The South African mining industry continues to be a major source of employment at a time when at least 25 per cent of the working age population is unemployed. At the same time the industry faces a skills shortage in many of the disciplines necessary for its future health. The University of the Witwatersrand, University of Pretoria, University of Johannesburg, and University of South Africa have historically produced mining graduates for the South African industry, with any shortfall being met by the recruitment of overseas graduates. More recently the global shortage of engineers and other mining industry professionals has seen a reversal of this trend and a very significant emigration of well-educated and highly skilled personnel. The traditional career path for mining graduates is in production and mine management. However, there is the parallel and possibly more pressing need for specialized skills in such fields as ventilation, rock engineering, mine planning, mineral resource evaluation, and mineral asset valuation. It is in these essential areas that chronic shortages continue to hamper the development of the industry and may well frustrate its ambitions to be safe, healthy, and profitable into the future. The permeability of skills across sectorial boundaries within the mining industry requires that skills shortages in the platinum sector are not looked at in isolation, but within the context of the entire industry. This paper reviews the efforts being made by the universities at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels to meet the needs of the South African mining industry, in terms of the required numbers and the range of specialized skills.


Dietary uptake rates of several organochlorines from diets with different lipid contents were measured in goldfish (Carassius auratus) to investigate the mechanism of intestinal absorption and biomagnification of organic chemicals. The results suggest that intestinal absorption is predominantly controlled by chemical diffusion rather than lipid cotransport. Data for chemical uptake in human infants are presented to illustrate that biomagnification is caused by the digestion of food in the gastrointestinal tract. The findings are discussed in the context of two conflicting theories for the mechanism of biomagnification, and a mechanistic model is presented for the dietary uptake and biomagnification of organic chemicals in fish and mammals.


Objective(s): The aim of this study was to improve flowability and compressibility characteristics of starch to use as a suitable excipient in direct compression tabletting. Quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion was used as a crystal modification method. Materials and Methods: Corn starch was dissolved in hydrochloric acid at 80°C and then ethanol as a non-solvent was added with lowering temperature until the formation of a precipitate of modified starch. Flow parameters, particle size and thermal behavior of the treated powders were compared with the native starch. Finally, the 1:1 mixture of naproxen and each excipient was tabletted, and hardness and friability of different tablets were evaluated. Results: Larger and well shaped agglomerates were formed which showed different thermal behavior. Treated starch exhibited suitable flow properties and tablets made by the treated powder had relatively high hardness. Conclusion: It was found that recrystallization of corn starch by quasi emulsion solvent diffusion method could improve its flowability and compressibility characteristics.


Based on a biographical analysis of Bolivar, Juarez and Guevara, the complex relation between socialization, identity and social change, in modern times, is discussed. After a initial debate on the uses and limitations of the biographical method, the article focus on understanding the life of these three historical characters, using and therefore exploring some recent sociological theories. The integration, from an early age, in different social environments and, specially, on multiple educational processes, drawn on some political and pedagogical movements, unintended biographical events, as well as, since a later age, a specific and conscientious work of the actors over themselves, enhanced de formation of a blending habitus. According to such an argument, this peculiar identity personifies (and promotes) the unification of conflictive social forces.


The main objective of this research is to investigate effectiveness of salts used as an additive in lime-stabilized organic clay. Lime is known to be an effective stabilization method for clayey soil. However for organic clay it becomes less effective due to low increase in strength. Therefore salts are used to accelerate lime-organic clay reactions. Salts are introduced to remove the barrier in order to accelerate as well as help lime to increase the strength of soil. Two types of salts used are sodium chloride (NaCl) and calcium chloride (CaCl2). The unconfined compressive test (UCT) is conducted on 108 remolded samples (38mm x 80mm) for 0,7,14 and 28 days of curing period. The test results indicated that when NaCl or CaCl2 is added to the lime-organic clay mixture, the strength of mixture increases with increasing salt concentration. The strength of clay stabilized with lime and sodium chloride is higher than clay stabilized with lime and calcium chloride at a 10% salt concentration. The highest unconfined compressive strength (UCS) achieved is 777kPa for clay stabilized with 10% lime and 10% NaCl cured at 28 days.


Objective: Blood pressure variability (BPV) is considered an independent poor prognostic factor in acute stroke. The aim of the study was to analyze the blood pressure (BP) dynamics and variability in patients with hypertensive crisis and acute ischemic (IS) or hemorrhagic stroke (HS). Design and method: The study included 108 randomly selected in-hospital patients (equal men and women) with acute stroke /70 patients with IS and 38 with HS/, accompanied by hypertensive crisis at admission (systolic blood pressure /SBP/>180 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure /DBP/>120 mmHg). Dynamics of BP, some indices of BPV and their potential association with the outcome of stroke were analyzed. Results: Some differences in BP dynamics and BPV between the two types of stroke were found. Patients with HS demonstrated significantly higher initial levels of SBP, pulse pressure and mean BP. The BP drop was steeper in the first 24 hours and then smoother. We observed more gradual fall in SBP and DBP in persons with clinical improvement. Those who did not improve or deteriorated showed steep reduction of SBP in the first 24 hours, then more fluctuations and a trend for slight increase >160 mmHg after the 24th hour. Significantly greater BPV was established in patients with HS. Indices of BPV significantly associated with the outcome at hospital dissmission in patients with IS were the maximal variations of SBP and in patients with HS - mean standard deviation of SBP, and maximal variations of SBP >50 mmHg. Conclusions: BP dynamics and BPV might be of definite importance for the outcome of acute stroke. In our study we observed significantly higher initial BP values and more variations in the group with HS, which correlated with worse prognosis. High BP in the acute phase of stroke should be reduced carefully using therapeutic strategies associated with stable BP and low BPV.


Synthetic wastewaters simulating physically pre-treated low-loaded winery effluents were treated for four months with five pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSSF-CWs) using different plants. Species under study were Phragmites australis (HSSF-CW2), Lythrum salicaria (HSSF-CW3), Cladium mariscus (HSSF-CW4), and Iris pseudacorus (HSSF-CW5). The designation HSSF-CW1 was not planted, and was used as a control. The mean dissolved oxygen and oxidation  –  reduction potential values in all HSSF-CWs indicated anaerobic conditions in the bulk liquid. High pollutant-removal efficiencies were obtained. Apparently, the species with higher growth (Phragmites, Lythrum, and particularly Iris) improved total nitrogen (TN) and nitrogen as ammonium (N-NH4+) removals, but adversely affected sulphate (SO42−) anaerobic reduction. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies were high, although there were no clear indications how the kinds of plants might have influenced this parameter. A statis...


Recent developments in education have focused on exploring different ways of responding to the diverse learning needs of students. The international trend has been to move towards an inclusive approach based on democratic principles in education, including students with special educational needs in mainstream schools and classrooms. Egypt, an initial signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, has not escaped the prominence of inclusive education on the international education agenda. No legislation on inclusion in schools has been promulgated in Egypt. Furthermore, information is lacking regarding teachers' attitudes towards working with students with special educational needs in mainstream classes, despite the fact that teacher attitude are instrumental in determining the success or failure of inclusive education. The aim of the research, therefore, was to identify teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education. For the purpose of this study, a non-experimental quantitative research design with specific reference to survey research was chosen. The population consisted of teachers in five schools in Alexandria and Cairo and a questionnaire was designed. Data was analysed using the statistical programme SPSS (14.0 for Windows). Results indicate that teachers in Egypt have serious reservations about the feasibility of accommodating students with special educational needs in their classrooms. Curriculum development, educational support, funding opportunities, as well as the training of teachers, need to be addressed in order to facilitate the development of inclusive educational strategies.


The biosynthesis of tropodithietic acid was investigated using a combinatorial approach of feeding experiments, gene knockouts and bioinformatic analyses. The mechanism of sulfur introduction is distinct from known mechanisms in holomycin, thiomarinol A and gliotoxin biosynthesis.


Climate change is likely to have an impact on runoff and fluvial sediments in watersheds. These factors are among those used to characterize water bodies in relation to the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). Hence, it is important to investigate the extent to which climate change may hinder the achievement of the objectives of the WFD. We explored the potential impact of climate change on runoff and sediment yield for the Aixola watershed using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The model calibration (2007-2010) and validation (2005-2006) results were rated as satisfactory. Subsequently, simulations were run for four climate change model-scenario combinations based on two general circulation models (CGCM2 and ECHAM4) under two emissions scenarios (A2 and B2) from 2011 to 2100. All combinations predicted that runoff and sediment yield would decrease compared with baseline (1961-1990). Three combinations suggested that runoff and sediments would decrease by 0.13 to 0.45 m s and 0.11 to 0.43 t every year from 2011 to 2100. However, the CGCM2-B2 scenario resulted in an "extremely likely" increase in runoff and sediments of 0.94 m s and 0.57 t every year. These variations in annual sediment yield are closely related to changes in precipitation. The high degree of uncertainty in the results must be considered when assessing potential impacts and making decisions about adaptation measures. Nevertheless, this first attempt to estimate future sediment yields in our region could be a useful starting point to explore future hydrological impacts in the area.


The floating drug delivery systems (FDDS) become an additional advantage for drugs that are absorbed primarily in the upper segments of gastrointestinal (GI) tract, i.e., the stomach, duodenum and jejunum. Some of the unresolved, critical issues related to the rational development of FDDS include (1) the quantitative efficiency of floating delivery systems in the fasted and fed states; (2) the role of buoyancy in enhancing gastro residence time (GRT) of FDDS; and (3) the correlation between prolonged GRT and sustained release/pharmacokinetic characteristics. Floating drug delivery formulations and the polymers used in these systems have become much more sophisticated, with the ability to do more than simply extend the effective release period for a particular drug. While much of work is still in its early stages, to develop newer polymers and optimization of different polymer combination for development of FDDSs. From review of literature related on FDD it is suggested that future research work in the FDDSs should be aimed at discovering means to accurately control the drug input rate into the GI tract for the optimization of the pharmacokinetic and toxicological profiles of medicinal agents by selecting proper polymers.


