Background Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an inflammatory and fibrotic disease characterised by inflammation, immune dysregulation and excessive extracellular matrix deposition. T cell and NK cell disturbance have already been described in SSc and implicated in its establishment. Aims Determine the frequency of different subpopulations of T cells (CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+ /CD8+) among the functional compartments and the percentage of T cell subsets and NK cells (CD56bright and CD56dim subpopulations) expressing cytolytic markers. Materials and Methods The study enrolled 43 SSc patients, 30 with limited cutaneous subtype (lSSc) and 13 with diffuse cutaneous subtype (dSSc) according to LeRoy et al. classification and 20 healthy individuals as control group. A further subdivision was made based upon clinical parameters of disease duration and clinical manifestations. Immunophenotyping characterisation of peripheral blood T cells was performed by flow cytometry. T cells functional compartments (naïve, central memory, effector memory and terminal effector) were defined based on CD45Ra and CD27 phenotype. Cytotoxic activity was assessed by the intracellular expression of granzyme B and perforin. Results We observed a lower frequency of T cells in SSc, particularly in dSSc and in patients with pulmonary fibrosis and digital ulcers. Moreover, SSc patients presented a decreased frequency and absolute numbers of CD8+ T cells (mainly in dSSc patients, and SSc patients with pulmonary fibrosis and digital ulcers). We also observed a lower absolute value of double positive CD4+/CD8+ cells in SSc patients. Regarding NK cells, SSc patients with pulmonary fibrosis exhibit a lower absolute value of both CD56bright and CD56dim subsets. Among functional compartments, we found a higher frequency of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells with terminal effector and memory effector phenotype, closely related to a decreased frequency of cells with central memory and naïve phenotype. This reached statistical significance for CD8+ T cells. In line with these observations, we demonstrated an increased frequency of T CD4+ and CD8+ cells expressing granzyme B and perforin, particularly in patients with the disease for longer than one year. An increased frequency of CD56bright NK cells expressing perforin or granzyme B was also observed in SSc patients. Conclusions Our results indicate an increased frequency of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and CD56bright NK cells with an effector/cytotoxic phenotype in the peripheral blood from SSc patients. These changes seem to be related with the presence of pulmonary fibrosis or digital ulcers.


Abstract Shoes are probably one of the most difficult products to sell online due to the high need-for-touch (NFT) displayed: people need to experiment the product before buying it, more than in any other item. On another hand, women are more prone than men to buy fashion and apparel products through the web channel. This paper investigates the factors driving women consumers to shop footwear products online. A qualitative research method was used grounded on semi-structured, in-depth interviews that were conducted to corroborate the constructs defined in the proposed conceptual model namely: convenience, recreation, NFT and social e-shopping. The interviews were focused on the demand side to understand the female consumers' perspective and on the top managers of women's shoes companies representing the suppliers' viewpoint. The results show that women highly appreciate the convenience that shopping shoes online provides as well as its recreational nature. The NFT also stands out in the shoe market context mainly due to the particularities related to shoe size. Additionally, social e-shopping was found not be as important for women as anticipated as they see social networks more as a communication platform for brands, and less as a factor that influences their predisposition to shop shoes online. On the suppliers' side, the interviews revealed that managers believe in bloggers and social media influence and its consideration as part of the overall marketing strategy.


The first year of a teacher's career has a great importance since it gives a clue whether the teacher will stay in the field or not. Novice teachers' step into professional life from graduation might be worrying, because there is no gentle adaptation period into teaching profession. At the first day of school, the novice teacher has to stand in front of students. The novices should teach like experienced teachers, in addition have many roles. The expectation from both teachers is same. The novice is expected to learn the school environment, policies and procedures while becoming familiar with curriculum, testing and school. There are some issues in the class atmosphere as well like, students at different levels, pacing speed, workload, communicate with parents and students. Teachers may need a survival kit between their background knowledge, training and the realities of the classroom. Entering classroom with lack of experience can cause negative feelings for new educators. This can lead to a feeling of isolation which may later result in unwanted situation like losing the teacher in the field of education. When novice teachers feel overwhelmed by their practice that they need to improve upon, a training can ease their work and help them survive in the field.


Impression taking is performed to find model of patient's teeth and oral cavity in making  restoration or orthodontic appliances. The impression enable bacteria, fungi or virus from saliva or blood in oral cavity to be transferred. Washing the impression by using running water is not enough to completely remove all of bacteria, fungi or virus has been attached on the impression. Therefore the disinfection procedure on impression is needed to avoid the cross infection between the patient and operator. Cross infection of contamination of virus, fungi or bacteria cause of B hepatitis, tuberculosis, herpes zoster and Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV-AIDS) diseases. There are many many  disinfectant agents which have been recommended to be used  in effort to disinfect impression such as chlorine compound, iodophore, glutaraldehide and phenol. There are several methods of disinfection can be performed such as immersion, spray or admix the disinfectant into impression material. However several disinfection methods cause side effects such as dimensional change especially on alginate impression, quality of impression surface, surface roughness and other properties of impression material. In this paper the side effects occur in impression material caused by impression disinfection will be studied and discussed. Farther the disinfection by using UV light, blue light, microwave, autoclave, gargle and the possibility of  traditional flora solution using as disinfectant of impression will be explained.


Introduction: Reproductive Tract infections among women of reproductive age group {including both sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) & Non STI} are responsible for major ill health and have important concern as these are associated with risk of HIV Transmission & complications like Pelvic inflammatory Disease (PID), Infertility etc. This study was conducted to determine prevalence of microorganism & their antibiogram & their association with socio demographic profile & menstrual hygiene. Methods: This was a cross sectional study included 200 women with discharge of 15-44 year age. Detail history was taken about their socio demographic data, Symptoms & menstrual hygiene; vaginal or endo cervical swab & blood sample (for serological diagnosis of syphilis) were collected. Results: Among STI most common infection is Candidiasis (45.6%) & Bacterial Vaginosis (27.8%) whereas among Non STI Esch. coli (27.3%) & Staph. aureus (26.4%). Among STI most common symptom was lower abdominal Pain & Lower backache whereas in Non-STI Vulvular itching & fever. Both STI & Non STI shows statically significant positive association with Labourer population & who uses cloth during their menstrual period whereas STI also shows statically significant positive association with younger, lower education & lower socio economic status population. Staph. aureus highly sensitive to linezolid, vancomycin whereas Esch.coli was most common gram negative bacteria & highly sensitive to imipenem & piperacillintazobactum. Conclusions: To conclude, by proper assessment of Prevalence & risk factor of STI and Non STI & by health education, we can reduce these infection & antibiotic resistance by prudent use of antibiotics.


Abstract : The IMITS: Information and Clinical Technologies for the Advancement of Healthcare is focused on implementation of advanced technology solutions that eliminate inefficiencies, increase utilization, and improve quality of care for active duty forces. The work on this project includes the development and implementation of prototype telemedicine systems and advanced technology applications at United States Air Force bases. Emphasis has been placed on the incorporation of sound evaluation methodologies for each of the sub-projects with special attention to the areas of cost effectiveness and end-user satisfaction within the AFMS.


In vivo solid-phase microextraction (SPME) has been recently proposed for the extraction, clean-up and preconcentration of analytes of biological and clinical concern. Bioanalysis can be performed by sampling exo- or endogenous compounds directly in living organisms with minimum invasiveness. In this context, innovative and miniaturized devices characterized by both commercial and lab-made coatings for in vivo SPME tissue sampling have been proposed, thus assessing the feasibility of this technique for biomarker discovery, metabolomics studies or for evaluating the environmental conditions to which organisms can be exposed. Finally, the possibility of directly interfacing SPME to mass spectrometers represents a valuable tool for the rapid quali- and quantitative analysis of complex matrices. This review article provides a survey of in vivo SPME applications focusing on the extraction of tissues, cells and simple organisms. This survey will attempt to cover the state-of- the-art from 2014 up to 2019.


Fifty-six cases of De Quervain's tenosynovitis (in 55 patients) were treated with a "long-acting" corticosteroid, methylprednisolone acetate, and followed prospectively over a 4-year period. Approximately 90% of these patients were effectively managed either with a single injection (58%) or with multiple injections (33%) of this compound. Seventeen patients experienced recurrence a mean of 11.9 months after the initial injection. Three had minor flares and were not reinjected; the others responded to reinjections. Ten percent of the cases could not be controlled with local injection, and these patients were referred for surgery. Adverse reactions were self-limited and relatively minor; no tendon ruptures or local infections occurred. We present a discussion of our review of the literature regarding medical therapy and surgical release for this condition. Treatment of De Quervain's tenosynovitis with methylprednisolone acetate injection rapidly controls the signs and symptoms, does not lead to serious adverse reactions, and should be the preferred initial treatment.


One of the main functions of geographical indications (GIs) is to provide information and quality to consumers. This, in turn, can generate benefits for producers and stimulate rural development processes, as advocated by European Union (EU) legislation. The objective of the present study is to understand if the theorized effects of GIs on local economic development are supported by empirical evidence. Using a systematic approach, we reviewed the literature on the topic and structured the results of the review adopting a supply chain framework. This allows us to better understand how the effects of GIs are distributed among the chain actors and finally arrive at the local territories where GI products originate. Evidence shows that GIs are actually able to generate value added, especially at the consumer and retailer levels, while the effects on the economic performance of producers are more heterogeneous and dependent on specific local conditions. The review also highlighted some drawbacks in the literature that make it difficult to draw robust conclusions about the actual impact of GI policy at the European level. Therefore, despite the GI tool actually showing good potential for improving local economic conditions, more structured and focused research is needed.


