The contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2) gene is associated with multiple neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability (ID), and specific language impairment (SLI). Experimental work has shown that CNTNAP2 is important for neuronal development and synapse formation. There is also accumulating evidence for the differential use of CNTNAP2 in the human cerebral cortex compared with other primates. Here, we review the current literature on CNTNAP2, including what is known about its expression, disease associations, and molecular/cellular functions. We also review the evidence for its role in human brain evolution, such as the presence of eight human accelerated regions (HARs) within the introns of the gene. While progress has been made in understanding the function(s) of CNTNAP2, more work is needed to clarify the precise mechanisms through which CNTNAP2 acts. Such information will be crucial for developing effective treatments for CNTNAP2 patients. It may also shed light on the longstanding question of what makes us human.


The ADA recommends eye exams for patients (Pt) with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at diagnosis and annually thereafter, with an option to extend the timeline if the Pt has little to no retinopathy and is in good glycemic control. This retrospective descriptive study utilized the claims and member data from IBM® MarketScan® Commercial Research Database to examine the proportion of members with employer-sponsored insurance with T2DM, aged 18-64 years and in the U.S., who have medical claims for retinal or dilated eye exams in 2017. The dataset consists of 396,396 T2DM members enrolled continuously for 24 months in 2016-2017, with the following attributes: mean age is 54 years; females at 44.3%; ages of 18-44 at 18.1%, and 45-64 at 81.9%; regions of Midwest at 21.8%, Northeast at 16.7%, South at 49.8%, and West at 12.0%. The proportion of T2DM members with medical claims for eye exam is 35.8%. The proportion of T2DM Pts with eye exams by gender, age, and regional attributes are: females at 37.0% (numerator = 65,078), males at 34.8% (76,710); 18-44 at 25.0% (18,241), 45-64 at 38.0% (125,969); Midwest at 36.6% (31,578), Northeast at 43.6% (28,836), South at 33.6% (66,469) and West at 32.2% (15,362). About 2.1% (8,282) of T2DM Pts had a diagnosis of retinopathy, and of those, with eye exams by age group, are: 18-44 at 63.8% (812/1,272) and 45-64 at 72.8% (5,103/7,010). The average total cost per member by CPT codes are: $0.44 (Intermediate New Pt), $11.57 (Comprehensive New Pt), $9.50 (Intermediate Established Pt) and $34.06 (Comprehensive Established Pt). In this study, predominant factors for a higher rate of having a medical claim for an eye exam by members with T2DM are being female, ages 45-64, and from Northeast. There was a higher prevalence of retinopathy in the older age group. In this large sample, the majority of T2DM members did not have an eye exam. Future research should investigate the extent to which members with T2DM defer or obtain ADA recommended eye exams outside of their medical insurance coverage. Disclosure E. Scheufele: Employee; Self; IBM. B.L. Rosario: None. F.J. Roberts: None. A.B. Rajmane: None. J. George: Employee; Self; IBM Watson Health. H.J. Feldman: Employee; Self; IBM. K.B. Rhee: Employee; Self; IBM.


By determination of the rheological flow curve of minute quantities of axoplasm drawn into a microcapillary tube connected to a high vacuum, extruded axoplasm was shown to behave as a pseudoplastic fluid with a viscosity of 10(6)-times that of water and without significant signs of time-dependent thixotropic or viscoelastic properties. A theoretical analysis of peristaltic pumping of such pseudoplastic fluids by sinusoidal surface waves was combined with experimental studies of a mechanical model designed to simulate peristaltic drive. The correlation of the respective data permitted quantitative predictions for the peristaltic mechanism of axonal flow, with speed being a function of peristaltic wave geometry and fluid properties, yielding a theoretical mean value of 0.45 mm/day, i.e., of the same order as that observed in the living nerve fiber.


A homosexual man, 30 years old, was referred for hyperpigmetited plaques on his buttocks and thighs. He also complained of varices, pain, pins and needles, and numbness of his legs. These symptoms were of approximately 1year's duration. He had no family or personal history of varices or other venous abnormalities. Physical examination showed induration of buttocks and thighs with hyperpigmented, oval plaques, 10 to 15 cm in diameter (Fig. 1). He also had inguinal adenopathy. Varices and tenderness were observed on the legs. Examination of the chest showed enlarged breasts but no other abnormalities. Three years before this consultation he had been injected by a nonprofessional with industrial liquid silicone mixed with oil on the breasts and buttocks for cosmetic purposes to enlarge buttocks and breasts. Routine laboratory examinations were normal, including nonreactive HIV serology and a collagen-vascular workup (ANA, RhF, DSDNA, SSA, SSB). The remainder ofthe physical examination was also essentially normal and chest and abdominal films failed to show any abnormalities. Computerized tomography of the chest showed densities in the breast areas, compatible with silicone infiltration. Most of the silicone was located in the subcutaneous tissue. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ofthe pelvis showed hypertense tissue surrounded by a dense, fibrotic area in all sections at the subcutaneous level, in both gluteal regions and at the lateral buttock and inguinal regions. This tissue involved the gluteus maximus and, probably, also the gluteus medius. There was a clear separation between healthy muscle and the involved tissue. Inguinal lymphadenopathy was observed, that probably was the cause of the varicosity and the fibrosis. There were only a few foci where the silicone material had accumulated and these were localized to the buttocks (Fig. 2).


The foundation fieldbus(FF) is one of the fieldbuses most widely used for process control and automation. In order for system designer to optimize medium management, it is imperative to predict transmission delay time of data. In a former research, mathematical modeling to analyze transmission delay of FF token -passing system has been developed based on the assumption that a device node has only one priority data(lQ model). From 1Q model, all of the device nodes, which are connected on the FF system, are defined priority level in advance, and as system operates, data are generated based on given priority level. However, in practice, some non-periodic data can have different priority levels from one device. Therefore, new mathematical model is necessary for the case where different priority levels of data are created under one device node(2Q model), In this research, the mathematical model for 2Q model is developed using the equivalent queue model. Furthermore, the characteristics of transmission delay of 2Q model which is presented in this paper were compared with 1Q model. The validity of the analytical model was verified by using a simulation experiment.


The primary objective of this paper is to estimate behavioural parameters of the quadratic regional supply models in the modelling system CAPRI, using the time series data in the CAPRI database. A secondary objective is to replace the constant yields of the original model by functions that depend on input use. Due to lack of statistical robustness, the second objective is not achieved, thus yields remain constant. A Bayesian highest posterior density estimator is developed to address the primary objective. After discarding regions with insufficient data, parameters for up to 23 crop production activities with related inputs, outputs, prices and behavioural functions are estimated for 165 regions in EU-15. The results are systematically compared to the outcomes of other studies. For crop aggregates (e.g. cereals, oilseeds etc.) on the level of nations, the estimated own price elasticities of supply are found to be in a plausible range. On a regional level and for individual crops, the picture is much more diverse. Whether the regional results are plausible or not is difficult to judge, since no other study of similar regional and product coverage is known to the author.


Airborne propagules of Fusarium spp. were collected on Fusarium selective medium with Andersen sampler in maize field. Fusarium isolates were identified based on morphological characters and using speciesspecific primersVERT 1/2, PRO 1/2 and SUB 1/2. The PCR analysis confirmed morphological identification of F. verticillioides, F. proliferatum and F. subglutinans. The VERTF 1/2 set of primers were used to discriminate potential fumonisin-producing strains of F. verticillioides, and all F. verticillioides strains scored positive for VERTF 1/2 pair of primers. This is the first study where specific primers were used for the confirmation of morhological determination of the above-mentioned Fusarium species, and selection of fumonisin-producing airborne isolates of F. verticillioides in Hungary.


INTRODUCTION
Penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU) is classically included in acute aortic syndromes, together with aortic dissection and intramural hematoma. These three disorders are considered different stages of the same disease. PAU is the result of medial degeneration with disruption of the intima, mainly due to atherosclerotic risk factors. Most of them are located on descending thoracic aorta and only a few small series and case reports demonstrate location on infrarenal abdominal aorta. Clinical presentation varies in spectrum, from asymptomatic to fatal aortic rupture. Treatment options include medical therapy, particularly strict blood pressure control, and surgical approach. Nowadays endovascular exclusion is commonly performed, although open surgical reconstruction remains the gold standard.

METHODS
Report a case of endovascular repair of an infrarenal abdominal PAU.

RESULTS
A 72-year-old man, with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, lumbar osteoarthrosis, was referred to Vascular Surgery outpatient clinic with the diagnosis of infrarenal abdominal PAU on a Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA). This exam was performed due to chronic lumbar complaints from lumbar osteoarthrosis. The patient denied any other complaint. Physical examination was normal. A thoraco-abdomino-pelvic CTA revealed two sites of PAU in the infrarenal aorta with 10mm and 21mm of depth and associated aortic enlargement of 39mm maximum diameter. This exam revealed an enlargement of the depth of the PAU and the aorta diameter in 2 and 3mm, respectively, in the course of 2 months. An EVAR was performed, in a standard aorto-biiliac fashion. The post-operative period was uneventful and the patient discharged 3 days later. 1 month after the surgery, patient remained asymptomatic and the follow-up CTA demonstrated exclusion of both PAU, no endoleaks and stability of aortic diameter. A long term follow-up should be maintained, as for regular EVAR.

CONCLUSION
PAU is a rare clinical entity, with infrarenal abdominal aorta location even scarcer. Asymptomatic patient must be regularly followed and threshold to treatment low, bearing in mind the possible catastrophic evolution of the disease. Endovascular approach should be considered as a first approach, considering the technical feasibility and the comorbidities associated with this elderly population.


The food intake of growing rats declined progressively with rising temperature. The food intakes of lactating rats kept at 21 and 27°0 increased throughout lactation. The intake of gestating rats kept at 34°0 decreased when they were returned to 34°0 after being allowed to litter at room temperature. Throughout lactation, the intakes of animals kept at 21 and 27°0 were greater than those of rats kept at 34°0.


