Abstract Management of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations is important because of the popularity of this species for sport hunting and the ecological and economic damage deer can cause. Managers traditionally have collected data from hunter-harvested deer to provide information for making these harvest management decisions. We tested for predictive relationships between these data and density using long-term (15–31 years duration, median = 26 years) harvest data for 9 populations in the southeastern United States that spanned several physiographic provinces and a wide range of densities (3–32 deer/km2) that varied by a factor of 1.67–5.50 within populations over the study period. Mean annual harvest for these populations ranged from 265–5,242 animals (median = 626). We tested 8 physical and 3 recruitment measures commonly collected on harvested deer for their relationship to reconstructed herd density estimates using correlation and linear regression models. Yearling male dressed body weights (range of average annual sample sizes: 53–260, median = 146) proved to be the parameter most consistently (7 of 9 populations) related to density (P < 0.05) among those tested. Yearling antler points (sample sizes the same as for yearling male weights) and yearling female dressed body weights (range of average annual sample sizes: 17–126, median = 72) also were related to density (P < 0.05). The most appropriate models were based on 2-year lags for density. Three-year running averages for both dependent and independent variables were used to smooth annual variability. Using data from 3 additional, independent populations validated that predicted and observed densities were highly correlated (r = 0.71–0.96; P < 0.01). The efficacy of time lags should serve to caution managers not to look for immediate responses in herds. The populations examined in this study provided long-term data that captured stochasticity resulting from density-independent factors. Despite any potential impact from these factors, we detected significant density-dependent relationships.


beta-Lactam antibiotics exert their antibacterial effects by inactivating the high-molecular-weight penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) that are responsible for the final stages of peptidoglycan biosynthesis. The availability of the amino acid sequences of several low-molecular-weight PBPs, high-molecular-weight PBPs, and active-site serine beta-lactamases has provided evidence that these groups of enzymes have a common, but distant, evolutionary origin. This view is strongly supported by the recent finding of a similarity in the three-dimensional structures of a low-molecular-weight PBP and class A beta-lactamases. The high-molecular-weight PBPs of Escherichia coli are believed to possess an amino-terminal peptidoglycan transglycosylase domain and a carboxy-terminal penicillin-sensitive transpeptidase domain. These enzymes are inserted in the cytoplasmic membrane only at their amino termini, and water-soluble forms have been obtained that should be suitable for crystallization and X-ray analysis. Resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics mediated by alterations of PBPs has been reported in some gram-negative bacteria. In isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with chromosomally mediated resistance, penicillin-resistant PBPs have arisen from the introduction of multiple amino acid substitutions within the transpeptidase domain of the enzymes.


PEMFC (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell) is a low temperature fuel cells which are high efficient and clean energy. But it has many problems like economical efficiency or durability. Because of this reason, many researchers challenge various view points. One of challenge is the flow channel design and many researchers develop new flow channel design. In addition to most of them have the anode and cathode's flow channel overlapped almost perfectly. In this case, the electrochemical reaction is almost done by the inertial force of flow. So we study on the effect of the anode and cathode's flow channel which aren't overlapped perfectly, have more diffusion effect, to PEMFC performance using CFD.


Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. ABSTRACT Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Patients with cardiovascular disease risk factors are often put on low-dose aspirin to prevent future cardiovascular events and cardiovascular death. However, the evidence supporting this practice is limited. Objective: To examine whether adults without a history of cardiovascular disease benefit from taking daily low-dose aspirin as primary prevention for cardiovascular disease and death. Data sources: The four databases of PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Ovid were used, and a total of 67 nonduplicate articles were reviewed. After examining those articles, four studies were included. Of the four studies, three were randomized controlled trials, and one was a retrospective cohort study. Conclusions: All four studies concluded that daily low-dose aspirin used for primary prevention does not lower the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Implications for practice: Further research needs to be conducted to determine whether daily low-dose aspirin is beneficial in individuals without a history of cardiovascular disease. Nurse practitioners need to know the most current evidence-based practice recommendations to appropriately counsel patients about whether they should be taking low-dose aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease.


Objectives: Tb determine the relationship betsveen obesity and cardiae autonomic nerve activity in healthy children. Methods: 16 healthy male children comprising of 9 nonobese and 7 obese subjects (body mass index > 19.1 kglm]) aged 8-9 years were selected. E]ectrocardiograms were measured for 1O min. under controlled ventilation (O.25 Hz) in the supine positien. Consecutive 256-second RR interval data were transformed by the Fast Fourier Transform method into power spectral data. Very low frequency (VLF; O.O03-O.04 Hz), low frequency (LF; O.04-O.15 Hz), high frequency (HF; O.15-O.40 Hz), and total power (TP; O.O03-O.40 Hz) were calculated and transformed into a natural logarithm (ln). Normalized units (nu) were also calculated as fo11ovvs; LFnu = LF 1 (TP VLF) x 100. HFnu = HF f (TP VLF) x 1OO. Lowlhighfrequency ratio (LHR) was calculated as LF divided by HE Unpaired t test was performed to compare the 2 groups. Results: TP ln and HFnu, reflecting cardiac parasympathetic nerve activity, in obese children were significantly lower than those in nonobese chi]dren. In contrast, LFnu and LHE reflecting cardiac sympathetic nerve actiyity, in obese children were significantly higher than those in nonobese children. Conclusions: These findings uggest that obese chi}dren have higher sympathetic nerve activity and lower parasympathetic nerve actiyity than nonobese children.


Capturing the correct reservoir heterogeneity in a geological model is critical for designing and accurately forecasting expected production benefits from improved/enhanced oil recovery (IOR/EOR) processes. In simple terms, reservoir heterogeneity is often considered as a measure of statistical variation of static properties, such as porosity and permeability. Lorenz coefficient and Dykstra-Parsons coefficient are two such measures of reservoir heterogeneity that account for these static effects. These measures are considered simplistic because the spatial distribution and arrangement of these properties is more critical for reservoir characterization than its statistical variation. Dynamic Lorenz coefficient is one such measure that accounts for the spatial distribution and arrangement of porosity and permeability. Dynamic Lorenz coefficient cannot be directly measured in the field but can be implicitly inferred from tracer data. This inferred heterogeneity will be influenced by the spatial distribution of static properties and can also be significantly influenced by multiphase flow effects, such as, viscous fingering and gravity over/under-ride which often arise from the differences in the viscosities and densities of the different phases involved. Dynamic Lorenz coefficient interpreted from a tracer test response lumps both static and multiphase (dynamic) effects into one measure of heterogeneity. During geological model construction, dynamic Lorenz coefficient is also used to rank the model in terms of heterogeneity to select the most representative model. However, the geological models are ranked using fast single-phase/streamline simulations and are devoid of complications caused by adverse mobility or density effects. This creates a disconnect between the heterogeneity measures used to characterize a geological model and those available to characterize a reservoir. Thus, calibrating a geological model to field data is a laborious task.
 In this paper, we present a workflow that bridges this gap by decoupling the effect of adverse mobility to obtain an approximate measure of heterogeneity that can be cross-checked against the geological realizations to select the most representative model. The workflow developed in this paper is for inverted, seven-spot patterns and is mainly focused on water-wet reservoirs.


The objective of this work is to develop an adequate procedure to determine mechanical properties of nuclear reactor components by means of small specimen test technique. Atomic reactor power plant is a huge structure that the safety factor due to its special function is momentous. The irradiation can change the mechanical properties of the steel used in nuclear power plant structure. The radioactive effect on the vessel of nuclear power reactor causes radiation damage by altering the material properties of nuclear pressure vessel. The effects of the irradiation are mainly important on the toughness parameters (DBTT, KIC). In this work, instrumented Charpy tests was used to study and analyze the effect of specimen size and geometry on the dynamic fracture toughness of 15H2MFA steel used in nuclear pressure vessels of Paks atomic reactor in Hungary. Different concepts (function of the pressure vessel, fission phenomena, neutron interactions, swelling and radiation Creep) are discussed briefly to elaborate the concept of embrittlement and changes in DBTT of the steel in the nuclear reactor pressure vessel. Results show different factors affecting the DBTT curve of the tested steel.


The low-cost revolution that has impacted upon North America, Western Europe, and, increasingly, other parts of the world, is, on initial examination, a development that has created opportunity for wider travel for all sectors of the community. This is certainly true in terms of price in that the impact of the emergence of low-cost carriers on major, generally short-haul, air routes has been to reduce headline prices significantly across all service providers. However, there are operating features within low-cost air travel which, notwithstanding price, may create barriers to access for some sections of the community. This article looks at the operating features of low-cost airlines and evaluates these in terms of social exclusion criteria. Based on an exploratory study of consumers in Glasgow, Scotland, the article concludes that access to low-cost airlines is considerably easier in both practical and perceptual terms for consumers with a flexible relationship to working and leisure time, and also access to the technology and financial systems required to avail of the best travel opportunities.


Imagine that you are watching a hearing of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on television. Each member of the Committee is asking questions of, and in some cases interrogating, the president's most recent nominee to the United States Supreme Court. She is an accomplished attorney with not only a law degree from an elite institution but also a doctorate in biochemistry and specialization in private practice on issues over which science and law overlap and intersect. For several years she has served on the federal bench on the D.C. circuit and has done so admirably, showing professional competence and jurisprudential insight that has become the envy of her peers, some of whom disagree with her conservative judicial philosophy. Over the years, she has published well-received articles in numerous law reviews and peer-reviewed science publications dealing with issues as wide ranging as the Daubert standard, the reliability of DNA testing in capital murder cases, and whether the Supreme Court's holdings in its reproductive rights cases provide support for a constitutional right to clone oneself.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Assessing the efficacy of noninvasive fat removal relies on measurements that are subject to error and subjective comparisons. Even the integrity of photographic comparisons, an accepted assessment tool, is difficult to control. With the emergence of noninvasive fat reduction technologies, there is a greater need for standardized assessments of efficacy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A geometric model is described that correlates circumference and fat layer changes following noninvasive body contouring procedures. To validate the geometric model, abdominal measurements were taken with and without an artificial fat pad in place with: 1) a tape measure, 2) ultrasound, and 3) micrometer. The model was then used to analyze the published results of fat layer reduction and circumference changes following noninvasive body contouring procedures.