AIM
Failure of platinum chemotherapy is an unresolved issue in ovarian cancer. Targeted therapy has been added to the treatment options in solid cancers. Alvocidib is a cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study evaluated the effects of alvocidib together with carboplatin on ovarian cancer cells (BG-1 and Skov-3) in vitro applying proliferation assays, cell cycle distribution analyses, apoptosis induction assays, and drug accumulation assay.

RESULTS
Proliferation of both cell lines was inhibited by carboplatin and alvocidib. The interaction index revealed drug synergism at distinct drug concentrations. Cell cycle distribution was altered. Alvocidib induced apoptosis in Skov-3 cells, and necrosis in BG-1 cells. Rhodamine accumulation was increased by alvocidib or both compounds together.

CONCLUSION
These data provide evidence for antiproliferative effects of alvocidib on human ovarian cancer cells in vitro associated with changes in cell cycle distribution, the induction of apoptosis, and modulation of intracellular drug accumulation. Alvocidib and carboplatin showed some cooperative activity.


Background The definitive role of adipose tissue in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not established. Patients with RA and a high body mass index (BMI) have demonstrated significantly less radiographic joint damage than those with low BMI.1 On the other hand, in another paper, increasing BMI was negatively correlated with clinical response to biologic therapy in active RA patients.2 Objectives To study the association of disease activity with BMI in patients with established RA, analyzing the differences according to therapy regimens (conventional DMARDs, exclusively, versus biologics, with or without conventional DMARDs). Methods Clinical caracteristics, including BMI, and blood samples were collected in a monitoring visit. Portuguese version of the Standford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Disease Activity Score four variables (DAS28 (4v)), 68 tender (TJC) and 66 swollen joint counts (SJC) were obtained. We measured ESR and CRP. PASW Statistics 18 was used for statistical analysis. Results We evaluated 203 RA patients, 138 (68%) women, 103 (51%) under biologics, age 53±12 years, 14±10 years of disease duration, mean DAS28 (4v) of 4.26±1.32 and a mean HAQ of 1.250±0.680. Seventy two (36%) had a BMI<25 kg/m2, 86 (42%) had a BMI of 25-<30 kg/m2 and 45 (22%) had a BMI≥30 kg/m2. In a multivariate modelling (after adjusting for age, disease duration, average daily dose of prednisone and years of corticosteroid use) and in RA patients exclusively under conventional DMARDs, obesity was associated with lower SJC (p=0.005) and higher DAS28 (4v) (p<0.001), TJC (p<0.005) and HAQ (p<0.001) values. Using the same model and adjusting also for years of biologic therapy, in the group under biologic agents, overweight was associated with lower DAS28 (4v) (p<0.05), TJC (p=0.001) and HAQ (p=0.001) values. CRP and ESR were not significantly associated with BMI. Conclusions In our RA population under conventional DMARDs, subjects with higher BMI exhibited higher disease activity parameters. Paradoxically, in the group under biologics, overweight showed a better disease control. These facts reinforce the need of other studies to clarify the different regulatory effects of adipose tissue on RA treatment responses according the therapy regimen. References Westhoff G. et al. Arthritis Rheum 2007; 56: 3575-82 Klaasen R. et al. Arthritis Rheum 2011; 63. 359-64 Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Serum levels of Lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) were determined at weekly intervals, in 52 patients with Boutonneuse Fever: 33 adults (23 uncomplicated and 10 complicated cases) and 19 children (no complication occurred in these patients). In the first week of illness, LDH was increased in 86 and 100% of adults (uncomplicated and complicated cases respectively) and in 89% of children. Mean values were 419 and 472 U/l for adults (uncomplicated and complicated) and 423 for children (normal values until 240 U/l). In total (adults plus children), in the first week, pathological findings were observed in 90% of patients. In the second week, LDH was increased in 53 and 100% for adults, and 66% for children. Mean values were 252 and 306 for adults, and 291 U/l for children. The significance of this increase is related to the pathophysiology of rickettsial diseases. Rickettsiae cause endothelial injury with platelet aggregation, activation of inflammation as well as coagulation mechanisms and subsequently damage of various organ systems at various degree (from silent to evident forms). From a general point of view LDH increase appears in part of platelet origin, at first stage of illness, in part from other organ systems involved in the vasculitic process.


This paper examines how organisational culture interacts with the policy framework within which career progression is structured for academics in an Australian and a New Zealand University. It explores the effects this has for women at Associate Professor/Reader level in attempting to promote their careers. Women at this level generally need to demonstrate both research excellence and international recognition of it. Yet these women often considered their research was undervalued and found it difficult to set aside time in order to maintain research productivity. Moreover, they encountered a disjuncture between formal and informal processes around promotion that discriminates against senior academic women. Their experiences suggest that the glass ceiling operated subtly even in senior academia. The issues these women needed to address in order to improve career outcomes are examined. These include: managing their academic careers; balancing research, teaching administration, pastoral care and community engagement; and seeking to navigate career progression in a predominantly masculine management culture. As Helen Kelly indicated (AUS Status of Women Conference 2003), gender linked expectations around the sorts of roles taken both inside and outside the workplac, influence opportunities and pay. The paper argues that if academic women at Associate Professor/Reader level are to experience rewarding careers, the organisational culture of the university needs be reviewed. Ensuring that there is a match between the expectations of the role that women in these senior positions play and a rewards structure that tangibly values other forms of service as well as research excellence is essential.


Background: The extended spectrum β-lactamases(ESBLs), AmpCβ-lactamases and metalloβ-lactamases (MBLs), have emerged worldwide as a cause of antimicrobial resistance in Gram negative bacteria (GNB). So the present study was conducted to detect all three β-lactamases in GNB using disc potentiation tests. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 Gram negative clinical isolates from a tertiary care centre were identified and antibiotic susceptibility testing was done according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. The screening and phenotypic confirmatory test recommended by CLSI were carried out for ESBL detection. Detection of AmpCβ-lactamase was done by phenyl boronic acid test. MBL were detected using EDTA disc potentiation test. Result: Of a total of 200 Gram negative isolates, pure ESBL were seen in 50(25%) isolates and pure AmpC were seen in 35(17.5%) isolates. ESBL and AmpC co-existed in 38(19%) isolates. AmpC and MBL co-occurred in a single isolate. Conclusion: we recommend the phenotypic tests using various inhibitors for the detection of β-lactamases.


The capsalid monogenean Neobenedenia melleni is known as a lethal pathogen for captured marine teleost ornamental fish, if left untreated. This study reports the occurrence of N. melleni parasitizing four species of ornamental reef fish imported into Brazil and maintained in quarantine: Arabian angelfish (Pomacanthus asfur ), yellowbar angelfish (Pomacanthus maculosus), regal angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus), and bluecheek butterflyfish (Chaetodon semilarvatus). Ten days after the beginning of quarantine, some fish showed behavioral alterations, such as irritability, and corneal opacity, which were rapidly diagnosed to be caused by monogenean parasites by body surface scraping. The fish from the same batch were treated with two applications of 2 mg L-1 praziquantel each at an interval of four days. Seven days after the first treatment, the mucus surface of the fish was re-examined, which did not reveal the parasites presence being delivered for commercialization.


Background. Annual disability index among patients with rheumatogenic retinal detachment (RRD) is 2–9 %. One of the factors, causing the development of morphofunctional disorders of macula, is the change in intraocular hemodynamics. Aim: substantiation of rational timing of neuroprotection with cytoflavin depending on the prediction of visual functions after endovitreal surgery of RRD.Materials and methods. There were 21 patients (21 eyes) with RRD. A three-port vitrectomy with silicone tamponade and its subsequent removal was performed. Two groups of patients: the 1st group – 10 patients with tolerable prediction of restoration of visual functions (increasing of visual acuity to 0.4–0.2 relative units), the 2nd group – 11 people with low level of visual prognosis (increasing of visual acuity to 0.15 and lower). All patients received cytoflavin at both stages of surgery. We used laser doppler flowmetry (microcirculation index (MI) and microcirculation efficiency index (MEI)). The criteria of "sufficiency" of cytoflavin receiving was periods of recovery of MI and MEI to indexes that were not significantly different from the norm.Results. Dynamics of response of chorioretinal microcirculation at both stages of endovitreal surgery of RRD was unidirectional. At the same time, the indexes of MI and MEI under influence of cytoflavin in patients with tolerable level of visual prognosis reached maximum index at the 15th day of observation as at the stage of silicone oil tamponade and after its removal; and in patients with low level of visual prognosis only at the 25th day of observation.Conclusions. Therapy with cytoflavin neuroprotection in patients after endovitreal surgery of RRD leads to significant increase of indexes of chorioretinal blood flow. The period of cytoflavin treatment justified until achievement of the required positive dynamics of chorioretinal microcirculation depending on the level of visual prognosis: tolerable – 15 days, low – 25 days.


