Six bis(phosphane)platinum complexes bearing dichalcogen acenaphthene ligands have been prepared by metathesis from cis-[PtCl2(PR3)2] (R3 = Ph3, Ph2Me, PhMe2) and the dilithium salts of the parent 5,6-dihydroacenaphtho[5,6-cd]-1,2-dichalcogenoles (AcenapE2, L1 E = S, L2 E = Se). For their synthesis, the appropriate disulfide or diselenide species was treated with super hydride [LiBEt3H] to afford the dilithium salt by in situ reduction of the AcenapE2 E–E bond. Further reaction, by metathetical addition to the cis-platinum precursor afforded the respective platinum(II) complexes [Pt(5,6-AcenapE2)(PR3)2] (R3 = Ph3: E = S 1, Se 2; R3 = Ph2Me: E = S 3, Se 4; R3 = PhMe2: E = S 5, Se 6). All six complexes have been fully characterised, principally by multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy and MS. The selenium complexes 4 and 6 provide examples of AA′X spin systems, as displayed by their 31P{1H} NMR spectra. The X-ray structures of L1, L2, 1, 2, 5 and 6 were determined and, where appropriate, the platinum metal geometry, peri-atom displacement, splay angle magnitude, acenaphthene ring torsion angles and E···E interactions were analysed. The platinum atoms were found to adopt a distorted square-planar geometry in all four complexes, and the nature of the AcenapE2 ligand plays little part in the conformation of the substituents bound to the trivalent phosphorus atoms.


Emergency of milk cooperatives at the village levels has brought in an integrated approach to the dairy scenario in our country. With this view in the background, a case study was conducted in Bareilly district of U.P. and all the members of two milk cooperatives falling in one of the milk-routes of the district were selected purposively. The main objective was to assess the impact of milk cooperative on socio-economic status of the members. The results of the study revealed that average milk production by the successful society members and unsuccessful society members was 7.78 and 3.93 litres per day. The members of the successful society on an average consumed 2.32 litres per day, whereas unsuccessful society members consumed 1.28 litres milk per day; and the remaining amount were sold. The study further revealed that milk production in 1985 and 1995 differed significantly in both cases. The increased income through milk was comparatively more among members of successful cooperative society. Thus, it may be argued that milk cooperative society promotes the adoption of dairy practices and provides incentives and encouragement, specially to the resource poor farmers for higher milk production and income generation, thereby leading to raising their overall socio-economic status.


Introduction: At the moment, abusing illicit drugs and addiction is considered as one of great challenges all over the world. The desire stage in the addiction cycle is assumed to be a key element in abuse relapse. The main objective of the current study is to investigate the effects of tDCS (Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation) on addicts under treatment in Taleghani Hospital of Ilam 2016. Martials and Methods: The current study is a semi-experimental study. 40 people are divided into two groups, an experimental group of 20 individuals and a control group of 20 participants in order to investigate them. The experimental group will go through 20 sessions of Frontal 3 Anodal electrode stimulus and cathodal right shoulder electrode stimulus with a 48-hour distance between the sessions. Moreover, the control group will go through afictional transcranial electric stimulus on the skull. In order to analyze the obtained data, SPSS software application version 16 is used. Results: The results of the study show that the highest frequency is seen among people under 35 years of age and the most common used illicit substance is opium. Moreover, assessing the induced desire in pre-test and post-test groups indicates that the highest average difference is related to the effects of tDCS in Anodal Frontal 3 stimulus. (P=0.0001) Conclusion: The results show that Anodal Frontal 3 stimulus will reduce methadone craving significantly compared to cathodal right shoulder stimulus. It is recommended that the tDCS method be used as a complementary treatment method for reducing drug cravings.


We have developed n-type microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon oxide (n-µc-SiO : H) thin films by the radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (RF-PECVD, 13.56 MHz) method having suitable characteristics for use in the fabrication of single or multijunction amorphous silicon (a-Si) solar cells. The films have been characterized in detail for the study of structural and optoelectronic properties. Transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy have been used for the structural studies. The dependence of the structure and optoelectronic properties of n-µc-SiO : H films on the various deposition parameters such as hydrogen dilution, chamber pressure, RF-power density etc have also been studied. Comparison of the properties between n-µc-SiO : H and n-µc-Si : H films have been studied, too, which shows that the former has higher optical gap (2.17 eV) and lower activation energy (0.015 eV) with similar electrical conductivity (12.08 S cm-1).