RESULTS
While there was a high correlation (R2=0.8943) between our ultrasound method and the model with 6 subjects, the correlation between the tape measure method and the model was low (R2=0.0142).

CONCLUSION
Our results underscore the need for a highly accurate and standardized method for fat measurement. The efficacy in previous studies that had been assessed by tape measure in combination with ultrasound or computed tomography imaging does not conform to the model prediction, which leads us to conclude that the measurements used in those studies were not reliable. Studies reporting efficacy should use such a geometric model to ensure consistency between various measurement methods and to minimize errors due to weight change and measurement technique.


Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I, a polypeptide synthesized by skeletal cells, and its amino terminus truncated derivative desamino-(1-3)-IGF I (des-IGF I) were compared for their effects on bone formation in vitro. Des-IGF I and IGF I were studied for their effects on DNA and collagen synthesis in cultures of intact fetal rat calvariae and of osteoblast-enriched (Ob) cells from fetal rat parietal bone, and for their ability to bind to IGF receptors in Ob cells and to IGF binding proteins (IGF-BPs) from calvariae. Des-IGF I and IGF I increased [3H] thymidine incorporation into DNA, [3H]proline incorporation into collagen and noncollagen protein, and the mitotic index in intact calvariae. Both factors had similar actions in calvariae. Des-IGF I stimulated all parameters studied at 1 nM, and IGF I was effective on the labeling of DNA at 1 nM, but concentrations of 10 nM were required to observe changes in collagen and noncollagen protein synthesis and in the mitotic index. The effect of des-IGF I on collagen synthesis was independent from that on DNA synthesis, as it is known for IGF I, and both forms of IGF I were equally potent for their inhibitory effects on collagen degradation in calvarial cultures. In Ob cells, neither des-IGF I nor IGF I altered the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA, but both factors at 10-100 nM increased [3H]proline incorporation into collagen to a similar extent. Receptor studies revealed a similar binding capacity for des-IGF I and IGF I to the IGF I receptor(s) in Ob cells, although at 0.2 nM des-IGF I was slightly more effective than IGF I. In contrast, des-IGF I was 100-fold less effective than IGF I for its ability to bind to partially purified IGF-BPs from cultured calvariae. In conclusion, des-IGF I enhances calvarial DNA and collagen synthesis and osteoblastic collagen synthesis to a somewhat greater extent than IGF I, in spite of a much lesser affinity for IGF-BPs.


Abstract. Monthly to seasonal streamflow forecasts provide useful information for a
range of water resource management and planning applications. This work
focuses on improving such forecasts by considering the following two aspects:
(1) state updating to force the models to match observations from the start
of the forecast period, and (2) selection of a shorter calibration period
that is more representative of the forecast period, compared to a longer
calibration period traditionally used. The analysis is undertaken in the
context of using streamflow forecasts for environmental flow water management
of an open channel drainage network in southern Australia. Forecasts of
monthly streamflow are obtained using a conceptual rainfall–runoff model
combined with a post-processor error model for uncertainty analysis. This
model set-up is applied to two catchments, one with stronger evidence of
non-stationarity than the other. A range of metrics are used to assess
different aspects of predictive performance, including reliability,
sharpness, bias and accuracy. The results indicate that, for most scenarios
and metrics, state updating improves predictive performance for both observed
rainfall and forecast rainfall sources. Using the shorter calibration period
also improves predictive performance, particularly for the catchment with
stronger evidence of non-stationarity. The results highlight that a
traditional approach of using a long calibration period can degrade
predictive performance when there is evidence of non-stationarity. The
techniques presented can form the basis for operational monthly streamflow
forecasting systems and provide support for environmental decision-making.


The crystalline quality of Ge films grown on a Si(100)‐2×1 substrate by molecular beam epitaxy has been studied by means of in situ reflection high‐energy electron diffraction, x‐ray diffraction, and Raman scattering spectroscopy. The Ge layers of thickness up to 4000 A were deposited at 400 °C with and without thin (200 A) Ge buffer layers predeposited at 200 °C. It was found that the buffer layers were effective in improving the quality of the thin Ge overlayers, while they had no noticeable effect on the thick layers whose x‐ray and Raman spectra were comparable to that of bulk Ge. It was also found that, even after the Ge films became relaxed with a generation of dislocations, they were not free from strain due to the lattice mismatch. This finding is supported by the quantitative estimate of the Raman frequency shift in terms of the uniaxial strain model.


Abstract 1641 Poster Board I-667 LFA-1 regulates T cell activation and signal transduction through the immunological synapse. TCR stimulation rapidly activates LFA-1, which provides unique LFA-1-dependent signals to promote T cell activation. We found LFA-1 directly participates in Erk1/2 signaling upon TCR stimulation in CD8 + T cells. The presence of LFA-1, not ligand binding, is required for the TCR-mediated Erk1/2 signal pathway. LFA-1-KO T cells have defects in sustained Erk1/2 signaling and TCR/CD3 clustering, which subsequently prevents MTOC re-orientation, cell-cycle progression and mitosis. LFA-1 regulates the TCR-mediated Erk1/2 signal pathway in the context of immunological synapse for recruitment and amplification of Erk1/2 signal. In addition, LFA-1 ligation with ICAM-1 generates an additional Erk1/2 signal, which synergizes with the existing TCR-mediated Erk1/2 signal to enhance T cell activation. We demonstrated that the function of LFA-1 is to enhance TCR signaling through the immunological synapse and deliver distinct signal in CD8 + T cell activation. Based on our results, we proposed a model of TCR-mediated and LFA-1-mediated Erk1/2 signal pathways in CD8 + T cell activation. However, the detailed molecular pathways that regulate these processes and global impact on immune functions are poorly defined. With the launching of The Immunological Genome Project, we have generated data with CD8 + T cell expression array to explore and understand the LFA-1 and TCR signaling network. GeneChip hybridization and analysis CD8 + T cells from C57BL/6 mice and LFA-1-KO mice were collected before and after stimulation. Microarray experiments were carried out using the " Mouse Whole Genome Oligo Microarray Kit" from Agilent. Differentially expressed gene lists between samples were considered significant if their p values were 1.8. The results are summarized below: 1) 641 genes were up-regulated and 174 were down-regulated in unstimulated LFA-1-KO CD8 + T cells comparing to these in unstimulated WT CD8 + T cells; 2)1036 genes were up-regulated and 406 were down-regulated in activated LFA-1-KO CD8 + T cells comparing to these in activated WT CD8 + T cells after 1 hours stimulation with unstimulated CD8 + T cells as control; 3)636 genes were up-regulated and 354 were down-regulated in activated LFA-1-KO CD8 + T cells comparing to these in activated WT CD8 + T cells after 8 hours stimulation with unstimulated CD8 + T cells as control. To estimate which pathways are significantly enriched among the genes that are differentially expressed, we used a database IPA (Ingenuity Pathways Analysis) software. Signaling pathways enriched by the genes differentially expressed in activated LFA-1-KO CD8 + T cells vs WT CD8 + T cells after 8 hours stimulation generated the most highly enriched differentially expressed genes in signaling pathways displayed below: 1) Pattern Recognition Receptors in Recognition of Bacteria and Viruses; 2) Activation of IRF by Cytosolic Pattern Recognition Receptors; 3) Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Signaling; 4) IL-10 Signaling; p38 MAPK Signaling; 5) LPS/IL-1 Mediated Inhibition of RXR Function; Cell Cycle: G2/M DNA Damage Checkpoint Regulation; 6) Notch Signaling; Natural Killer Cell Signaling; 7) Cell Cycle: G1/S Checkpoint Regulation and Chemokine Signaling. Furthermore, we examined the biological functions enriched by the genes differentially expressed in activated LFA-1-KO CD8 + T cells vs WT CD8 + T cells. The LFA-1-KO CD8 + T cells vs WT CD8 + T cells after 8 hours stimulation generated the most highly enriched differentially expressed genes in following biological functions: Immunological Disease; Antigen Presentation; Cell-mediated Immune Response; Humoral Immune Response; Inflammatory Response; Cellular Development; Cell-To-Cell Signaling and Interaction; Hematological System Development and Function; Immune Cell Trafficking; Cellular Growth and Proliferation; Inflammatory Disease; Cellular Movement; Hematopoiesis Cell Death; Hematological Disease; Lymphoid Tissue Structure and Development; Infectious Disease; Tissue Development and Cancer. Our results indicate that LFA-1 plays an important role in the immune signal network and has a global impact on immune system. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blue electric streamer discharges in the upper reaches of thunderclouds are observed as flashes of 337.0 nm (blue) with faint or no emissions of 777.4 nm (red). Analyzing 3 years of measurements by the Atmosphere‐Space Interactions Monitor on the International Space Station, we find that their distribution in rise time falls into two categories. One with fast rise times of 30 μs or less that are relatively unaffected by cloud scattering and emanate from within ∼2 km of the cloud tops, and another with longer rise times from deeper within the clouds. 50% of cells generating shallow events are associated with overshooting tops compared to 34% of cells generating deeper events. The median Convective Available Potential Energy of the cells is ∼70% higher for the shallow events and ∼38% higher for the deeper events than for lightning cells, suggesting the discharges are favored by strongly convective environments.