Thirty-two teachers from 10 preschools in Cisalak subdistrict, Subang district, West Java province, Indonesia, received a two-day training on Balance Nutrition and My Plate in February 2018. The main messages underlined in the training were consume a variety of foods, drink enough water daily, wash your hands with soap, be physically active, and monitor your body weight. The training was followed by an eight-week implementation period to preschoolers aged 3 to 6 y. The knowledge of the teachers increased by up to 33 percentage points (average score: 69 to 82 pre- vs. posttest) after training, and the teachers answered correctly to the same questions 15 mo later. The mothers' knowledge increased by up to 37 percentage points after parenting sessions. All seven teaching aids provided were used by end-line, but their usage decreased after seven months (range: 2 to 7) and further decreased by 12 mo postintervention (range: 2 to 5). A teacher's handbook and a flipchart were the two aids persistently used. The practices of washing hands with soap, bringing healthy packed lunches, and monitoring weight and height continued after 12 mo postintervention. Dissemination of Balance Nutrition knowledge to fellow teachers of the same school, colleagues from different schools, or to representatives of preschool associations was evident. Training should be scaled up to the district level, using trained teachers as trainers and adopting a cascade training method. National roll-out by teachers' associations, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, could improve the knowledge of over 200,000 preschool teachers and potentially improve the nutrition of 19 million preschoolers.


Knee instability resulting from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a high-risk factor for posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) in the patellofemoral joint (PFJ). However, whether non-weight-bearing and weight-bearing treatments have chondroprotective effects remains unclear. Twenty-four adult New Zealand White male rabbits were employed in this study. All animals received ACL transection in the right knee and sham surgery in the left knee. The rabbits were randomly assigned to the following groups: (I) In the sedentary (SED) group, the rabbits (n = 6) were simply kept in their cage; (II) In the continuous passive motion (CPM) group, the rabbits (n = 6) performed CPM exercise for 7 days, starting from the first postoperative day; (III) In the active treadmill exercise (TRE) group, the rabbits (n = 6) performed TRE for 2 weeks; (IV) In the CPM + TRE group, the rabbits (n = 6) executed CPM exercise, followed by TRE. Two joint surfaces (the retropatella and femoral trochlear groove) were assessed at 4 weeks after operation. Although the gross appearance in each group was comparable, histological examination revealed significant differences in the articular cartilage status. The CPM group exhibited a greater thickness of articular cartilage, maintenance of tidemark continuity, abundant glycosaminoglycan (GAG), and significantly lower inflammatory cytokine 9, e.g., tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) 0 levels, with modest cell apoptosis (i.e., caspase-3). By contrast, the TRE group displayed the worst pathological features: an irregular cartilage surface and chondrocyte disorganization, reduced cartilage thickness, breakdown of the tidemark, depletion of collagen fibers, loss of GAG, and the highest levels of TNF-α and caspase-3 expression. Furthermore, the CPM + TRE group had more favorable outcomes than the SED group, indicating that suitable exercise is needed. The sham treatment displayed no variance in the changes in the two joint surfaces among groups. These data indicate that the application of early CPM rehabilitation is suggested for subjects in order to decrease the risk of PTOA without ACL reconstruction in the PFJ compartment in rabbits. The early TRE program, however, had harmful outcomes. Additionally, inactivity was discovered to initiate the development of PTOA.


Understanding the properties of biomolecular networks is of central importance in life sciences. Optical microscopy has been very useful to determine the sub-cellular localisation of proteins but it cannot reveal whether proteins interact with one another. Micro-spectroscopic techniques (combining microscopy with spectroscopy) can provide direct information on molecular interactions and dynamic events involving biomolecules with minimal perturbation of cellular integrity and function and they are particularly useful for studying life cells. Over the last few years the spatial-temporal resolution and sensitivity of these techniques have improved considerably. Detecting protein-protein interactions within a biological cell can lead to a greater understanding of the key mechanisms that regulate the fundamental processes of the cell. However, analysis of fluorescence microspectroscopy data is not a trivial task. Well-designed data analysis techniques could significantly improve the interpretation of parameters and characteristics of photophysical processes in complex molecular systems. The most commonly used methods of time-resolved spectroscopic data analysis are, respectively, nonlinear least squares, deconvolution, global analysis and maximum entropy. These methods often lead to a good description of the data but do not necessarily provide physically relevant parameters. The aim of this thesis is to develop new multidimensional fluorescence analysis methods dedicated to improve the visualization and the quantitative analysis and physical interpretation of complex spectral, spatial and time-resolved data sets.


Training robots to perceive, act and communicate using multiple modalities still represents a challenging problem, particularly if robots are expected to learn efficiently from small sets of example interactions. We describe a learning approach as a step in this direction, where we teach a humanoid robot how to play the game of noughts and crosses. Given that multiple multimodal skills can be trained to play this game, we focus our attention to training the robot to perceive the game, and to interact in this game. Our multimodal deep reinforcement learning agent perceives multimodal features and exhibits verbal and non-verbal actions while playing. Experimental results using simulations show that the robot can learn to win or draw up to 98% of the games. A pilot test of the proposed multimodal system for the targeted game---integrating speech, vision and gestures---reports that reasonable and fluent interactions can be achieved using the proposed approach.


From electronic-structure-based thermodynamic linear-response, we establish chemical ordering behavior in complex solid solutions versus how Gibbs' space is traversed -- applying it on prototype refractory A2 Ta-Nb-Mo-W high-entropy alloys. Near ideal stoichiometry, this alloy has anomalous, intricate chemical ordering tendencies, with long-ranged chemical interactions that produce competing short-range order (SRO) with a crossover to spinodal segregation. This atypical SRO arises from canonical band behavior that, with alloying, create features near the Fermi-surface (well-defined even with disorder) that change to simple commensurate SRO with (un)filling of these states. Our results reveal how complexity and competing electronic effects control ordering in these alloys.


A common way to detect malware attacks and avoid their destructive impact on a system is the use of virtual machines; A.K.A sandboxing. Attackers, on the other hand, strive to detect sandboxes when their software is running under such a virtual environment. Accordingly, they postpone launching any attack (Malware) as long as operating under such an execution environment. Thus, it is common among malware developers to utilize different sandbox detection techniques (sometimes referred to as Anti-VM or Anti-Virtualization techniques). In this paper, we present novel, side-channel-based techniques to detect sandboxes. We show that it is possible to detect even sandboxes that were properly configured and so far considered to be detection-proof. This paper proposes and implements the first attack which leverage side channels leakage between sibling logical cores to determine the execution environment.


In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), key management is one of the crucial aspects of security. Although existing key management schemes are enough to solve most of the security constraints on WSNs, a random-key predistribution scheme has recently evolved as an efficient solution for sharing keys between sensor nodes. Studying the signal ranges of the sensor nodes might significantly improve the performance of the key-sharing mechanism, but this possibility remains unexploited and needs further attention. Hence, in this paper, we propose a new approach for a probabilistic key predistribution scheme that guarantees a higher probability of sharing keys between nodes that are within the signal range than that of other schemes. As a result, the proposed approach provides adequate security and is expected to minimize the key ring, reduce the communication overhead, and provide high connectivity. We also compare our present scheme with existing algorithms developed for the same purpose and observe that the proposed scheme performed better, even with different deployment errors.


Many authors stressed the importance of considering mating patterns, migration and consanguinity when analysing micro-geographic differences in the distribution of the frequency of genetic traits (thalassaemia and glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD) in populations living in areas of past malarial endemy. Therefore, the present work was aimed at estimating the reproductive isolation of Calabria, an Italian region that experienced endemic malaria until very recently. The research was carried out on 15311 records of marriage from Parish Books of four villages located in the past malarial area, and four situated in the non-malarial region. Endogamy rates were high in every village and decreased only in the present century as a consequence of the breakdown of isolation. In the earlier periods, the rates ranged between 93-84% in non-malarial villages, and between 96-66% in the past malarial area. The rate of consanguineous marriages was low in all villages: in the malarial area it was 2.15% on average, whereas in the non-malarial villages it ranged between 2-16%. Its trend increased with time almost everywhere. Concerning values, differences between past malarial and non-malarial villages in earlier periods are not consistent as they ranged from 0.1 x 10(-3) to 1 x 10(-3). In the present century, however, a was higher in the non-malarial villages. Observed changes of the coefficient a since the 19th century are due to the increased frequency of first cousin marriages. Isonymy rates were lower than 2% in all past malarial towns in all periods, whereas in nonmalarial villages they ranged between 1.2-9.5% and increased with time. Inbreeding coefficients F are always higher than alpha values, but show the same trend with time. They were between 0.0006-0.0045 in past malarial towns, and between 0.0017-0.024 in non-malarial villages. In non-malarial villages Fn displayed noticeable negative values in two situations in the earlier periods. In conclusion, given the above mating patterns and the observed distribution of frequencies of G6PD deficient hemizygous and thalassemic heterozygous in the investigated villages, there is clear evidence in this area for the absence of any specific role of reproductive isolation and consanguinity on the distribution of genetic traits related to past malaria presence.


Development of increasingly complex perfusion devices with bonded heparin allowed for significant improvement of thromboresistance of most basic components required for cardiopulmonary bypass. In his recent review of heparin-coated cardiopulmonary bypass circuits, Gravlee cited 91 references dealing with heparin-coated surfaces, and far more can be found if the search includes material technology or heparin-coated devices not designed for cardiopulmonary bypass (eg, ventricular assist devices, hemofilters, catheters). The present review is focused on long-term application of heparin-coated equipment in conjunction with basic work on heparin bonding relevant for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Experimental open chest cardiopulmonary bypass using heparin-coated equipment without systemic heparinization up to 36 hours has shown improved thromboresistance, and better platelet preservation was demonstrated for perfusion with heparin-coated cardiopulmonary bypass equipment up to 5 days in the experimental set-up. Similar findings were reported for roller pump perfusion with heparin-coated tubing and centrifugal pump perfusion with heparin-coated pump heads. More recently, heparin bonding was also made available for oxygenators with true membranes that preclude plasma leakage. The available knowledge on clinical applications of heparin-coated perfusion equipment is mainly based on short-term applications like ours, which now includes more than 300 patients. Reduced postoperative blood loss and as a result fewer transfusions were the main benefits of heparin-coated equipment allowing for perfusion with low systemic heparinization. There are only a few reports on long-term use of heparin-coated equipment for prolonged circulatory support. However, the longest clinical application of a single device is that of an intravascular gas exchanger that remained fully functional during a 29-day implantation period. Finally, it appears, that circulating protamine interacts with surface-bound heparin. Protamine administration should therefore be avoided during perfusion with heparin-bonded equipment to maintain the improved thromboresistance.