The Engineers in Technical Humanitarian Opportunities of Service-learning (ETHOS) program was developed in the spring of 2001 by an interdisciplinary group (electrical, chemical, civil and mechanical) of undergraduate engineering students at the University of Dayton (UD). ETHOS was founded on the belief that engineers are more apt and capable to appropriately serve our world if they have an understanding of technology's global linkage with values, culture, society, politics, and the economy. Since 2001, the ETHOS program at UD has grown and changed. From conceptualization, to implementation, to maturation and national recognition, the program has addressed challenges of academic acceptance, programmatic integration and research support as a project-based approach to global engagement. This paper discusses how the program developed from a student idea to a nationally known program. It provides some examples of how projects from this program were integrated into other courses and linked to faculty research. Finally, it will present some of the challenges that face a program such as ETHOS.


This paper addresses the methodology development far the automated machining setup planning system using case-based reasoning(CBR). The case-based reasoning is used to develop a setup planning system. which consists of part input and representation module, case retrieval module, and case adaptation module. We present new approaches in the part input and representation module and the case retrieval module focusing on the similarity index determination. An illustrative example is included to demonstrate the proposed method.


In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the Rho-type small GTPase Cdc42 is activated by its guanine-nucleotide exchange factor Cdc24 to polarize the cell for budding and mating. A multidomain protein Bem1 interacts not only with Cdc42 but also with Cdc24 and the effectors of Cdc42, including the p21-activated kinase Ste20, to function as a scaffold for cell polarity establishment. Although Bem1 interacts with Cdc24 and Ste20 via its PB1 and the second SH3 domains (SH3b), respectively, it is unclear how Bem1 binds Cdc42. Here we show that a region comprising the SH3b and its C-terminal flanking segment termed CI (SH3b-CI) directly interacts with Cdc42. A dual-bait reverse two-hybrid approach revealed that the CI is critical to the interaction: N253D substitution in the CI abolishes the binding of the SH3b-CI to Cdc42 but not to the proline-rich region of Ste20, whereas W192K substitution in the SH3b has the opposite effect. Nevertheless, the SH3b-CI interacts with Ste20 proline-rich region and Cdc42 in a mutually exclusive manner. The N253D substitution renders cellular growth temperature-sensitive and suppresses mating. The W192K-induced mating defect is exacerbated by the N253D substitution and suppressed by increasing the dosage of Ste20 provided that the CI is intact. Intriguingly, Cdc42 can mediate an indirect interaction of the SH3b-CI to the CRIB domain of Ste20. These results suggest that the SH3b and the CI collaborate in tethering of Ste20 to Bem1 to ensure efficient mating pheromone signaling.


The P-glycoprotein (P-gp/ABCB1) is responsible for a xenobiotic efflux pump that shackles intracellular drug accumulation. Additionally, it is included in the dud of considerable antiviral and anticancer chemotherapies because of the multidrug resistance (MDR) phenomenon. In the search for prospective anticancer drugs that inhibit the ABCB1 transporter, the Natural Product Activity and Species Source (NPASS) database, containing >35,000 molecules, was explored for identifying ABCB1 inhibitors. The performance of AutoDock4.2.6 software to anticipate ABCB1 docking score and pose was first assessed according to available experimental data. The docking scores of the NPASS molecules were predicted against the ABCB1 transporter. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted for molecules with docking scores lower than taxol, a reference inhibitor, pursued by molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) binding energy estimations. On the basis of MM-GBSA calculations, five compounds revealed promising binding affinities as ABCB1 inhibitors with ΔGbinding < −105.0 kcal/mol. The binding affinity and stability of the identified inhibitors were compared to the chemotherapeutic agent. Structural and energetical analyses unveiled great steadiness of the investigated inhibitors within the ABCB1 active site throughout 100 ns MD simulations. Conclusively, these findings point out that NPC104372, NPC475164, NPC2313, NPC197736, and NPC477344 hold guarantees as potential ABCB1 drug candidates and warrant further in vitro/in vivo tests.


The Long-Rains wet season of March–May (MAM) over Kenya in 2018 was one of the wettest on record. This paper examines the nature, causes, impacts, and predictability of the rainfall events, and considers the implications for flood risk management. The exceptionally high monthly rainfall totals in March and April resulted from several multi-day heavy rainfall episodes, rather than from distinct extreme daily events. Three intra-seasonal rainfall events in particular resulted in extensive flooding with the loss of lives and livelihoods, a significant displacement of people, major disruption to essential services, and damage to infrastructure. The rainfall events appear to be associated with the combined effects of active Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) events in MJO phases 2–4, and at shorter timescales, tropical cyclone events over the southwest Indian Ocean. These combine to drive an anomalous westerly low-level circulation over Kenya and the surrounding region, which likely leads to moisture convergence and enhanced convection. We assessed how predictable such events over a range of forecast lead times. Long-lead seasonal forecast products for MAM 2018 showed little indication of an enhanced likelihood of heavy rain over most of Kenya, which is consistent with the low predictability of MAM Long-Rains at seasonal lead times. At shorter lead times of a few weeks, the seasonal and extended-range forecasts provided a clear signal of extreme rainfall, which is likely associated with skill in MJO prediction. Short lead weather forecasts from multiple models also highlighted enhanced risk. The flood response actions during the MAM 2018 events are reviewed. Implications of our results for forecasting and flood preparedness systems include: (i) Potential exists for the integration of sub-seasonal and short-term weather prediction to support flood risk management and preparedness action in Kenya, notwithstanding the particular challenge of forecasting at small scales. (ii) We suggest that forecasting agencies provide greater clarity on the difference in potentially useful forecast lead times between the two wet seasons in Kenya and East Africa. For the MAM Long-Rains, the utility of sub-seasonal to short-term forecasts should be emphasized; while at seasonal timescales, skill is currently low, and there is the challenge of exploiting new research identifying the primary drivers of variability. In contrast, greater seasonal predictability of the Short-Rains in the October–December season means that greater potential exists for early warning and preparedness over longer lead times. (iii) There is a need for well-developed and functional forecast-based action systems for heavy rain and flood risk management in Kenya, especially with the relatively short windows for anticipatory action during MAM.


The emerging literature has suggested essential oils (EOs) as new possible weapons to fight antimicrobial resistance due to their inherent antimicrobial properties. However, the potential pharmaceutical use of EOs is confronted by several limitations, including being non-specific in terms of drug targeting, possessing a high cytotoxicity as well as posing a high risk for causing skin irritation. Furthermore, some EOs have been demonstrated to adversely affect the cellular lipid profiles and permeability of the cell membrane, which may result in undesirable outcomes for the cells. Nevertheless, owing to their naturally complex compositions, EOs still hold undiscovered potential to mitigate antimicrobial resistance, as an alternative to existing antibiotics. To address the issue of overuse in antibiotics for crops which have led to the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance globally, EOs have also been proposed as potential biopesticides. Since the perceived advantages of antimicrobial attributes in EOs remain largely unexplored, this review aims to provide a discourse into its current practical usefulness in the agricultural setting. Finally, updated bioengineering techniques with emphasis of the biopesticide potential of EOs as a means to alleviate antimicrobial resistance will be included.


The article dwells on the basic forms and practical experience concerning the implementation of the mechanism of public-private partnership in the forest complex of the Vologda Oblast. The problems hindering the development of publicprivate partnership in the region are revealed.


In January 2012 Taiwan concluded elections for the presidency and legislature. Incumbent Ma Ying-jeou was re-elected and his KMT party retained a parliamentary majority, albeit both in reduced form. This article provides a brief account of the presidential election, focusing on how the campaign was fought, addressing the salient issues, and discussing the results and their implications for political competition in Taiwan and in terms of cross-Strait relations.


SUMMARY The success of natural resource management depends on monitoring, assessment and enforcement. In support of these efforts, reference points (RPs) are often viewed as critical values of management-relevant indicators. This paper considers RPs from the standpoint of objective-driven decision making in dynamic resource systems, guided by principles of structured decision making (SDM) and adaptive resource management (AM). During the development of natural resource policy, RPs have been variously treated as either 'targets' or 'triggers'. Under a SDM/AM paradigm, target RPs correspond approximately to value-based objectives, which may in turn be either of fundamental interest to stakeholders or intermediaries to other central objectives. By contrast, trigger RPs correspond to decision rules that are presumed to lead to desirable outcomes (such as the programme targets). Casting RPs as triggers or targets within a SDM framework is helpful towards clarifying why (or whether) a particular metric is appropriate. Further, the benefits of a SDM/AM process include elucidation of underlying untested assumptions that may reveal alternative metrics for use as RPs. Likewise, a structured decision-analytic framework may also reveal that failure to achieve management goals is not because the metrics are wrong, but because the decision-making process in which they are embedded is insufficiently robust to uncertainty, is not efficiently directed at producing a resource objective, or is incapable of adaptation to new knowledge.


The completion of a preliminary human genome map and development of molecular methods have enabled researchers to assay a large number of polymorphic markers that are evenly spaced along the entire human genome. Among many applications, marker data are valuable for mapping complex traits through linkage or linkage-disequilibrium analysis, the former of which is the focus of this paper, the first in a series on this subject. Formalizing the concept and computation for linkage analysis, Elston and Stewart [1971; Human Heredity 21:523-542] introduced a likelihood function to capture relevant genetic information and a recursive algorithm for computing the likelihood function. However, the computing burden is prohibitive in processing complex pedigrees. Since that fundamental development, improving the computational algorithm and extending the method has been a dynamic area of research. The primary objective of this communication is to introduce a semiparametric method for linkage analysis. It is a particularly suitable approach with desirable properties for mapping complex traits that may be binary, continuous, and partially observed (i.e., censored). It incorporates candidate genes, environmental factors, and their interactions with the putative gene and is expected to be robust and efficient in comparison with likelihood-based methods. The properties of the estimates have been studied in finite samples with a limited simulation study. This method is illustrated with an application to family data contributed to the Breast Cancer Consortium.