Lord Lao, first known as the philosopher Laozi, the purported author of the "Daode jing," later became an immortal, a messiah, and high god of Daoism. Laozi, divinized during the Han dynasty and in early Daoist movements, reached his highest level of veneration under the Tang when the rulers honored him as a royal ancestor. In subsequent eras he remained prominent and is still a major deity in China today.Livia Kohn's two-part study first traces the historical development of Lord Lao and the roles he played at different times for different believers. Part Two is based on one of Lord Lao's major hagiographies, the twelfth-century "Youlong zhuan (Like Unto a Dragon)," and studies the complex myth surrounding him. Lord Lao appears in eight distinct mythical roles, each associated with a particular phase in his life: He is the creator of the universe, bringer of cosmic order, teacher of dynasties, and the divine made flesh on earth. He is also the converter of the barbarians, the source of major Daoist revelations, and the god of Great Peace and political harmony. Comparing his story with related Confucian, Buddhist, and Western mythic tropes, Kohn illuminates the dynamics of the Daoist tale and persuades us to appreciate Lord Lao as a key deity of traditional China. Includes illustrations and tables.Livia Kohn is Professor of Religion and East Asian Studies, Boston University; Adjunct Professor of Chinese Studies, Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary; and Visiting Professor of Japanese Religion, Stanford Center for Technology and Innovation, Kyoto, Japan. Her most recent book is "Lao-tzu and the Tao-te-ching."


Both the incidence of, and the mortality due to, prostate cancer in the USA are higher in African-American men than in Caucasian men. This is particularly true in men less than 60 years of age. Our findings indicate that both the prevalence and the extensiveness of high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) are higher in African-American men compared to Caucasians and that this discrepancy starts as early as the third decade of life. In an autopsy series comprising 650 men, extensive high-grade PIN with diffuse involvement of the prostate gland was evident in 25 (7%) of 364 African-American men less than 50 years of age compared to 4 (2%) of 208 Caucasian men in the same age group (p = 0.002). In a series of more than 1,200 men undergoing radical prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer, extensive high-grade PIN was significantly and consistently higher in the African-American cohort than the Caucasian cohort. The difference was more evident in younger patients and those with smaller, organ-confined tumors. In a subset of 216 men (71 African-Americans and 138 Caucasians) with clinical stage T1C prostate cancer, extensive high-grade PIN was identified in 33% and 12% of the two groups respectively (p = 0.001). Moreover, in patients with organ-confined disease, both Gleason score and the extensiveness of high-grade PIN were significant predictors of biochemical recurrence. Our findings suggest an important role for high-grade PIN in the development of clinically significant, potentially aggressive prostate cancer in African-American men. In this epidemiologically identifiable high-risk group, there is a potential opportunity for chemoprevention strategies in younger men with high-grade PIN.


Biomaterials based on synthetic polymers have been explored in medicine since early in the 20th century. The inert nature of polymeric materials and their many fabrication options suggested possibilities in medicine to surgeons having to deal with repair and replacement of diseased or injured organs and tissues. Now the biomaterials/medical device industry is estimated at US$ 150 billion worldwide and saves the lives of millions and improves the quality of life for millions more. In spite of the success of biomaterials and medical devices, there are issues with 'biocompatible' biomaterials that have an on impact medical practice and stimulate scientific questions. This perspective discusses the fact that although we have been reasonably successful with implants, there is much room for improvement. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry


Psychophysical studies reveal distortions in perception of distance and shape. Are reaches calibrated to eliminate distortions? Participants reached to the front, side, or back of a target sphere. In Experiment 1, feedforward reaches yielded distortion and outward drift. In Experiment 2, haptic feedback corrected distortions and instability. In Experiment 3, feedforward reaches with only haptic experience of targets replicated the shape distortions but drifted inward. This showed that outward drift in Experiment 1 was visually driven. In Experiment 4, visually guided reaches were accurate when participants used binocular vision but when they used monocular vision, reaches were distorted. Haptic feedback corrected inaccuracy and instability of distance but did not correct monocular shape distortions. Dynamic binocular vision is representative and accurate and merits further study.


A 24-year-old male with no prior history of liver disease was diagnosed as symptomatic active acute HBV infection with HBsA gand HBe Ag positivity with elevated HBVDNA and aminotransferase levels. The patient was followed for 18 months in order to investigate the evolution of his HBV serological profiles, HBV DNA and aminotransferase levels. Subsequently, an 18 month after the initiation of HBV, laboratory tests revealed that HBs Ag was negative, HBs Ab was positive, HBe Ag had decreased with a concomitant increase of HBe Ab, the quantity of HBV DNA was undetectable, and liver function had stabilized. I suggest that HBV-associated antigens and antibodies should be regularly tested.


: The use of materials corresponding to the composition and structure of human bone is seen today as the most promising direction in reconstructive surgery. The biocompatibility of the implanted material is correlated with this composition. Modification of the endoprosthesis surface by means of bioactive coating is considered to be one of the promising directions for the creation of complex materials, possessing not only the properties of the passive matrix for the newly formed bone, but also certain strength characteristics


This extends earlier results (Adv. Math. 218 (2008) 600–633; Israel J. Math. 227 (2018) 507–544) by removing the assumption of mean zero and identical distribution of the entries across the matrix as well as the recent result (Livshyts (2018)) where the matrix was required to have i.i.d. rows. Our model covers inhomogeneous matrices allowing different variances of the entries as long as the sum of the second moments is of order O(n2). In the past advances, the assumption of i.i.d. rows was required due to lack of Littlewood–Offord-type inequalities for weighted sums of non-i.i.d. random variables. Here, we overcome this problem by introducing the Randomized Least Common Denominator (RLCD) which allows to study anticoncentration properties of weighted sums of independent but not identically distributed variables. We construct efficient nets on the sphere with lattice structure and show that the lattice points typically have large RLCD. This allows us to derive strong anticoncentration properties for the distance between a fixed column of A and the linear span of the remaining columns and prove the main result.


There has been plenty of discussion of the technical problems of microfilming, and the potential importance of microfilms to the librarian is generally accepted, but little seems yet to have been written in this country on the practical problems facing the librarian who wishes to make extensive use of microfilms in building up his stock. Microfilm viewers are now to be found in many libraries, but on the whole, microfilms are used in British libraries mainly to satisfy occasional demands, and very few libraries in this country appear to be using microfilms systematically and extensively; an account of one such attempt may therefore be of interest.


Background: Patients with migraine experience increased sensitivity to external stimuli. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) measures thermal perception and thermal pain thresholds in migraine patients.

Aims: The purpose of our study is to measure thermal and pain perception and thresholds using QST in patients with migraine, and to evaluate the effect of abortive versus prophylactic treatment.

Material and Methods: We performed a case-control study comparing thermal perception and thermal pain thresholds using QST in 25 migraine subjects compared to controls. We compared patients on abortive therapy (16 patients) to those on prophylactic therapy (9 patients).

Results: We found that migraine patients in the Lebanese population are less sensitive to all thermal modalities on QST interictally, which is different than reported studies. Migraine patients had significantly higher heat perception threshold and lower cold perception threshold over the hand and higher heat pain threshold and lower cold perception threshold over the face. Migraine patients on prophylactic therapy were more sensitive than those on abortive therapy.

Conclusion: Migraine patients were less sensitive to thermal and pain sensation compared to published reports. Patients on prophylactic therapy showed lower QST thresholds compared to those on abortive therapy suggesting that the abortive treatment suppressed their hypersensitivity.


Recent research has shown that polymers, normally thought of as being insulators, exhibit a wide range of electrical conductive properties.


We often hear the basic question: "Why some countries are rich and others are poor". This has been one of the major questions of political economy (and even long before) its more formal or scientific formulation in the late 18th century. Most prominently and especially England, at a time when Western Europe, was experiencing an economic upheaval, disruptions that would totally transform the lives of its inhabitants. Over the last two hundred years, economic development has been rather uneven1. Some countries have witnessed steady growth, year after year, while others stagnated. Some have become rich and then declined. After WWII, the world became divided into three areas: Western countries, the Eastern block, and the South. The first two fought a battle of ideas over a most fundamental question — that of the nature of human societies and the role of freedom. They also fought to impose their respective model over the South — the developing world — and to control its natural resources. After more than half a century of a destructive approach to development, things are now changing and we may have reasons to be optimistic for the next twenty years.


As the complexity and variety of computer system hardware increases, its suitability as a pedagogical tool in computer organization/architecture courses diminishes. As a consequence, many instructors are turning to simulators as teaching aids, often using valuable teaching/research time to construct them. Many of these simulators have been made freely available on the Internet, providing a useful and time-saving resource for other instructors. However, finding the right simulator for a particular course or topic can itself be a time-consuming process. The goal of this paper is to provide an easy-to-use survey of free and Internet-accessible computer system simulators as a resource for all instructors of computer organization and computer architecture courses.


Publication of the main European pressure equipment standards in May 2002 coincided with the end of the transition period for introduction of the Pressure Equipment Directive. This comprehensive series of standards, replacing the many former national standards in Europe, extends to some 300 standards and another 600 supporting standards. Completing the program and further developing these standards continues to involve extensive collaborative effort, selecting the best practices from the enlarged European Union and elsewhere in the world. Account is being taken of technical and commercial considerations, design by analysis techniques, and best practices in permanent joining, non-destructive testing and materials manufacture. In addition, research work has been carried out to justify or confirm radical approaches to the entire process of design, manufacture, installation and operation of pressure equipment. This paper updates the further progress with some of the standards, in particular in relation to the use of aluminium and cast iron materials in pressure vessels, test pressures, further developments in the use of design techniques, and aspects of creep design. Mention is also made of the ways in which practical experience is being fed back into the standards-making processes to ensure that economic aspects continue to be balanced with safety considerations within an overall structured intellectual framework.Copyright © 2006 by ASME


This paper discusses the development and design of two wheeled-type In-Pipe Inspection Robots (IPIRs), Kuzhali I and Kuzhali II, which were created to address the limitations of traditional human inspection methods and earlier robot designs. Specifically, the robots aim to overcome the motion singularity experienced by IPIRs when navigating through curved pipes. Kuzhali I was developed with wheels mounted at an asymmetric angle, which enables the wheels to maintain contact with the pipe's surface, preventing motion singularity. However, Kuzhali I had limitations due to its prismatic mechanism, and thus Kuzhali II was developed with a telescopic mechanism to allow it to pass through vertical pipes with obstacles. Motion analysis was conducted on both robots to demonstrate how they overcome motion singularity and navigate through straight and curved pipelines. Simulation results showed that the forces acting on the robots' wheels fell within 5 N to 12 N, demonstrating stability while navigating pipeline junctions. Experimental tests were conducted on Kuzhali II, and the results were compared to simulation results, showing an error of less than 5%. The results of the experiments indicate that Kuzhali II is safe to use for pipeline inspection, can navigate through vertical pipelines with ease and can overcome motion singularity in curved pipes. These robots offer a faster, more accurate, and safer alternative to human inspection, which can reduce the risk of pipeline failures and associated environmental and safety hazards.