Malassezia species exist as normal flora on human skin but can convert to a pathogenic state in response to a number of host and environmental factors ultimately resulting in tinea versicolor (TV). Biofilm formation represents one of the main mechanisms by which microorganisms maintain viability in hostile environments. We have shown that Malassezia furfur/ovale cultured from patients with active TV can produce biofilms in vitro and in vivo. Exposure of Malassezia to sweat in vivo is the likely trigger for biofilm formation (as it is in atopic dermatitis); we believe this biofilm formation is potentially responsible for both the pathogenesis and the chronicity of this infection. This gives rationale to biofilm-dispersing agents, such as selenium sulfide, as important components in the standard TV treatment regimen. Periodic use of such agents would conceivably prevent reinfection.


Media is generally stored digitally and is therefore discrete. Many successful deep distribution models in deep learning learn a density, i.e., the distribution of a continuous random variable. Naive optimization on discrete data leads to arbitrarily high likelihoods, and instead, it has become standard practice to add noise to datapoints. In this paper, we present a general framework for dequantization that captures existing methods as a special case. We derive two new dequantization objectives: importance-weighted (iw) dequantization and Renyi dequantization. In addition, we introduce autoregressive dequantization (ARD) for more flexible dequantization distributions. Empirically we find that iw and Renyi dequantization considerably improve performance for uniform dequantization distributions. ARD achieves a negative log-likelihood of 3.06 bits per dimension on CIFAR10, which to the best of our knowledge is state-of-the-art among distribution models that do not require autoregressive inverses for sampling.


The opossum epididymis was subdivided into 7 histologically distinct zones. 2 zones are localized into the head (initial segment or zone I and zone II); 3 zones into the body (zones III, IV and V), and 2 zones into the tail (zones VI and VII). It was found that each zone could be readily distinguished on the basis of its histological and cytological features at optical microscopic level and primarily on the basis of the morphological appearance of the principle cells.


The objective of this panel is to discuss a multi‐faceted conceptual framework to link information literacy theory and practice. The panelists will present findings of their research into adult and young users' knowledge of and competencies in information literacy in varied information environments. The ultimate goal of the panel is to build consensus on a future research agenda that could lead to bridging the gap between information literacy theory and practice.


In developing countries like Ethiopia rural-urban migration is an image that distresses development in both urban and rural areas. Hence, this study was aimed to identify and investigate the major causes and consequences of rural-urban migration in Wolaita Sodo town Merhal Sub-city. With a confidence level of 90%, the sample sizes of 95 target respondents were determined by using Cochran s formula for sample size determination, but due to time and budget constraints the researcher reduced the sample size in to 50 from two k respective kebeles. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected from primary and secondary sources. The qualitative data was analyzed by using table, percentage, mean, frequency and graph and qualitative data obtained from Focus FGDs and key informants were analyzed through narration and qualitative descriptions. Hence problems such as financial (24%), unemployment (30%), inability to obtain social services (14%) and, do not get job as expected (30%) are now evident in the study areas. Taking into account the population growth of the town, constructing additional house and social service centers, such as schools, health institutions, recreational centers are important in providing needed services and better quality of life. Therefore, it needs GOs and NGOs considerable attention and other policy-makers to reflect on the most suitable ways to the existing problem.


BACKGROUND
Civilian gunshot injuries to the brain are relatively rare and study of these injuries has been neglected in South Korea.

METHODS
Thirteen patients with civilian craniocerebral gunshot injuries were admitted to the Chonnam National University Hospital during a period of 22 years. A retrospective analysis of these patients with regard to outcome and prognostic factors was performed.

RESULTS
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score at admission was recorded to be 3 to 5 in one patient, 6 to 8 in three patients, 9 to 12 in two patients, and 13 to 15 in seven patients. The admission GCS score was the most valuable prognostic factor. Of the nine patients with a GCS score of more than 8, eight patients survived with favorable outcomes; of the four patients with a GCS score of less than 8, all had unfavorable outcomes (1 died, and 3 had severe disability). There was a correlation between the presence of a transventricular or bihemispheric trajectory and poor outcome.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with GCS scores of more than 8 or brain lesions limited to a single lobe of the brain can benefit from early aggressive management. Our results suggest that retained fragments after first debridement did not increase the risk of infection or seizure.


LEAF LITTER DECOMPOSITION IN VERNAL POOLS OF A CENTRAL ONTARIO MIXEDWOOD FOREST Kirsten V. Otis Advisors: University of Guelph, 2012 Dr. Jonathan Schmidt Dr. Shelley Hunt Vernal pools are small, seasonally filling wetlands found throughout forests of north eastern North America. Vernal pools have been proposed as potential 'hot spots' of carbon cycling. A key component of the carbon cycle within vernal pools is the decomposition of leaf litter. I tested the hypothesis that leaf litter decomposition is more rapid within vernal pools than the adjacent upland. Leaf litter mass losses from litterbags incubated in situ within vernal pools and adjacent upland habitat were measured periodically over one year and then again after two years. The experiment was carried out at 24 separate vernal pools, over two replicate years. This is a novel degree of replication in studies of decomposition in temporary wetlands. Factors influencing decomposition, such as duration of flooding, water depth, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen were measured. Mass loss was greater within pools than adjacent upland after 6 months, equal after 12 months, and lower within pools than adjacent upland after 24 months. This evidence suggests that vernal pools of Central Ontario are 'hot spots' of decomposition up to 6 months, but not after 12 and 24 months. In the long term, vernal pools may reduce decomposition rates, compared to adjacent uplands.


This article reconsiders the relationship between government debt and welfare in a two-country overlapping-generations model with lifetime uncertainty and international product differentiation. It has recently been proposed that a higher steady-state debt level may be welfare-enhancing in this setting. It is pointed out that this proposition does not adequately account for the effect of debt policy on individual agents' intertemporal consumption profiles. While a higher debt may indeed raise aggregate steady-state consumption, the lifetime utility of all steady-state cohorts will actually , unless the elasticity of substitution between domestic output and imports is extremely low. These particular results illustrate a more general caveat pertaining to any normative policy analysis in settings with overlapping generations of intertemporally optimizing agents: Attempts to draw welfare inferences on the basis of comparisons of aggregate consumption paths can be misleading.


Following a short-term clinical trial reported elsewhere, beclomethasone dipropionate aerosol has been given to 15 children with asthma for between 2 1/2 and 3 years except for a short placebo period after the first year. Month-by-month records of wheezing, peak flow rate, and other treatments used are presented for the first 17 months, adrenocortical function tests are reported for the first 2 years, and growth is recorded for 2 1/2-3 years. The short-term clinical benefits of the treatment are confirmed in the longer term, adrenocortical function appears to be unchanged, and growth proceeds along expected lines. The main disadvantage seems to be worsening of eczema and allergic rhinitis in those children who have ceased using corticotrophin or oral steroids for the control of asthma. It is concluded that in the long term beclomethasone dipropionate aerosol provides safe and effective day-to-day control of asthma in children, although occasional recourse to systemic steroid therapy cannot be avoided. Oral candidasis has not been a clinical problem.


Despite efforts to change society's perception of mental illness, it remains one of the most highly stigmatized disabilities. The medical model of disability, which locates the supposed defect within individuals, shapes discourse about mental illness and perpetuates stigma. It places value on normative bodies and stresses the importance of overcoming what it views as negative difference. In recent decades theorists have embraced a social constructionist point of view, which examines the impairment disabilities represent as a result of interaction between individual, society, and environment. However, this view has been criticized for not fully realizing the difficulties disabled individuals face. Feminist scholars, Rosemarie Garland-Thomson in particular, have proposed a feminist disability theory which more accurately takes into account both social factors and the physical realities of disability. Feminist disability theory also overcomes the gap created by historical feminism, which has attempted to promote equality using a strength-based approach which may not be applicable to the non-normative or disabled. Because the literature society produces reflects commonly-held values and norms, this paper uses four contemporary play scripts to examine social attitudes and beliefs about mental illness, an ever-popular theme within dramatic literature.


This paper introduces a novel and distributed method for detecting inter-map loop closure outliers in simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). The proposed algorithm does not rely on a good initialization and can handle more than two maps at a time. In multi-robot SLAM applications, maps made by different agents have nonidentical spatial frames of reference which makes initialization very difficult in the presence of outliers. This paper presents a probabilistic approach for detecting incorrect orientation measurements prior to pose graph optimization by checking the geometric consistency of rotation measurements. Expectation-Maximization is used to fine-tune the model parameters. As ancillary contributions, a new approximate discrete inference procedure is presented which uses evidence on loops in a graph and is based on optimization (Alternate Direction Method of Multipliers). This method yields superior results compared to Belief Propagation and has convergence guarantees. Simulation and experimental results are presented that evaluate the performance of the outlier detection method and the inference algorithm on synthetic and real-world data.