A stably transfected soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC, alpha1 and beta1 subunits of the rat lung enzyme)-overexpressing CHO cell line was generated for the characterization of different types of activators of the soluble guanylate cyclase. Polyclonal antibodies directed against both subunits of the rat enzyme were used to detect both subunits in the cytosol of the transfected CHO cells. We studied the effects of different nitric oxide (NO) donors like SNP and DEA/NO and, in particular, the direct, NO-independent stimulator of the soluble guanylate cyclase 3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'furyl)-1-benzyl indazole (YC-1), on intracellular guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) production. DEA/NO (0.01-3 microM), SNP (1-10 microM), and YC-1 (1-10 microM) induced a concentration-dependent intracellular cGMP increase with maximal effects of 16-fold (3 microM DEA/NO), 8-fold (10 microM SNP), and 6-fold (10 microM YC-1) stimulation compared to controls, respectively. In addition, a synergistic effect of the combination of the NO donor and YC-1 could be observed with a maximal stimulation of 64-fold by SNP (10 microM) and YC-1 (10 microM). 1H-(1,2,4)-Oxadiazolo-(4,3-a)-6-bromo-quinoxazin-1-one (ODQ, 10 microM), a potent and selective inhibitor of sGC, inhibited both the single effects of NO donors [DEA/NO (3 microM), 77%; SNP (3 microM), 83%] and YC-1 [YC-1 (3 microM), 82%], but moreover the synergistic effects between NO donors and YC-1 [DEA/NO (3 microM) + YC-1 (3 microM), 81%; SNP (3 microM) + YC-1 (3 microM),89%] on intracellular cGMP production. In summary,we have generated a simple, sensitive, and useful bioassay method to characterize all types of sGC activators on the cellular level without the need of primary cell culture, several transfections, or purifying enzyme from biological materials.


Background Promotion of self-management is one of the effective ways to improve the quality of life of patients under haemodialysis. Therefore, a better understanding of the factors that are effective on self-management might help nurses find an appropriate method for the promotion of self-management. Aims This study aimed to examine self-management and its correlation with self-efficacy and knowledge of haemodialysis among patients under haemodialysis in Yazd, Iran in 2016. Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted in four haemodialysis centres. All patients who were referred to these centres were selected. Demographic characteristic forms, self-management questionnaires, haemodialysis knowledge questionnaires and chronic diseases self-efficacy scales were used to collect data. Results The score of self-management was between 32 and 80. The mean scores of self-management, knowledge and self-efficacy were 58.88 ± 10.41 (possible score 20–80), 16.15 ± 2.91 (possible score 0–25), 5.24 ± 1.99 (possible score 0–10), respectively. There was a significant positive correlation among self-management, knowledge and self-efficacy. Conclusions The level of self-management was moderate among patients under haemodialysis. Effective interventions including training related to dialysis system, laboratory tests and diet are needed to improve self-management among patients under haemodialysis.


When a train runs at high speeds, the external exciting frequencies approach the natural frequencies of bogie critical components, thereby inducing strong elastic vibrations. The present international reliability test evaluation standard and design criteria of bogie frames are all based on the quasi-static deformation hypothesis. Structural fatigue damage generated by structural elastic vibrations has not yet been included. In this paper, theoretical research and experimental validation are done on elastic dynamic load spectra on bogie frame of high-speed train. The construction of the load series that correspond to elastic dynamic deformation modes is studied. The simplified form of the load series is obtained. A theory of simplified dynamic load–time histories is then deduced. Measured data from the Beijing–Shanghai Dedicated Passenger Line are introduced to derive the simplified dynamic load–time histories. The simplified dynamic discrete load spectra of bogie frame are established. Based on the damage consistency criterion and a genetic algorithm, damage consistency calibration of the simplified dynamic load spectra is finally performed. The computed result proves that the simplified load series is reasonable. The calibrated damage that corresponds to the elastic dynamic discrete load spectra can cover the actual damage at the operating conditions. The calibrated damage satisfies the safety requirement of damage consistency criterion for bogie frame. This research is helpful for investigating the standardized load spectra of bogie frame of high-speed train.