In an embodiment, a guidance system determines a location parameter of an object, and includes: at least one oscillating element located at the object for emitting modulated optical radiation; at least two mutually distinct signal-modifying electro-optical sensors, each of the electro-optical sensors having a detector and a demodulator for generating a demodulated electrical signal in response to detection of at least a portion of the modulated optical radiation; and a processor for determining the location parameter from the demodulated electrical signals. In another embodiment, a guidance system has aberration-corrected imaging and includes: a plurality of electro-optical sensors sharing a field of view and mutually distinctly providing a respective plurality of altered images therefrom; and an image generator module for linearly and non-linearly processing spatial frequency properties of the plurality of altered images to synthesize an aberration-corrected image for the imaging system.


We present a two-stage Metropolis-Hastings algorithm for sampling probabilistic models, whose log-likelihood is computationally expensive to evaluate, by using a surrogate Gaussian Process (GP) model. The key feature of the approach, and the difference w.r.t. previous works, is the ability to learn the target distribution from scratch (while sampling), and so without the need of pre-training the GP. This is fundamental for automatic and inference in Probabilistic Programming Languages In particular, we present an alternative first stage acceptance scheme by marginalising out the GP distributed function, which makes the acceptance ratio explicitly dependent on the variance of the GP. This approach is extended to Metropolis-Adjusted Langevin algorithm (MALA).


The fast evolution in wireless communication standards and enhancement in cellular applications has created an exponential rise in the data rate requirement over the past few decades. The next generation wireless standards, therefore, need not only to provide ultra high data rates with minimum latency, but also to support diverse quality-of-service (QoS) requirements. Filterbank multicarrier (FBMC) scheme provides quite a few advantages over the conventional orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) for future wireless networks. In order to achieve adaptive throughput and diverse service quality requirements under varying channel conditions, a link adaptation algorithm for FBMC scheme is proposed in this paper. The aim is to provide the dynamic selection of optimum parameters resulting in diverse modes of operation to ensure the desired and/or best available communication service quality. The proposed link adaptation algorithm incorporates the parameters of required data rate, available channel condition and QoS demand, and dynamically allocates the appropriate FBMC transmission parameters. The proposed scheme has been evaluated for AWGN as well as multipath fading SUI channel models. Simulation results indicate that the proposed algorithm successfully achieves the desired service quality subject to the availability of suitable channel conditions and is also superior to the existing algorithms in terms of block error rate and effective throughput.


Background and purpose: Despite aggressive treatment with radiation therapy plus temozolomide (TMZ), the prognosis for glioblastoma remains poor. We investigated the potential of targeting signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) to improve the therapeutic outcome of glioblastoma. Material and methods: We evaluated the preclinical potential of a STAT3 inhibitor, Cpd188 combined with temozolomide and radiation in vitro assays using two established glioblastoma cell lines (U251, U87) and two patients-derived glioblastoma cell lines (GBL12, GBL28) and in vivo studies using nude mice bearing intracranial U251 xenografts. Results: Cpd188 potentiated the radiosensitizing effect of TMZ in U251 cell which has high levels of p-STAT3 expression. Increased radiosensitizing effects of TMZ were associated with impaired DNA damage repair, apoptosis and the reversion of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Cpd188 delayed in vivo tumor growth both alone and in combination with radiation and TMZ. We also confirmed the radiosensitizing effect of Cpd188 of GBL28 cell which was originated from a patient with high level of STAT3 expression and unmethylated MGMT. Conclusion: Targeting STAT3 using Cpd188 could be a viable therapeutic approach to improve the outcome of current standard therapy for glioblastoma patients having high p-STAT3 expression regardless of MGMT methylation status. *Work supported by the grant (#2013R1A1A2074531) from the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning to In Ah Kim Citation Format: Tae Jin Han, Eun Jung Choi, Bong Jun Cho, Sang Hyuk Song, Sun Ha Paek, In Ah Kim{Authors}. Inhibition of STAT3 enhances the radiosensitizing effect of Temozolomide in vitro and in vivo: Validation using patient-derived glioblastoma model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Patient-Derived Cancer Models: Present and Future Applications from Basic Science to the Clinic; Feb 11-14, 2016; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2016;22(16_Suppl):Abstract nr B46.


Prior research on anchoring indicates that arbitrary values can influence human judgment and decision-making. However, the findings differ regarding the magnitude of this effect, implying that in some circumstances the anchoring phenomena may not occur at all. The present research suggests that this behavior is not universal and attempts to identify how consumer self-confidence (CSC), a personal trait, and product category (hedonic vs. utilitarian) may affect consumers? susceptibility to anchoring effect on participants? willingness to pay. Although the moderation relationship could not be proved, it was statistically demonstrated that the kind of consumption (utilitarian/hedonic) accounts for 25% of the variability of consumer?s willingness-to-pay. Overall, this research contributes to the literature on Consumer Behavior, by shedding light on personal traits and product features that can shape anchoring response.


Each node in a wireless multi-hop network can adjust the power at which it makes its transmissions and thus change the topology of the network to save energy by choosing a smaller number of neighbors with which it communicates directly. The Directed Relative Neighborhood Graph (DRNG) algorithm is among the most popular, efficient and versatile topology control algorithms that reduces energy costs while preserving connectivity. In this paper, however, we identify two key limitations of DRNG and address them in a new power-aware distributed topology control algorithm called Inclusive DRNG. We show that the Inclusive DRNG algorithm can cut down the energy cost of executing the topology control algorithm itself to as low as one-third that of executing DRNG. We further show that Inclusive DRNG also generates a topology that achieves a significant improvement of over 25% in the average energy cost of communication across a path between any two nodes in realistic irregular radio environments.


We examined how the cultural value orientation of employees' traditionality influences their innovative behaviors in a group context. Our belief was that the behavioral influence of traditionality on individual innovation would be contingent upon group traditionality and transformational leadership, as well as the combined moderating effect of these two variables. Participants were 282 employees and their 36 group leaders in a large telecommunication corporation in China. Results revealed that although traditionalists were superior to nontraditionalists in terms of individual innovation, the latter group exhibited greater potential for innovative behaviors when their colleagues were less traditional and/or when they were led by a transformational leader. Moreover, traditionalists were found to be more innovative than nontraditionalists were when group traditionality was high and transformational leadership was low. Research limitations and implications of the findings are discussed.


Background: Mesalazine is the first-line inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment. However, it can cause fatal cardiotoxicity. We aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics of mesalazine-induced cardiotoxicity and provide evidence for clinical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Methods: We collected Chinese and English literature on mesalazine-induced cardiotoxicity from 1970 to 2021 for retrospective analysis. Results: A total of 52 patients (40 males and 12 females) were included, with a median age of 24.5 years (range 9–62) and a median onset time of 14 days (range 2–2880). Cardiotoxicity manifested as myocarditis, pericarditis, and cardiac pericarditis. The main clinical manifestations are chest pain (82.7%), fever (46.2%), and respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea and cough (40.4%). The levels of troponin T, creatine kinase, C-reactive protein, leukocyte count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and other biochemical markers were significantly increased. Cardiac imaging often suggests myocardial infarction, pericardial effusion, myocardial necrosis, and other symptoms of cardiac injury. It is essential to discontinue mesalamine immediately in patients with cardiotoxicity. Although corticosteroids are a standard treatment option, the benefits remain to be determined. Re-challenge of mesalamine should be carefully considered as cardiotoxic symptoms may reoccur. Conclusion: Mesalazine may cause cardiotoxicity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, which should be comprehensively diagnosed based on clinical manifestations, biochemical indicators, and cardiac function imaging examinations. Mesalazine should be immediately discontinued, and corticosteroids may be an effective treatment for cardiotoxicity.


In mobile Internet applications, data can be transcoded, updated, and transferred across heterogenous clients. The problem then arises where updates made in the context of an initial transcoding results in content too stringently transcoded for subsequent clients, thereby causing loss of semantic value. We solve this problem by suggesting that the updates themselves can be transformed so that they can be applied directly to the original data instead of to the transcoded data; this approach allows the data to preserve as much semantic value as possible across all heterogeneous clients without unnecessary transcoding artifacts. We define reconciliation rules that can govern the interaction between client updates and transcoding, demonstrate a complete middleware architecture that supports our methodology, and provide two case studies using content-transferring applications. We show that our resulting middleware system executes our reconciliation approach with acceptable latency (under 5 seconds for 200 kbytes of layered content), good scalability, and well-organised modularity.


During the quiescent fourth larval instar the larva of Drosophila becomes loosened from the puparium and takes on the form of a pupa. A large gas bubble is formed within the body during this prepupal period. At the end of this stadium, which lasts 11 1/2 hours at 25°C., it pupates, shedding the prepupal cuticle. The gas bubble is used as a mechanism to separate the cuticie from its hypodermis. Practically all of the tissues undergo histolysis and are replaced by imaginal structures derived from specialized cells. Some of the muscles persist longer than the general mass and perform special functions in the pupa. The sequence of histolytic and histogenetic changes is accurately timed at a constant temperature.


SUMMARY: For the isolation of blue-green algae from soil and fresh water, temperature is a selective factor of major importance. In a nutritionally non-selective mineral medium, which at 25° supported growth of blue-green algae and of many eucaryotic algae, the development of eucaryotic algae was almost completely suppressed by incubation at 35°. Both the number and variety of blue-green algae recoverable at 35° were greater than those recoverable from parallel cultures incubated at 25°. When a combined-nitrogen source was omitted from the enrichment medium, only blue-green algae developed at both 25° and 35°; the microflora consisted exclusively of heterocyst-forming filamentous types, other groups of blue-green algae being eliminated.


