effects of coumestrol as a phytoestrogen supplement for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal symptoms.


OBJECTIVE
Determine the myocardial perfusion characteristics in obstructive sleep apnea and its possible role in cardiovascular damage.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES
Fourteen patients from the Obesity Clinic weighing less than 130 kg underwent myocardial perfusion studies using single photon emission computed tomography with technetium 99m-labeled sestamibi during nighttime polysomnographic recordings. Coronary angiograms were performed on patients with suspect of severe coronary obstruction according nighttime myocardial perfusion studies or pharmacological stress carried out during waking hours.

RESULTS
All 14 patients manifested myocardial perfusion defects during sleep, affecting an average of 5.5 segments/patient, although only 8 presented ischemic ST segment changes and none demonstrated rhythm or conduction disturbances. Angiographic examination of the 10 patients with the most severe perfusion defects did not reveal significant coronary obstruction, and fewer perfusion defects were documented during daytime scintigraphy.

DISCUSSION
In obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea, myocardial perfusion defects appear to occur with highest frequency and severity during nighttime sleep, justifying further investigation in a larger number of patients with obstructive sleep apnea and more significant obesity.


Correction for 'Wafer-scale reliable switching memory based on 2-dimensional layered organic-inorganic halide perovskite' by Ja-Young Seo, et al., Nanoscale, 2017, DOI: 10.1039/c7nr05582j.


SUMMARY Seeds of Capsicum annuum L. varieties Co – 1 and Ujwala were treated with two chemical mutagens viz., Ehtyl methane sulphonate and Sodium azide. Twelve different types of morphological mutants were isolated in M 2 and M 3 generations. Capsaicin content of some selected mutants was also estimated. Frequency of morphological mutants obtained was very high in variety Co -1 when compared to Ujwala.


To investigate the structural properties of Cu2+-incorporated ZnAl-layered double hydroxide, a series of CuZnAl-layered double hydroxides with various molar ratios was prepared by the constant pH co-precipitation method. The composition, structure and morphology of the synthesized products were analyzed by using XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR, XPS and 27Al–1H MAS-NMR techniques. The results show that all samples with or without copper present crystalline LDH with a flower-like architecture, and no other impurity was observed. The interesting observation of the study was that the incorporation of copper influences the coordination number of aluminum. Comparing with the ZnAl-LDH layers, which contained only ZnO6 and AlO6 octahedra, in the Cu-containing LDH layers, in addition to CuO6, ZnO6, and AlO6 species, the AlO4 species is clearly observed. A simplified explanation for the formation of AlO4 species is associated with the Jahn–Teller effect of copper. These results suggest that there are structural defects (Al–O–Al connectivities) in the form of AlO4 species in the Cu-containing LDHs.


The aspect ratio variation frequently appears in visual tracking and has a severe influence on performance. Although many correlation filter (CF)-based trackers have also been suggested for scale adaptive tracking, few studies have been given to handle the aspect ratio variation for CF trackers. In this paper, we make the first attempt to address this issue by introducing a family of 1D boundary CFs to localize the left, right, top, and bottom boundaries in videos. This allows us cope with the aspect ratio variation flexibly during tracking. Specifically, we present a novel tracking model to integrate 1D Boundary and 2D Center CFs (IBCCF) where boundary and center filters are enforced by a near-orthogonality regularization term. To optimize our IBCCF model, we develop an alternating direction method of multipliers. Experiments on several datasets show that IBCCF can effectively handle aspect ratio variation, and achieves state-of-the-art performance in terms of accuracy and robustness.


The rapid movement in health care toward the integration of delivery and payment systems reflects both a quickly changing marketplace and the anticipation of reform. The challenge in merging insurance and provider organizations, say those insurers who are doing it, is in the details.


Fe3O4@SiO2 core–shell structure nanoparticles were first prepared and characterized by TEM, FTIR, XPS and XRD. Subsequently the widely used anticancer agent doxorubincin (DOX) was successfully grafted to the surface of the core–shell nanoparticles via an amide bond with the aid of a spacer arm we synthesized. The spacer arm met two needs: one end can couple to the core–shell nanoparticles' surface while the other end was the active –COOH group, which can react with the –NH2 group of DOX molecules. The synthesized spacer arm and the conjugation of the drug with nanoparticles through amidation were confirmed by FTIR. The DOX-loading efficiency determined by UV–vis spectrometer was 86.5%. Drug release experiments displayed a pH-dependent behavior that DOX was cleaved from the nanoparticles easily under low pH conditions in the presence of protease and that most of the conjugated doxorubincin were released within the first 12 h. The prepared DOX-grafted Fe3O4@SiO2 core–shell structure nanoparticles showed a superparamagnetic property with a saturation magnetization value of 49.3 emu g−1, indicating a great potential application in the treatment of cancer using magnetic targeting drug-delivery technology.