We are particulary interested by image protection. The conventional encryption standard may be not applicable to images, due to the digital images properties which are characterized with some intrinsic features such as highly pixel redundancy and correlation. We propose a new asynchronous stream cipher based on generalized continued fraction (GCF). The proposed scheme is resistant to statistic attack, differential attack and some other known attacks. Experimental results prove that our scheme is efficient and secure.


Background. Treatment of resistant or relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains a challenge. Adhesion of ALL cells via integrin α4/VCAM-1 pathway to bone marrow stromal cells promotes cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance (CAM-DR). Previously, we have shown that AVA4746, a non-peptidic small molecule integrin α4 antagonist, functionally de-adheres patient-derived B-ALL cells from VCAM-1. Furthermore, we demonstrated that antagonizing VCAM-1 by AVA4746 in combination with traditional chemotherapy prolongs survival of B-ALL xenograft NSG mice derived from a relapsed B-ALL patient. The objective of the present study was to determine the underlying mechanism of the integrin α4/VCAM-1 pathway blockade using AVA4746.
 Method. The effect of AVA4746 intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in five primary B-ALL cells by flow cytometry using 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA) staining. Oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) measurement was assessed by Seahorse XF cell mito stress test in one primary ALL using Seahorse XFp Analyzer. The effect of AVA4746 on angiogenesis was analyzed by using an endothelial tube formation assay with HUVEC cells. In vivo effect of high dose of AVA4746 (30mg/kg bid p.o.) and prolonged treatment (28 days) was assessed in a murine xenograft model of primary ALL.
 Results. We have previously determined that the metabolic activity was markedly decreased in two of two ALL cases by AVA4746 as assessed by WST-1 assay. Therefore, we investigated further the effect of AVA4746 on metabolism of ALL cells. For this purpose, ALL cells were treated in vitro with AVA4746 (25μM) or 0.1% DMSO as control for 2 or 4 hours. A significant increase of intracellular ROS level was consistently found in presence of AVA4746 compared to DMSO at both 2h or 4hours in all five primary B-ALL cells. According to our preliminary bioenergetics assay, after 24h treatment with AVA4746 0, 25μM, AVA4746 decreased the metabolic potential of LAX7R cells as shown by the difference in stressed OCR and stressed ECAR (P=0.0036 and 0.0056, respectively). AVA4746 significantly impeded endothelial tube formation of HUVEC cells as shown by the statistically significant differences in numbers of nodes, segments, meshes and meshes area indicating an effect of AVA4746 on angiogenesis, which will be further examined in vivo. In vivo, AVA4746 (30mg/kg bid p.o.) in combination with vincristine, dexamethasone, L-asparaginase (VDL) chemotherapy treatment prolonged survival (n=5) compared with the VDL only treated group (n=5) (MST= 87 days vs MST= 77 days; P=0.0229). There was no significant difference in survival between the PBS control group (n=4) and the AVA4746 only treatment group (n=5).
 Conclusion. Interrupting integrin α4/VCAM-1 pathway by AVA4746 increases intracellular ROS level of B-ALL cells and downregulates metabolic potential. AVA4746 inhibits in vitro angiogenesis. The combined treatment of high dose AVA4746 and VDL prolonged survival compared to VDL alone. As the integrin α4/VCAM-1 pathway plays a critical role in CAM-DR of B-ALL, AVA4746 may be a potential candidate for therapy of drug resistant B-ALL.

 Wayne: Kite, a Gilead Company: Consultancy, Research Funding; Servier: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Spectrum Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Research Funding.


Fibrosis constitute an important complication of CD. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression, have been shown to participate in the molecular interactions of both inflammation and fibrosis. Lower levels of miR-378a-3p have been reported associated to murine liver fibrosis (Hyun et al. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10993) and we analyze here the relevance of miR-378a-3p on intestinal fibrosis.

 B57BL/6 mice were intravenously injected with 2,5mg/kg of negative control (NC) or mm-miR-378a-3p mimic, twice a week and received vehicle or Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS) for 2 cycles (7 days drinking DSS 2% in water solution followed by 10 days drinking water). Body weight and DAI score was obtained every day and the colon was collected after sacrifice. Sirius and hematoxylin-eosin dyes were employed to determine the fibrosis and structural state in 5µm slides of intestinal tissue. Gene expression and miRNA profiles were analyzed by RT-qPCR. Human small intestinal fibroblasts (HSIF; P10760, Innoprot, Spain) were transfected with 20nM of NC or hsa-miR-378a-3p mimic during 24h.

 No significant changes in body weight, DAI score, and colon length were detected between mice receiving NC and those receiving mimic, all along the two DSS cycles. Colon of mice treated with DSS, exhibited a significant diminution in the mRNA expression of mm-miR-378a-3p compared with naïve samples. In DSS-treated mice, the iv administration of the mimic compared with the NC: a) significantly increased levels of miR-378a-3p in the colon; b) increased the number of neutrophils, and heightened changes in the glandular epithelia and architectural distortion (figure 1a) C) decreased the number of lymphoid follicles (figure 1a); d) slightly increased collagen deposition, as analyzed by sirius red (figure 1b) and e) significantly increased the mRNA expression of Tgfb1, Il1b, and Mmp2. Treatment of human intestinal fibroblasts with hsa-miR-378a-3p mimic did not significant modify the mRNA expression of markers of fibrosis but it significantly increased the mRNA expression of two antiapoptotic molecules BCL2 and MCL1.

 Levels of mm-miR-378a-3p are diminished in a murine model of intestinal fibrosis; The exogenous administration of miR-378a-3p, increased the acute inflammatory response and the expression of fibrosis markers in murine fibrotic colon and the expression of antiapoptotic molecules in human intestinal fibroblasts.


The increasing number of scientific journals, especially over the last 20 years, created the need for methodologies based on simple metrics, to accurately capture the "quality" of those journals and their impact on the scientific community. Especially in the case of journals from the field of forestry, relatively little work has been conducted on providing valid journal classifications. In this paper we attempt to assess the impact of journals from this field in terms of bibliometric data. In addition to the already proposed metrics (complementary to the journal h-index), we also apply a new measure to rank journals, that provides a more balanced evaluation of the journal performance, by adjusting for various biases affecting the h-index. We examined the relationships between various bibliometric indicators proposed for assessing the journal impact and wo found high correlations between most indices, with only few exceptions. According to citation analysis, Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Journal of Vegetation Science, Forest Science, Tree Physiology, International Journal of Wildland Fire, Holzforschung, Trees-Structure and Function, Silva Fennica, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology and Wood and Fiber Science are the top forestry journals. These publish articles related to all the domains of forestry science. More specialized journals are also included, dealing with specific issues of scientific interest and also of major importance to the scientific community.


Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequent malignancy in men worldwide. The present study was conducted to assess AST/ALT ratio as a significant predictor of the incidence risk of prostate cancer. Materials & Methods: 110 patients of suspected benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and PCa were enrolled. Blood samples were collected 1-7 days before surgery. PSA value before biopsy was collected. The upper limit of the reference range, in consideration, was 40 IU/L for AST and 56 IU/L for ALT. Results: There were 50 cases of PCa and 60 cases of BPH. The mean age was 6.5 years and 67.2 years, BMI (Kg/m2) was 24.1 and 24.6, diabetes was present in 6 and 8, CAD in 10 and 7 and hypertension in 23 and 25 in PCa and BPH patients. The difference was non-significant (P> 0.05). The mean PSA level <10 ng/ml was seen in 12 and 28, >10 ng/ml in 38 and 32, Gleason Score <6 was seen in 11, 7 in 15 and value 8 in 24, mean ALT(IU/L) was 20.1 and 21.6, AST(IU/L) was 20.6 and 19.8 and AST/ALT ratio was 1.14 and 1.21 in PCa and BPH patients respectively. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Risk factors of prostate cancer was AST/ALT ratio and age. Conclusion: AST/ALT ratio was an independent factor in predicting the incidence of PCa.


Background: Discrepancies between the outcomes of cancer patients between Western European and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries have often been observed. Despite the enormous economic and civilizational progress made in these countries after the abolishment of the communist regime, structural problems persist. Summary: The present article reviews the domains of medical oncology education, human resources in oncology, cancer care, and clinical research in CEE in order to comprehensively assess the current situation and needs, describe important initiatives, and also propose ways to improving cancer outcomes in the region. Activities are under way to address these issues in national action plans to divert funding into oncology-related education, research, the purchase of equipment, and the attainment of modern hospital organization and structures. Key Message: Over the past more than 30 years, CEE countries have made enormous economic and societal progress. Nevertheless, challenges especially in the health care sector persist.