Abstract This paper presents a robust adaptive control design methodology for multi-input multi-output (MIMO) plants based on Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT) and Externally Excited Adaptive System (EEAS), both of which are the novel ideas of Horowitz. Self Oscillating Adaptive Systems (SOAS) are proposed to mainly overcome the problem of large gain variations, which is important in certain applications. To further improve the SOAS design, the idea of EEAS was developed. Finally, combined QFT and EEAS proposed a robust adaptive controller for SISO uncertain plants. However, due to the complex design nature of the proposed combined methodology and the difficulty of an optimal design, this line of Horowitz's research was not followed further. In this paper, to overcome the above mentioned problems the design procedure is reformulated as a set of cost functions and constraints. Genetic Algorithms are then used to solve the optimal design. Also, QFT/EEAS design is extended to multivariable uncertain plants. Sufficient conditions are derived to assure the achievement of given off-diagonal performance. Then, the given main channel performance could be achieved by using SISO QFT/EEAS method. Simulation studies indicate the effective performance of the proposed QFT/EEAS MIMO design methodology. It is shown that the proposed approach can handle large plant parameter uncertainties with lower loop bandwidths.


Gaussian process (GP) regression models make for powerful predictors in out of sample exercises, but cubic runtimes for dense matrix decompositions severely limit the size of data - training and testing - on which they can be deployed. That means that in computer experiment, spatial/geo-physical, and machine learning contexts, GPs no longer enjoy privileged status as data sets continue to balloon in size. We discuss an implementation of local approximate Gaussian process models, in the laGP package for R, that offers a particular sparse-matrix remedy uniquely positioned to leverage modern parallel computing architectures. The laGP approach can be seen as an update on the spatial statistical method of local kriging neighborhoods. We briefly review the method, and provide extensive illustrations of the features in the package through worked-code examples. The appendix covers custom building options for symmetric multi-processor and graphical processing units, and built-in wrapper routines that automate distribution over a simple network of workstations.


Side-channel attacks (SCAs) are among the most powerful physical attacks against cryptographic implementations. To thwart SCAs, a well-established countermeasure is random masking. A recent code-based masking formalism unifies several known masking schemes and allows one to carry out an all-in-one leakage quantification. In this paper, we investigate how a code-based masked imple-mentation leaks in an information-theoretic setting, where the mutual information measures the impact of both number and positions of probes in the probing attack model. We also establish that the mutual information decreases as the measurement noise variance increases, with an exponent equal to the dual distance of the masking code. Our findings quantitatively connect the attacker's capability to recover secret keys with the actual mutual information leakage of the protected implementation.


A wurtzite GaAs epilayer grown on a zincblende GaAs substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition is studied by surface photovoltage spectroscopy. The wurtzite structure of the epilayer is disclosed by scanning electron microscope images of surface pits, where the pits are seen to change their structure from a rectangular into a hexagonal shape. The wurtzite phase is also revealed in x-ray diffraction showing a 〈0002〉 diffraction alongside the main (200) diffraction, suggesting a "c" lattice constant of 0.668 nm. A comparison of room temperature surface photovoltage spectra taken from the epilayer sample and from an epilayer-etched substrate suggests a type II heterostructure with valence band difference of about 15 meV and bandgap difference of about 70 meV between the zincblende and the wurtzite GaAs polytypes.


The publication deals with cases of occupational diseases in medical workers, in which the degree of loss of professional capacity is not determined, but patients need medical rehabilitation measures.


In order to improve the image quality of BLADE magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the index tensor solvers and to evaluate MRI image quality in a clinical setting, we implemented BLADE MRI reconstructions using two tensor solvers (the least-squares solver and the L1 total-variation regularized least absolute deviation (L1TV-LAD) solver) on a graphics processing unit (GPU). The BLADE raw data were prospectively acquired and presented in random order before being assessed by two independent radiologists. Evaluation scores were examined for consistency and then by repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) to identify the superior algorithm. The simulation showed the structural similarity index (SSIM) of various tensor solvers ranged between 0.995 and 0.999. Inter-reader reliability was high (Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.845, 95% confidence interval: 0.817, 0.87). The image score of L1TV-LAD was significantly higher than that of vendor-provided image and the least-squares method. The image score of the least-squares method was significantly lower than that of the vendor-provided image. No significance was identified in L1TV-LAD with a regularization strength of λ= 0.4–1.0. The L1TV-LAD with a regularization strength of λ= 0.4–0.7 was found consistently better than least-squares and vendor-provided reconstruction in BLADE MRI with a SENSitivity Encoding (SENSE) factor of 2. This warrants further development of the integrated computing system with the scanner.


Motivated by problems in radio channel assignments, we consider radio k-labelings of graphs. For a connected graph G and an integer k ≥ 1, a linear radio k-labeling of G is an assignment f of nonnegative integers to the vertices of G such that |f(x)−f(y)| ≥ k+1−dG(x,y), for any two distinct vertices x and y, where dG(x,y) is the distance between x and y in G. A cyclic k-labeling of G is defined analogously by using the cyclic metric on the labels. In both cases, we are interested in minimizing the span of the labeling. The linear (cyclic, respectively) radio k-labeling number of G is the minimum span of a linear (cyclic, respectively) radio k-labeling of G. In this paper, linear and cyclic radio k-labeling numbers of paths, stars and trees are studied. For the path Pn of order n ≤ k+1, we completely determine the cyclic and linear radio k-labeling numbers. For 1 ≤ k ≤ n−2, a new improved lower bound for the linear radio k-labeling number is presented. Moreover, we give the exact value of the linear radio k-labeling number of stars and we present an upper bound for the linear radio k-labeling number of trees.


This article provides a rationale for the use of cognitive developmental theory as a framework for counsellor education, discusses the implications for preparation programs, and suggests evaluation and research possibilities in this area.


Metastatic breast cancer (mBC) is an incurable disease, and it is not sensitive to immunotherapy due to its low immunogenicity. Recently, inactivated DNA polymerase epsilon (POLE) mutations have been found to be associated with high tumor mutational burden (TMB), which is an effective immuno-oncology biomarker. Patients with POLE mutations with different types of cancer have properly responded to immunotherapy. We aimed to report the first case of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-negative mBC presenting with high TMB and POLE mutations, in which a complete response to 5 cycles of chemotherapy and 1 year of pembrolizumab and trastuzumab was noted after failing several lines of HER2-targeted therapies. Our findings also suggest that biomarker-driven patient selection is highly significant for further clinical development of combination therapies via anti-HER2 plus immune-checkpoint inhibitors for HER2+ BC patients.


A large-displacement electrochemical actuator was designed, fabricated, and tested. The large displacement is obtained by using a corrugated membrane made by physical vapor deposition of Parylene sandwiched with an intermediate layer of sputtered platinum. The layered structure is approximately 8-/spl mu/m thick, with 26 grooves approximately 120-/spl mu/m deep, and with a radial period of 350 /spl mu/m. The electrochemical cell consists of platinum electrodes with a 1 M H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ solution. Hydrogen and oxygen gas is generated to displace the membrane. Although the actuator can operate at a voltage as low as 1.23 V, the experimentally determined efficiency of converting electrical energy to mechanical work is only 0.37%. The governing equations for the conservation of mass, momentum (equilibrium), energy, and the entropy generation rate were formulated assuming that the gas bubbles either nucleate without growth or grow without nucleation. For the nucleation case, simulations were performed for constant pressure isothermal actuation, and the average experimental efficiency was bounded by simulations with gas bubble radii between 1/spl times/10/sup -6/ m and 1/spl times/10/sup -6/ m. The predicted ratio of the power dissipated to the electrical power supplied is 1.37 for isothermal actuation.


Background: Alternate-day modified fasting (ADF) has been shown to be effective for reducing body weight when tested for a short duration (8-12 weeks). However, no trial to date has examined adherence to ADF for longer periods, or compared ADF to daily calorie restriction (CR) for weight loss and improvement in cardiometabolic parameters.
Objective: Accordingly, this study compared the effects of ADF versus CR on dietary adherence, weight loss, and cardiometabolic disease risk factors.
Design: In a controlled feeding trial, overweight and obese participants (n = 102) were randomized to 1 of 3 groups: 1) ADF (24-h feast day = 125% of needs, alternated with 24-h fast day = 25% of needs); 2) CR (75% of needs every day); or 3) control (100% of needs every day). In this way, the prescribed average daily energy restriction (25%) was the same for both intervention groups. The intervention period was 6 months, and consisted of a 3-month controlled feeding period followed by a 3-month self-selected feeding period. Dietary adherence, body weight, body composition, and cardiometabolic parameters were measured at month 0, 3, and 6.
Results: Actual energy restriction (ADF: 21 ± 4%; CR: 24 ± 4%, P = 0.89) was similar between the intervention groups and greater when compared to the control group (8 ± 5%, P = 0.03). Weight loss (ADF: -6.9 ± 0.8 kg; CR: -7.6 ± 1.0 kg, P = 0.79) and total fat mass reduction (ADF: -4.5 ± 0.6 kg; CR: -5.6 ± 0.7 kg, P = 0.33) were also similar between groups and greater than the respective reductions in the control group (-0.7 ± 0.5 kg, P 0.05 for all comparisons).
Conclusion: Dietary adherence and weight loss are similar between ADF and CR; however neither intervention alters other measured cardiometabolic parameters versus controls.


In this paper, a time-based analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with first order noise shaping property is presented. The ADC consists of a pulse-width modulator (PWM) and a time-to-digital converter (TDC) based on a gated-ring oscillator. A prototype is designed in 0.18µm CMOS and simulated to verify the concept. The ADC shows high linearity despite the open loop architecture since the linearity does not depend on the frequency tuning characteristic of oscillators unlike conventional noise shaping time-based ADCs. With the sampling frequency of 10MHz, the prototype achieves spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) and signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR) of 66dB and 56dB, respectively, when the signal bandwidth is 500kHz.