Understanding the trends in causes of death for different diseases during the current COVID-19 pandemic is important to determine whether there are excess deaths beyond what is normally expected. Using the most recent report from National Records Scotland (NRS) on 29 April 2020, we examined the percentage difference in crude numbers of deaths in 2020 compared to the average for 2015-2019 by week of death within calendar year. To determine if trends were similar, suggesting underreporting/underdiagnosed COVID-19 related deaths, we also looked at the trends in % differences for cardiovascular disease deaths. From the first 17 weeks' of data, we found a peak in excess deaths at week 14 of 2020, about four weeks after the first case in Scotland was detected on 1 March 2020-- but by week 17 these excesses had returned to normal levels, 4 weeks after lockdown in the UK began. Similar observations were seen for cardiovascular disease-related deaths. These observations suggest that the short-term increase in excess cancer and cardiovascular deaths might be associated with undetected/unconfirmed deaths related to COVID-19. Both of these conditions make patients more susceptible to infection and lack of widespread access to testing for COVID-19 are likely to have resulted in under-estimation of COVID-19 mortality. These data further suggest that the cumulative toll of COVID-19 on mortality is likely undercounted. More detailed analysis is needed to determine if these excesses were directly or indirectly related to COVID-19. Disease specific mortality will need constant monitoring for the foreseeable future as changes occur in increasing capacity and access to testing, reporting criteria, changes to health services and different measures are implemented to control the spread of the COVID-19. Multidisciplinary, multi-institutional, national and international collaborations for complementary and population specific data analysis is required to respond and mitigate adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and to inform planning for future pandemics.


A rigorous approach is proposed to excite plane waves in time/envelope domain finite-element methods with perfectly matched layer (PML) termination. The essential idea is to apply the equivalence principle on an inner boundary. The radiation of the equivalent electrical and magnetic current sources forms plane wave incidence inside the boundary and zero field outside the boundary. It provides a concise, computationally efficient, and physically clear way to implement plane wave incidence for electromagnetic scattering problems.


The number and complexity of attacks on computer systems are increasing. This growth necessitates proper defense mechanisms. Intrusion detection systems play an important role in detecting and disrupting attacks before they can compromise software. The Secom prototype can effectively eliminate malicious state changes while committing a VM with small performance degradation. The Secom prototype has a smaller number of false negatives and thus can more thoroughly clean up malware side effects. In addition, the number of false positives of the Secom prototype is also lower than that achieved by the online behavior-based approach of the commercial tools. Multivariant execution is an intrusion detection mechanism that executes several slightly different versions, called variants, of the same program in lockstep. The variants are built to have identical behavior under normal execution conditions. However, when the variants are under attack, there are detectable differences in their execution behavior. At runtime, a monitor compares the behavior of the variants at certain synchronization points and raises an alarm when a discrepancy is detected. The project presents a monitoring mechanism that does not need any kernel privileges to supervise the variants. Many sources of inconsistencies, including asynchronous signals and scheduling of multithreaded or multiprocess applications, can cause divergence in behavior of variants. These divergences cause false alarms.


With the increasing scarcity of natural resources, the ability to maintain quality standards during resource-scarce times becomes more critical for business performance. Theories on managing resource scarcity cannot be easily tested in contexts where resources are still abundant. This study therefore turns to an emerging market context in which natural resource availability naturally varies strongly between seasons, namely, that of Ethiopian pastoralists who for many generations learned to adapt to natural resource scarcity. Central to our theory is the natural resource deployment capability, which is the ability of a business to make efficient and effective use of available resources to maintain business performance during resource-scarce times. Using three-wave longitudinal data from 120 pastoral family-based livestock businesses, the study shows that when resources are scarce or extremely scarce, market knowledge helps to better deploy the scarce natural resources, leading to higher product quality. The findings imply that businesses with a better understanding of markets have stronger natural resource deployment capability. The lesson for businesses that are confronted with approaching resource scarcity is therefore to strengthen their ability to deploy resources efficiently and effectively by strengthening their market knowledge in which such capability is rooted.


The antipsychotic effect of neuroleptics appears to depend upon dopaminergic blockade. Neither prolactin nor drug levels are helpful in the clinical situation. The value of neuroleptics both as an acute treatment for schizophrenic episodes and as a prophylactic against relapse is undoubted but even with assured compliance, these drugs cannot be considered as curative and the prognosis is often limited.