This study uses qualitative research paradigm that only simbiolycs interactionism is limited in scope into an economic center. The authors analyze and describe the implications of tourism development that occurs in Kota Batu to the welfare of the community around tourism. The analytical method used is a method of coding transcript of the interview, and pemkanaan interviews. Sources of primary data in this study is from two informants key informants that the communities involved in tourism activities and support from government informant Batu with supported data library of the City of Stone. The results obtained are that the high tourism activity affects the welfare of the people of Batu which includes the economic, education, and health. Basically solid tourism activity will lead to the opening of new jobs and rising incomes. Because it is dominated by SMEs. This is because the needs of high tourer. K eywords: Tourism, Implications, Welfare, and Community


Abstract : The Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center recently conducted a preliminary investigation of manufacturing technology issues related to Detection, Discrimination and Classification of Targets in Clutter. These new technologies can lead to applications that will significantly improve the performance of missile and other DoD weapon systems. The Systems Engineering and Production Directorate has the mission and function of evaluating new technologies and determining the impacts of same on the producibility and supportability of MICOM missile systems. SEPD required engineering support In performing assessments on the above technologies. The Systems Management and Production Laboratory at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Research Institute (RI) was tasked to provide this engineering support and analytical capability.


Abstract We consider the classical risk model with subexponential claim size distribution. Three methods are presented to simulate the probability of ultimate ruin and we investigate their asymptotic efficiency. One, based upon a conditional Monte Carlo idea involving the order statistics, is shown to be asymptotically efficient in a certain sense. We use the simulation methods to study the accuracy of the standard Embrechts-Veraverbeke [16] approximation for the ruin probability and also suggest a new one based upon ideas of Hogan [21].


Aim of the study The authors present a novel and specific controlled ovarian stimulation protocol for fertility preservation in women with estrogen-positive receptor breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The protocol foresees random start ovarian stimulation and the use of letrozole associated to tamoxifen. Material and methods Forty breast cancer patients were included in the study. COS was performed either with recombinant FSH or hMG. Concomitantly with COS, letrozole in a dose of 5 mg and tamoxifen in a dose of 20 mg were given orally on a daily basis. The trigger was performed with 0.2 mg of triptorelin, in the presence of follicles ≥ 19 mm. Oocyte retrieval was scheduled 35–36 hours after triptorelin injection. Our main outcome measures were the number of oocytes collected and number of oocytes vitrified, the length of ovarian stimulation, total dose of gonadotropins administered, and levels of estradiol on the day of the trigger. Results The mean age of patients was 30.43 ±4.25 years. Nineteen women commenced COS in the luteal phase, eleven in the early follicular phase and ten in the late follicular phase. The mean number of collected oocytes was 11.78 ±9.12 and the mean number of vitrified oocytes was 9.72 ±7.36. The mean duration of COS was 10.03 ±1.33 days. The mean estradiol concentrations on the triggering day was 623.10 ±441.27, and the mean dose of gonadotropins administered was 2540 ±713.10. Conclusions The authors suggest that the protocol is efficient and may be a safe option for oocyte vitrification in these patients.


A case of Fusarium arthritis is reported. Fusarium, a mold ubiquitous in soil and on plants commonly causes keratomycosis and infects burns. Recent reports demonstrate that Fusarium may produce serious visceral infection in compromised hosts. Disseminated infection has been universally fatal. In contrast, our case and several others with localized visceral infection were cured by intravenous amphotericin B and drainage. Although Fusarium grows readily on mycologic media, blood and other cultures have usually been negative in disseminated infection. Physicians should be aware of this uncommon but potentially lethal pathogen because deep fungal infections may first appear as arthritis.