Plate impact experiments have been carried out on two aluminas of differing grain size using the Cambridge 50 mm gas gun. Tiles were constructed in thicknesses of 4, 8 and 12 mm and were impacted by 3 mm thick copper projectiles fired at 550 m s −1 . The longitudinal stress in the tiles was recorded using manganin stress gauges and a 1 GS s −1 storage oscilloscope. Measurements were made of the elastic precursor of the deformation wave in each of these experiments. It was found that the elastic precursor varied significantly with thickness and that different behaviours were show by the large and small grain size materials


BACKGROUND: Three distinct proton spin-spin relaxation rate components in meat are known to be associated with three corresponding spatial domains possessing different molecular ratios of water and/or macromolecules (extra- and inter/intramyofibrillar). In this work we acquire the proton signal intensity and corresponding relaxation rate of the three components during a drip experiment with the objective to probe the irreversible migration of water and macromolecules between domains with drip time. RESULTS: Each CPMG relaxation curve is decomposed into three relevant and distinct relaxation components (intensity and relaxation rate). A first-order kinetic model is adopted which enables the irreversible and slow "migration" of water and macromolecules between domains to be monitored. A detailing of the kinetic model applied is thoroughly discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The amount of water and macromolecules within the respective domains in meat is monitored and quantified by in situ CPMG measurements during drip. The observed and irreversible change in proton intensity/relaxation rate during drip is rationalized by a slow migration of water molecules and macromolecules between the domains. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: To shed new light on the water holding capacity in biological material by probing the slow migration properties of water/macromolecules between different domains during drip loss.


The goal of this work was to determine the microbial volatile organic compounds emitted by moulds growing on wool in search of particular volatiles mentioned in the literature as indicators of active mould growth. The keratinolytically active fungi were inoculated on two types of media: (1) samples of wool placed on broths, and (2) on broths containing amino acids that are elements of the structure of keratin. All samples were prepared inside 20 mL vials (closed system). In the first case (1) the broths did not contain any sources of organic carbon, nitrogen, or sulfur, i.e. wool was the only nutrient for the moulds. A third type of sample was historical wool prepared in a Petri dish without a broth and inoculated with a keratinolytically active mould (open system). The microbial volatiles emitted by moulds were sampled with the headspace solid-phase microextraction method. Volatiles extracted on solid-phase microextraction fibers were analyzed in a gas chromatography with mass spectrometry system. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of chromatograms were carried out in search of indicators of metabolic activity. The results showed that there are three groups of volatiles that can be used for the detection of active forms of moulds on woollen objects.


The conference on Health, Law and Human Rights: Exploring the Connections held last fall in Philadelphia was a telling moment in the complex history of a movement — the "health and human rights movement" for want of a better term — inaugurated by the pioneering work of Jonathan Mann, whose memory the Conference honored. The François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights — founded by Mann and carrying on his legacy — was pleased to co-sponsor the conference. The conference and this symposium issue containing the main papers provide an excellent opportunity to take stock of that movement by means of a commentary based on the papers. This commentary is made from a resolutely human rights perspective, with the aim of engaging the authors in a dialogue on whether and to what extent each article advances knowledge about the interconnectedness and mutually reinforcing character of health and human rights, which is the lasting legacy of Jonathan Mann.


An optimal SISO active power absorption algorithm has recently been developed, by the authors, that maximizes the broadband power transferred from a structure to a control actuator. In this paper, numerical performance studies are presented for a controller employing this algorithm to suppress global vibrations of a simple example beam structure. The performance of optimal power absorption control strategy based only on measurement at the actuator location is compared to the performance of an optimal Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) controller with the same single actuator but with full state (or modal) feedback. The power absorption strategy achieved vibration reduction similar to the optimal LQR controller over most of the frequency range examined. As expected, both of these control strategies resulted in substantially better global vibration reduction than a controller that minimizes motion only at the single actuator location.


The neural basis of sensitization was examined by assessing the expression of zif/268 mRNA in cortical and striatal neurons following cocaine challenge (30 mg kg-1, i.p.) after 2 weeks of daily treatment with cocaine or saline vehicle. Acute cocaine challenge induced zif/268 mRNA expression in neurons of the caudate putamen (CP), nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell and prelimbic cortex. Chronic cocaine treatment attenuated zif/268 mRNA expression in these regions, although zif/268 mRNA response in CP neurons recovered after 7 days of withdrawal. In contrast, cocaine challenge during withdrawal augmented zif/268 response in neurons of the infralimbic cortex and olfactory tubercle. Sensitized activity in these regions could serve to amplify mesolimbic dopamine and NAc responses, and might provide a critical stimulus to drug craving.


The aerosol containment box or intubation box is medical tool invented to help protect healthcare workers from airborne aerosols while performing procedures such as intubation that are close to the mouth of the patient. The current design of the aerosol containment box is used heavily during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the virus being present in airborne aerosol particles from a patient's breath. However, the current design has been reported to be flawed in its design aspects. Adding ergonomic considerations into the design is expected to provide improved mobility and better usage of medical instruments. The research conducted analyzed how effective the current design in containing the spread of aerosols from the patient. To execute the research, the current design is modelled in a 3D render using SOLIDWORKS 2020 using dimensions to scale. The 3D model is imported into ANSYS 18.2 to conduct an airflow analysis when a patient cough or breathes to analyses the spread of the aerosols from the patient. The patient coughing was simulated using a nozzle with the boundary space of the model based on the size of the intubation box. The key outcome of the project that the present design is not verry effective in containing aerosol spread as there is still airflow of the particles leaving the intubation box into the environment. The improved design of the intubation box prevents flow of the aerosols into the environment by using suction and seals to close of outlets. The data gained from the study of the aerosol spread proves that there is a higher pressure concentration of the aerosols particles on the walls of the outlets in the existing design in the market as compared to the improved design suggested. This data can help better justify the dimensions and criteria needed to further enhance the current design of the aerosol containment box.


This paper proposes a novel waveguide iris sensor with thermal modulation for non-intrusive flow rate measurement of uniform liquids. The thermal modulation was performed by changing a liquid's exposure time to a constant heat source. Different flow rates change the heat exposure time, generating a temperature gradient in the liquid. The temperature gradient changes the dielectric properties of the liquid in the medium between two iris pairs. The changes in the dielectric properties impact the impedance matching at the boundary of irises and the waveguide, consequently changing the| S11| (dB) parameters measured at the input of the guide. Experimental results show that the sensor successfully detects the flow rates of water (uniform liquid) in 30–250 mL/hr range by tracking the notch value of the| S11| (dB). The maximum sensitivity of| S11|'s notch value was 0.25 dB for 25 % variation in the flow rate.


This paper examines new data from Inari Sami which pose a challenge for two basic principles within generative grammar, namely that the lexicon consists of an unordered set, and that rules of the grammar cannot "count". Drawing on evidence from the system of case and numerals in Inari Sami, we first discuss the data in light of Case Theory, in order to identify the structural relations and mechanisms involved in Inari Sami. We then examine several theories of numerals from a cross-linguistic perspective, and conclude that none of the existing theories can account for the Inari Sami data while still maintaining the assumptions mentioned above. We claim that the best explanation for the data lies in a structured, ordered lexicon, in which certain lexical items are acquired and stored in a particular numerical order, to which morphosyntactic rules and processes may be sensitive.


Significance The incredible diversity of vivid color patterns in natural organisms (e.g., butterfly wings, tropical fish skins, angiosperm flowers) has fascinated generations of biologists. Yet, neither the molecular mechanisms responsible for the color pattern formation nor the genetic bases underlying natural color pattern variation are well understood. In this study we have identified a causal gene underlying spatial pattern variation of floral pigments between two Mimulus (monkeyflowers) species: the bumblebee-pollinated Mimulus lewisii and the hummingbird-pollinated Mimulus cardinalis. We demonstrate that the competition between anthocyanin and flavonol biosynthesis sets a "prepattern" of pigment distribution in M. lewisii, producing a white region surrounding the throat of the otherwise pink corolla. This is likely to be a common mechanism underlying flower color patterns. Flower color patterns have long served as a model for developmental genetics because pigment phenotypes are visually striking, yet generally not required for plant viability, facilitating the genetic analysis of color and pattern mutants. The evolution of novel flower colors and patterns has played a key role in the adaptive radiation of flowering plants via their specialized interactions with different pollinator guilds (e.g., bees, butterflies, birds), motivating the search for allelic differences affecting flower color pattern in closely related plant species with different pollinators. We have identified LIGHT AREAS1 (LAR1), encoding an R2R3-MYB transcription factor, as the causal gene underlying the spatial pattern variation of floral anthocyanin pigmentation between two sister species of monkeyflower: the bumblebee-pollinated Mimulus lewisii and the hummingbird-pollinated Mimulus cardinalis. We demonstrated that LAR1 positively regulates FLAVONOL SYNTHASE (FLS), essentially eliminating anthocyanin biosynthesis in the white region (i.e., light areas) around the corolla throat of M. lewisii flowers by diverting dihydroflavonol into flavonol biosynthesis from the anthocyanin pigment pathway. FLS is preferentially expressed in the light areas of the M. lewisii flower, thus prepatterning the corolla. LAR1 expression in M. cardinalis flowers is much lower than in M. lewisii, explaining the unpatterned phenotype and recessive inheritance of the M. cardinalis allele. Furthermore, our gene-expression analysis and genetic mapping results suggest that cis-regulatory change at the LAR1 gene played a critical role in the evolution of different pigmentation patterns between the two species.