Artichoke plants infected by raspberry ringspot virus (RRV) were found in Greece some years ago (Kyriakopoulou and Bern, 1982). RRV was isolated from plants showing yellow blotches on their leaves and from some without symptoms. Two artichoke strains of the virus, one from Greece and the other from Turkey and serologically different from the English and Scottish strains, were recently studied with regard to biological, physico-chemical and serological properties (Rana et al., 1985). RRV is transmitted in nature by tv,;o Longidorlis species: L. elongatus (de Man) Thorne et Swanger, (Taylor, 1962), and L. macrosoma Hooper (Harrison, 1964). Investigations on the distribution of RRV and its nematode vectors in artichoke fields in Greece were carried out during spring 1984 and the results from these are reported here.


Anomaly detection (AD) is a crucial task in machine learning with various applications, such as detecting emerging diseases, identifying financial frauds, and detecting fake news. However, obtaining complete, accurate, and precise labels for AD tasks can be expensive and challenging due to the cost and difficulties in data annotation. To address this issue, researchers have developed AD methods that can work with incomplete, inexact, and inaccurate supervision, collectively summarized as weakly supervised anomaly detection (WSAD) methods. In this study, we present the first comprehensive survey of WSAD methods by categorizing them into the above three weak supervision settings across four data modalities (i.e., tabular, graph, time-series, and image/video data). For each setting, we provide formal definitions, key algorithms, and potential future directions. To support future research, we conduct experiments on a selected setting and release the source code, along with a collection of WSAD methods and data.


How sensitive should machine learning models be to input changes? We tackle the question of model smoothness and show that it is a useful inductive bias which aids generalization, adversarial robustness, generative modeling and reinforcement learning. We explore current methods of imposing smoothness constraints and observe they lack the flexibility to adapt to new tasks, they don't account for data modalities, they interact with losses, architectures and optimization in ways not yet fully understood. We conclude that new advances in the field are hinging on finding ways to incorporate data, tasks and learning into our definitions of smoothness.


In "Wide Awake in the Windy City", Matt Golosinski traces the century-long ascent of the Kellogg School of Management, detailing its influence on marketing and its evolution as a globally renowned general management force. The story contextualizes the school's strategic decisions and brings to life some of its most important catalysts - deans, professors, students, and business practitioners.The school historically turned disadvantage to opportunity, finding innovative ways to remain in the vanguard of management education. At every turn, this journey involved the vision of extraordinary people who, against the odds, created an enduring example of educational excellence.


While the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia has a long history in the businesses of coal mining and steel production, advancing technologies have allowed hydraulic fracturing to arise as an effective method for extracting natural gas and oil in this area. Despite the abundance of natural gas deposits in the Marcellus Shale of northern West Virginia, using hydraulic fracturing to extract natural resources is not without its drawbacks. When HF flowback water moves through oilfield pipelines, it is highly saturated with metal cations from bedrock minerals which dissolved in solution during the fracturing process. These cations tend to precipitate out of solution as salts, therefore lining the insides of the pipes with scale and slowing the overall flow rate within the piping system. Since this issue can be very expensive to fix if not dealt with quickly, it is safer to simply avoid the chance of scale altogether by utilizing scale inhibitors. The goal of this experiment was to pre-treat the produced water with an oxidizer (Klear's organic-based peroxide 4035) to reduce the amount of metals in solution and then proceed to treat with scale inhibitor 5210 to reduce the scaling potential of any remaining metal cations.


This study aims to identify and analyze the Value Change Value Rupiah and Indonesia Crude Price (ICP) And Its Influence on Stock Price Index (CSPI) amid Enforcement of MEAs 2015. The data used as a sample in this research is data JCI, ICP and Exchange Value rupiah is restricted to the data of late closing of each month during the observation period 2014-2015 year or towards the implementation of the AEC program. Reasons for the selection period of the year is used to get more accurate results in accordance with the current state. This study uses a quantitative method with multiple regression analysis tool to examine the effect of exchange rate and any association between ICP value against JCI. The hypothesis of this study is "Value Exchange and ICP affect the JCI". Based on the calculation, the result that the hypothesis is proven, meaning that when the value of Rupiah and ICP changes the composite index will be affected. The implementation of MEA their situation basically no impact on economic activity significantly. This condition is seen by JCI during the observation period fluctuations in conditions in the range of stable value. Keywords: JCI, Indonesia Crude Price, Value Rupiah, Economy


Apoptosis, or Type I programmed cell death, is a fundamental biological process involved in cellular homeostasis in metazoans. Apoptosis plays a key role in immune system homeostasis and function, defense against parasite and pathogens and self/non-self recognition. In this review, I present our current knowledge of the mechanisms and signaling pathways underlying apoptosis in mollusks and its roles in host-pathogen interactions and immune defense. Both signaling and execution pathways of apoptosis appear to be highly conserved in mollusks, although there is evidence that some apoptotic mechanisms (e.g., caspase-independent cell death) may differ from model invertebrates such as Caenorhabditis and Drosophila and more closely resemble those seen in vertebrates. Apoptosis is important for the functioning of the molluscan immune system as indicated by the high baseline apoptosis rates observed in circulating and resident hemocytes. Apoptosis also plays a role in host protection against parasites by limiting the spread of the pathogen while preventing inflammatory damage of surrounding tissues. In molluscs, interaction between immune cells and parasites or pathogens usually triggers apoptosis; however, some pathogens (especially obligatory intracellular parasites that depend on the host cell for their survival and proliferation) can inhibit this response and prevent host cell death. Currently, the mechanisms underlying pathogen-induced modulation of apoptosis in molluscs are not well understood. Summarizing our current knowledge of the immune functions of apoptosis in molluscs, and comparing them with the more widely studied vertebrate systems, this review will delineate the gaps in our understanding of this critical cellular process in molluscs and assist in the ongoing search for evolutionary novel mechanisms of apoptosis in immune defense and self/non-self-recognition.


Georges de La Tour, one of the most significant painters of 17th-century France, was virtually forgotten until the early 20th century. This work is an overview of the work and world of La Tour. It traces his development from the early, realistic daylight works to his nocturnal scenes.


Glioma treatment remains a challenge with a low survival rate due to the lack of effective therapeutics. Monoamine oxidase A (MAO A) plays a role in glioma development, and MAO A inhibitors reduce glioma growth. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition has emerged as a promising therapy for various malignancies including gliomas. We have synthesized and evaluated N-methylpropargylamine-conjugated hydroxamic acids as dual inhibitors of MAO A and HDAC. Compounds display potent MAO A inhibition with IC50 from 0.03 to <0.0001 μM and inhibit HDAC isoforms and cell growth in the micromolar to nanomolar IC50 range. These selective MAO A inhibitors increase histone H3 and α-tubulin acetylation and induce cell death via nonapoptotic mechanisms. Treatment with 15 reduced tumor size, reduced MAO A activity in brain and tumor tissues, and prolonged the survival. This first report on dual inhibitors of MAO A and HDAC establishes the basis of translational research for an improved treatment of glioma.


This research  aims to find out influence wound care by dry cleand and betadin kassa toward periode recovery time.  The research population waas all postpartum mother that experincing perineum laseration grade II because of episiotomy or spontan laseration. Mann Whithney test was appliend to test inflece wound care by dry clean and betadin kassa toward period of recovery perineum wound. The research result found that means of periode of recovery perineum wound using dry and clean care was 8.30, and median value was 8, means of recovery perineum wound using betadin kassa care was 7,35, and median value was 7. There was decrease means value betwwen dry clean care and betadin kassa care which were 0.95 and p value sebesar 0.001.  result of analysis using mann whithney test found that Asym. Sig is 0, 001 (p value<0,05The methode of care using betadin kassa showed shorter periode of time recovery toward perineum wound than dry clean.


ABSTRACT Four known flavones, 5-hydroxyauranetin, araneosol, calycopterin and sarothrin, were isolated from the aerial parts of Herissantia tiubae. (K. Schum) Brizicky (Malvaceae). Their structures were identified by the use of spectroscopic methods such as IR, UV, and mainly nuclear magnetic resonance, which included two-dimensional techniques (1H-1H COSY, NOESY, HETCOR, and HMBC). This is the first reported isolation of these compounds from the genus Herissantia..


Karyotypes from independent amniocenteses reflected a rare, unstable, functionally dicentric Robertsonian translocation chromosome in most cells in male Twin B who grew more slowly than the chromosomally normal female sib (Twin A). Twin B's balanced de novo Robertsonian translocation dic(13;14)(p11.1;p11.1), present in 81% of cells, underwent recurrent centromeric fission in 6 out of 30 independent colonies that explains a balanced 46,XY,‐13,+fis(13)(p11.1),‐14,+fis(14)(p11.1) karyotype. Aneuploidy for chromosomes 13q or 14q was present in 5% of cells. Instability of the Robertsonian translocation was evident because nine of the 30 colonies (30%) grown from single amniocytes had metaphase cells with more than one chromosome complement. Although uniparental disomy was excluded and a targeted ultrasound was normal, the couple was advised of the uncertain but real risk of abnormalities in Twin B and the risk to Twin A of terminating Twin B. The pregnancy proceeded and at 31 weeks gestation Twin A was in the 33rd percentile for size and Twin B in the 1st percentile. At 32 weeks, chromosome analysis revealed a balanced 45,XY,dic(13;14)(p11.1;p11.1) karyotype in all of Twin B's newborn cord blood cells with no evidence of fission or aneuploidy. Selection against unbalanced mitotic products of the unstable, functionally dicentric chromosome in early fetal development is proposed to result in Twin B's highly discordant small birth size.