The challenging drag-free sensor of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission is derived from electrostatic accelerometers developed for a long time in ONERA. The LISA sensor includes a gold platinum alloy inertial mass free-floating in space and used as reflectors for the laser interferometer. This test mass should not undergo more than 3 × 10−15 m s−2 Hz−1/2 acceleration at 0.1 mHz. This tremendous performance is not close to what has been reached so far, but should be approached within one order of magnitude with the projected SMART-2 ESA mission by 2006. Meanwhile, ONERA has participated in several space missions with the flight of increasingly sensitive accelerometers. The German CHAMP mission aims at mapping the Earth's magnetic and gravity fields. More than two years data have been accumulated showing a resolution better than 3 × 10−9 m s−2 Hz−1/2 for the accelerometer. With the JPL/NASA GRACE mission launched in March 2002, even more sensitive measurements have been obtained. From these two flight experiments with electrostatic sensors very similar in concept to that of LISA, the accelerometric environment on board a satellite is discussed at nanogravity levels. It is also shown that these first analyses are compatible with the expected LISA performance when the results are extrapolated to the LISA environment, needing femto-gravity levels.


A seroepidemiological survey was carried out in July 1999 to assess the prevalence of cysticercosis in general population in the Mahajanga City (West of Madagascar). Blood specimens were collected from a randomised sample including 626 individuals more than 2 years old. ELISA and confirmative immunoblot techniques (EITB) were used to measure Cysticercus cellulosae antibodies. The overall prevalence by ELISA test was 19% (15.8-22.7% CI95%). Among positive cases, 87% were also positive by EITB. Cysticercosis is considered as major health problem in Madagascar. A national control programme implementation is imperative.


In this paper we study a fractional differential equation (FDE) model which describes the spread of Hantavirus infection in a system consisting of the host species and a non-host competitor species. The host species is a mouse species of which a portion is susceptible to infection and the remaining portion is already infected. The main reason we propose this model is due to the condition in real ecosystems where mice compete for resources with other species and the interaction processes among species in the ecosystem become an important agent in controlling the Hantavirus infection. Our results show our FDE model is able to reproduce results which are consistent with a previous study involving ordinary differential equations.

 Keywords: Fractional Differential Equation; Simulation; Hantavirus infection

 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification 26A33; 81T80; 92D25


History and Objectives: Hysterectomy (Removal of uterus) is one of the common surgical operations in females. Due to the importance of determination of its prevalence and causes in health care and therapeutic programs and lack of corresponding data in Kashan, this study was conducted to establish the prevalence and causes of hysterectomy among patients referring to Dr. Shabihkhani maternity hospital in Kashan in 1374-1375. Materials and Methods: A descriptive study was performed on 150 women referring Dr. Shabihkhani maternity hospital for hysterectomy. Data including age, job, marital status, educational level, parity, menopausal status, technique of operation, preoperative diagnosis on the basis of physical examination, laboratory examinations and pathologic reports were recorded in corresponding questionnaires. Finally, after extraction and classification of the information, they were statistically described. Results: This study showed that hysterectomy accounts for 5.9% of all surgical operations in women in this center. 44.7% of patients were 45-55 years old. 56.6% of women had history of one of 5 childbirths, which comprised the largest group among patients. Abdominal hysterectomy was performed in 90.6% of patients and the remainder undergone vaginal hysterectomy. The most common causes of hysterectomy were leiomyoma (49.3%) abnormal uterine bleeding (28.6%) and pelvic laxation (12.6%). Abnormal pelvic examination was reported in 117 patients (78%) and in 33 women (22%) pelvic examination failed to detect the involved site. 71.3% of patients had laboratory examination and the remaining 28.7% did not have. Pathologic report was abnormal in 60% and normal in 40% of patients. Conclusion: Leiomyoma, abnormal uterine bleeding and pelvic laxity constitute the common causes of hysterectomy. Analytical studies are recommended to determine the contribution of different factors in order to prevent unnecessary hysterectomies.


Blood lactate concentration is a strong indicator of mortality risk in critically ill patients. While frequent lactate measurements are necessary to assess patient's health state, the measurement is an invasive procedure that can increase risk of hospital-acquired infections. For this reason we formally define the problem of lactate prediction as a clinically relevant benchmark problem for machine learning community so as to assist clinical decision making in blood lactate testing. Accordingly, we demonstrate the relevant challenges of the problem and its data in addition to the adopted solutions. Also, we evaluate the performance of different prediction algorithms on a large dataset of ICU patients from the multi-centre eICU database. More specifically, we focus on investigating the impact of missing value imputation methods in lactate prediction for each algorithm. The experimental analysis shows promising prediction results that encourages further investigation of this problem.


The habitat and diet can vary through host ontogeny, and, therefore, affect its parasitic fauna. We examined the relationship between diet and endoparasites of 124 Dosidicus gigas from coastal (73) and oceanic areas (51) of central Chile. The numerical descriptors and composition of 82 stomach contents and 120 infracommunities of parasites were evaluated. A total 24 prey items were identified in stomach contents. The infracommunities were composed of 1544 individuals belonging to six parasitic taxa. Host mantle length best explained the variation of the infracommunity descriptors, while the change of host diet was explained by the fishing zone factor. From 77 jumbo squids in which stomach contents and parasites were analyzed together, no significant association was found between the prey and parasites. D. gigas does not increase its trophic niche breadth through ontogeny, because the largest squids primarily feed on fish. The infracommunity descriptors showed an increase in relation to squid length. The feeding strategy of D. gigas may explain the absence of correlation between the diet and parasites. We recommended the application of stable isotopes, to avoid the problem of different incoming rates of parasites and prey, to study the association between the diet and parasites.


With the rapid development of power grid construction, The Power grid is becoming more and more expansion; the reliability of the equipment operation is the important precondition for the safe and stable operation of power grid. The insulator is an important component of the primary equipment of the power grid. So it is important to research high efficient, accurate equipment to detector the insulativity of insulator. This paper is based on current problems of insulator detection, An online insulator detection device based on intelligent robot is studied. By installing the equipment onto the robot, the robot will be able to detect online. There is no need for artificially high screening tests to reduce the worker's strength. The DC ultrahigh- voltage transmission line is the latest transmission. The research on these insulators is scant. Through the experiment, device for detecting the insulator resistance was developed. Through experiment, proved the feasibility of this approach.


Drained peatlands are significant sources of the greenhouse gas (GHG) carbon dioxide. Rewetting is a proven strategy to protect the large carbon stocks; however, it can also lead to increased emissions of the potent GHG methane. The response to rewetting of soil microbiomes as drivers of these processes is poorly understood, as are the biotic and abiotic factors that control community composition. We analyzed the soil microbiomes of three contrasting pairs of minerotrophic fens subject to decade-long drainage and subsequent rewetting. Analyses comprised qPCR of methanogens, amplicon sequencing of prokaryotic and eukaryotic rRNA genes, and abiotic soil properties including moisture and dissolved organic matter. The composition of pro- and eukaryotic communities was fen-type-specific, but all rewetted site showed higher abundance of anaerobic taxa. Based on multi-variate statistics and network analyses we identified soil moisture as major driver of community composition. Furthermore, salinity drove the separation between coastal and freshwater fen communities. Methanogens were more than tenfold more abundant in rewetted than in drained sites while their abundance was lowest in the coastal fen, likely due to competition with sulfate reducers. These results shed light on the factors that structure fen microbiomes via environmental filtering.


We developed a reconfigurable nuclear instrument system (RNIS) that could satisfy the requirements of diverse nuclear and particle physics experiments, and the inertial confinement fusion diagnostic. Benefiting from the reconfigurable hardware structure and digital pulse processing technology, RNIS shakes off the restrictions of cumbersome crates and miscellaneous modules. It retains all the advantages of conventional nuclear instruments and is more flexible and portable. RNIS is primarily composed of a field programmable hardware board and relevant PC software. Separate analog channels are designed to provide different functions, such as amplifiers, ADC, fast discriminators and Schmitt discriminators for diverse experimental purposes. The high-performance field programmable gate array could complete high-precision time interval measurement, histogram accumulation, counting, and coincidence anticoincidence measurement. To illustrate the prospects of RNIS, a series of applications to the experiments are described in this paper. The first, for which RNIS was originally developed, involves nuclear energy spectrum measurement with a scintillation detector and photomultiplier. The second experiment applies RNIS to a G-M tube counting experiment, and in the third, it is applied to a quantum communication experiment through reconfiguration.


Prickly pear cactus has been an important food source in Mexico since ancient times due to its economical and ecological benefits and potential nutraceutical value. Nevertheless, studies on the nutritional aspects and health benefits have been scarce. The purpose of this study was to assess, apparently for the first time, the folate contents of cladodes of nopal by a microbiological assay, using Lactobacillus casei (ATCC 7469) in extracts that were enzymatically treated to release the bound vitamin, employing single, dual, and trienzymatic procedures, and using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We used Opuntia cladodes of different length sizes. The microbiological assay showed some differences among enzyme treatments and sizes of nopal; the trienzyme treatment (alpha-amylase-protease-conjugase) was more efficient in determining the folate content in nopal, giving 5.0 ng/g in the small size cladodes at 54 h of testing time, while ELISA showed no significant differences in the folate content among sizes of cladodes (5.5-5.62 ng/g at 0 min testing time). Both techniques may be used for the assessment of folate content in cladodes, but ELISA is more rapid and reliable.


The authors report a series of 27 war injuries to the femoral nerve which represent approximately 1% of all of the war injuries to peripheral nerves operated in our department since the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1978 and during the 8 years of the war between Iran and Iraq. All of the victims presented with associated lesions: abdominal (24 laparotomies, including 10 colostomies) and/or vascular (3 iliac artery by-pass grafts). We divided the cases into 3 groups. In Group 1 (18 cases), the femoral nerve had a mean defect of 8 centimetres which was grafted. In Group 2 (4 cases), the nerve was simply compressed by fibrosis and/or metallic bodies and was released. In Group 3 (5 cases), the nerve trunk had a partial loss of substance which was grafted. The motor results were very satisfactory (M3 to M5) in the 3 groups with muscular recovery in about 2 years.