Campylobacters have been recognized as the most common bacteria causing gastroenteritis in humans. Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli are the most isolated species from animals and cases of human campylobacteriosis. However, the common isolation technique used in laboratories usually does not support the growth of other,
potentially pathogenic non-jejuni, non-coli Campylobacter species. The application of an isolation technique such as the Cape Town protocol developed by Le Roux and
Lastovica (1998) can lead to the isolation of other Campylobacter species. The members of these non-jejuni and non-coli Campylobacter species discovered are
termed as emerging Campylobacter species due to increase in incidence in humans since its first introduction; they consisted of five species and have been recognized as
important pathogens in humans and animals. In Malaysia, most of the studies were on isolated C. jejuni and C. coli and almost no study on isolated emerging
Campylobacter species have been done. Thus, this present study was undertaken to determine the occurrence of emerging Campylobacter species in broiler chicken and
chicken meat and their antibiotic resistance patterns.
Two hundred and ten cloacal swab samples were taken from broiler chickens from seven different farms within Selangor. The samples were subjected to Cape Town
protocol which combines membrane filtration onto antibiotic free blood agar plates and incubated at 37oC in hydrogen enriched micro-aerobic atmosphere.
Campylobacter were presumptively identified by biochemical tests and confirmed by using multiplex PCR. A hundred and seven of the chickens (50.9%) were positive for Campylobacter. Among the isolates, C. jejuni was the most isolated species (69.5%) followed by C. coli (16.2%). Campylobacter fetus and C. upsaliensis were the only emerging Campylobacter species isolated in this study, 11 (9.3%) and three isolates (2.5%) respectively. The prevalence of Campylobacter in broiler chicken raised in open house system farms were found higher (70%) compared to broiler chicken raised in close house system farms (3.3%). Close house system farms apply strict bio
security measure and hygiene practice that able to prevent Campylobacter transmission from environment to broiler flocks. To determine the occurrence of emerging Campylobacter species in chicken meat, 109 chicken meat samples were collected from 11 wet markets and five supermarkets in Selangor. Thirty three samples (30.3%) were found positive for Campylobacter. Twenty of Campylobacter-positive isolates (60.6%) were identified as C. jejuni, while five isolates (15.1%) were C. coli. Campylobacter fetus was the only emerging Campylobacter species isolated in this study, at 24.3% or eight isolates. The prevalence of Campylobacter isolated from supermarkets was higher (68%) than those from wet markets (14.3%). This may happen due to the different way of
displaying of chicken meat; where in the wet market, chicken meat were only displayed in room temperature that provokes Campylobacter to enter viable but non culturable (VBNC) condition that made them not able to be isolated by plating method used in this study. An antibiotic susceptibility test was conducted to determine the antibiotic resistance pattern of these Campylobacter isolates. A total of 140 Campylobacter isolates were
tested against 12 antibiotics by disc diffusion method. A total of 115 (97.4%) of Campylobacter isolated from broiler chicken and 33 (100%) of Campylobacter
 isolated from chicken meat were found resistant to one to ten antibiotics. In broiler chicken, more than 50% of Campylobacter isolates were found resistant to
ampicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, enrofloxacin with the highest resistance was to nalidixic acid (79.6%) and the lowest resistance was to
chloramphenicol (0.8%). In chicken meat, more than 50% of Campylobacter isolated from chicken meat were found resistant to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole,
ampicillin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid with the highest resistance was to ampicillin (87.8%) and the lowest resistance was to gentamicin (9.0%). Multidrug resistance (MDR) Campylobacter was observed in this study, 77.1% and 66.6% of Campylobacter isolated from broiler chicken and chicken meat respectively were resistant to three or more antibiotics.
Overall, the finding from this study indicated that Cape Town protocol is useful to isolate not only C. jejuni and C. coli but also other Campylobacter species.
Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli were still dominant Campylobacter species in broiler chicken and chicken meat. Although the method is somewhat laborious, it
however enables to isolate some emerging Campylobacter species (C. fetus and C. upsaliensis) which may cause the occurrence of diseases in humans. The public health significance of this study is the finding of other Campylobacter species in chickens and chicken meat that may cause gastroenteritis and other infections in
humans and the presence of high MDR Campylobacter species which could compromise treatment in humans if required. Also from this study it is observed that there is a need to create awareness among farmers on the increase in antibiotic resistance and the prudent use of antibiotics in chickens among farmers.