We previously showed that recurrent calcium renal stone formers have enhanced urinary excretions of calcium and oxalate resulting from malabsorption of citrate. In the present investigation, the mechanism of the citrate-induced increased calcium uptake was studied using guinea pig ileal brush border membrane vesicles. In this model, calcium is absorbed in a concentration dependent, single mechanism uptake with a Km of 275 +/- 30 umol/liter (SD) and a Vmax of 4.0 +/- 0.5 nmol/min.mg protein. Under conditions of maximal calcium uptake, both citrate and phosphate inhibited calcium absorption into brush border membrane vesicles (BBMVs). In contrast, when phosphate and citrate were added together, calcium absorption normalized. Citrate inhibition of calcium absorption appeared to be due to free citrate ions, and phosphate ions overcame this inhibition. Phosphate inhibition was mostly due to decreased concentrations of ionized calcium and partly to precipitation of insoluble calcium phosphate. These studies confirm that the effects of citrate in humans in enhancing calcium absorption occur in the lumen of the gut and are not related to further biochemical conversions of citrate by the gut cells, to effects of citrate on calcium-related hormones, or to the renal handling of calcium. Also, the effects of citrate on increasing calcium absorption should be increased or attenuated in patients who malabsorb citrate, and this explains the increased urinary calcium and oxalate excretions reported for recurrent calcium stone formers.


The European Resuscitation Council Guidelines recommend the administration of fibrinolytic therapy when acute pulmonary embolism is a known or suspected cause of cardiac arrest. However, contraindications that limit the use of fibrinolytics are sometimes challenged by clinicians, including head trauma in the previous three weeks. We report on the successful use of rescue fibrinolytic therapy on a patient with acute head trauma who had a cardiac arrest in the emergency department as a result of a pulmonary embolism (PE). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of successful fibrinolytic therapy for a patient with acute head trauma in the literature.


Abstract Alternative fuel vehicles face the lack of refueling infrastructure as one obstacle to market diffusion and potential operators of refueling stations await significant market shares before constructing a dense refueling network. The resulting lock-in effect or chicken-egg-problem has scarcely been analyzed for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) up to now. The research question of this article is How much public charging infrastructure for PEVs is needed and is there mutual interaction in the diffusion of public charging infrastructure and electric vehicles? Here, we present an agent-based market diffusion model for PEVs and their charging infrastructure that is based on a large number of individual driving profiles for private and commercial car holders in Germany. Our results demonstrate the possibility of a market diffusion in Germany without any slow public charging infrastructure until 2030. Although a charging point at home is obligatory for early adopters, the second-best option for an infrastructure set-up is at work where the majority of vehicles is parked for a long time during the day, the installation is not costly and users profit more than from public facilities. Public slow charging facilities do not increase PEV market shares and they need to be subsidized for a long time.


Heifer mastitis caused by Streptococcus uberis is a significant problem for New Zealand dairy farmers. The mechanisms of infection in the pre-partum period have not been fully elucidated but prior research has established that the teats of dairy cows are contaminated with significantly higher numbers of S. uberis during the dry period as compared to during lactation. It is hypothesised that gross teat-end contamination by these bacteria before calving is a significant risk factor for the entry of bacteria through the teat canal and establishment of infection. Regular disinfection of the teats in the dry period was evaluated as a means to reduce teat-end contamination and consequently to decrease the likelihood of glands developing an infection. Two groups of 27 heifers were assigned to either a 'sprayed' or 'not-sprayed' treatment. The sprayed heifers were teat-sprayed with a commercial iodine-based post-milking teat sanitizer three times a week for the last three weeks before calving. Before commencement of the experiment, teat-ends were swabbed to determine pre-existing contamination with S. uberis, which averaged 610 colony-forming units (cfu). Prior to calving, S. uberis counts on teat-ends were 560 cfu for the sprayed group and 1775 cfu for the non-sprayed group (p = 0.06). Bacteriology of milk from each gland at the first milking showed that 4% of glands of the sprayed heifers were infected with S. uberis compared with 11% for the non-sprayed heifers (p < 0.05). At the first herd test, heifers in the sprayed group had a lower SCC (380,000 cells/ml) compared to the non-sprayed group (790,000 cells/ml), although due to the small size of the study, this difference was not significant. It was concluded that teat-spraying in the dry period could reduce teat-end contamination and consequently the proportion of glands infected by S. uberis at calving.


Author(s): Scofield, Eugene C | Abstract: In 1879 commercial fishing was of small concern to the West; yet in this year was fostered a venture which was the pioneer of a vast new fishery which has grown to take a superior place in the interest of both commercial and sport fishermen. First in 1879 and then again in 1882 striped bass yearlings, totaling 435 in all, were planted in San Francisco Bay, California. These fish, members of the sea-bass family, Serranidae, were removed from their native waters on the Atlantic seaboard and shipped across the country in one of the early transcontinental trains. These few fish were evidently readily adapted to San Francisco Bay, for since their planting they have flourished there beyond expectation. As early as 1889, only ten years after the first plant, they were being caught in the gill nets and offered for sale in the markets. By 1895 they had formed a recognized fishery, and fishermen constructed special small-mesh nets for their capture. These commercial net men were quick to realize that a ready market awaited these new and tasty fish. During this same period the anglers began to hook these game bass and it was not long before every hook-and-line fisherman had recognized this introduced species as a new field for sport, for their gameness was discovered to be second only to the wary steelhead that migrate in and out of our coastal streams.To illustrate the enormous and almost unbelievable increase in abundance of these fish, figures compiled by the United States Bureau of Fisheries reveal that in 1899, twenty years after their introduction, the commercial net catch alone was 1,234,000 pounds. In 1915 the greatest catch was recorded when 1,784,448 pounds were delivered to the markets. The total commercial catch continued at this high level until the close of the World War, when a general economic slump occurred throughout the country. Since then the total catch has varied between about 500,000 pounds and 1,000,000 pounds annually.Because the striped bass have had only fifty years of existence in this region, one might be led to believe that the annual toll of the commercial nets, as well as the increase in angling activities which are generally conceded an annual total catch of several hundred thousand pounds, will lead to the extermination of the species. The casual observer may refer to the total catch as an index to such acondition. To the contrary, however, we find the abundance of this species on the increase. A report by Craig bearing out this statement is based on the catch per boat over a period of years. As Craig points out, the decrease in the total catch is due to economic conditions brought about mainly by an increase in stringent conservation measures.Though the results of Craig's analysis show an increase of the striped bass from 1920 to 1928, it is not at all improbable that depletion might occur in future years. In order to prevent such an occurrence, a thorough understanding of the prime factors responsible for the yearly abundance, as well as the life history of the species, is essential. The abundance is dependent upon two factors, namely, natural and artificial conditions. Because man holds no control over the former, then the latter must be submitted to detailed study. This study may involve many problems such as commercial netting, angling, influence of obstructions such as dams and land reclamation, pollution, and others. If the fishery is doomed as a result of any or all these artificial influences, then proper regulation and conservation lie within the power of man, provided he is familiar with the life history of the species.As the relative abundance of the striped bass has been determined by Craig, the present report deals with the next two important studies necessary in building a solid foundation upon which conservation measures may be based. These are the life history and an analysis of the commercial fishery. To simplify its comprehension, the report is divided into three sections: the first deals with a brief resume of the fishery including fishing gear and methods, the second with a detailed account of the life history of the striped bass, and the third with a study of the commercial catch including general conclusions and recommendations.The striped bass investigation began late in 1925. From then to late in 1928, the entire program was given over to the collection of life history data, and the sampling of the commercial catch. The period from 1928 to the present time (July, 1930) has been spent in working up the available data which have culminated in the present report.


Background Axial spondyloarthritis (aSpA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that can lead to irreversible spinal bone damage and loss of spine mobility. However, it is controversial whether the inflammation is coupled with bony change in aSpA. C-reactive protein (CRP) is useful for monitoring disease activity, if it is elevated at baseline. Objectives To investigate the association of CRP with radiographic spinal progression in aSpA Methods We reviewed the data of 178 patients with aSpA who visited the rheumatology clinic at our hospital between January 2009 and February 2013. They had at least 2 sets of lateral cervical and lumbar radiographs a minimum of two years apart for assessing the modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score (mSASSS). We calculated annual mSASSS change using two different mSASSS. CRP's at the time of taking radiographs were also collected. High CRP was defined as it was ≥10 mg/L. We divided the patients into 4 groups in terms of CRP at baseline and follow-up during treatment: persistently low (LL), persistently high (HH), decreased CRP to low level after treatment (HL), and increased CRP after treatment (LH). Results Age of the patients was 40.2±12.0 years and female to male was 1:4. Disease duration was 13.3±9.0 years. The patients with HLA-B27 positivity were 91%; those with ankylosing spondylitis were 81%. Radiographs were taken at intervals of 4.5±2.6 years. Seventy four patients were included in LL, 27 in HH, 55 in HL and 5 in LH. The duration of decrease of CRP to low level was 8.9±10.7 months in HL. (Among In the patients of LL, the frequencies of male, initial spinal syndesmophytes, and use of TNF inhibitors decreased compared with other groups.) New spinal syndesmophytes were observed during follow-up in 24% (LL), 44% (HH), 56% (HL) and 40% (LH). Annual mSASSS change was 0.6±1.0 (LL), 1.4±1.5 (HH), 1.5±1.6 (HL), and 0.6±0.8 (LD). The patient with initial high CRP showed significantly more new syndesmophyes and annual mSASSS change than those with initial low CRP. When the patient with high CRP were classified to two groups (48 patients in 10≤ and <30 mg/L, and 37 patients in ≥30 mg/L), however, there was no statistical difference new syndesmophyes and annual mSASSS change between them. Comparing HH and HL, annual mSASSS change did not differ between them. Although it was not statistically significant, new syndesmophytes were more common in HL than in HH. Conclusions Baseline high CRP (≥10 mg/L) is associated with radiographic spinal progression compared with low CRP. However, the higher CRP was not correlated with the more progressive spinal disease. In addition, there was no difference in spinal bony change between the patients with persistent high CRP and those with a reduction of CRP. Thus, while monitoring the aSpA patients with high baseline CRP, physicians should keep in mind that a decrease in CRP does not guarantee favorable treatment response enough to retard bony progression. Further disease-modifying drugs may be needed to be given for them. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.3470