With over 36 million visitors each month, the massive popularity of Academia.edu is uncontested. But posting on Academia.edu is far from being ethically and politically equivalent to using an institutional open access repository, argues Gary Hall. Academia.edu's financial rationale rests on exploiting the data flows generated by the academics who use the platform. The open access movement is in danger of being outflanked, if not rendered irrelevant by centralised entities like Academia.edu who can capture, analyse and exploit extremely large amounts of data.


A resource allocation problem for a cognitive radio base station (CR-BS) communicating with multiple CR mobile stations (MSs) is considered in the downlink, which relies on orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA). To protect the incumbent primary user (PU) system operating over the same frequency band, the interference inflicted to the PU receiver must be regulated. Since the channel gain estimates from the CR-BS to the PU receiver are typically uncertain in practice, a robust interference power constraint is advocated. Although the latter translates to a second-order cone constraint, the overall optimization problem for joint transmit-power and subcarrier allocation is non-convex, and coupled over all subcarriers in general. To circumvent the resulting computational hurdle, a tight polyhedral approximation of the second-order cone is employed. Practical finite-alphabet constellations are adopted and total weighted achievable rate is maximized. It is shown that a near-optimal solution can be obtained based on the Lagrangian dual.


A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile and coccoid methanotroph, strain IM1T, was isolated from hot spring soil. Cells of strain IM1T were catalase-negative, oxidase-positive and displayed a characteristic intracytoplasmic membrane arrangement of type I methanotrophs. The strain possessed genes encoding both membrane-bound and soluble methane monooxygenases and grew only on methane or methanol. The strain was capable of growth at temperatures between 15 and 48 °C (optimum, 30-45 °C) and pH values between pH 4.8 and 8.2 (optimum, pH 6.2-7.0). Based on phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene and PmoA sequences, strain IM1T was demonstrated to be affiliated to the genus Methylococcus. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of this strain was most closely related to the sequences of an uncultured bacterium clone FD09 (100 %) and a partially described cultured Methylococcus sp. GDS2.4 (99.78 %). The most closely related taxonomically described strains were Methylococcus capsulatus TexasT (97.92 %), Methylococcus capsulatus Bath (97.86 %) and Methyloterricola oryzae 73aT (94.21 %). Strain IM1T shared average nucleotide identity values of 85.93 and 85.62 % with Methylococcus capsulatus strains TexasT and Bath, respectively. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization value with the closest type strain was 29.90 %. The DNA G+C content of strain IM1T was 63.3 mol% and the major cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0 (39.0 %), C16 : 1  ω7c (24.0 %), C16 : 1  ω6c (13.6 %) and C16 : 1  ω5c (12.0 %). The major ubiquinone was methylene-ubiquinone-8. On the basis of phenotypic, genetic and phylogenetic data, strain IM1T represents a novel species of the genus Methylococcus for which the name Methylococcus geothermalis sp. nov. is proposed, with strain IM1T (=JCM 33941T=KCTC 72677T) as the type strain.


The authors used rats to study the impact of a history of opiate exposures on behavioral and autonomic responses to restraint stress. Brief restraint (30 min) provoked tachycardia and a pressor response, anxiety (as indexed by social interaction), grooming, and reduced exploration. The pressor response was reduced at 1 day, but not 7 days, after last opiate exposure; tachycardia was unaffected (Experiment 1). Stress-induced anxiety was potentiated 1 and 7 days after last opiate exposure (Experiment 2), and this potentiation was a function of dose (Experiment 3) and duration (Experiment 4) of opiate exposure. The results show that a history of opiate exposures alters vulnerability to stress and has implications for understanding coping, anxiety, and emotionality in former opiate users.


The salinity tolerance of 20 cultivars of berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) was tested under varying salt stresses (3, 6, 7.2, 10, 12 and 14 dSm–1) during germination and early seedling stage. Germination was differentially affected at different salinity levels. Genotypes JB 1, JHB 04–2, SAIDI and WARDAN had shown minimum inhibition in % germination at 10, 12 and 14 dSm–1 while cultivars BL 10, UPB 110, FAHLI and JHB 05–2 had expressed maximum inhibition. Dry weight of shoot decreased with increase in salinity levels but significant reductions were obtained only at higher salinity levels (7.2–14 dSm–1). All values for SS, PR and SSI indicated positive correlations with that of NS of shoot dry weight. Perfect positive correlations (r = 1**, P = 0.01) were obtained between SSI and PR of shoot dry weight. Dry weight of root and seedling also declined with increase in salinity but significant reductions were noted at 6–14 dSm–1 in all cultivars tested. Seedling dry weight indicated that all genotypes registered significant reductions at 6 to 14 dSm–1. Correlation coefficient (r values) indicated strong positive correlation between SS and NS and perfect positive correlation was observed between SSI and PR for seedling dry weight. On the bases of SSI, SHSI and seedling dry weight cv. BL 22 and WARDAN have been proved to be tolerant while BL 10 and JHB 05–1 have been proved sensitive on the bases of SSI and SHSI. Cultivars HFB, MESCAVI, BB 2 and JHB 05–2 also proved as sensitive on the bases of SSI and seedling dry weight.


The present invention provides a nonvolatile memory, comprising at least (71), the first electrode (71) isolated from the first electrode a second electrode (72) on a substrate, a first electrode (71) and a second electrode ( conductive organic thin film (73) 72) are electrically connected. Conductive organic thin film (73) having a first display state of the first electric resistance value and displaying a second state of the second electric resistance value, a transition from a first state to a second electrically charged state from a first voltage and a second threshold different electrical power state to a first state, a second threshold voltage, a first power state or the second state is electrically held in the range of a first threshold voltage and second threshold voltage. Conductive organic thin film (73) and the surface of the substrate by covalent bonds. On the conductive organic thin film (73) can be connected to a diode (74). Thus, it provides a change in resistance value of the conductive organic thin film can be utilized (73) for recording the write and read, and easy integration of non-volatile memory.


Introduction. The article reviews peculiarities of functioning of taboo lexis, which is a manysided and indispensable aspect of modern filmmaking. The study aims at the analysis of taboo functioning in the linguistic field in order to improve foreign content application in compliance with censorship requirements. The implementation presupposes analysis of taboo lexical units, revealing their functioning features as regards to acceptable implementation of the taboo and to depict the possible ways of optimization of its use in modern cinema.Methodology and sources. The article presents results of the analysis of the taboo lexis in Western filmmaking, the former being based on a complex semantic-discursive and pragmatic approach. Specific linguistic methods of observation, description and quantitative measurement are used in the article together with the general linguistic methods of comparison. Informative basis of the study is comprised of more than 300 examples selected by the method of continuous sampling from 19 Western films and y means of the internet-resource scripts.com, as well as slang and jargon dictionaries.Results and discussion. Taking into account many-sided study of the taboo lexis, the article reveals more than 60 units representing gender, and social features of taboo in the English language carrying an imprint of directive connotation. These taboo units are ubiquitously used in the Western filmmaking degrading the speech value of film characters and the general cultural level of film industry. The analysis demonstrates that taboo lexis is able to create veritable images of film characters and their scenic behaviour in spite of the unacceptability of taboo usage in mass media.Conclusion. As was shown by the study of the taboo lexis its application by English-language speakers in film is conditioned by considerations of magnified emotional and evaluating expressivity of the speech. It is particularly noticeable that marginalized strata and theme scope of communication on topics of crime of illegal income with the help of taboo is defined by directivity of the discourse and language play.


OXA-23, a class D carbapenemase that confers widespread antibiotic resistance hydrolyzes the beta-lactam rings of beta-lactam antibiotics, presenting an enormous challenge to infection control, particularly in the eradication of pathogenic bacteria such as Acinetobacter baumannii, one of six top-priority dangerous pathogens. Thus, the enzyme is a potential target for developing antimicrobial agents against pathogens producing carbapenemases. In this study, OXA-23 was purified and crystallized at 298 K and X-ray diffraction data from OXA-23 crystal were collected at 2.03 A resolution using synchrotron radiation. The crystal of OXA-23 belonged to space group P4(1) with unit cell parameters a = 82.47, b = 82.47 and c = 172.01 A. Analysis of the packing density showed that the asymmetric unit probably contained two molecules with a solvent content of 73.64%.


Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulation is employed to examine (i) the multicomponent multicore micelle (MMM) formation from two kinds of star-shaped copolymers: A2B4B4 and C2B4B4 where A, B, and C are the segments of the copolymers and (ii) the degradation of multicomponent multicore micelles. Regarding the micelle formation, single-core micelles with the core composed of two components (SCII), multicomponent multicore micelles with each core composed of two components (MMII), multicomponent multicore micelles with each of the cores composed of one component (MMI), and multicomponent multicore rod micelles (MMRI) are considered. By changing the ratio between the number of segments of one of the polymers and the total number of segments of the two copolymers, the number of cores generated and their composition can be controlled. Considering that only C2B4B4 is degraded to 2C1 + 2B4, it was found that SCII, MMII, and MMI micelles degraded to a single irregular network core, to multicores with cores formed of loose aggregates, and to multicore micelles, respectively. The dynamics of micelle formation has several stages (small aggregates (nuclei) → growth of aggregates → micellization) whereas the dynamics of degradation involves the diffusion of the degraded components inside and outside micelles and the rearrangement of the cores of the micelles into new cores.


The properties of emulsions formed when water contacts low sulfur diesel fuel supplemented with indigenous surfactants or chemical additives were studied. Small amounts of the additives were found to have dramatic effects on the stabilization or breaking of the emulsions formed during ASTM D-1094 testing. Dynamic interfacial tension measurements were also recorded to determine the influence of the surfactants on the interfacial film surrounding the water droplets in the emulsions. The results of both the ASTM test and the interfacial tension measurements were compared. 18 refs., 19 figs.