Electromigration of metal wires and excessive heat dissipation are two common reliability problems facing IC designers today. Techniques for fast estimation of peak supply current and power dissipation in ICs to ensure proper design and long-term reliable operation are of great interest. However, finding such peak quantities in VLSI combinational circuits has always been a difficult problem due to the exponential dependence on the input vectors applied to the given circuit. Static CMOS combinational circuits complicate the problem further because such worst-case quantities depend on the application of two successive input-vector patterns. In this paper, we present a simulator that transforms the switching activity in a given CMOS combinational circuit into a set of weighted Boolean clauses in terms of the two-vector sequence. We develop transformational rules that account for differing arrival times of the input signals, gate sizes, load capacitances, and signal glitching phenomena in a given circuit. Satisfying a maximum number of the Boolean clauses, weighted appropriately by the node capacitances and strengths of transistors driving the nodes, yields the desired sequence of two input vectors. PEGS is developed to formulate the switching activity, find the worst-case input vector pattern, and calculate the peak supply current waveform as well as power dissipation from circuit netlists. Experimental results show, on the average, no more than 10% deviation from those of SPICE and a significant speedup of our simulator over SPICE.


We used the repetition blindness (RB) paradigm to examine the roles of semantics, phonology, and orthography on report from rapidly presented 5-item word lists. Semantic primes in positions 1 and 3 in the list preceded homographic homophones, homographic heterophones, and heterographic homophones as critical targets in positions 2 and 4. All codes (i.e., semantic, phonologic, and orthographic) were repeated, or meaning changed while only phonology, only orthography, or both were repeated for the critical targets. Using a scoring procedure that considered order of report, we assessed facilitation for report of the first instance of the repeated target (a novel aspect of our procedure) and RB for report of the second instance of the repeated target. Except when accompanied by a change in orthography, a change in meaning reduced RB relative to when all codes were repeated. Facilitation in the report of the first instance of the repeated item occurred only if meaning changed and phonology was repeated (independent of whether orthography changed). Finally, recall was worse for the meaning change nonrepeated control lists (which instantiated 3 unrelated meanings in the list, including the last unrelated item) than for the no-meaning change control lists (which instantiated 2 unrelated meanings). We discuss the relevance of these findings for extant accounts of repetition blindness.


Several recent works discussed application-driven image restoration neural networks, which are capable of not only removing noise in images but also preserving their semantic-aware details, making them suitable for various high-level computer vision tasks as the pre-processing step. However, such approaches require extra annotations for their high-level vision tasks, in order to train the joint pipeline using hybrid losses. The availability of those annotations is yet often limited to a few image sets, potentially restricting the general applicability of these methods to denoising more unseen and unannotated images. Motivated by that, we propose a segmentation-aware image denoising model dubbed U-SAID, based on a novel unsupervised approach with a pixel-wise uncertainty loss. U-SAID does not need any ground-truth segmentation map, and thus can be applied to any image dataset. It generates denoised images with comparable or even better quality, and the denoised results show stronger robustness for subsequent semantic segmentation tasks, when compared to either its supervised counterpart or classical "application-agnostic" denoisers. Moreover, we demonstrate the superior generalizability of U-SAID in three-folds, by plugging its "universal" denoiser without fine-tuning: (1) denoising unseen types of images; (2) denoising as pre-processing for segmenting unseen noisy images; and (3) denoising for unseen high-level tasks. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness, robustness and generalizability of the proposed U-SAID over various popular image sets.


In determining the complex frequency character-istics of mechanical systems, the elastic and radiation fea-tures of the inter–element contact layers need to be consid-ered that will have on influence an the transfer function. To investigate the characteristics of details contact the meth-ods of transient mechanical impedance was used. Theoreti-cal study is presented to assess the significance of micro-contact surface roughness and of the threaded contact ele-ments on the character of complex mechanical resistance. For the described contact elements, amplitude frequency characteristic is used for the elastic features of mechanical impedance. Using the experimental results, the influence of threaded joint on transfer system function and its fre-quency characteristics are determined.


INTRODUCTION
The functional outcome in patients after limb salvage surgery, and in particular reconstructions with modular tumor endoprostheses, has been the subject of many international series, but only a few publications mention the functionality in a Bulgarian patient group.

AIM
The aim of the present study was to analyze the functional outcome in a Bulgarian group of patients with malignant bone tumors that underwent resection and reconstruction with modular tumor endoprostheses.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Our series consists of 14 patients with malignant bone tumors who underwent limb salvage surgery and reconstruction with modular tumor endoprostheses between February 2012 and January 2021. Staging was done using the AJCC staging system for bone sarcoma. The MSTS score system was used to evaluate the functional results.

RESULTS
The mean follow-up time was 38.5 months (range, 8 to 96). The mean MSTS score for our series was 70%. Distant metastases were found in 4 (28%) patients. Local recurrence occurred in 3 (21%) patients. The most severe late complication was a mechanical failure of the expanding mechanism in 1 patient.

CONCLUSIONS
Reconstruction with modular tumor endoprostheses offer superb functionality and improved life quality in patients with primary malignant bone tumors.


The development of a microfluidically cryo-cooled and inductively coupled spiral microcoil for magnetic resonance (MR) microscopy with high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is presented. The microcoil was inductively coupled to a secondary coil that was directly coupled to a transmission line. This configuration eliminated thermal flux through direct connection when the microcoil was cryo-cooled to liquid nitrogen temperature with a microfluidic liquid nitrogen flow channel to reduce the thermal noise of the microcoil. The measured quality factor (Q) of the microcoil integrated with a parallel plate capacitor was improved by 6 times when cryo-cooling the microcoil, corresponding to an SNR enhancement of 4 fold.


Three end-capped para-benzoyl calixarene bonded silica gel stationary phases are prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. The comparison and selectivity of these phases are investigated by using PAHs, disubstituted benezene, and naphthalene positional isomers as probes. Possible separation mechanism based on the different interactions between calixarenes and analytes are discussed. The results indicate that the separation for those analytes are influenced by the supramolecular interaction including π-π interaction, π-electron transfer interactions, space steric hindrance, and hydrogen bonding interaction on the calixarene columns. Importantly, the aromatic probes with polar groups such as -OH, -NO(2), and -NH(2) could regulate the selectivity of calixarene-bonded stationary phases.


The passive design for decay heat removal system of future fast reactor will put forward higher requirement for air heat exchanger (AHX), which is directly relevant to the structure and anti-seismic design of stack. Under considering the heat exchanger ability and the structure compactness comprehensively, a strategy for the optimization design of AHX based on genetic algorithm was developed in this paper. The air resistance in shell side of vertical fin tube AHX was chosen as the objective function, and the effect of design parameters including fin pitch, number of tube rows, tube pitch and tube length on the air resistance was discussed. The results of the study show that the method for the optimization design of AHX based on genetic algorithm can effectively optimize the structure of AHX and improve the resistance characteristic of the shell side evidently, which leads to design the fast reactor plant, stack structure and seismic resistance simply.© 2013 ASME


ABSTRACT To provide new insights into the mechanisms through which seminal plasma proteins (SPP) are able to protect spermatozoa, we tested the hypothesis that apoptosis can contribute to the negative effect of refrigeration on ram spermatozoa, and that SPP prevent this damage. Having proved the presence of key constituents of apoptosis-related pathways in ram sperm protein extracts, we carried out a comparative analysis of the effects of the addition of SPP before refrigeration (15°C, 30 min) and induced-apoptosis with betulinic acid or fibroblast-associated receptor ligand, assessing sperm quality parameters and apoptotic markers. The protective effect of SPP on plasma membrane integrity and potential, motility and mitochondrial inner membrane potential, and surface (cardiolipin content) was evidenced in refrigerated and induced-apoptosis samples. The addition of SPP resulted in lower values of phosphatidylserine externalization, DNA damage, and caspase activity. Therefore, apoptosis in fresh or refrigerated ram spermatozoa can occur due to activation of both the extrinsic and the intrinsic mediated pathway, and SPP might interfere with both pathways. The addition of SPP also resulted in higher proportions of viable, noncapacitated sperm and fertilizing ability (ZBA rate). This report demonstrates that SPP support survival of ram spermatozoa acting not only at the plasma membrane but also by inhibition of capacitation, and proposes the possibility that SPP might interfere with the extrinsic and the intrinsic apoptotic pathways. This opens new, interesting perspectives for the study of cellular regulatory mechanisms in spermatozoa that could be crucial for the improvement of ram semen preservation protocols.


Abstract Pharmaceuticals are frequently detected in natural and wastewater bodies, and are very important in environmental toxicology because of their stable nature. Advanced oxidation methods used to remove contaminants are of great benefit, especially removing pharmaceuticals unsuitable for biodegradation. In this study, imipramine was degraded by anodic oxidation and subcritical water oxidation, which are advanced oxidation methods. The determination of degradation products was performed by Q-TOF LC/MS analysis. The genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of the degradation samples were determined by the in vivo Allium Cepa method. Among the anodic oxidation samples, the lowest cytotoxicity was obtained after using 400 mA current, and 420 min of degradation time. No cytotoxic effect was observed in any subcritical water oxidation sample. However, when 10 mM hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant was used at 150 °C and the reaction time was 90 min, the subcritical water oxidation sample showed a genotoxic effect. The results of the study showed that it is crucial to evaluate the toxicity levels of the degradation products and which advanced oxidation methods are preferred for removing imipramine. The optimum conditions determined for both oxidation methods can be used as a preliminary step for biological oxidation methods in the degradation of imipramine.


In the present work the work function of electrons for oxide cathodes in operating fluorescent lamps is measured before and after damaging the cathodes by cold starting of the lamp. A strong increase of the absolute value and a decrease of the temperature dependence of the work function is observed. The values recover partly after operating the lamp for a certain time.