This paper aims to increase our understanding of the genealogical method by taking a developmental approach to Nietzsche's genealogical methodology and reconstructing an early instance of it: Nietzsche's genealogy of truthfulness in On Truth and Lie. Placing this essay against complementary remarks from his notebooks, I show that Nietzsche's early use of the genealogical method concerns imagined situations before documented history, aims to reveal practical necessity before contingency, and focuses on vindication before it turns to subversion or problematization. I argue that we understand Nietzsche's later critique of truthfulness better if we place it against the background of his earlier vindicatory insight into the practical necessity of cultivating truthfulness in some form; and I suggest that Nietzsche's own mature genealogical method has roots in its supposed contrary, the method of the "English" genealogists.


Securing a safe environment is a big issue for workplaces to tackle. Among the casualties in industries of all kinds, accidents in coal mines are the most serious. Starting from the angle of economics, Endogenous Growth Theory was used as the analysis tool in this paper in the hope of finding some solutions to eliminate hazardous elements in coal mines. Based on the analysis, coal enterprises' safe and steady development must rely on human resources and staff development. As coal enterprises are highly dangerous, staff can ensure safe production of coal mines. Without qualified staff, safety cannot be guaranteed. Then, from the angle of trainers, including government, education departments, and enterprises, and the angle of trainees, including undergraduate students, employees and the public, the paper discusses how individual trainers departments should collaborate with each other to accomplish their duties to cultivate trainees, thus to build a multi-channel system of training staff.


Purpose
This study aims to better understand the relationship between peer feedback in the context of online collaborative note-taking and how comments impacted student performance and understanding.

Design/methodology/approach
This one sample investigation was of graduate students participating in an academic writing class working collaboratively online. Data was gathered on student feedback during note-taking activity to test for its effects on student performance and understanding.

Findings
The use of peer comments in online note-taking was found to impact student quiz scores and academic writing skills positively. However, no significance was found between comments and the completeness of their notes taken, suggesting its limits to promote deeper understanding.

Research limitations/implications
The level and detail about the comments made and how accurately they recall the important details from the video lectures is not known. The average number of comments made weekly by each group was also low.

Practical implications
Designers and teachers using online collaborative activities could benefit by understanding the nature in which peer comments can enhance student learning, bearing in mind the need for explicit guidance in how to comment and at what level of knowledge their comments should target.

Social implications
Online collaboration, peer editing and commenting is widely used by educators and the public. A better understanding of how these elements operate might improve the quality of knowledge artefacts such as academic writing and research notes.

Originality/value
Existing literature focuses mainly on peer feedback on writing or other artefacts; this paper seeks to find out more about the impact of comments in particular on collaborative note-taking.


One hundred eighty-two patients fulfilling the American Rheumatism Association criteria for the classification of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were followed prospectively. Sixty-seven had the onset of SLE before age 21, 32 before age 16, and 35 between age 16 and 20. All patients received similar therapy. Only 4 patients received cytotoxic agents. Malar blush, cellular casts, and profuse proteinuria were significantly more common in the 0-15 compared to the adult group (age 21 or older). Five-year survival was 100% for children with membranous or focal lupus nephritis and 85% for diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis.


The objective of evaluating User Experience (UX) in this era of technology is to enhance the user satisfaction. Earlier applications were built with the aim of reducing the work of users. But with the evolution of the technology, the emergence of new gadgets and new trends in the information technology, the applications had to be more user-centric. The primary objective of this research is to evaluate the user experience of web applications based on different UX parameters using different techniques and given a rating. Each of these ratings are combined to determine the overall rating of UX for the web application. Also, the secondary objective of this research is to provide suggestions or recommendations based on the ratings to improve the UX of the web applications. An experimental study was conducted and the results show a significant improvement. Areas of further enhancements have also been identified and presented.


In efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, health colleges at Qatar University shifted their clinical training to virtual internships (VI) and project-based learning (PBL). The shift was new to students and faculty alike, and a major change that posed many challenges. This study aimed to explore the experience of changing to VIs during the pandemic from both the clinical instructors' and health sciences students' perspectives. A qualitative study was conducted based on the framework of readiness to change. It involved focus group discussions with students from the departments of Public Health and Human Nutrition and in-depth interviews with clinical instructors using appropriate online platforms. A total of 4 focus groups with 20 students and 4 interviews with instructors were conducted. Transcripts were analyzed following the inductive-deductive approach. The major themes that emerged from the analysis described students' and clinical instructors' perceptions of the necessity and efficiency of the switch to VI; the design of the VI and the extent of the clinical/field experience and skills that it offered; confidence in the ability to succeed in this type of internship and confidence about reaching expected goals; academic and moral support from clinical faculty and coordinators and the communication process with faculty and preceptors; and finally, the benefits gained and how employers would view this type of internship. Health sciences students' readiness for VI was generally low. Several student and faculty needs have to be addressed, specifically regarding the design of the program and the level of preceptors' communication with students. The findings would direct health programs, clinical instructors, and preceptors to better understand students' needs and efficiently plan for virtual internships during not only emergencies but also whenever there is a need to deliver online experiential learning courses.


ABSTRACT The dietary exposure of Finnish 3-year-old and 6-year-old children to cadmium, lead, arsenic and mercury was determined using concentration data from Finland and individual food consumption data as well as individual weights of the children. Using middle bound estimates, 88% of the 3-year-olds and 64% of the 6-year-olds exceeded the tolerable weekly intake of cadmium. The benchmark dose for neurological damage caused by lead was exceeded by 14% and 1%, while the lowest benchmark dose of inorganic arsenic was exceeded by 43% and 29% for the 3-year-olds and 6-year-olds, respectively. The exposure of both age groups was below the tolerable weekly intake for inorganic mercury and methyl mercury. Although high, the exposures calculated with predominantly national concentration data were lower than previously estimated by EFSA, due to, for example, lower average concentrations in some much-consumed foods. The heavy metal exposure levels of the girls and the boys were also compared. Exposure to cadmium and lead was significantly higher for the boys than for the girls in both age groups, and exposure to inorganic arsenic was significantly higher for the 6-year-old boys than the girls of same age. Graphical Abstract


Background—The role of pro-brain natriuretic peptide (proBNP) for the prediction of clinical outcome has not been examined in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods and Results—ProBNP levels were measured in 73 patients with acute PE within 4 hours of admission. Adverse clinical outcome was defined as in-hospital death or the need for at least 1 of the following: cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, pressors, thrombolysis, catheter fragmentation, or surgical embolectomy. In the 53 patients with a benign clinical outcome, proBNP (median 121, range 16 to 34 802 pg/mL) was lower than in 20 patients with adverse clinical outcome (median 4250, range 92 to 49 607 pg/mL;P <0.0001). The negative predictive value of proBNP levels <500 pg/mL to predict adverse clinical outcome was 97% (95% confidence interval 84 to 99). ProBNP remained an independent predictor for adverse clinical outcome (odds ratio 14.6; 95% confidence interval 1.5 to 139.0;P =0.02) after adjusting for severity of PE (submassive/massive), troponin T levels >0.01ng/mL, age >70 years, gender, and history of congestive heart failure. Conclusions—Low proBNP levels predict an uneventful hospital course in patients with acute PE. A proBNP level <500 pg/mL identifies patients who will be potential candidates for an abbreviated hospital length of stay or care on a completely outpatient basis.


Taking images of objects under different illumination and viewing directions and analyzing them has long been an active research area in both machine vision and computer graphics. While computer graphics aims to synthesize realistic images from abstract scene descriptions, machine vision is concerned with the problem of deducing properties of a scene based on its interaction with light. For this reason, many algorithms from both disciplines rely on an accurate measurement and modeling of how light reflects off surfaces in a physically correct way.


Mai Zetterling (1925-1994) was a popular actress in the 1940s. In the 1960s, she directed four feature films. The films ? Loving Couples (1964), Night Games (1966), The Girls (1968) and Dr. Glas (1969) ? were met with increasing hostility by Swedish critics, however, and after the 1960s, Mai Zetterling only directed two more feature films in her life, the British Scrubbers (1982) and the Swedish Amorosa (1986). In the present dissertation, the director Zetterling functions as a starting point for a critical study of the Swedish art cinema institution and its historiography. Informed by a gender perspective, the dissertation deals with the films Zetterling directed during the 1960s and their reception. It also deals with the film cultural climate in Sweden during the period, and how the image of and the narratives about Zetterling have changed over time.

Zetterling's star persona as an actress and eventually her biographical legend is described and analyzed in chapter one. In 1963, a reform changed Swedish film policy and the Swedish Film Institute was founded. This influenced the national film culture, which is discussed in the second chapter. In chapters three and four, narratology and gender theory are utilised in analyses of the four films Zetterling directed in the 1960s, whereas the fifth chapter deals with the reception of them and Zetterling's position in Swedish film historiography.