Patient‐derived organoids are being considered as models that can help guide personalized therapy through in vitro anticancer drug response evaluation. However, attempts to quantify in vitro drug responses in organoids and compare them with responses in matched patients remain inadequate. In this study, we investigated whether drug responses of organoids correlate with clinical responses of matched patients and disease progression of patients. Organoids were established from 54 patients with colorectal cancer who (except for one patient) did not receive any form of therapy before, and tumor organoids were assessed through whole‐exome sequencing. For comparisons of in vitro drug responses in matched patients, we developed an 'organoid score' based on the variable anticancer treatment responses observed in organoids. Very interestingly, a higher organoid score was significantly correlated with a lower tumor regression rate after the standard‐of‐care treatment in matched patients. Additionally, we confirmed that patients with a higher organoid score (≥ 2.5) had poorer progression‐free survival compared with those with a lower organoid score (< 2.5). Furthermore, to assess potential drug repurposing using an FDA‐approved drug library, ten tumor organoids derived from patients with disease progression were applied to a simulation platform. Taken together, organoids and organoid scores can facilitate the prediction of anticancer therapy efficacy, and they can be used as a simulation model to determine the next therapeutic options through drug screening. Organoids will be an attractive platform to enable the implementation of personalized therapy for colorectal cancer patients.


The establishment of the ECB and with it the launch of the euro has arguably been a unique endeavor in economic history, representing an important experiment in central banking. This note aims to summarize some of the main lessons learned from this experiment and sketch some of the prospects for the ECB. It is written for /The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics/, 2nd edition.


Background: Leiomyosarcoma originating from the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a very rare malignancy. We searched the databases and did not find similar cases of leiomyosarcoma of the IVC with lung adenocarcinoma. Here, we report a patient with IVC leiomyosarcoma and lung adenocarcinoma.Case report: The patient, a 38-year-old Chinese female, presented to the general department with a history of intermittent right upper abdominal pain for 18 months. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) showed a tumour of IVC (3.4*2.7 cm) extending to the renal veins. In addition, chest CT showed a tumour in the left lung lobe. Then, the patient underwent surgery to resect the IVC tumour and partial lung. The patient received Gefitinib Tablets treatment 250 mg per day for 18 months during the perioperative period. The examination of the patient showed lung recurrence at the 18th month after partial pneumonectomy. So the patient again received thoracoscopic wedge pneumonectomy, and it was confirmed to be metastasis of IVC tumour. The patient received daily 12 mg treatment with Anlotinib after the last operation. Regular outpatient follow-up showed that there was no obvious recurrence and metastasis as of April 2021 (6 months after operation).Conclusions: It is difficult to diagnose and treat patients with IVC leiomyosarcoma and lung adenocarcinoma in a timely manner. Surgery is still an effective treatment for patients with IVC leiomyosarcoma and lung adenocarcinoma at present.


The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) was used to explain the beliefs, attitude and behavioural intention of the adoption of ERP systems by Thai-owned companies and multinational companies operating in Thailand. Interviews were thus conducted with IT managers and end-users in Thailand to identify a number of beliefs towards ERP systems. A grounded theory method was used to collecting and analysing data. The findings of the study suggest that shared beliefs in the benefits of ERP systems to organizations correlate with positive attitudes towards ERP systems while individual beliefs in the perceived problems of adopting ERP systems correlate with negative attitudes, which appear to affect the behavioural intention to adopt an ERP system. This paper concludes with some implications of these findings, and with some possible direction for future research.


Early Start, funded under the Government's Family Start initiative, is a home visitation service provided by trained family support workers designed to support, empower and assist families to address issues relating to child-rearing, parenting and family functioning. This paper examines a series of issues relating to client satisfaction with Early Start. A randomised field trial of programme efficacy involved a series of families receiving the Early Start service and a comparison series of families not receiving the service. At 36 months following trial entry, families who had received Early Start (n = 163) were asked about their satisfaction with the service. Client families reported generally high levels of satisfaction, similar for Maori and non-Maori. Higher levels of satisfaction were associated with increasing service duration and having fewer family support workers involved with the family.


This is the first issue of Metal Based Drugs, our journal, restyled and resumed after 5 years' silence. A number of distinguished scientists have agreed to be Associate Editors and to assist in the new course of this multidisciplinary journal, to encourage it to survive and to be the forum where to post the most important findings of our intriguing research of new and innovative metal-based drugs. With your help, the journal has an excellent potential to rapidly become the most important reference in the biomedical literature of drugs for diseases such as cancer and diabetes or for diagnostics based on the modern molecular approach formetals in biology and medicine.

Undoubtedly, of the many fields where metals can help medicine with innovative drugs, chemotherapy and particularly cancer chemotherapy is forever attracting considerable interest. In this context it is important to note that there is a decreasing interest in DNA-damaging drugs. Unlike the era initiated with the discovery of the anticancer activity of mechlorethamine in 1940s, it is more commonly accepted that the new golden era of cancer chemotherapy is driven by a new series of drugs characterized by their capacity to interact with targets expressed with high selectivity only by tumour cells and this is now giving rise to drugs that are actually available in clinical practice. It is clear that the "old drugs" will still accompany us in the clinical treatment of tumours for many years. It is similarly evident that the few improvements we may expect from these drugs (those acting on nucleic acids or on macromolecules of the mitotic spindle) are those associated with a better pharmacokinetic profile that can lead to the reduction of systemic toxicity, the main problem limiting the use of such drugs.

Researchers are now convinced that targets such as DNA, RNA, and tubulin do not provide sufficient selectivity for cancer cells without negative effects on healthy tissues. Also, factors such as the high tendency to develop resistance towards chemotherapeutic agents, the genetic instability of tumour cells, their heterogeneity, and their elevated mutation index are elements sufficient to circumvent the practical application of chemotherapy. Furthermore, we now have new ways to develop and research ideas on the processes of gene regulation involved in tumour malignancy: activation and repression of signal transduction pathways depending on various extracellular signals and/or cellmutations that select their capacity to survive, generate tumours, and to invade and give rise to metastases, the ultimate target of chemotherapy.

We therefore have important work to do: to obtain new metal-based drugs that are not related to cisplatin or platinum analogues currently in use or in the advanced stages of development, since these represent part of the old strategy of antitumour chemotherapy. We are conscious of the difficulties of the game but we will run this race with the important advantage of having 40 years of accumulated experience with a number of metals and ligands, significant knowledge of the chemical behavior of these compounds in solution and in physiological media, and on their interactions with biological molecules. The open-access journal Metal Based Drugs represents an important aid to develop these topics and others, for example, on diabetes and on molecular diagnostics that we have not raised here but are equally important and represent the opposite side of the same coin.

Good luck fellow colleagues

Gianni Sava


Purpose – The shipping industry is generally recognised as having better fuel efficiency than other transport modes. In many regions of the world, therefore, policy has promoted shipping as the preferred freight transport mode of choice. In recent years, however, environmental problems associated with shipping have emerged. Several influential analyses have revealed the impact of shipping on air quality, particularly in the form of emissions of sulphur, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, all of which have adverse consequences for human health.

Methodology/approach – An extensive environmental profile of shipping is provided, focusing specifically on the atmospheric pollution that is directly attributable to shipping operations.

Findings – It is important, however, to place the environmental profile of the shipping industry into the context of exactly how much transport work it does. This makes it clear that where shipping is a viable modal alternative then, in relative terms and most contexts, it still retains significant environmental advantages over other modes. The industry and its regulators have been slow, however, to improve its environmental profile and maintain its inherent advantage. Technical and operational measures which the industry may implement unilaterally are analysed, but these are deemed insufficient to stem the adverse tide of environmental concerns. Regulation is a necessity. Recently implemented regulatory measures are analysed, together with possible scenarios for the future regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. The IMO approach of global regulation is supported in preference to regionally based regulatory policies. There is also a danger that regulatory intervention may distort mode choice contexts.

Originality/value – The provision of an extensive environmental profile of shipping and an examination of this profile in relation to the importance of this transport mode to the global economy.


Abstract. Despite their importance for sea-level rise, seasonal water availability, and
as a source of geohazards, mountain glaciers are one of the few remaining
subsystems of the global climate system for which no globally applicable,
open source, community-driven model exists. Here we present the Open Global
Glacier Model (OGGM), developed to provide a modular and open-source
numerical model framework for simulating past and future change of any
glacier in the world. The modeling chain comprises data downloading tools
(glacier outlines, topography, climate, validation data), a preprocessing
module, a mass-balance model, a distributed ice thickness estimation model,
and an ice-flow model. The monthly mass balance is obtained from gridded
climate data and a temperature index melt model. To our knowledge, OGGM is
the first global model to explicitly simulate glacier dynamics: the model
relies on the shallow-ice approximation to compute the depth-integrated flux
of ice along multiple connected flow lines. In this paper, we describe and
illustrate each processing step by applying the model to a selection of
glaciers before running global simulations under idealized climate forcings.
Even without an in-depth calibration, the model shows very realistic
behavior. We are able to reproduce earlier estimates of global glacier volume
by varying the ice dynamical parameters within a range of plausible values.
At the same time, the increased complexity of OGGM compared to other
prevalent global glacier models comes at a reasonable computational cost:
several dozen glaciers can be simulated on a personal computer, whereas
global simulations realized in a supercomputing environment take up to a few
hours per century. Thanks to the modular framework, modules of various
complexity can be added to the code base, which allows for new kinds of model
intercomparison studies in a controlled environment. Future developments will
add new physical processes to the model as well as automated calibration
tools. Extensions or alternative parameterizations can be easily added by the
community thanks to comprehensive documentation. OGGM spans a wide range of
applications, from ice–climate interaction studies at millennial timescales
to estimates of the contribution of glaciers to past and future sea-level
change. It has the potential to become a self-sustained community-driven
model for global and regional glacier evolution.