The results are interpreted as the consequence of a thin metallic layer generated during cold starting at the surface of the oxide and its effect on the depletion of electrons of donor-like colour centres (appearing in the oxide due to oxygen vacancies) under the ultraviolet radiation present in an operating fluorescent lamp, and on the magnitude and temperature dependence of the work function in the plated regions, invoking the patch effect to generate an averaged value of the work function, which is then assumed to be observed experimentally.

Moreover, barium surface states are considered, yielding reasonable values for the not plated regions, when calculating the work function, as well for the assumption of a depletion of also these states by ultraviolet radiation, as also when only regarding a thermal excitation of the surface states applying the Fowler equation. Finally, a model of a diffusion governed dynamical equilibrium yielding a T^(3/2) dependence for the donor concentration is proposed.


Purpose: Pilomatrixoma is a benign, usually asymptomatic tumor. It presents clinically as a solitary superficial subcutaneous nodule measuring between 0.5cm and 5cm in diameter on the head or upper extremeties and has not been reported after skin graft. The objective of this article is to report our experience in treating pilomatrixoma which occurred after split thickness skin graft on the lower extremity.Methods: A 56-year-old female was treated in August 2005 with a 0.5×0.5cm firm subcutaneous nodule at recipient site of split thickness skin graft on the left medial thigh. The tumor was successfully removed by complete excision and histologic examination was followed.Results: The diagnosis was pilomatrixoma which was characterized by a dual population of proliferating basophilic cells and diagnostic shadow cells.Conclusion: The tumor was successfully treated by complete resection. The authors report this very rare case of pilomatrixoma which occurred at recipient site of split thickness skin graft.


Abstract Cervical cancer (CC) is a prevalent gynecological cancer, and the patients with CC usually suffer from dismal prognosis. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are demonstrated to serve as promising biological targets in human cancers. Gastric carcinoma proliferation enhancing transcript 1 (GHET1) has been revealed to function as an oncogene in several cancers, but it has never been investigated in CC. We proposed to examine the biological role of GHET1 in CC and the underlying mechanism and validated the up-regulated expression of GHET1 in CC cell lines. Loss-of-function assays demonstrated that down-regulation of GHET1 inhibited cell growth, migration and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in CC. Furthermore, we validated that GHET1 down-regulation could inactivate AKT/mTOR and Wnt/β-catenin pathways, and that respective activation of these two pathways abrogated the inhibitive effect of GHET1 knockdown on CC cell growth, migration and EMT. Moreover, we unfolded a preliminary investigation on the modulation of GHET1 on AKT/mTOR and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. We found that GHET1 stabilized E2F6 mRNA through interacting with IGF2BP2, so as to regulate the activity of AKT/mTOR and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. Rescue assays also proved that GHET1 regulated these two pathways and CC cell growth, migration and EMT through E2F6. In conclusion, we revealed that down-regulation of GHET1 suppresses cervical cancer progression through regulating AKT/mTOR and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways, indicating GHET1 as a promising molecular biomarker for CC treatment improvement.


Stampflii's putty-nosed monkeys Cercopithecus nictitans stampflii are large, rare, poorly known guenons with a discontinuous distribution in West Africa. Putty-nosed monkeys occur at low densities in Ivory Coast's Tai National Park where they are believed to have migrated from less forested regions north of the park (Eckardt and Zuberbühler: Behav Ecol 15 (2004) 400-411). In this article, we compare the positional behavior of Putty-nosed monkeys to that of three other guenon species in the Tai Forest and provide an additional test of the relationship among locomotion, body size, maintenance activity, and habitat use in generalized arboreal quadrupeds. Our results indicate that putty-nosed monkeys confine the great majority of their locomotion to the main canopy where most movement occurs on boughs and branches. Comparison of overall locomotor frequencies across the four Tai guenon species reveals a general pattern; quadrupedalism accounts for at least 70% of the total profile, climbing ranges between 15 and 20%, and leaping accounts for 5-10% of total movement. The overall locomotor consistency among the taxa, especially between putty-nosed and Diana monkeys, is significant considering marked interspecific differences in support preference and strata use.


This study looks into the relationship between nomophobia and loneliness, and the effects of smartphone and mobile internet use among adolescents. A total of 301 adolescents were employed for the study and the data were collected via Nomophobia (NMP-Q) and UCLA Loneliness Short-Form (ULS-8) Scales. The study was conducted in a relational survey model using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and linear regression. According to the findings the levels of nomophobic behaviors of adolescents were at a moderate level.  While there was not a statistically significant correlation in terms of the duration of smartphone ownership and monthly mobile internet GSM quota, a significant difference was found in terms of the duration of mobile internet ownership, the duration of daily mobile internet use, and daily smartphone checking time. Finally, there was a statistically significant relationship between nomophobia and loneliness, and it can be ascertained that loneliness of adolescents predicts their nomophobia levels to a certain extent.


This paper investigated the influence of maintenance factor and contens factors of the performing art festival on visitors` satisfaction and revisit intention. The research question was adopted Herzberg`s two factor theory that satisfaction and dissatisfaction were two different constructs, each of which were influenced by separate causes, hygiene and motivation factors, respectively. A survey was conducted for the visitors of Chuncheon Mime Festival from May 22 to 25, 2008, and finally 416 questionaires were analyzed. From the perspective of two factor theory, the dimensions of service attributes of performing art festival were classified as contents factors(composition of the program, program contents, procedure of the event) and maintenance factors(convenient facility and vendor interaction). The results showed that satisfaction resulted from visitors` interaction with the contents factors that were distinctive features of the performing art festival that attracted people to it. It was revealed that maintenance factors affected on satisfaction of the group who didn`t have revisit intention, while the contents factors affected on satisfaction of both the group who had revisit intention and the group who didn`t have revisit intention. This suggested that most investment of resources should be focused on creating and improving the distinctive contents that were the satisfiers that brought visitors to the festival.


We present a 9 × 9 S-matrix and E-matrix. A representation of specialized Birman—Wenzl—Murakami algebra is obtained. Starting from the given braid group representation S-matrix, we obtain the trigonometric solution of Yang-Baxter equation. A unitary matrix Ř(x, ϕ1,ϕ2) is generated via the Yang—Baxterization approach. Then we construct a Yang—Baxter Hamiltonian through the unitary matrix Ř(x, ϕ1,ϕ2). Berry phase of this Yang—Baxter system is investigated in detail.


Context Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BPD-DS), a metabolic bariatric operation, induces durable loss of excess weight and reduced cardiometabolic risk. Altered epigenetic marks are mechanistically associated with environment-driven phenotypic variations. Objective The current study aimed to compare gene methylation levels before and after BPD-DS to identify epigenetic marks potentially linked to metabolic improvements induced by BPD-DS. Design and patients Metabolic risk factors and gene methylation levels of 20 women studied mean 12 years (range 4-22) after BPD-DS were compared to those of 20 severely obese surgical candidates as controls, matched for pre-surgical age, body mass index and dyslipidemia and hypertension prevalences. Whole-genome blood DNA methylation analysis enabled between-group differential methylation analyses. We calculated correlations between methylation levels of the most differentially methylated CpG sites and plasma glucose and insulin levels and HOMA-IR. Results Differential methylation analysis identified 15,343 genes demonstrating at least one differentially methylated CpG site (p<1.43x10-7). Diabetic and inflammation/immune functions were among the most overrepresented from the 200 genes exhibiting the largest group differences in methylation levels. CpG sites methylation levels of genes related to insulin action correlated significantly with fasting insulin levels and homeostatic model of insulin resistance (p≤0.002 for all). Conclusion These findings suggest that differential methylation levels in obese controls versus treated women may partially explain the durable metabolic improvements after BPD-DS.


The effectiveness of microbial inoculants with different and interactive metabolic abilities, native arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and a plant growth-promoting yeast (PGPY) Yarowia lipolytica, were assayed in a natural semiarid soil. The soil was either amended or was not amended with microbiologically treated residues, sugar beet (SB), or olive processing waste (OPW). Dorycnium pentaphyllum, used for revegetation purposes in semiarid soils, was selected as the test plant. The effects of microbial inoculations and/or OPW and SB amendments were evaluated in terms of plant growth and P nutrition. β-glucosidase and phosphatase activities in the rhizosphere, and other soil characteristics such as aggregate stability, were determined as well. The supply of treated OPW, SB, or both alleviated limiting P conditions in the soil, and inoculations of Y. lipolytica or native AM fungi increased plant P acquisition to the highest extent in residue-amended soils. Autochthonous mycorrhizal populations and native Rhizobium sp. were not able to colonize roots of Dorycnium plants growing in natural soil, but inoculants and the amendments (OPW or SB) applied enhanced the formation of such symbiotic structures. Root AM colonization depended on the AM inoculum applied (enriched population of native AM fungi), but this value was increased considerably by the amendments and by Y. lipolytica inoculation. The low nodulation found in this degraded soil was also increased by OPW and/or SB and by microbial inoculations. The application of organic amendments to the soil increased β -glucosidase and phosphatase activities as well as aggregate stability, water-soluble C, and water-soluble carbohydrates. These values were also altered by the microbial inoculants. Treatments increased the biodiversity of AM populations in this arid soil. Application of biologically treated agrowastes was able to increase soil microbial activity and plant development, which are highly depressed in many stressed areas. Thus, these treatments can be used as a valuable strategy in desertified areas.


Obstacle avoidance is desirable for lightweight micro aerial vehicles and is a challenging problem since the payload constraints only permit monocular cameras and obstacles cannot be directly observed. Depth can however be inferred based on various cues in the image. Prior work has examined optical flow, and perspective cues, however these methods cannot handle frontal obstacles well. In this paper we examine the problem of detecting obstacles right in front of the vehicle. We developed a method to detect relative size changes of image patches that is able to detect size changes in the absence of optical flow. The method uses SURF feature matches in combination with template matching to compare relative obstacle sizes with different image spacing. We present results from our algorithm in autonomous flight tests on a small quadrotor. We are able to detect obstacles with a frame-to-frame enlargement of 120% with a high confidence and confirmed our algorithm in 20 successful flight experiments. In future work, we will improve the control algorithms to avoid more complicated obstacle configurations.