A major point of the dissertation is that the encounter between Zetterling and the Swedish art cinema institution in the 1960s was problematic. On a very tangible level, she was a woman who tried to make her way into a male-dominated profession. Furthermore, as a popular actress she transgressed the boundary between mass culture and modernism when she made a claim to be accepted as an art film auteur. And in addition to this, as she had left Sweden for England in late 1947 and lived abroad for the rest of her life, she was also an expatriate who turned a critical gaze on the Swedish welfare state, the familiar who became the Other.


Optical nanofiber (ONF) is a special tool to achieve the interaction between light and matter with ultralow power. In this paper, we demonstrate V-type electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in cold atoms trapped by an ONF-based two-color optical lattice. At an optical depth of 7.35, 90% transmission can be achieved by only 7.7 pW coupling power. The EIT peak and linewidth are investigated as a function of the coupling optical power. By modulating the pW-level control beam of the ONF-EIT system in sequence, we further achieve efficient and high contrast control of the probe transmission, as well as its potential application in the field of quantum communication and quantum information science by using one-dimensional atomic chains.


Professor Sir Ashley A. Miles, CBE, MD, FRCP, FRCPath, FRS, was born in Yorkshire, England, the son of Harry Miles and Kate Elizabeth (nee Hindley) on March 20, 1904. He attended St Peter's and the Bootham Schools in York, where he was a commemoration scholar. He graduated from King's College, Cambridge University, in 1925 and took his medical training at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, and became a member of the Royal College of Physicians. Miles was appointed professor of bacteriology at the University of London's University College Hospital Medical School in 1937. Following a series of important posts in the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Medical Research, he was appointed director of the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine and professor of experimental pathology at the University of London in 1952. It is his work at the Lister Institute that has made his most important contributions to the


This paper investigates the problem of distributed stochastic approximation in multiagent systems. The algorithm under study consists of two steps: A local stochastic approximation step and a diffusion step, which drives the network to a consensus. The diffusion step uses row-stochastic matrices to weight the network exchanges. As opposed to previous works, exchange matrices are not supposed to be doubly stochastic, and may also depend on the past estimate. We prove that nondoubly stochastic matrices generally influence the limit points of the algorithm. Nevertheless, the limit points are not affected by the choice of the matrices provided that the latter are doubly stochastic in expectation. This conclusion legitimates the use of broadcast-like diffusion protocols, which are easier to implement. Next, by means of a central limit theorem, we prove that doubly stochastic protocols perform asymptotically as well as centralized algorithms and we quantify the degradation caused by the use of nondoubly stochastic matrices. Throughout this paper, a special emphasis is put on the special case of distributed nonconvex optimization as an illustration of our results.


Lizzie Frasco, College '09, Art History, Visual Studies Non-Traditional Methods for Non-Traditional Art: Conserving Art in the 20th Century Art conservation as a practice of preventing change in a useful way has recently begun to change with the more ephemeral nature of the material that increasingly characterizes late 20th-century art. Today's neon lights, foil, newspaper, synthetic paints, soil, glue, and Magic Marker have not been tested for durability or chemical stability. Their uneven and unpredictable rate of degradation further complicates their analysis and evaluation during conservation. What are the current technical, historical, and ethical challenges in contemporary art conservation, and what do they tell us about the chances for the long-term survival of this art? Comments 2008-2009 Penn Humanities Forum on Change Undergraduate Mellon Research Fellows http://humanities.sas.upenn.edu/08-09/fellows_uhf.shtml This presentation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/uhf_2009/12 The Contingency of Conservation: Changing Methodology and Theoretical Issues in Conserving Ephemeral Contemporary Artworks with Special Reference to Installation Art


Modern DNA sequencing instruments produce a variety of raw and processed output formats. Traditional Sanger style sequencing is well represented by the ABI sequencing instruments and so this is where most of the talk with be focused, however new emerging technologies from 454 Life Sciences and Solexa are discussed briefly too. It is not the aim to provide in-depth information on any one specific topic, but rather to present a variety of signal processing mechanisms employed by both sequencing machine manufacturers and downstream processing by researchers alike. This covers progressing from the raw data collected off the sequencing instruments, through tidying up the data and base-calling, to SNP detection methods.


Many countries have yet to decide whether extend copyright duration. Technological changes were cited by a U.S. Senate report to support duration extension. This study adds to the assessment of the validity of the technological argument by simulating the effect on optimal copyright duration of increased price discrimination caused by digital technology. Simulation of a model of information product market indicates that increase of price discrimination on high-end market calls for shorter copyright duration; that on low-end market may support extension, if the discrimination benefits consumers, and otherwise work against it. It further suggests price discrimination on low-end market increases welfare and supply of original information products but that on the high-end market may either increase or decrease them.


Leti is spoken on the island with the same name near the Indonesian-East Timorese border. This small Austronesian language became known among linguists for the complex patterns of metathesis permeating its entire grammar. Besides little discussed topics, like its intricate deictic system and lexical parallelism, this book provides information on intriguing features of the Leti language that remained undescribed, such as singing, naming, storytelling and the semantics of the indexer clitic. A complete version of the Sailfish myth that underlies the structures of all Southwest Malukan island communities has been added. The entire text is provided with interlinear glosses. All lexical items in the text and in the description have been inserted in a word list together with all lexical parallels. Being the first exhaustive study of a Southwest Malukan language, this description is a valuable contribution to the typological study of East Indonesia and East Timor and to Austronesian linguistics. The abundance of examples makes it of interest also for linguists with a theoretical orientation in phonology, syntax and semantics. The 'insider's perspective' approach provides essential information for students of ethnolinguistics and oral traditions in the region.


17 male subjects are described with foot dermatitis in association with positive patch test reactions to the textile dye Basic Red 46. Chromatographic analysis of the socks of 2 affected patients confirmed the presence of Basic Red 46. Withdrawal of the acrylic blend socks suspected of having been dyed with Basic Red 46 resulted in the improvement of symptoms in 12 of 17 patients (70.6%). However, equivocal or negative patch test results to their own socks were frequently noted in those patients. A highly significant association between the presence of foot dermatitis and a positive Basic Red 46 patch test reaction was noted in 555 patients from a patch test clinic population (P < 0.001). The prevalence of positive patch test reactions to Basic Red 46 was 1.2%. We suggest that patients with foot dermatitis be routinely patch tested for textile dyes. In particular, testing with Basic Red 46 should be considered in those with a history of use of dark‐coloured acrylic and/or acrylic blend socks.


We present a detailed analysis of the ferroelectric domain structure of K0.70Na0.30NbO3 thin films on (110) TbScO3 grown by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition. Upon piezoresponse force microscopy and nanofocus x-ray diffraction measurements we derive a domain model revealing monoclinic MC domains. The complex domain pattern is formed out of four co-existing in-plane orientations of the shearing direction of the monoclinic unit cell resulting in four types of superdomains each being composed of well-ordered stripe domains. Finally, we present surface acoustic wave (SAW) experiments that exhibit extraordinary signal intensities given the low thickness of the tested film. Moreover, the SAW propagation is found to occur selectively along the identified shearing directions.


The United States Army Aviation Engineering Flight Activity conducted level flight performance tests of the AH-1S (Prod) helicopter to provide data to determine the most fuel efficient operating conditions. Hot and cold weather test sites were used to extend the range of the advancing tip Mach number data to supplement existing AH-1S performance data. Preliminary analysis of non-dimensional data identifies the effects of compressibility on performance and shows a power penalty of as much as 6% at a high NR/theta. The power required characteristics determined by these tests can be combined with engine performance to determine the most fuel efficient operating conditions.


ABSTRACT Rapid assessments are used as qualitative approaches to evaluate wetland quality in the absence of quantitative data and adequate time to assess wetland structure and function. To examine how rapid assessment methods assess bird assemblages in wetlands, we compared bird communities with both the Ohio Rapid Assessment Method (ORAM) and detailed data gathered from 51 coastal riverine wetlands in the western Great Lakes region. We found that birds did not choose wetlands at random but responded to vegetative structure and the degree of anthropogenic disturbance within and surrounding the wetland. ORAM scores adequately reflected the degree of anthropogenic disturbance affecting the wetlands but were insufficient to explain bird species richness or the abundance of several bird species that were obligates of these wetlands. Bird assemblages in the western Great Lakes region spanned a wider range of wetland conditions than were reflected in the ORAM scores. Modification of ORAM scores with a focus on submetrics related to anthropogenic disturbance and vegetative structure improved the ability of ORAM to reflect conditions important to wetland birds. ORAM could be improved for use in the western Great Lakes with a greater emphasis on the landscape context and anthropogenic disturbance of the wetland.


We propose a theory of rational "Rush", emphasizing the quantity of rational over-investment in contrast to the theory of irrational price "Bubble". We illustrate an important friction when financing breakthrough innovations: non-excludability and spillover of uncertain knowledge due to imperfect IPR (Intellectual Property Rights, e.g. patent) protection. Facing a limited supply of new projects with uncertain return, investors make decisions about when and how many projects to invest. Investors' preemption motive will distort their incentives for patient learning about project return, thus inducing them to "rush in" to finance uncertain projects massively at a premature stage. A small positive news shock regarding the project return can greatly amplify over-investment and result in large social inefficiency. On the other hand, information externality creates free-rider motive, which can also make under-investment possible. Our empirical finding based on sectoral Venture Capital investment shows that weak IPR protection lead to excessively high investment level and more procyclicality. Broader patent rights should be granted when the uncertainty of innovation is high, although the "Rush" prevention can induce more patent race at the early R&D stage, i.e. Rush-Race shifting.