This article examines the interaction between bureaucratic red tape and intranet usage in state human service agencies. We propose a sociotechnical model for the relationship between intranet usage and bureaucratic red tape that takes into account the complexities of causal linkages including bidirectional causal relationships and a range of internal and external influences. This model is tested with data from the National Administrative Studies Project, Phase II. While we are not able to corroborate the demand pull hypothesis advanced by Bretschneider and colleagues, we do find support for its corollary (the technology push hypothesis) indicating that intranet usage is associated with reduction in red tape. This finding on the salutary effect of intranet usage holds for both a global measure of red tape and a more specific procurement red tape measure. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings.


Background

This study was to explore the potential effect of different liver enzymes on elevated blood glucose with the use of a more detailed blood glucose grouping.
Methods

This cross-sectional study enrolled 144,135 participants who had biochemical examinations from 2014–2018. Participants were classified by sex and different blood glucose levels (< 5.0 mmol/L, 5.0-5.5 mmol/L, 5.6–6.2 mmol/L, 6.3–6.9 mmol/L, and ≥ 7.0 mmol/L). The associations between liver function indicators and occurrence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were analyzed through multivariate linear regression and multiple logistic regression.
Results

There was a significant difference among the biochemical indices between different blood glucose groups in males and females. Liver enzymes such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) were independent risk factors for raised blood glucose, and there were gender differences in the predictive performance of each liver enzyme to elevated blood glucose levels. In men, GGT was the most appropriate to predict progressive elevation of blood glucose or T2DM risk, and ALT and ALP may only be applicable to the prediction of impaired fasting glucose (IFG). By contrast, ALT and ALP were the most appropriate enzymes for the prediction of the risk of elevated blood glucose or T2DM in women, and AST and GGT may only be appropriate for the prediction of IFG.
Conclusions

Liver enzymes were independent risk factors for elevated blood glucose. There were gender differences in the role of each liver enzyme for elevated blood glucose. GGT was more suitable as a predictor for dynastic elevated blood glucose in men, whereas for women, ALT and ALP were more suitable.


Introduction: The Chasing COVID Cohort (C3) study is a US-based, geographically and socio-demographically diverse sample of adults (18 and older) enrolled into a prospective cohort study during the upswing of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We used internet-based strategies to enroll C3 participants beginning March 28th, 2020. Following baseline questionnaire completion, study participants will be contacted monthly (for 6 months) to complete assessments of engagement in non-pharmaceutical interventions (e.g., use of cloth masks, avoiding large gatherings); COVID-19 symptoms; SARS/COV2 testing and diagnosis; hospitalizations; healthcare access; and uptake of health messaging. Dried blood spot (DBS) specimens will be collected at the first follow-up assessment (last week of April 2020) and at month 3 (last week of June 2020) and stored until a validated serologic test is available. Results: As of April 20, 2020, the number of people that completed the baseline survey and provided contact information for follow-up was 7,070. Participants resided in all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. At least 24% of participants were frontline workers (healthcare and other essential workers). Twenty-three percent (23%) were 60+ years, 24% were Black or Hispanic, 52% were men, and 52% were currently employed. Nearly 20% reported recent COVID-like symptoms (cough, fever or shortness of breath) and a high proportion reported engaging in non-pharmaceutical interventions that reduce SARS/COV2 spread (93% avoided groups >20, 58% wore masks; 73% quarantined). More than half (54%) had higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness should they become infected with SARS/COV2 based on age, underlying health conditions (e.g., chronic lung disease), or daily smoking. Discussion: A geographically and socio-demographically diverse group of participants was rapidly enrolled in the C3 during the upswing of the SARS/COV2 pandemic. Strengths of the C3 include the potential for direct observation of, and risk factors for, seroconversion and incident COVID disease (among those with or without antibodies to SARS/COV2) in areas of active transmission.


: Hybrid organic–inorganic halide perovskites (HOIPs) have recently represented a material breakthrough for optoelectronic applications. Obviously, studying the interactions between the central organic cation and the Pb-X inorganic octahedral could provide a better understanding of HOIPs. In this work, we used a first-principles theoretical study to investigate the effect of different orientations of central formamidinium cation (FA + ) on the electronic and optical properties of FAPbBr 3 hybrid perovskite. In order to do this, the band structure (with and without spin– orbit coupling (SOC)), density of states (DOS), partial density of states (PDOS), electron density, distortion index, bond angle variance, dielectric function, and absorption spectra were computed. The findings revealed that a change in the orientation of FA + caused some disorders in the distribution of interactions, resulting in the formation of some specific energy levels in the structure. The interactions between the inorganic and organic parts in different directions create a distortion index in the bonds of the inorganic octahedral, thus leading to a change in the volume of PbBr 6 . This is the main reason for the variations observed in the electronic and optical properties of FAPbBr 3 . The obtained results can be helpful in solar-cell applications.


The MPEG-2 video bitstream without any Scalable Modes is called the Base layer bitstream. The work involves designing the MPEG-2 video decoder and related interfacing logic for reading the MPEG file from flash memory, storing the decoded data in SDRAM and displaying the video on the SVGA monitor by reading the data from SRAM. We have used the C code as the reference, provided by the MPEG Software Simulation Groups. The bit-by-bit algorithm, for decoding the base layer Mpeg-2 video stream, was abstracted from the C code and the corresponding hardware module for decoding the sequence was designed in VHDL using Quartus 6.2 tool supplied by Altera. The designed decoder module takes the serial bit stream in MPEG-2 format from Flash Memory as input, parses the system layer and decodes the video data. The output is provided in 24 bit RGB form. The MPEG-2 file resides in the flash memory, from where it is read byte-by-byte by the decoder module. The decoded frame is written to the SRAM, which dual ported to act as VIDEO RAM or VRAM. The VGA controller reads continuously from the VRAM and displays the video on monitor. The design was implemented on DE1 "university program" board.


This paper describes a method of low-altitude remote sensing in combination with in situ measurements (leaf area, spectroscopy, and position) to monitor the postfire canopy recovery of two competing grassland species. The method was developed in the Andes of Ecuador, where a tethered balloon with a digital camera was deployed to record a time series of very high spatial resolution imagery (nominal resolution=2 cm ) of an experimental plot covered by two competing species: 1) the pasture grass, Setaria sphacelata; and 2) the invasive southern bracken, Pteridium arachnoideum. Image processing techniques were combined to solve geometric issues and construct high-quality mosaics for image classification. The semiautomatic and object-oriented classification method was based on geometrical and textural attributes of image segments and showed promising results for detecting the invasive bracken fern in Setaria pastures (performance by area under the curve, AUC = 0.88). Valuable insights are given into vegetation monitoring applications using unmanned aerial vehicles, which produces a time series of species-specific maps, including foliage projective cover (FPC) and leaf area index (LAI). This new method constitutes an important and accessible tool for ecological investigations of competing species in pastures and validation of remote sensing information on mountain environments.


In situ optical emission spectroscopy has been used to measure the direct current biased hot-filament diamond deposition processes for gas mixtures of methane, argon and hydrogen. The effects of bias on diamond growth and optical emission were investigated. The increase of bias voltage slightly raises the atomic hydrogen concentration which is estimated by using the Ar (750 nm) line as actinometry. The bias has little influence on hydrocarbon species and electron temperature. The enhancement of diamond nucleation and smoothing of the film surface by positive bias are mainly caused by electron bombardment on the surface of the substrate and growing film rather than on the change of gaseous environment.


: Sodium gamma-hydroxybutyrate was administered to dogs in dosages of 200 to 1000 mg per kg with continuous EEG and temperature monitoring. Based on these studies, pulsed doses of 500 mg/kg of GHB were given and timed serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain samples obtained. In addition a group of animals were sacrificed 60 minutes after GHB administration and the regional distribution of GHB determined. The CSF kinetics of GBH suggests a passive diffusionof GHB into CSF but brain concentration peaked very early. Highest concentrations of GHB were found in cortical white matter with lower concentrations in subcortical areas.


Learning automata are stochastic finite state machines that attempt to learn the characteristic of an unknown random environment with which they interact. The fundamental problem is that of learning, through feedback, the action which has the highest probability of being rewarded by the environment. The problem of designing automata for stationary environments has been extensively studied. When the environment is nonstationary, the question of modeling the nonstationarity is, in itself, a very interesting problem. In this paper, the authors generalize the model used in Tsetlin (1971, 1973) to present three models of nonstationarity. In the first two cases, the nonstationarity is modeled by a homogeneous Markov chain governing the way in which the characteristics change. The final model considers the more general case when the transition matrix of this chain itself changes with time in a geometric manner. In each case the authors analyze the stochastic properties of the resultant switching environment. The question of analyzing the various learning machines when interacting with these environments introduces an entire new avenue of open research problems. >


The aim of this article is to investigate the concept of Supply Chain Vulnerability and to understand its causing factors. It has been argued that environment turbulence and complexity and the increase of natural, terrorist and economic crisis are the main causing factors behind the increasing of the level of supply chain exposure to risk. However, the contribution of the use of supply chain philosophies and practices such as JIT, Lean manufacturing, outsourcing, etc. to the increase of vulnerability factors has also been highlighted in the literature. In this context, a conceptual model is developed in this article to reveal what could make a supply chain vulnerable. This article provides an outline of the vulnerability drivers in order to suggest a "conceptual framework of Supply Chain Vulnerability". The objective of such a model is not to describe another model of Vulnerability, but rather to offer a concrete structure incorporating the previous knowledge. The proposed model allows a better understanding of the vulnerability within Supply Chain Networks. Firstly, the model is analyzed through its positioning and contributions in comparison with existing frameworks in the literature. This comparison highlights the critical points overlooked in the past. Secondly, the model was applied on three case studies.