Neural embedding-based machine learning models have shown promise for predicting novel links in knowledge graphs. Unfortunately, their practical utility is diminished by their lack of interpretability. Recently, the fully interpretable, rule-based algorithm AnyBURL yielded highly competitive results on many general-purpose link prediction benchmarks. However, current approaches for aggregating predictions made by multiple rules are affected by redundancies. We improve upon AnyBURL by introducing the SAFRAN rule application framework, which uses a novel aggregation approach called Non-redundant Noisy-OR that detects and clusters redundant rules prior to aggregation. SAFRAN yields new state-of-the-art results for fully interpretable link prediction on the established general-purpose benchmarks FB15K-237, WN18RR and YAGO3-10. Furthermore, it exceeds the results of multiple established embedding-based algorithms on FB15K-237 and WN18RR and narrows the gap between rule-based and embedding-based algorithms on YAGO3-10.


Treatment of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine with carbonyl dichloride caused ring fission with loss of hydrogen chloride to give a mixture of 1,1,5-trimethylhex-4-enyl isocyanate and 1,1,5-trimethylhex-5-enyl isocyanate which on treatment with sodium carbonate gave N-(1,1,5-trimethylhex-4-enyl)-N′-(1,1,5-trimethylhex-5-enyl)urea. Ring fission also occurred on treatment with acetic anhydride or acetyl chloride, giving a mixture of N-(1,1,5-trimethylhex-4-enyl)acetamide and N-(1,1,5-trimethylhex-5-enyl)acetamide, although conditions could be modified to give 1-acetyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine. Treatment of 2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine with carbonyl dichloride gave the 1-chlorocarbonyl derivative, which reacted normally with alcohols and amines.


Increasing data interconnect densities and rates drive the requirements for optical high-speed interfaces to ASICs (e.g. network switches, routers, CPU's). In contemporary implementations, as illustrated in Figure 1a, optical transceivers (such as SFP and QSFP modules and AOCs) are located at the card edge. In such an architecture increasing data rates aggravate electrical signal integrity issues due to reflections at optical connectors and losses (dielectric and skin-effect) in the relatively long traces on the card PCBA connecting the electrical pads of the switch chip with the fingers of the transceiver module. To overcome those challenges, advanced (power hungry) electrical I/Os (re-timers, equalizers,) on the ASIC and the optical transceivers are required. Also advanced (costly) PCB materials may be needed. An approach to reduce those signal integrity problems is to reduce the distance between the optical transceivers and the ASIC by moving the transceivers from the board edge to the inside of the shelf as illustrated in Figure 1b. Here the optical signals are routed to the front panel by means of optical fibers. As an additional benefit, embedding the transceivers in the card may increase the achievable density at the card edge. However, it also adds more stringent reliability and thermal management requirements for the optical transceivers. An example is the IBM Power 775 System where transceivers are located around a HUB ASIC [1]. The most ideal solution has the ASIC and the optical transceivers integrated or co-packaged as shown in Figure.2c. This approach virtually eliminates the signal integrity challenges and enables the highest interconnect density.


Atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac arrhythmia requiring treatment, has significant morbidity and mortality consequences. Pharmacologic therapy consisting of anticoagulants, AV nodal blocking agents and antiarrhythmics, remain the primary treatment. However, several nonpharmacologic therapies for the treatment of atrial fibrillation have been developed. In this review, we provide a detailed discussion of the most promising nonpharmacologic approach to the treatment of atrial fibrillation-catheter-based ablation.


To elucidate the functional connections between dopaminergic, GABAergic and opioid peptidergic systems in rats, electrophysiological, behavioral, neurochemical and histological investigations have been undertaken, focusing on the changes in drug sensitivity in the central nervous system (CNS). Changes in sensitivity in the CNS can be induced by denervation, chronic administration of antagonists or agonists, and by the inhibition of the axoplasmic transport system. It is conceivable that the changes in sensitivity of the CNS to transmitters may be related to the etiology of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and mania and may be related to the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Investigation of changes in sensitivity of the CNS to transmitters or drugs may provide the key for elucidating the biological nature of mental illness.


The purpose of this research was to investigate how elderly caregivers perceive support from their managers and caregivers and how these perceptions contribute to their individual work motivation and team performance. Data were collected from two samples; study 1 involved qualitative interviews with 12 caregivers and social workers for the elderly and study 2 had 238 elderly caregivers complete a questionnaire. Results indicated that supportive managers and caregivers helped create a warm work climate that positively influenced motivation, whereas uninvolved managers and rigorous regulations led to a controlling climate that restrained employee self-development and motivation. In addition, managers and coworkers differently satisfied caregivers' basic needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness, all of which related to various degrees to motivation and perceptions of team quality. These findings are valuable for organizations wishing to develop and optimize successful climates and work teams for elderly caregivers in societies with highly aging populations.


Performability, a composite measure that evolved from the synergy between performance and reliability, can capture the cumulative performance of a degradable multistage interconnection network over its operational life. In this paper, we present a technique for conservative analysis of performability measures for the replicated banyan network. Assuming uniformally distributed message generation at unblocked sources, we make a reward assignment for synchronous circuit switched operation that translates the cumulative performance to total number of messages routed. The analytical results and simulated values for the average level of the cumulative performance of a replicated banyan are compared. The analysis technique is capable of handling non-Markovian model of component failure. The effect of perturbation from the Markovian model on the cumulative performance has been studied.<<ETX>>


Competitive advantage theories are faced with a wide variety of perspectives, including resource-based view, industrial organization and finally behavioral economics, each of which has its own paradigms. Each paradigm attributed the reason for the success of organizations to different factors. The purpose of this study is to explore theories of competitive advantage and achieve a new approach with the help of Lionel Messi's life biography to create a new and different insight into competitive advantage. In this paper, the method of phronetic iterative research, which has an inductive-deductive approach and at the same time uses first-hand data as well as existing theoretical frameworks, to construct new theories. First, data related to the life of Lionel Messi are extracted from his biography, this data is coded in two stages, then it is linked to existing and related theories and concepts, and finally through Combining and interpreting codes, a new theory of competitive advantage has emerged. The findings of this study show that competitive advantage is a matter beyond existing resource-based view, industrial organization and behavioral theories, and includes sociological theories, including the Pygmalion effect, symbolic interactionism, social sensemaking, social support, habitus, and romantic rationality. The new theory of competitive advantage is completely different from existing theories, both in nature, ie, the presentation of the sociological concepts of competitive advantage, and in terms of the level of analysis, that is, attention to the sociological level of the organization.


TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) is an essential ubiquitin E3 ligase in immune responses, but its function in adaptive immunity is not well understood. Here we show that TRAF6 is recruited to the peripheral ring of the T cell immunological synapse in Jurkat T cells or human primary CD4+ T cells conjugated with SEE-pulsed B cells. This recruitment depends on TRAF6 interacting with linker for activation of T cells (LAT) via its TRAF domain. Although LAT was indispensable for TCR/CD28-induced TRAF6 ubiquitination and its ligase activity, RNA interference-induced TRAF6 knockdown in T cells decreased TCR/CD28-induced LAT ubiquitination, tyrosine-phosphorylation. Overexpression of TRAF6 or its catalytically inactive form C70A promoted and decreased, respectively, LAT tyrosine-191 phosphorylation upon stimulation. Moreover, LAT was ubiquitinated at Lysine-88 by TRAF6 via K63-linked chain. In addition, TRAF6 was required for and synergized with LAT to promote the TCR/CD28-induced activation of NFAT. These results reveal a novel function and mechanism of TRAF6 action in the TCR-LAT signaling pathway distinct from its role in TCR-induced NF-κB activation, and indicate LAT also play an adapter role in TCR/CD28-induced activation of TRAF6.


Within the context of non-destructive testing, the classical `Formulate-Solve-Interpret' model of problem solving becomes `Measure-Recover-Interpret'. But, before one can perform measurements, there must be appropriate instrumentation. In this book on electromagnetic non-destructive evaluation (ENDE) all these aspects (instrumentation, measurement, recovery and interpretation) are treated, though the major emphasis is on the recovery and interpretation aspects. The focus of the book, as explained in the Foreword and the Summary of the Keynote Address, is ENDE for crack detection and maintenance of pipes and pipe networks as are found in nuclear power plants. In many books on NDE, and, in particular, conference proceedings, theory tends to dominate. Here, the tactical research that flows from the theory is the central issue. There is much useful information about ENDE, as well as the practicalities of NDE, in this book. In addition, it represents a valuable guide for the practical ENDE specialist with responsibility for routine crack detection and, especially, in (networks of) pipes. With so many papers (32), it is only possible to summarize them under the categories in which they appear in the book. (a) Probe design and related issues (6). Two of the papers examine properties of the magnetic field sensors. Three of the papers address matters related to the design of electromagnetic probes for the NDE of pipes. The other paper examines the probes designed for local field excitation. (b) Defect evaluation with emphasis on stochastic methods (6). An alternative title for this section would be `crack identification algorithms'. All the papers in this section are concerned with the recovery of information about the size, location and distribution of the cracks. A variety of identification techniques are examined including wavelet and neural networks as well as the more traditional finite element and signal processing. Not all of the techniques discussed have an explicit stochastic aspect. Together, these paper illustrate, in various ways, how some information is pushed into the background at the expense of the particular information being recovered. Some of the techniques are specific to crack shape identification while others optimize the recovery of size and location. (c) Innovative modalities and applications (3). The role of the Hall sensor, spherical harmonic analysis and microwaves are the three innovative modalities examined in this section. (d) Direct modelling with emphasis on numerical techniques (8). This group of papers examines much more specific matters like the detection of deep defects, SQUIDs, the FLUXSET sensor, cracks concealed in surface deposits, eddy current probe design, the behavior of Cecco probes, steam-generating tubes with a supporting plate, and alternating current magnetic flux leakage testing. Much in this section will be of direct interest to the practising ENDE specialist. (e) Defect evaluation with emphasis on deterministic methods (7). The focus of this section is deterministic algorithms for `crack identification'. The issues involved mirror those treated in the section on stochastic methods, though the matters examined tend to be more specific. Two paper are concerned with pipes, one with crack sizing using Hall sensor probes, one with multiple ECT coils, while the remaining three treat more traditional identification matters. (f) Benchmark problems (2). The importance and relevance of benchmarking the performance of algorithms is discussed in two papers which make up the final section of this book. Unlike many conference proceedings, where the quality of the format and presentation of the papers can be variable to the point of being disconcerting, this book represents the standard to which all such texts should strive. It looks like a high-quality text, it reads like a high-quality text, its diagrams, figures and tables are of a uniformly high quality and, in conclusion, it is a high-quality text on the practicalities of ENDE which will be of direct use to the ENDE specialist with a routine responsibility for crack detection. The editors are to be congratulated on the care with which these ENDE proceedings have been compiled.