For three years, in the framework of a European research project funded by the European Community for Steel and Coal (ECSC) in which the Liège University was deeply involved, intensive experimental, numerical and theoretical investigations have been carried out on the behaviour of composite sway buildings under static and seismic loading. This paper presents experimental and analytical studies carried out at Liège University, as part of the above European project, with the objective to investigate the behaviour of a single-sided composite joint configuration under static loading. A particular failure mode occurred during the experimental tests, which had not yet been detected previously; it is described in details. Then, an analytical formula covering this particular phenomenon and based on a theoretical model is presented; it is validated through comparisons with experimental results.


In this article, we propose SemanticHash, a simple and effective deep neural network model, to leverage semantic word embeddings (e.g., BERT) in hash codes learning. Both images and class labels are compressed into $K$-bit binary vectors by using the visual (or the semantic) hash functions, which are jointly learned and aligned to optimize the semantic consistency. The $K$-dimensional class label prototypes—projected from semantic word embeddings—guide the hash mapping on the image side and vice versa, creating the $K$-bit image hash codes being aligned with their semantic prototypes and therefore more discriminative. Extensive experimental results on four benchmarks, CIFAR10, NUS-WIDE, ImageNet, and MS-COCO datasets, demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach. We also perform studies to analyze the effects of quantization and word semantic spaces and to explain the relations among the learned class prototypes. Finally, the generalization capability of the proposed approach is further demonstrated. It achieves competitive performance in comparison with state-of-the-art unsupervised and zero-shot hashing methods. Impact Statement—Hash code learning is an important technology that enables efficient image retrieval on large-scale data. While existing hashing algorithms can effectively generate compact binary codes in a supervised learning setting trained with a moderate-size dataset, they are demanding to be scalable to large datasets and do not generalize to unseen datasets. The proposed approach overcomes these limitations. Compared with state-of-the-art ones, our solution achieves 2.1% of average performance improvement on four moderate-size benchmarks and 4.7% of improvement on ImageNet, a large-scale dataset with over 1.2 M training images. With superior performance on popular benchmarks for binary hash code learning, the technology introduced performs well on cross-dataset and zero-shot (i.e., the testing concepts are unseen during training) scenarios too. Our approach attains over 17.7% of zero-shot retrieval performance improvement when compared to the state-of-the-art in the area. This article thus provides a powerful solution to utilize massive data for fast and accurate image retrieval in the big data era.


For the sake of finding the appropriate teaching material on EFL writing, the writer analyzes the process-based academic writing textbook which has been used at the English Education Department of Central Java. In this textbook analysis, the writer used three phases of the in-depth method (Widodo, 2007; McGrath, 2002). The phases are: (1) goal and organization, (2) contents, (3) suitability of the textbook. The chosen book was the book which was used to teach students of three universities at Central Java (IKIP PGRI Semarang, University of Muria Kudus and University of Tidar Magelang). The book analyzed showed the strengths and the weaknesses. Then, the result of this analysis could be applied for the lecturer of the academic writing. Keywords : evaluation, academic writing, textbook, process-based approach


OBJECTIVE
Approximately 40% of patients receiving conditioning chemotherapy prior to autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplants (aHSCT) develop severe oral mucositis (SOM). Aside from disabling pain, ulcerative lesions associated with SOM predispose to poor health and economic outcomes. Our objective was to develop a probabilistic graphical model in which a cluster of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) derived from salivary DNA could be used as a tool to predict SOM risk.

METHODS
Salivary DNA was extracted from 153 HSCT patients and applied to Illumina BeadChips. Using sequential data analysis, we filtered extraneous SNPs, selected loci, and identified a predictive SNP network for OM risk. We then tested the predictive validity of the network using SNP array outputs from an independent HSCT cohort.

RESULTS
We identified an 82-SNP Bayesian network (BN) that was related to SOM risk with a 10-fold cross-validation accuracy of 99.3% and an area under the ROC curve of 99.7%. Using samples from a small independent patient cohort (n = 16), we demonstrated the network's predictive validity with an accuracy of 81.2% in the absence of any false positives.

CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that SNP-based BN developed from saliva-sourced DNA can predict SOM risk in patients prior to aHSCT.


The search for the Earth's magnetic dip poles—the principal points on the surface where the geomagnetic field is vertical—was driven initially by a combination of adventurism and the need for magnetic compass correction information for navigation. The position and drift of the magnetic poles remain topics of popular interest today and are of scientific value; e.g., for testing the accuracy of global field models in polar regions. The South Magnetic Pole, first reached in January 1909 by Edgeworth David, Douglas Mawson, and Alistair Mackay during an epic man-hauled sledge journey onto the interior of the Antarctic Plateau, drifted out to sea in about 1960.


The requirement for higher reliability and availability of systems is continuously increasing even in domains not traditionally strongly concerned by such issues. Required solutions are expected to be efficient, flexible, reusable on rapidly evolving hardware and of course at low cost. Combining both model and component seems to be a very promising cocktail for building solutions to this problem. Hence, we will present in this paper an approach using a model as its first structural citizen all along the development process. Our proposal will be illustrated with an application modeled with UML (extended with some of its dedicated profiles). Our approach includes an underlying execution infrastructure/middleware, providing fault-tolerance services. For the component aspect, our framework promotes firstly an infrastructure based on the Component/Container/Connectorparadigm to provide run-time facilities enabling transparent management of fault-tolerance (mainly fault-detection and redundancy mechanisms). For the model-driven point of view, our framework provides tool support for assisting the users to model their applications and to deploy and configure them on computing platforms. In this paper we focus on the run-time support offered by the component framework, specially the replication-aw are interaction mechanism enabling a transparent replication management mechanisms and some additional system components dedicated to fault-detection and replicas management.


Face masks became the symbol of the global fight against the coronavirus. While face masks' medical benefits are clear, little is known about their psychological consequences. Drawing on theories of the social functions of emotions and rapid trait impressions, we tested hypotheses on face masks' effects on emotion-recognition accuracy and social judgments (perceived trustworthiness, likability, and closeness). Our preregistered study with 191 German adults revealed that face masks diminish people's ability to accurately categorize an emotion expression and make target persons appear less close. Exploratory analyses further revealed that face masks buffered the negative effect of negative (vs. non-negative) emotion expressions on perceptions of trustworthiness, likability, and closeness. Associating face masks with the coronavirus' dangers predicted higher perceptions of closeness for masked but not for unmasked faces. By highlighting face masks' effects on social functioning, our findings inform policymaking and point at contexts where alternatives to face masks are needed.


While sporadically appearing agenesis of the corpus callosum is a relatively common entity, a genetic form of this condition has, to our knowledge, not been known to occur in man. We, therefore, wish to describe a family in whom this anomaly was transmitted in a sex-linked, recessive manner, affecting five male infants. In each instance, the disease manifested itself by seizures commencing within a few hours of birth and by severe developmental retardation. At the time of writing, three of the patients have succumbed. Neuropathological and neurochemical findings on one are herewith presented. Report of Cases One patient, III-13, was examined personally; data regarding the four others were obtained from medical records and family interviews. Case 1 (Index Case, III-13).—This was a white male, born March 9, 1961. Pregnancy and delivery were completely normal. Birth weight was 8 lb 5 oz (3.7 kg). At 60 hours of age, the infant


The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics of nasalance in speakers with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) according to the types of sentence used for nasalance test. Twenty-eight speakers with spastic CP participated in this study. The experiment was conducted by analyzing nasalance of prolonged vowel utterance using the Sea sentence, the Zoo sentence, and the Mother sentence. The three sentences differ in the ratio of nasal consonants. The results show significant differences among the types of sentence for nasalance test.


Stationary regression is the backbone of seismic data-processing algorithms including match filtering, which is commonly applied for adaptive multiple subtraction. However, the assumption of stationarity is not always adequate for describing seismic signals. I have developed a general method of nonstationary regression and that applies to nonstationary match filtering. The key idea is the use of shaping regularization to constrain the variability of nonstationary regression coefficients. Simple computational experiments demonstrate advantages of shaping regularization over classic Tikhonov's regularization, including a more intuitive selection of parameters and a faster iterative convergence. Using benchmark synthetic data examples, I have successfully applied this method to the problem of adaptive subtraction of multiple reflections.


OBJECTIVE
To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on hippocampal apoptosis protein caspase-9 expression and neuroethology in hyperlipemia plus cerebral ischemia (HL-CI) rats.

METHODS
Seventy male SD rats were randomized into control, hyperlipemia (HL), CI, HL-CI, CI + EA, HL-CI + EA I , and HL-CI + EA II groups, with 10 cases in each. HL model was established by feeding the animals with high fat forage for 6 weeks and CI model was established by occlusion of the unilateral middle cerebral artery. EA (1-3 mA, 15 Hz) was applied to bilateral "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) and "Fenglong" (ST 40) for 20 min every time; and "Baihui" (GV 20) and "Shuigou" (GV 26) were punctured and stimulated by twirling the acupuncture needle with hand continuously for 1 min. Acupuncture was given once daily for 17 days (beginning from the 10th day on before CI) in HL-CI + EA I group, and for 7 days (beginning after CI) in HL-CI + EA II group. The expression of hippocampal Caspase-9 was detected with immunohistochemistry. The score of neuroethology was also measured according to modified Bederson's method.

RESULTS
In comparison with normal control and hyperlipemia model groups, Caspase-9 immune reaction (IR) positive cells in the hippocampus in HL-CI group increased significantly (P<0.01). After acupuncture Caspase-9 IR-positive cells decreased remarkably. In comparison with group HL-CI + EA II, Caspase-9 IR-positive cells decreased significantly in HL-CI + EA I (P<0.01). The score of neuroethology also degraded obviously.

CONCLUSION
Acupuncture can improve neuroethology symptom, lessen over expression of hippocampal Caspase-9, and prevent CI injury in hyperlipemia rats with concurrent CI.