We present a new Gaussian process (GP) regression model where the covariance kernel is indexed or parameterized by a sufficient dimension reduction subspace of a reproducing kernel Hilbert space. The covariance kernel will be low-rank while capturing the statistical dependency of the response to the covariates, this affords significant improvement in computational efficiency as well as potential reduction in the variance of predictions. We develop a fast Expectation-Maximization algorithm for estimating the parameters of the subspace-induced Gaussian process (SIGP). Extensive results on real data show that SIGP can outperform the standard full GP even with a low rank-$m$, $m\leq 3$, inducing subspace.


Purpose of reviewAngiotensinogen and components of the renin-angiotensin system are expressed in adipose tissue of rodents and humans, but the role of generated angiotensin II has remained intriguing. Moreover, the functional importance of angiotensin II receptor subtypes in preadipocytes and adipocytes still remains a controversial subject. Recent findingsRecent findings in transgenic mice have emphasized the upregulation of angiotensinogen expression by glucocorticoids. Furthermore, angiotensinogen products, that is angiotensin II and possibly angiotensin II-related products, have been found to act locally in modulating adipose tissue growth in an autocrine/paracrine manner. Cellularity measurements show that fat mass enlargement is associated with adipocyte hypertrophy, consistent with the upregulation of the fatty acid synthetase gene by angiotensin II depicted at the molecular level. Together, these findings suggest a mechanism by which transient or chronic overexpression of angiotensinogen in adipose tissue favors lipogenesis in adipocytes and leads to a 'vicious' circle whereby adipose tissue development is further increased. SummaryAdditional studies are warranted to characterize angiotensin II-related receptors, if any, and to clarify the role played by angiotensin II receptor subtypes and metabolites in various metabolic aspects of white adipose tissue. Purpose of reviewAngiotensinogen and components of the renin-angiotensin system are expressed in adipose tissue of rodents and humans, but the role of generated angiotensin II has remained intriguing. Moreover, the functional importance of angiotensin II receptor subtypes in preadipocytes and adipocytes still remains a controversial subject. Recent findingsRecent findings in transgenic mice have emphasized the upregulation of angiotensinogen expression by glucocorticoids. Furthermore, angiotensinogen products, that is angiotensin II and possibly angiotensin II-related products, have been found to act locally in modulating adipose tissue growth in an autocrine/paracrine manner. Cellularity measurements show that fat mass enlargement is associated with adipocyte hypertrophy, consistent with the upregulation of the fatty acid synthetase gene by angiotensin II depicted at the molecular level. Together, these findings suggest a mechanism by which transient or chronic overexpression of angiotensinogen in adipose tissue favors lipogenesis in adipocytes and leads to a 'vicious' circle whereby adipose tissue development is further increased. SummaryAdditional studies are warranted to characterize angiotensin II-related receptors, if any, and to clarify the role played by angiotensin II receptor subtypes and metabolites in various metabolic aspects of white adipose tissue.


and oculomotor control mechanisms during scanning eye movements is of particular importance to visual neurobiologists. Just as our eyes are unable to simultaneously fixate all the elements contained within a scene, our perception Princeton, New Jersey 08544 2 Systems Neurobiology Laboratory of those elements is likewise limited. The tremendous volume of information impinging on the retina imposes Covert spatial attention produces biases in perceptual of gaze and the direction of attention are aligned. That performance and neural processing of behaviorally is, we normally fixate objects of interest, overtly at-relevant stimuli in the absence of overt orienting move-tending to them. But attention can be disengaged from ments. The neural mechanism that gives rise to these the point of fixation, and a great deal has been made effects is poorly understood. This paper surveys past of this fact (Sperling and Melchner, 1978; Posner and evidence of a relationship between oculomotor control Cohen 1984). Covert attention has intrigued physiolo-and visual spatial attention and more recent evidence gists and psychologists alike for more than a century. of a causal link between the control of saccadic eye In more recent years, a great number of studies of the movements by frontal cortex and covert visual selec-monkey and human visual systems have revealed a de-tion. Both suggest that the mechanism of covert spa-pendence of the strength of visual cortical signals on tial attention emerges as a consequence of the recip-the locus of covert visual attention (for reviews, see rocal interactions between neural circuits primarily Maunsell, 1995; Desimone and Duncan, 1995; Kastner involved in specifying the visual properties of potential and Ungerleider, 2000). However, the mechanism by targets and those involved in specifying the move-which the processing of relevant visual information is ments needed to fixate them. selectively biased has eluded investigators. A wealth of indirect evidence suggests that the neural mechanisms Introduction of covert attention are largely overlapping with those The primate cerebral cortex is comprised of neurons controlling the programming of saccadic eye move-that are largely involved in processing visual information areas organized more or less hierarchically beyond pri-2000), at least when attention is directed spatially. This mary visual cortex (V1) has proven to be particularly paper surveys evidence of a relationship between oculo-important in that it establishes the relatively modular motor control and spatial attention, including some re-nature of visual feature extraction (Zeki, 1978; Felleman cent tests of a causal link between the control …


This book looks at the four main, and two lesser, English centres known for instrument production outside the capital: Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield, along with the older population centres in Bristol and York. Making wide use of new sources, Dr Morrison-Low, curator of history of science at the National Museums of Scotland, charts the growth of these centres and provides a characterisation of their products. New information is provided on aspects of the trade, especially marketing techniques, sources of materials, tools and customer relationships. From contemporary evidence, she argues that the principal output of the provincial trade (with some notable exceptions) must have been into the London marketplace, anonymously, and at the cheaper end of the market. She also discusses the structure and organization of the provincial trade, and looks at the impact of new technology imported from other closely-allied trades.