The effects of Arabia-Eurasia collision are recorded in faults, basins, and exhumed metamorphic massifs across eastern and central Anatolia. These faults and basins also preserve evidence of major changes in deformation and associated sedimentary processes along major suture zones including the Inner Tauride suture where it lies along the southern (Ecemiş) segment of the Central Anatolian fault zone. Stratigraphic and structural data from the Ecemiş fault zone, adjacent NE Ulukışla basin, and metamorphic dome (Niğde Massif) record two fundamentally different stages in the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of this part of central Anatolia. The Paleogene sedimentary and volcanic strata of the NE Ulukışla basin (Ecemiş corridor) were deposited in marginal marine to marine environments on the exhuming Niğde Massif and east of it. A late Eocene–Oligocene transpressional stage of deformation involved oblique northward thrusting of older Paleogene strata onto the eastern Niğde Massif and of the eastern massif onto the rest of the massif, reburying the entire massif to >10 km depth and accompanied by left-lateral motion on the Ecemiş fault zone. A profound change in the tectonic setting at the end of the Oligocene produced widespread transtensional deformation across the area west of the Ecemiş fault zone in the Miocene. In this stage, the Ecemiş fault zone had at least 25 km of left-lateral offset. Before and during this faulting episode, the central Tauride Mountains to the east became a source of sediments that were deposited in small Miocene transtensional basins formed on the Eocene–Oligocene thrust belt between the Ecemiş fault zone and the Niğde Massif. Normal faults compatible with SW-directed extension cut across the Niğde Massif and are associated with a second (Miocene) re-exhumation of the Massif. Geochronology and thermochronology indicate that the transtensional stage started at ca. 23–22 Ma, coeval with large and diverse geological and tectonic changes across Anatolia.


Mast cells (MCs) are immune cells of the myeloid lineage that are present in the connective tissue throughout the body and in mucosa tissue. They originate from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow and circulate as MC progenitors in the blood. After migration to various tissues, they differentiate into their mature form, which is characterized by a phenotype containing large granules enriched in a variety of bioactive compounds, including histamine and heparin. These cells can be activated in a receptor-dependent and -independent manner. Particularly, the activation of the high-affinity immunoglobulin E (IgE) receptor, also known as FcεRI, that is expressed on the surface of MCs provoke specific signaling cascades that leads to intracellular calcium influx, activation of different transcription factors, degranulation, and cytokine production. Therefore, MCs modulate many aspects in physiological and pathological conditions, including wound healing, defense against pathogens, immune tolerance, allergy, anaphylaxis, autoimmune defects, inflammation, and infectious and other disorders. In the liver, MCs are mainly associated with connective tissue located in the surrounding of the hepatic arteries, veins, and bile ducts. Recent work has demonstrated a significant increase in MC number during hepatic injury, suggesting an important role of these cells in liver disease and progression. In the present review, we summarize aspects of MC function and mediators in experimental liver injury, their interaction with other hepatic cell types, and their contribution to the pathogenesis of fibrosis.


The article deals with characteristics of the hemodynamics of the extracranial major arteries in patients with different forms of cerebrovascular insufficiency due to occlusive lesions of the brachiocephalic arteries. Clinicoangiographic characteristics of patients with this pathology associated with atherosclerosis and nonspecific aortoarteritis are presented. Angiography showed two variants of occlusive damage to the brachiocephalic arteries: bicarotid and multiple. The authors were the first to use comprehensive examination of patients with the employment of the spectral computerized analysis (SCA) of ultrasonograms (USG) of the common carotid and suprapubic arteries and ultrasonic angiography with the calculation of the circulation rate in the common carotid arteries. Using SCA of USGs criteria of different degrees of stenosis of the common and internal carotid arteries were developed. A correlation analysis of the data obtained by SCA of USGs and of the values of the circulation rate in the common carotid arteries was made. The highest correlation of these parameters was observed in patients with stenosis of 60-90% and occlusion of the internal carotid and common carotid arteries.


In this work, a simple and efficient method for Markovnikov addition of imidazole derivatives to vinyl esters catalyzed by Lipozyme TL IM/K2CO3 in a continuous-flow microreactor was described. The effects of the mixed catalysts, molar ratio and the structure of reactants on the reaction performance were experimentally studied. The attractive features of this process are shorter reaction times (30 min) and excellent yields compared to that in shaker reactors.


The Vesta parallel file system is intended to solve the I/O problems of massively parallel multicomputers executing numerically intensive scientific applications. It provides parallel access from the applications to files distributed across multiple storage nodes in the multicomputer, thereby exposing an opportunity for high-bandwidth data transfer across the multicomputer's low-latency network. The Vesta interface provides a user-defined parallel view of file data, which gives users some control over the layout of data. This is useful for tailoring data layout to much common access patterns. The interface also allows user-defined partitioning and repartitioning of files without moving data among storage nodes. Libraries with higher-level interfaces that hide the layout details, while exploiting the power of parallel access, may be implemented above the basic interface. It is shown how collective I/O operations can be implemented, and six parallel access modes to Vesta files are defined. Each mode has unique characteristics in terms of how the processes share the file and how their accesses are interleaved. The combination of user-defined file partitioning and the six access modes gives users very versatile parallel file access.


AIMS
Left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) is a suboptimal measure of ventricular function. Recent mathematical modelling of left ventricular contraction has shown that the EF is determined by both myocardial shortening (strain) and by end-diastolic wall thickness. Increasing end-diastolic wall thickness resulted in augmented radial wall thickening. This may result in a significant 'overestimation' of ventricular systolic function as assessed by the EF. This study proposes a new measure of ventricular systolic function, the corrected EF (EF(c)) to allow for the presence of concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).

METHODS AND RESULTS
The study uses a new two-layer, three-dimensional mathematical model of ventricular contraction. Changes in end-diastolic wall thickness in addition to long-axis and mid-wall circumferential strain were modelled. Iso-strain lines were obtained where myocardial shortening (strain) is constant; EF increases with increasing end-diastolic wall thickness. The corrected EF is determined by following the iso-strain lines to the equivalent EF in the absence of hypertrophy (e.g. 9 mm thickness). For example, an individual with a mean end-diastolic wall thickness of 20 mm and measured EF of 60% has a corrected EF (EF(c)) of 37%.

CONCLUSION
The study shows that the EF is determined by absolute wall thickening and provides a nomogram for comparing EF when LVH is present. The EF(c) is a potential new measure of left ventricular systolic function. Its possible role will need validating in mortality trials.


Various deformations of the position-momentum algebras operators have been proposed. Their implications for single systems like the hydrogen atom or the harmonic oscillator have been addressed. In this paper we investigate the consequences of some of these algebras for macroscopic systems. The key point of our analysis lies in the fact that the modification of the Heisenberg uncertainty relations present in these theories changes the volume of the elementary cell in the hamiltonian phase space and so the measure needed to compute partition functions. The thermodynamics of a non interacting gas are studied for two members of the Kempf-Mangano-Mann (K.M.M.) deformations. It is shown that the theory which exhibits a minimal uncertainty in length predicts a new behavior at high temperature while the one with a minimal uncertainty in momentum displays unusual features for huge volumes. In the second model negative pressures are obtained and mixing two different gases does not necessarily increase the entropy . This suggests a possible violation of the second law of thermodynamics. Potential consequences of these models in the evolution of the early universe are briefly discussed. Constructing the Einstein model of a solid for the q deformed oscillator, we find that the subset of eigenstates whose energies are bounded from above leads to a divergent partition function.


they have done well, and several of T. bracteata have thrown Up lon.g spikes and blossomed-though much later thaii in their native clinie. From thle lot I selected a cluster of T'. cicspitosa, Leconte, for iny dry herbarium, thinking that it would drv ouit. But I noticed after some time that the plant seemed green, so I t-ie(d its roots uipward to a rafter, where it was deprived entirely of moisture. And now af'ter nearly six months it lhas assumed a thoroughly live appearance anld increased in growth amazingly. By spring it will no dooubt blossom. The long moss T. usneoides, of which I hung quiantities on mny cherry trees in the vardC. h1as grown very fast all sunmmer and I dread the approach of frost, wlhen it must succumb to the rigors of our niortlhern climate. W. WV. CALKINS.