Introduction: Pain is one of the most common complaints of patients referred to emergency department (ED) and its control is one of the most important responsibilities of the physicians. The present study was designed, aiming to compare the efficiency of intranasal sufentanil and intravenous (IV) morphine sulfate in controlling extremity trauma patients' pain in ED. Methods: In the present clinical trial, extremity trauma cases referred to the ED of Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from October 2014 to March 2015 were randomly divided into 2 groups treated with intranasal sufentanil (0.3 µg/kg) and IV morphine sulfate (0.1 mg/kg) single-doses. Demographic data and information regarding the quality of pain control such as pain severity before intervention and 15, 30, and 60 minutes after intervention, and probable side effects were gathered using a checklist and compared between the 2 groups. Results: 88 patients with the mean age of 35.5 ± 14.8 years were included in the study (81.8% male). 44 patients received IV morphine sulfate and 44 got intranasal sufentanil. No significant difference was detected between the 2 groups regarding baseline characteristics. In addition, there was no significant difference in the groups regarding pain relief at different studied times (p = 0.12; F = 2.46; df: 1, 86). Success rate of the drugs also did not differ significantly at different studied times (p = 0.52). No significant difference was seen between the groups regarding side effects (p = 0.24). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it seems that intranasal sufentanil has a similar effect to IV morphine sulfate in rapid, efficient, and non-invasive pain control in patients with traumatic extremity injuries.


In this article the author argues that politicians' time horizons affect the differing levels of state intervention against AIDS. Using data measuring government spending, AIDS policy, and political constraints, the author tests the presumption that the leader of a country can determine a country's level of AIDS intervention. She looks at countries in eastern and southern Africa to explore the relationship between political institutions that constrain an executive's time horizon (i.e., competitive elections) and the level of the state's efforts in the fight against AIDS. Her primary hypothesis is that an executive with a shorter time horizon is less likely to create policy or devote resources to intervene against AIDS. The author finds that lengthening an executive's time horizon increases the level of government spending on health but that executives with shorter time horizons tended to have more comprehensive AIDS policy than their counterparts with longer time horizons.


Listening cannot be separated from English learning. It has a great deal in the process of learning English. Listening is one of the four language skills, namely listening; speaking; reading; writing, which English should be taught integratedly. Knowing that listening is a very essential skill, language laboratory is provided by the school to make the students comprehend well the listening materials. The language laboratory is an interesting way to break the monotony when students listen from the tape recorder in the classroom. It can be used as a new medium to solve the problem of boredom.
The writer did an observational study research. She intended to find the students' responses toward the use of language laboratory to teach listening and the teacher techniques in teaching listening using language laboratory.
Language laboratory is more interesting, effective, and practical compare to tape recorder in the classroom or the teacher's voice. It can draw students' interest and arouse their motivation. The students listen better than before. However, the teacher has to select the appropriate materials to make the language laboratory worthy. Moreover, the materials are very easy to get and have to be suited with the curriculum.
The writer tries to show that the language laboratory is a need in teaching listening considering the advantages of it. Besides, language laboratory also can be used to teach the other skills, such as reading, speaking and writing, integratedly as suggested by the curriculum. So, the school should provide the language laboratory to achieve the goal in learning English.


The 2019 ADA's Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes recommends use of SGLT2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) or GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) as one of the six drug classes after metformin (MET) in T2D patients, and is recommended as the treatment of choice among patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD; empagliflozin [EMPA] and liraglutide showing stronger evidence). To understand the economic impact of these recommendations, we evaluated the effect of EMPA vs. GLP-1 RA initiation on all-cause (AC) healthcare costs in patients with T2D. This retrospective cohort study utilized an U.S. commercial claims database to identify patients with T2D who newly initiated EMPA or a GLP-1RA between 08/2014 - 12/2016. First prescription date (index date) for EMPA or a GLP-1RA was used to classify patients into respective cohorts. T2D diagnosis and baseline covariates were assessed during 1-year pre-index period. During a post-index period of up to 1 year, AC costs were computed on a per patient per month (PPPM) basis; and evaluated using generalized linear models that controlled for pre-index covariates. Compared to the GLP-1RA cohort (N = 13,216), patients in the EMPA cohort (N= 3,857) were younger, more likely to be male, and had lower rates of obesity in the 1-year baseline period; all other measured pre-index covariates were similar. After covariate adjustment, the adjusted total AC PPPM cost difference ($1,137 vs. $1,370; difference (Δ) = -$233 PPPM) remained significantly lower for the EMPA cohort (P Disclosure P. Pimple: Employee; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Employee; Spouse/Partner; CVS Caremark. A. Raju: Consultant; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb. D. Stafkey-Mailey: None. S. Shetty: Employee; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.


Mycotoxin-producing fungal growth commonly reported from traditional maize storage system in southwestern Ethiopia. Un-safe moisture content at loading and non-climatically controlled nature of gombisa results in mycoflora growth and development on maize in storage system. Therefore, this paper was aimed to develop a photovoltaic driven ventilation system fitted to modified gomibsa for natural air in-bin drying of on-cobs-maize and increase the shelf life of the product. Modified gombisa was constructed from locally available materials for the current experiment. An appropriate fan type and size, humidistat set at > 70% and two 20 W p photovoltaic panels were used for ventilation purpose, fan control and power the fan, respectively. In total 1.76 m 3 of on-cobs-maize with an average moisture content of 22% was used in this study. Solar irradiance, photovoltaic array, current, air velocity and; both temperature and relative humidity inside the storage system and ambient condition data collected for both experiments. Computational fluid dynamics simulation results showed the uniformity of the air velocity rapidly after certain distances above the plenum chamber.  The trend of temperature revealed high variability and fluctuation for ambient compared with inside the store. A similar result was observed for the relative humidity during both experiments. Throughout fan operating hours, inlet temperatures significantly higher by 7.8 o C and 7.2 o C than outlet temperatures for the first and second experiment, respectively. However, outlet relative humidity was higher by an average value of 22.9% and 15.1% compared to inlet relative humidity for the first and second experiments, with the respective order. Hourly average of energy output for the selected day was 658 Wm -2 . Ventilation of on-cobs-maize for 10-12 days resulted in a reduction of moisture content to almost 14 (db). Solar irradiance data obtained from Jimma area, Ethiopia showed better energy output compared to the current experiment, demonstrating a possibility to apply ventilation and drying system to the tropical region. Generally, storing maize inside modified gombisa plays a role in protecting the stored product from outside weather conditions. Also, monitored temperature, relative humidity, and energy output showed the system was able to reduce to safe moisture content for storage without mould development. This promising research result needs to be tested and validated in tropical regions of the world.


Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi are coccidian protozoa that can cause neurological illness in horses in America. In this study we report seroprevalence of Neospora spp. and S. neurona in sera of 333 donkeys from the northeastern region of Brazil. Antibodies to Neospora spp. were detected in 2% (7 donkeys) of 333 sera tested by the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) with a cut-off dilution of 1:40. Antibodies to S. neurona were found in 3% (10 donkeys) of the samples tested by IFAT (cut-off ≥50) and 21% (69 donkeys) by the direct agglutination test (SAT ≥50). The SAT and IFAT results for S. neurona showed a poor concordance (value of Kappa=0.051). This is the first report of Neospora spp. antibodies in Brazilian donkeys and the first detection of antibodies against S. neurona in this animal species.


Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disabling disease with significant morbidity worldwide. OA attacks the large synovial joint, including the peripheral joints and temporomandibular joint (TMJ). As a representative of peripheral joint OA, knee OA shares similar symptoms with TMJ OA. However, these two joints also display differences based on their distinct development, anatomy, and physiology. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are phospholipid bilayer nanoparticles, including exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies. EVs contain proteins, lipids, DNA, micro-RNA, and mRNA that regulate tissue homeostasis and cell-to-cell communication, which play an essential role in the progression and treatment of OA. They are likely to partake in mechanical response, extracellular matrix degradation, and inflammatory regulation during OA. More evidence has shown that synovial fluid and synovium-derived EVs may serve as OA biomarkers. More importantly, mesenchymal stem cell-derived EV shows a therapeutic effect on OA. However, the different function of EVs in these two joints is largely unknown based on their distinct biological characteristic. Here, we reviewed the effects of EVs in OA progression and compared the difference between the knee joint and TMJ, and summarized their potential therapeutic role in the treatment of OA.


In this paper; we investigate the optimization of fuzzy outputs in the classification of epilepsy risk levels from EEG (Electroencephalogram) signals using two categories (Recurrent &Non Recurrent) of neural networks. The fuzzy techniques are applied as a first level classifier to classify the risk levels of epilepsy based on extracted parameters like energy, variance, peaks, sharp and spike waves, duration, events and covariance from the EEG signals of the patient. Elman neural network (with error Back propagation training) & Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network are identified as post classifiers on the classified data to obtain the optimized risk level that characterizes the patient's epilepsy risk level. The Performance Index (PI) and Quality Value (QV) are calculated for the above methods. A group of ten patients with known epilepsy findings are used in this study. High PI such as 97.87 %, and 98.92% was obtained at QV's of 23.31, and 23.98 in Elman and RBF neural network optimization when compared to the value of 40% and 6.25 through fuzzy techniques respectively. We find that the RBF (Non Recurrent) neural network out performs Elman Network in optimizing the epilepsy risk levels.


We consider a single product, single level, stochastic master production scheduling (Mps) model where decisions are made under rolling planning horizons. Outcomes of interest are cost, service level, and schedule stability. The subject of this research is the Mps control system: the method used in determining the amount of stock planned for production in each time period. Typically, Mps control systems utilize a single buffer stock. Here, two Mps dual-buffer stock systems are developed and tested by simulation. We extend the data envelopment analysis (dea) methodology to aid in the evaluation of the simulation results, where Dea serves to increase the scope of the experimental design. Results indicate that the dual-buffer control systems outperform existing policies.