BackgroundSome patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) show postoperative changes in hip rotation. We investigated changes in the hip rotation angles of patients in the standing position before and after THA and the factors associated with such changes.MethodsParticipants included 77 patients (82 joints) who underwent primary THA for hip osteoarthritis. There were 17 joints in men and 65 joints in women, and the mean age at the time of surgery was 65.7 years. Standing hip rotation angles and hip internal/external rotation ranges of motion (ROM) were measured before and 2 weeks after THA to compare preoperative and postoperative measurements. For radiographic measurements, acetabular and cup anteversion, neck and stem anteversion, combined anteversion (CA), and leg length discrepancy were measured before and after THA to investigate the factors associated with changes in standing hip rotation angles.ResultsRegarding standing hip rotation angles, external rotation was 6.9° ± 4.1° before THA and 2.0° ± 2.4° after THA, showing a shift in the internal rotation direction (P = < .0001). The degree of change in standing hip rotation angles before and after THA was found to be negatively correlated with the degree of change in cup anteversion (- 0.429, P = < .0001) and CA (- 0.3012, P = .0063).ConclusionPostoperative changes in standing hip rotation following THA were considered associated with extra-articular position sense, rather than intra-articular position sense, to maintain the balance between the pelvis and proximal femur affected by the angles of the placed implant components.


Cohousing is a new form of human settlement which offers a possible solution to the housing crisis. In cohousing communities, people come together and share facilities and belongings, such as a garden, central workshops and car. The energy efficiency contributes to a reduced cost of living for tenants. Equally, cohousing and its community have the potential to offer a different scale of social organisation whilst delivering an environmental concept that leads to a low carbon lifestyle. This paper will present work conducted as part of a PhD study which aims to examine the timeline and consequences of a green agenda moving towards a sustainable living model, by exploring debates around cohousing and sustainable communities and social interaction. Examining people's contemporary lifestyles as a starting point, this research will develop methods to encourage a greater commitment to cohousing and sustainable living environments. This paper will review two case studies in order to examine the role of cohousing in creating sustainable living environments in the UK. Cohousing concepts will be analysed according to size and features, community structures, cultural and economic values. How cohousing can be utilised as an evaluation tool for social sustainability, to guide behavioural change and foster sustainable living will be examined. Additionally, it is anticipated that the information produced by this research could potentially be applied to different settings and environments in the UK and beyond, accelerating the implementation of environmentally-friendly homes and communities.


ZnO and ZrO2 photo catalysts were synthesized by sol-gel auto combustion method. The products were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Structural and morphological properties of nano particles were investigated and the average crystalline size of ZnO and ZrO2 was obtained 44 and 51 nm, respectively. Also, photo catalytic degradation of Nitro phenol from aqueous solution by using nano scale ZnO and ZrO2 powders under UVC light irradiation was studied and degradation of Nitro phenol was 98% for ZnO in 40 minutes and 83% in 100 min for ZrO2.


Background and aims Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a measure of the variability in the size of red blood cells. RDW has been shown to be associated with mortality in adult patients with severe sepsis. However, RDW changes in neonatal sepsis prognosis has not been studied. We evaluated the RDW values of neonatal sepsis from our retrospective data. Methods Complete blood count results were analysed retrospectively from 63 infants diagnosed with culture positive sepsis in Baskent University Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The RDW difference between 1st and 3rd days and the ratio of the difference and 1st day RDW (change of percentage) were calculated. Results Gestational age, birth weight and Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min, resulting in mortality and improving infants showed no statistical difference (p > 0.05). The change of RDW between 1st and 3rd days was not significant (p = 0.74). Percentage change of RDW values with mortality rates did not differ (p = 0.44-p = 0.85). Conclusions RDW could be elevated in conditions with ineffective eritropoesis or any disease with dsetruction with red blood cells. During sepsis, RDW could be found increased because of the effect of proinflammatory cytokines on red cell production. In neonatal sepsis, RDW change was not found associated with prognosis. Elevated and variable RDW levels could be explained because of different postmenstrual and gestational ages like preterm infants.