BACKGROUND
Recent transcriptomic approaches have demonstrated that there are at least 4 distinct subgroups in medulloblastoma (MB); however, survival studies of molecular subgroups in adult MB have been inconclusive because of small sample sizes. The aim of this study is to investigate the molecular subgroups in adult MB and identify their clinical and prognostic implications in a large, single-institution cohort.

METHODS
We determined gene expression profiles for 13 primary adult MBs. Bioinformatics tools were used to establish distinct molecular subgroups based on the most informative genes in the dataset. Immunohistochemistry with subgroup-specific antibodies was then used for validation within an independent cohort of 201 formalin-fixed MB tumors, in conjunction with a systematic analysis of clinical and histological characteristics.

RESULTS
Three distinct molecular variants of adult MB were identified: the SHH, WNT, and group 4 subgroups. Validation of these subgroups in the 201-tumor cohort by immunohistochemistry identified significant differences in subgroup-specific demographics, histology, and metastatic status. The SHH subgroup accounted for the majority of the tumors (62%), followed by the group 4 subgroup (28%) and the WNT subgroup (10%). Group 4 tumors had significantly worse progression-free and overall survival compared with tumors of the other molecular subtypes.

CONCLUSIONS
We have identified 3 subgroups of adult MB, characterized by distinct expression profiles, clinical features, pathological features, and prognosis. Clinical variables incorporated with molecular subgroup are more significantly informative for predicting adult patient outcome.


X-ray diffraction experiments were carried out with protoenstatite, chemical composition Mg2Si2O6, in order to clarify the conditions under which protoenstatite can be retained at room temperature. Our results show that grain size, cooling rate, and shear stress during sample preparation clearly affect the transition from protoenstatite to clinoenstatite. Smaller protoenstatite grains were more likely to be retained, and the relationship between the retained volume ratio of the protoenstatite and grain size was statistically consistent with martensitic nucleation. The most protoenstatite was retained in the experiment using a cooling rate of 3 °C/min; the retained volume ratio decreased in experiments with both faster and slower cooling rates. The martensitic transformation of protoenstatite to clinoenstatite is promoted by shear stress caused by a fast cooling rate. Shear stress caused by grinding and polishing also promotes the transformation, but ion milling, used to prepare samples for transmission electron microscope observation, leaves the protoenstatite unchanged. Therefore, samples including protoenstatite should be prepared without producing shear stress so that the protoenstatite can be observed.


The impressive smart card based electronic voting system is introduced to ensure apposite voting procedures and voting counts. This idea prevents the illegal acts against the voting system and provides the voter authentication in an effective manner. This proposal plans to provide a fortification for each and every votes. It entirely changes the status of the election process and ensures the integrity of electoral system. The primary idea of this paper is to make the voters as to have a trust in election through the methods of taking fingerprint and providing a smart card to each user to promise their uniqueness in the voting system and reduces the work of election committee. At the same time the result of the election process will be automatically declared to the public. With the help of this method, the person can vote from any election booth easily.


This paper explored changes in the HPV-related quality of life (QoL) of 209 women diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV) during 1 year of medical monitoring, at three time points (6-month interval between them). Participants completed the HPV Impact Profile (HIP) questionnaire to assess HPV-related QoL. The relationship between HIP scores and time was moderated by the HPV risk type and infection duration: an HPV diagnosis had a stronger negative effect on patients with an HPV high-risk type and on those living with HPV for a long period of time. Age, condom use, motherhood, and type of family were significant predictors.


Foodborne diseases cause significant morbidity and mortality in Australia and throughout the world. Outbreaks of foodborne disease often require investigators to collaborate across jurisdictional boundaries—even at times internationally. Notified cases of foodborne disease are only a small proportion of the total burden of foodborne disease affecting the community. Many pathogens that contaminate food are zoonotic in origin (that is, are transmitted to humans from lower vertebrates), although the pathway from animal to human via foods is complex and difficult to understand. This article describes how our ability to understand and control foodborne diseases in Australia can be enhanced through improving our surveillance datasets by harmonising methods for advanced microbiological testing of foodborne organisms, and sharing data obtained from human, food, and animal sources.


LiFePO(4)/CNT/C composite nanofibers were synthesized by using a combination of electrospinning and sol-gel techniques. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was used as the electrospinning media and carbon source. Functionalized CNTs were used to increase the conductivity of the composite. LiFePO(4) precursor materials, PAN and functionalized CNTs were dissolved or dispersed in N,N-dimethylformamide separately and they were mixed before electrospinning. LiFePO(4) precursor/CNT/PAN composite nanofibers were then heat-treated to obtain LiFePO(4)/CNT/C composite nanofibers. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements were done to demonstrate the functionalization of CNTs. The structure of LiFePO(4)/CNT/C composite nanofibers was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The surface morphology and microstructure of LiFePO(4)/CNT/C composite nanofibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Electrochemical performance of LiFePO(4)/CNT/C composite nanofibers was evaluated in coin-type cells. Functionalized CNTs were found to be well-dispersed in the carbonaceous matrix and increased the electrochemical performance of the composite nanofibers. As a result, cells using LiFePO(4)/CNT/C composite nanofibers have good performance, in terms of large capacity, extended cycle life, and good rate capability.


We present a computational model of tonality cognition derived from physical and cognitive principles on the frequency ratios of consonant intervals. The proposed model, which we call the Prime Factor-based Generalized Tonnetz (PFG Tonnetz), is based on the Prime Factor Representation of frequency ratios and can be regarded as a generalization of the Tonnetz. Our assumed application of the PFG Tonnetz is a system for supporting spontaneous and improvisational participation of inexpert citizens in music performance for regional promotion. For this application, the system needs to determine the pitch satisfying constraints on tonality against surrounding polyphonic music because inexpert users frequently lack music skills related to tonality. We also explore a working hypothesis on the robustness of the PFG Tonnetz against recognition errors on harmonic overtones in polyphonic audio signals. On the basis of this hypothesis, the PFG Tonnetz has a good potential as a representation of the tonality constraints of surrounding polyphonic music.


Differentiation of mild cognitive impairment from depression in elderly adults is a clinically relevant issue which is not sufficiently solved. Gait and dual task (DT) parameters may have the potential to complement current diagnostic work-up, as both dementia and depression are associated with changes of gait and DT parameters. Methods: Seven hundred and four participants of the TREND study (Tübinger evaluation of Risk factors for Early detection of NeuroDegeneration) aged 50–80 years were assessed using the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Plus test battery for testing cognition and Beck's Depression Inventory for evaluation of depression. Based on these results, four groups were defined: acute depressed (N = 53), cognitively mildly impaired (N = 97), acute depressed, and cognitively mildly impaired (N = 15), and controls (N = 536). Participants underwent a 20 m walk and checking boxes task under single (ST) and DT conditions. ST and DT performance and dual task costs (DTC) were calculated. Due to the typical age of increasing incidence of depressive and also cognitive symptoms, the 7th decade was calculated separately. Results: ST speeds of gait and checking boxes, DT walking speed, and walking DTC were significantly different between groups. Healthy controls were the fastest in all paradigms and cognitively mildly impaired had higher DTC than depressed individuals. Additionally, we constructed a multivariate predictive model differentiating the groups on a single-subject level. Conclusion: DT parameters are simply and comfortably measureable, and DTC can easily be determined. The combination of these parameters allows a differentiation of depressed and cognitively mildly impaired elderly adults.


A. atlas silk moth produces silk fiber high economic value. Research on
wild silk moths has been done in Indonesia, including, rearing in space and in the
field, artificial feeding and the kind of silk fiber produced. Genetic studies for
wild silkmoth A. atlas have not done a lot. These cytogenetic studies as
preliminary research that aims to know the characters, especially in terms of
chromosome number, shape and size of A. atlas chromosomes. Sampling was
conducted in Kalitirto village, Berbah Subdistric, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta
Province. The samples used were last instar ofA. atlas. The study was conducted
at the Entomology Laboratory of Biology Faculty Universitas Gadjah Mada in
January to July 2011. Chromosome preparation was performed using smear
methods and materials preparation using last instar ovary, at the pachitene stage
of meiotic I division cell occurs. Procedure preparation phase of meiotic
chromosomes in the study followed the procedures Gupta and Narang (1981).
Chromosome analysis performed after staining with Giemsa. The results showed
that A. atlas chromosome are numerous, ie haploid chromosomes n = 31,32,33,34,
chromosoms shape holocentric type (have a lot of the centromere) and small size
+,9773 to 0,7123µm. Variations in chromosome number proceed from holocentric
chromosoms are easy due to the fragmented and there are supernurerary
chromosomes.


Corrado Bohm once observed that if $Y$ is any fixed point combinator (fpc), then $Y(\lambda yx.x(yx))$ is again fpc. He thus discovered the first "fpc generating scheme" -- a generic way to build new fpcs from old. Continuing this idea, define an \emph{fpc generator} to be any sequence of terms $G_1,\dots,G_n$ such that $$Y \text{ is fpc } \Longrightarrow YG_1\cdots G_n \text{ is fpc}$$ In this contribution, we take first steps in studying the structure of (weak) fpc generators. We isolate several classes of such generators, and examine elementary properties like injectivity and constancy. We provide sufficient conditions for existence of fixed points of a given generator $(G_1,..,G_n)$: an fpc $Y$ such that $Y = YG_1\cdots G_n$. We conjecture that weak constancy is a necessary condition for existence of such (higher-order) fixed points. This generalizes Statman's conjecture on the non-existence of ``double fpcs'': fixed points of the generator $(G) = (\lambda yx.x(yx))$ discovered by Bohm.