This paper presents the implementation of a single FPGA intellectual property (IP) core for channel coding and interleaving used in Digital Video Broadcasting, second generation (DVB-T2). DVB-T2 is the extension of the television standard DVB-T, issued by the consortium DVB, and is devised for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television. The higher offered bit rate, with respect to its predecessor DVB-T, makes it a suited system for carrying high definition TV (HDTV) signals on the terrestrial TV channel. In this paper we specifically target the version suitable for China Multimedia Mobile Broadcast (CMMB) standard that works on the 2,635 to 2,660 MHz frequency band to provide 25 video and 30 audio channels. The main contribution is the design and development of forward error correction (FEC) part for mobile multimedia broadcast system, its estimation of power dissipation and optimization. The FEC part includes Reed Solomon (RS) encoder and byte interleaver, low density parity check (LDPC) encoder and bit interleaver. All these sub-modules have been implemented and integrated for the target device Stratix III E (EP3SE50F780C4N). The design has been coded in verilog-HDL and synthesized using Quartus II 8.1 software tool. PowerPlay Power Analyzer tool provided by Altera with Quartus II software has been used for the estimation of power dissipation. Stratix III logic array block level programmable power technology and clock gating technique has been used for power optimization.


. uture space missions are expected to increase both in their duration and crew pop-ulation, therefore further advancement in the design understanding of internal and external systems of space habitats is critical. To combat the detrimental effects of long-duration space flights and habitation within enclosed, isolated and confined environments, it is vital that space accommodation is designed to provide a high quality environment which supports the crew both physiologically and psychologically. is research project therefore studies the architectural principles which relate to habitability and their associated design parameters in relation to a proposed concept habitat design on the Moon and Mars. t proposes that there is a requirement for spatial planning guidance and regulations which will assist multi-disciplinary design teams in developing high quality living and working environments for astronauts []. t is also postulated that in order to assist with the appli-cation of these widely varying parameters into the initial conceptual design process, there would be a great benefit in the publication of an architectural design manual for extra-terrestrial habitats.


OGLE-2014-BLG-0962 (OB140962) is a stellar binary microlensing event that was well covered by observations from the Spitzer satellite as well as ground-based surveys. Modeling yields a unique physical solution: a mid-M+M-dwarf binary with Mprim = 0.20 ± 0.01 M☉ and Msec = 0.16 ± 0.01 M☉, with projected separation of 2.0 ± 0.3 au. The lens is only DLS = 0.41 ± 0.06 kpc in front of the source, making OB140962 a bulge lens and the most distant Spitzer binary lens to date. In contrast, because the Einstein radius (θE = 0.143 ± 0.007 mas) is unusually small, a standard Bayesian analysis, conducted in the absence of parallax information, would predict a brown dwarf binary. We compare the results of Bayesian analysis using two commonly used Galactic model priors to the measured values for a set of Spitzer lenses. We find all models tested predict lens properties consistent with the Spitzer data. Furthermore, we illustrate the methodology for probing the Galactic distribution of planets by comparing the cumulative distance distribution of the Spitzer two-body lenses to that of the Spitzer single lenses.


We present a comparative study of the room-temperature adsorption of p-aminophenol (p-AP) molecules on three metal surfaces, namely Cu(110), Cu(111) and Pt(111). We show that the chemical nature and the structural symmetry of the substrate control the activation of the terminal molecular groups, which result in different arrangements of the interfacial molecular layer. To this aim, we have used in-situ STM images combined with synchrotron radiation high resolution XPS and NEXAFS spectra, and the results were simulated by DFT calculations. On copper, the interaction between the molecules and the surface is weaker on the (111) surface crystal plane than on the (110) one, favouring molecular diffusion and leading to larger ordered domains. We demonstrate that the p-AP molecule undergoes spontaneous dehydrogenation of the alcohol group to form phenoxy species on all the studied surfaces, however, this process is not complete on the less reactive surface, Cu(111). The Pt(111) surface exhibits stronger molecule-surface interaction, inducing a short-range ordered molecular arrangement that increases overtime. In addition, on the highly reactive Pt(111) surface other chemical processes are evidenced, such as the dehydrogenation of the amine group.


E-mail is considered as one of the most important and most frequently used internet services. For privacy and security reasons, it is desirable that e-mail protocol provides deniability. Deniability ensures that a receiver can identify the source of a received message while a third party cannot. If deniability is provided in e-mail protocol, the third party would not be able to distinguish who created the e-mail between sender and receiver. However, current secure e-mail protocols such as PGP and S/MIME use digital signature which does not provide deniability. In this paper, I propose a new identity-based designated verifier signature scheme which can be applied to deniability in e-mail protocol.


This paper explores using a summary of past speaker behavior to better predict turn transitions. We computed two types of summary features that represent the current speaker's past turn-taking behavior: relative turn length and relative floor control. Relative turn length measures the current turn length so far (in time and words) relative to the speaker's average turn length. Relative floor control measures the speaker's control of the conversation floor (in time and words) relative to the total conversation length. The features are recomputed for each dialog act based on past turns of the speaker within the current conversation. Using the switchboard corpus, we trained two models to predict turn transitions: one with just local features (e.g., current speech act, previous speech act) and one that added the summary features. Our results shows that using the summary features improve turn transitions prediction.


2018 marks the fiftieth anniversary of 1968 and Humanae Vitae as well as the centenary of the 1918 Armistice ending the Great War. The negative reception of Humanae Vitae is frequently viewed within the narrow causal lens of "the sixties" and in particular the tumultuous year 1968. However, the factors shaping the laity's reception were 50 years in the making, including internalized authority and agency via the postwar currents of both "mysticism" and Catholic Action. Additionally, birth control was a discourse spanning 1918 to 1968.


The present study aimed to assess the concordance of 24-h intraocular pressure (IOP) curves between glaucomatous and contralateral eyes for patients with untreated unilateral primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). A total of 32 patients with unilateral POAG and 32 age-matched normal subjects were enrolled. The IOP measurements were performed every 2 h over a 24-h period. The concordance of the 24-h IOP curves was assessed via the correlation coefficient (r), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). No significant difference was identified between all IOPs, as well as the mean, peak and trough IOP or IOP fluctuations of the paired eyes in the two groups. The strength of association of all IOPs was moderate in the glaucoma group (r, 0.752-0.867) and the normal controls (r, 0.625-0.873). IOP readings at each time-point indicated a high agreement in the glaucoma group (ICC, 0.857-0.929) and the normal controls (ICC, 0.768-0.932). Repeated-measures ANOVA indicated that the 24-h IOP curves of the paired eyes had parallel profiles in the two study groups (P=0.837 and P=0.897, respectively). The glaucoma patients had significantly higher proportions of all IOPs displaying absolute differences of ≥2 and ≥3 mmHg (46.09 vs. 35.68%, P<0.001; 29.69 vs. 12.50%, P<0.001, respectively). In conclusion, the 24-h IOP curves of the paired eyes had parallel profiles in unilateral glaucoma patients and normal subjects. However, unilateral glaucoma patients had a significantly larger proportion of IOP differences of ≥2 and ≥3 mmHg.


Cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death in Australia. There have recently been significant advances in the management of acute coronary syndromes, as well as secondary prevention strategies; however, much of our resources are still directed towards treatment rather than prevention. Prevention of cardiovascular disease involves first, identifying patients at greatest risk of cardiovascular events and second, managing modifiable risk factors. Both pharmacotherapy and lifestyle modification are useful in modifying risk factors; however, the relative importance of each is often dictated by the risk factor profile of the individual. Although there is growing evidence that those at all levels of risk may benefit from lifestyle modification, pharmacotherapy is likely to be most useful in those at higher risk.


Myotonic dystrophy is caused by a trinucleotide repeat expansion (CTG)n, located in the 3' untranslated region of the DM-protein kinase gene. The cellular effects of the CTG expansion and how they lead to the diverse, multi-system clinical phenotype of DM are unknown. Studies on the expression of the DM gene in affected tissue have not yielded consistent results, leading to the suggestion that alterations of DM-PK may not be the sole molecular basis for DM. We explored the hypothesis that the expanded repeat in mutant DM RNA (CUG)n binds and titrates out nuclear RNA binding proteins. Alterations in the normal function of these proteins could result in the disruption of important cellular processes. We report here the identification and magnetic bead affinity purification of two nuclear proteins, 35 and 25 kD in size, which bind to RNA (CUG)n repeats and to a varying extent with other pyrimidine rich sequences. Sequence analysis of the 35 kD protein shows that it is a novel protein. Both these proteins are widely expressed, including human brain and skeletal muscle. We speculate that these proteins may play a role in DM pre-mRNA processing or nuclear cytoplasmic trafficking of RNA. Studies into the function of these proteins should yield important insights into the complex pathogenesis of myotonic dystrophy.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology is characterized by neuritic plaques composed primarily of amyloid beta peptide (A beta). An elevation in A beta in the cerebral cortex has been implicated in the pathophysiology of AD but its mechanism of action is unknown. The addition of A beta protein to neuronal cell cultures produces changes in the activity of various membrane proteins, including ion channels and receptors, potentially as a result of intercalating into the membrane bilayer. In this study, the interactions of the A beta fragment 25-35 [A beta(25-35)] with liposomes were directly examined by small angle x-ray diffraction approaches. One-dimensional electron density profiles generated from the diffraction data demonstrated that the addition of A beta(25-35) produced a discrete increase in electron density 0-12 A from the center of the lipid bilayer. Under these conditions, the membrane concentration of A beta(25-35) was 860-fold higher than in the aqueous buffer. These findings indicate that this peptide is highly lipophilic and inserts into the membrane hydrocarbon core. Following the intercalation of A beta(25-35) to this location in the membrane, the protein fragment may interact with regulatory membrane proteins.