This paper presents the results of the electrochemical treatment of chemical oxygen demand(COD) and total nitrogen(T-N) compounds in the wastewater generated from flue gas desulfurization process by using a lab-scale electrolyzer. With the increase in the applied current from 0.6 Ah/L to 1.2 Ah/L, the COD removal efficiency rapidly increases from 74.5% to 96%, and the T-N removal efficiency slightly increases from 37.2% to 44.9%. Therefore, it is expected that an electrochemical treatment technique will be able to decrease the amount of chemicals used for reducing the COD and T-N in wastewater of the desulfurization process compared to the conventional chemical treatment technique.


The retrograde transneuronal labeling of premotor neurons of the abducens nucleus was examined by wheat germ agglutinin conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) injections into the lateral rectus muscle in the cat. Native horseradish peroxidase injections into the lateral rectus muscle resulted in labeling of neurons in the ipsilateral abducens nucleus and accessory abducens nucleus only. By contrast, when WGA-HRP injections were made into the lateral rectus muscle, retrogradely labeled cells appeared in the mesencephalic central gray, the oculomotor complex, the pontine reticular nuclei, the medial and lateral vestibular nuclei, and the nucleus prepositus hypoglossi, in addition to strong labeling of cells in the ipsilateral abducens nucleus and the accessory abducens nucleus. These findings suggest that portions other than the abducens and the accessory abducens nuclei labeled by WGA-HRP injections into the lateral rectus muscle are transneuronally labeled. The same areas were also labeled by direct injection of a small amount of WGA-HRP into the abducens nucleus. The nonspecific retrograde transneuronal labeling is considered to be applicable to neuroanatomical analysis of origins of afferents to motor regions that innervate the extraocular muscles and consist of several small subdivisions or mixed motoneurons, where it is difficult for conventional tracer techniques to make successfully confined injections.


Environmental monitoring of microbial contaminants is important for crew health and assessing functionality of engineering systems. Routine monitoring of air and surfaces on the International Space Station found Staphylococcus spp. to be the most common bacterial species whereas Aspergillus spp. were the most common fungi. The levels of microbial contaminants in the air and surfaces were typically low and within the acceptability limits. Bacterial levels in the potable water from the hot water port were uniformly low. Levels in water from the warm port and the SVO-ZV water distribution system exceeded acceptability limits on occasion. Methylobacterium spp. And Ralstonia spp. were the bacteria most commonly isolated from the potable water systems. The space environment, stress, and other factors may also diminish the host immune system. The status of antimicrobial functions of neutrophils and monocytes was determined by flow cytometry. Shuttle astronauts had decreased functionality of NK cells, neutrophils, monocytes, and changes in other elements of immunity. Latent virus reactivation is an important new approach to assessing immunity and can be monitored in body fluids collected during space flight. Reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) was determined by a polymerase chain reaction assay to detect viral DNA. Space flight resulted in increased incidence of EBV and CMV shedding and an increased number of copies of EBV DNA, and the incidence of VZV reactivation increased in astronauts during and after flight. Increased plasma levels of virus-specific antibodies substantiated reactivation of EBV, CMV, and VZV. Increases in cortisol and catecholamines were consistent with elevated stress levels. Cytokines indicative of viral reactivation were elevated. These data indicate that space flight is a unique stress environment that may produce stress-induced changes in immunity that jeopardize the host-microbe relationship.


We will consider the consequences of a Venus mantle enriched in water relative to the Earth. If the Moon-forming impact hypothesis is correct, Earth may have lost substantial volatiles. Venus, however, experienced no such impact and is therefore likely to be relatively more water-rich. We demonstrate that a higher abundance of water in the Venus mantle has the effect of inhibiting the rise of crustforming melts and volatiles to the surface, which results in a thin stable crust, a dry, stiff upper mantle, and restricted magmatism. Conduction through a shallow thermal lithosphere dominates the removal of heat from the interior, and flow in the mantle is strongly coupled to the surface deformation. Current observations of Venus are consistent with this model. A review of the consequences of this model allows us to make predictions for the Magellan radar images. These include: 1) No evidence for plate tectonic processes; 2) younger apparent surface ages and enhanced crater relaxation for highland areas; 3) limited quantity of hot-spot volcanism, and 4) occasional evidence of localized magmatism (diatremes) associated with a volatile-rich mande source. The model has implications to the Earth as well: in the absence of the Moon-forming impact, crustal formation in the water-rich Earth mantle may have been arrested, and plate recycling would have ceased early in the planet's history.


A series of studies investigated how stimulus integrality and separability impact the cognitive accessibility of similarity and dimensional relations. A good deal of previous work has established that stimulus integrality and separability differentially determine perception; here, the question is whether they also have differential effects on conception. Are the principles that govern perception also principles that can be readily discovered in concept learning tasks? Is a similarity-based rule especially easy to abstract from integral stimuli and a dimensionally-based rule especially easy to abstract from separable stimuli? In Experiments 1 and 2, we measured the relative ease with which the two types of rules (similarity and dimensional) are discovered by adults with the two types of stimuli (integral and separable). In experiment 1, the two rules were made redundant and we asked which rule the subjects learned. In Experiment 2, one rule was made relevant and the other irrelevant, and we compared relative speeds of learning. The results from the studies led us to conclude (a) that dimensionally based rules are more accessible from separable than from integral stimuli; (b) that similarity-based rules are more accessible from integral than from separable stimul; and (c) that, in general, subjects have a bias to access dimensional relations in this type of task. Experiment 3 pursued an additional suggestion from Experiments 1 and 2 that the dimensional relations within integral stimuli are sometimes accessible, more so when larger interstimulus differences are encountered. In confirmation, Experiment 3 demonstrated that adult subjects are more successful in applying a dimensional rule to pairs of integral stimuli that differ by a small amount if they also have exposure to pairs of integral stimuli that differ by a large amount. In a later discussion, it was argued that such a finding is consistent with the notion that the "dimensions" of integral stimuli are merely arbitrary directions in the integral stimulus space, and some relevant pilot data to that effect were presented. Finally, Experiment 4 took up a developmental issue. Young children have sometimes produced perceptual responses governed by similarity relations when presented with stimuli that are separable for adults. Will they more readily access similarity-based or dimensionally-based relations from such stimuli in the concept learning tasks here? The results showed that both kindergarteners and fifth graders more readily access the dimensional relations. A final discussion integrated the findings from the several experiments, taking up the following issues: (a) the relation between the perception and the conception of stimulus relations and (b) the nonprimacy of the dimensional axes in the integral stimulus space.


The disturbance energy of a forced flow cooled superconducting coil (FCC) is discussed. The authors built a FCC and carried out stability and quench tests. The test coil had a 36-m-long cooling path with a 0.37-mm hydraulic diameter. It was cooled by supercritical helium at 4.1 K. The stability margin of the FCC was evaluated by using RF heating. In addition, the coil quench test was performed. The disturbance energy at quench is estimated by the stability margin characteristics. The disturbance energy obtained agrees well with that of a simple analytical model.<<ETX>>


The Born-Oppenheimer approximation is the standard method for the studying atoms and molecules. It is founded on the observation that the energy scale of the electron dynamics in a molecule is larger than that of the nuclei. A very similar physical picture can be used to describe QCD states containing heavy quarks as well as light quarks and gluonic excitations. In this communication I present selected results of a recent work [N. Brambilla, G. Krein, J. Tarrús-Castellà and A. Vairo, Phys. Rev. D 97, 016016 (2018)] in which the Born-Oppenheimer approximation for atomic and hadronic molecular systems emerges as the leading-order approximation of an effective field theory obtained by sequentially integrating out degrees of freedom living at energies above the typical energy scale where the dynamics of the heavy degrees of freedom occurs. As an example, the simple case of a ion molecule formed by two heavy nuclei and one electron is considered.


The 10-kilometer-wide asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs and many other species 65 million years ago was just one of a steady stream of debris of all sizes that has splattered the planet, with effects on climate and extinctions varying from negligible to profound. On page
 2061, researchers suggest that a lesser impact showered coastal Argentina with blobs of molten glass 3.3 million years ago, perhaps cooling climate and driving some of the region9s mammals to extinction. But other researchers say that although the impact looks real, its connection to climate change or extinctions is doubtful.


Two High-Rate Algal Ponds were operated over residence times of 4 and 6 days respectively, at three COD loading rates equivalent to 600, 350 and 100 kg ha −1 d −1 from early September to late October 1991. Samples of pond N and P feed were analysed to obtain nutrient input values to the system. Pond filtrates were also analysed for soluble nutrients. The pond biomass was separated into constituent components of algae and bacteria. Following separation, the discrete fractions were analysed for dry matter, chlorophyll content, and paniculate carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen and phosphorus balances were then calculated which were used to partition the nutrients into soluble and paniculate phases, and to further separate the paniculate phase into algal and bacterial components. The partitioning of these nutrients, responsible for eutrophication, enables the calculation of removal rates of N and P from the pond systems and makes possible more effective strategies for the removal of the nutrient-rich biomass from receiving water bodies.


We present an overview of a cross‐sectional scanning microphotoluminescence technique that is used to examine various buried‐layer semiconductor structures for which traditional surface‐normal techniques cannot yield sufficient information or must be coupled with time‐consuming and painstaking processes such as wet etching. This technique has a wide range of applications; two—defect‐driven interdiffusion in quantum wells and the modification of spontaneous emission from quantum wells in vertical‐cavity surface‐emitting lasers (VCSELs)—are discussed here. The data obtained using this method can be used to distinguish emission spectra from quantum wells as little as one micrometer apart in depth and a few nanometers different in wavelength. The comparison of normal incidence with cross‐sectional data from VCSELs can be used to more effectively optimize the match between cavity resonance and quantum well emission in high‐Q devices.


Australia has experienced 28 years of uninterrupted annual economic growth. Since reaching a peak of 11 per cent in 1993, the unemployment rate declined sharply and has been below 6 per cent for most of the period since mid-2003. Yet despite unprecedented economic expansion in Australia since the mid-1990s, fiscal reform has created a less progressive tax-transfer system, contributing to rising income inequality.