Chaotic systems seem to be the diametrical opposite of completely integrable systems about which TGD is a possible example. There is however also something common: in completely integrable classical systems all orbits are cyclic and in chaotic systems they form a dense set in the space of orbits. Furthermore, in chaotic systems the approach to chaos occurs via steps as a control parameter is changed. Same would take place in adelic TGD fusing the descriptions of matter and cognition. In TGD Universe the hierarchy of extensions of rationals inducing finite-dimensional extension of p-adic number fields defines a hierarchy of adelic physics and provides a natural correlate for evolution. Galois groups and ramified primes appear as characterizers of the extensions. The sequences of Galois groups could characterize an evolution by phase transitions increasing the dimension of the extension associated with the coordinates of WCW in turn inducing the extension used at space-time and Hilbert space level. WCW decomposes to sectors characterized by Galois groups G 3 of extensions associated with the 3-surfaces at the ends of space-time surface at boundaries of causal diamond (CD) and G 4 characterizing the space-time surface itself. G 3 ( G 4 ) acts on the discretization and induces a covering structure of the 3-surface (space-time surface). If the state function reduction to the opposite boundary of CD involves localization into a sector with fixed G 3 , evolution is indeed mapped to a sequence of G 3 s. Also the cognitive representation defined by the intersection of real and p-adic surfaces with coordinates of points in an extension of rationals evolve.


We undertook this study to assess the association between the various potential causes of liver disease in HIV-seropositive patients and mortality due to liver failure. Three hundred and eight in-hospital deaths were observed from 1987 to December 1995 in a prospectively followed cohort of 1894 HIV-seropositive patients. For each study subject, clinical data were evaluated to assess whether liver failure had substantially contributed to mortality. A case control study nested in the cohort was then performed, which compared demographic and clinical variables observed at enrollment and during follow-up between patients who died for liver disease as the main or concurrent cause of death (cases) and those who died as a result of illness related to AIDS or other causes (controls). Among 308 in-hospital deaths, liver failure was found the cause of death in 35 patients (12%); in 16 cases, it was the primary cause and in 19 cases it was concurrent. Multivariate analysis showed that in-hospital liver-disease-related mortality was independently associated with hepatitis B surface antigen reactivity (odds ratio [OR], 9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.8-21.7) and history of alcohol abuse (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1-5.2). Prevention and treatment of hepatitis B virus infection and alcohol intake are management priorities in HIV-seropositive patients.


CLIC1 belongs to the ubiquitous family of chloride intracellular ion channel proteins that are evolutionarily conserved across species. The CLICs are unusual in that they exist mainly as soluble proteins but possess the intriguing property of spontaneous conversion from the soluble to an integral membrane-bound form. This conversion is regulated by the membrane lipid composition, especially by cholesterol, together with external factors such as oxidation and pH. However, the precise physiological mechanism regulating CLIC1 membrane insertion is currently unknown. In this study, X-ray and neutron reflectivity experiments were performed to study the interaction of CLIC1 with different phospholipid monolayers prepared using POPC, POPE, or POPS with and without cholesterol in order to better understand the regulatory role of cholesterol in CLIC1 membrane insertion. Our findings demonstrate for the first time two different structural orientations of CLIC1 within phospholipid monolayers, dependent upon the absence or presence of cholesterol. In phospholipid monolayers devoid of cholesterol, CLIC1 was unable to insert into the lipid acyl chain region. However, in the presence of cholesterol, CLIC1 showed significant insertion within the phospholipid acyl chains occupying an area per protein molecule of 6-7 nm2 with a total CLIC1 thickness ranging from ∼50 to 56 Å across the entire monolayer. Our data strongly suggests that cholesterol not only facilitates the initial docking or binding of CLIC1 to the membrane but also promotes deeper penetration of CLIC1 into the hydrophobic tails of the lipid monolayer.


Efficient freight transportation is essential for a strong economic system. Increases in demands for freight transportation, however, lessens the efficiency of existing infrastructure. In order to alleviate this problem effectively, evaluation studies must be performed in order to invest limited resources for maximum social benefits. In addition to many difficulties related to evaluating individual projects, complimentary and substitution effects that occur when considering transportation projects together must be properly accounted for. Current practices, however, limit the number of projects that can feasibly be considered at one time.
This dissertation proposes network design models which can automatically create project combinations and search for the best of these. Network design models have been studied for the passenger movements and focus on highway expansions. In this dissertation, the focus is shifted to freight movements which involve multimodal transportation improvements. A freight network design model is developed based on a bi-level optimization model. The development then involves two components. The first task is to set the freight investment problems within the bi-level format. This includes finding a suitable freight flow prediction model which can work well with the bi-level model. The second task is to provide a solution algorithm to solve the problem.
The dissertation sets the framework of the freight flow network design model, identifies expected model issues, and provides alternatives that alleviate them. Through a series of developments, the final model uses a shipper-carrier freight equilibrium model to represent freight behaviors. Capacity constraints are used as a means to control service limitations since reliability issues, an important factor for freight movements, cannot be captured by steady state traffic assignment. A case study is implemented to allocate a budget for improvements on the California highway network. The transportation modes are selected by the shipper model which can include truck, rail, or multimodal transportation. The results shown that the proposed network design model provides better solutions compared with traditional ranking methods. The solution algorithm can manage the problem with a reasonable number of project alternatives.


Ultrastructural changes in the alveolar mammary cells and in the pituitary prolactin cells of lactating rats bearing local mammary estrogen implants are reported. The alveoli showed an early regression process, similar to the one observed after weaning. The findings show that the synthesis of milk is altered only to a minor extent, and the authors believe that the inhibiting effect on lactation caused by estrogen is primarily the result of a local action on the alveoli, which cannot empty their content. Thus, estrogen would affect the final stage of milk secretion. Further study is required to determine the exact time and place of estrogen action.


Background Waiting times for outpatient consultations are consistently under pressure, and delivery of the mandatory 18 week target from referral to completed review remains challenging. An Advice and Guidance scheme offers an opportunity to access neurological advice while reducing face-to-face consultation needs. We designed this project to develop the requirements, methods, audit and costing of sustainable neurological advice. Methods A DGH Neurology service worked with a local CCG comprising 18 GP practices. All 176 referrals and advice requests received during a 6 month pilot were considered for A and G instead of a clinic appointment. Results Advice was offered in 37% of cases overall (48 patients), but a net increase of 12% in face-to-face consultations was observed, as 28 (16%) of advice requests required clinic review. Headache and alteration of consciousness were common, and cases with an established diagnosis the most tractable for the 'Advice Only' option. GP referral quality was judged good, neurology satisfaction was reasonable, and a cost of at least £68 per episode was indicated. Discussion This pilot showed an increase in the number of face-to-face clinic reviews required. We suggest that other reported schemes may have not included advice requests that resulted in referrals in their metrics.


In his office on 1 Union Square West in New York City, Samuel Buchler, president of the Federation of Hungarian Jews in America, sat at his desk and looked at the trees turning red, yellow, and brown in the park below the window. It was September 1924, and Buchler had just read the news from Hungary. After years of anti-Jewish violence—the white terror, passively condoned by the postwar regime—the Hungarian government had decided to honor Felix M. Warburg, president of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC, or Joint), with a Red Cross Decoration. The honor came directly from Admiral Miklós Horthy, regent of Hungary, who wanted to acknowledge the role the JDC had played in "mitigating misery in Hungary." It was clear that the JDC had aided millions of Jewish war victims across the devastated landscapes of East Central Europe, including Hungary. But Buchler was skeptical. Since its founding in 1916, the Federation of Hungarian Jews had tried to ameliorate the fate of Hungarian Jews across the ocean, who in quick succession had felt the tremors of war, terror, revolution, social exclusion, and institutional antisemitism. It was ironic that the government Buchler held responsible for much of the anti-Jewish violence and agitation was now hoping to be on good terms with the most famous Jew in the realm of international humanitarianism. For Buchler and the Federation of Hungarian Jews, this was cause for concern.


This article proposes a Mantel-Haenszel-type estimator of an assumed common cumulative odds ratio in a proportional odds model for an ordinal response with several 2 x c contingency tables. It is useful, for instance, for comparing two treatments on an ordinal response for data from several centers when the data are highly sparse. The estimator has behavior similar to the Mantel-Haenszel estimator of a common odds ratio for several 2 x 2 tables. It is consistent under the ordinary asymptotic framework in which the number of tables is fixed and, unlike the maximum likelihood (ML) estimator, also under sparse asymptotics in which the number of tables grows with the sample size. Simulations reveal a considerable difference between it and the ML estimator when each table has few observations. Efficiency comparisons suggest that little efficiency loss occurs compared to the ML estimator when the data are not sparse. Tests and estimators are presented for detecting and handling heterogeneity in the odds ratios, and generalizations are available for stratified r x c contingency tables.


The one-dimensional Fisch theory of plasma heating and current drive by high parallel phase velocity waves is generalized to include the effect of a parallel electric field. It is shown that in the presence of an electric field parallel (antiparallel) to the RF current, the power absorption, the RF current and the current drive efficiency increase (decrease). Electric field effects can be strong during current ramp-up or when recharging the transformer in Tokamaks. The results are given in analytical form, allowing direct application to transport modelling.