DNA linkers with different bending angles were employed to mediate the conversion between the 2D hexagonal close-packed (hcp) and square architectures in the aggregates of 13 nm Au nanoparticles directed by oligo-DNA. For terminus thiol-modified (TM) oligo-DNA oriented almost perpendicularly on the particle surface, the architecture is converted from hcp to square with increased bending angle of the linker molecules as a result of increased steric effect. For phosphate backbone sulfur modified (PM) oligo-DNA loaded approximately parallel on the particle surface, the architecture is converted from square to hcp with increased bending angle of the linkers as a result of the decreased steric effect.


In this paper, we argue that numerous dynamic entities make up organizations and that their complexity can be described systematically. We identify three types of organizational complexity: environmental, component and hierarchical. We define the elements of the contingencies of cultural selection as they apply to organizations and propose that organizational change can be understood in terms of selection processes that are analogous to those of behavioral and natural selection.


Russia has a federated structure. It is quite complex, with five different types of subjects of the Federation: republics, territories, regions, an autonomous region, cities of federal significance, and autonomous areas. Each of these subjects of the Federation has its own constitutive law. For a republic within Russia, this document is called a constitution. For each of the other subjects of the Federation, it is called a charter (ustav). These "figurehead" constitutions and charters obviously have great significance for their respective subject of the Federation. However, there are interesting disparities between them. This article explores one aspect of these. It considers the legacy of the Soviet approach to law in the precise wording of the constitutions of Russia's republics and charters of the other subjects of the Federation. This careful textual analysis reveals that there are a few – although only a few – traces of Russia's socialist past in the wording of these constitutive documents. However, that may not be the only "remnant of the Soviet past" in the approach taken in relation to these important laws. It is argued that the scarcity of an enforcement mechanism which might allow judicial consideration of any breach of a republican constitution or subject of the Federation charter is strongly reminiscent of the situation of constitutional unaccountability which existed under the Soviet regime.


A former healthy 22 year old man developed chronic hematogenous osteomyelitis of his right fibula. Ongoing disease unresponsive to antibiotic treatment led to operative debridement, despite the CT scan that showed no sequester formation. During the operation however, a large sequester of the fibula incorporated by an involucrum was found. We believe it is important to be cautious for this uncommon complication of osteomyelitis, even when radiologic imaging is suggesting otherwise. In case of progressive disease in a conservatively treated patient, surgical debridement is advised.


An analytical framework for the performance evaluation of a dense energy-efficient wireless sensor network (WSN), enabling distributed collaborative environment monitoring, is developed. We address the estimation of a target multidimensional process by means of samples captured by nodes randomly and uniformly distributed and transmitted to a collector through a self-organizing clustered network. The estimation in the presence and in the absence of collaborative signal processing with different types of data interpolators are compared in terms of both process estimation error and network life-time. Our analytical model, aimed at providing useful information for WSN design, takes many aspects into account, such as distance-dependent path loss and shadowing, energy consumption, information routing, process estimation quality, node density, transmission protocol and system parameters. As an example result, fixing requirements on estimation errors and network life-time, the node density is found as a function of the system/protocol parameters.


Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by bone, cartilage and muscle loss in context of chronic inflammation. While bone and cartilage damage have been extensively studied in the past, the effects of RA on the muscles of the hand have not been studied. This situation is surprising, since visible hand muscle atrophy is a hallmark of RA and hand muscle composition determines the functional state of the patients function. Objectives Development of a method to quantitatively assess hand muscles in patients with RA, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 3D segmentation of the hand muscles. Methods T1 weighted MRI scans of healthy subjects and RA patients were used to develop a new segmentation method for hand muscles. Three groups (20 subjects each) were studied: (1) healthy subjects, (2) untreated RA patients and (3) DMARD-treated RA patients. The new approach uses a graph cuts based segmentation, which is initialized by fuzzy clustering. In a second step the segmented muscle volume of interest (VOI) is further refined and limited to the interosseal muscles and the thenar and hypothenar eminence. This segmentation procedure is fully automated. Nevertheless an extensive set of 3D editing tools such as hole filling, morphological operators and 3D surface manipulation is available to the operator, should the automatic approach not be satisfactory. Typically this happens in elderly diseased subjects with pathologic muscle and bone changes. The results of the automatic hand muscle segmentation were checked and confirmed by two experienced MRI readers. Results The automatic segmentation procedure took about 3 min per patient. In about 70% of the cases the automatic procedure resulted in an accurate muscle segmentation, as judged by the experts. In 30% of the cases additional operator interaction was necessary, primarily to correct for over segmentation. On average, the user interaction could be completed within 2 min. Final segmentation results were confirmed again by the experts. The figure shows a slice of a T1 weighted fat suppressed MRI image in the metacarpal region. Top without and bottom with overlaid muscle VOI (red). The quantitative analysis of muscle volume and the determination of among group differences is currently being performed. Conclusions We successfully developed a new accurate 3D-segmentation for hand muscles, which allows quantitative analysis of hand muscles in RA patients. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Fabricating cost-effective, bifunctional electrocatalysts for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in basic media is critical for renewable energy generation. Here, NiSe/CP, Ni0.85 Se/CP, and NiSe-Ni0.85 Se/CP heterostructure catalysts with different phase constitutions are successfully prepared through in situ selenylation of a NiO nanoflake array oriented on carbon paper (CP) by tuning the original Ni/Se molar ratio of the raw materials. The relationship between the crystal phase component and electrocatalytic activity is systematically studied. Benefiting from the synergetic effect of the intrinsic metallic state, facile charge transport, abundant catalytic active sites, and multiple electrolyte transmission paths, the optimized NiSe-Ni0.85 Se/CP exhibits a remarkably higher catalytic activity for both the HER and OER than single-phase NiSe/CP and Ni0.85 Se/CP. A current density of 10 mA cm-2 at 1.62 V and a high stability can be obtained by using NiSe-Ni0.85 Se/CP as both the cathode and anode for overall water splitting under alkaline conditions. Density functional theory calculations confirm that H and OH- can be more easily adsorbed on NiSe-Ni0.85 Se than on NiSe and Ni0.85 Se. This study paves the way for enhancing the overall water splitting performance of nickel selenides by fabricating heterophase junctions using nickel selenides with different phases.


Developable surfaces are commonly observed in various applications such as architecture, product design, manufacturing, mechanical materials, and data physicalization as well as in the development of tangible interaction and deformable robots, with the characteristics of easy-to-product, low-cost, transport-friendly, and deformable. Transforming shapes into developable surfaces is a complex and comprehensive task, which forms a variety of methods of segmentation, unfolding, and manufacturing for shapes with different geometry and topology, resulting in the complexity of developable surfaces. In this paper, we reviewed relevant methods and techniques for the study of developable surfaces, characterize them with our proposed pipeline, and categorize them based on digital modeling, physical modeling, interaction, and application. Through the analysis to the relevant literature, we also discussed some of the research challenges and future research opportunities.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the feasibility of using random blood glucose to screen gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

METHOD
The random blood glucose was determined in 1 038 pregnant women between 24 and 32 gestational weeks. Then 50 gram glucose challenge test (50 g GCT) was performed followed immediately. Finally, 75 gram oral glucose tolerance test (75 g OGTT) was done without dietary control for 3 days. If two values of four were abnormal, GDM was diagnosed. Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) was diagnosed if only one value was abnormal or the 2nd hour value ranged from 120 to 164 mg/dl.

RESULTS
(1) The determination of the three steps was completed in 948 cases. Among them, 42 cases (4.4%) were GDM, 372 cases (39.2%) were IGT and other 534 cases were normal. (2) In the normal group, the random blood glucose were different in fasting and postprandial times. No difference was found among blood glucose values determined of 50 g GCT at different times except that the value of 50 g GCT 1 hour postprandial was higher than the value at other times. There was no significant association between random blood glucose and 50 g GCT. (3) The sensitivity and specificity were 50.0% and 67.7%, when IGT was diagnosed using the cut point of 6.4 mmol/L (115 mg/dl) of random blood glucose, which was similar with 51.1% of sensitivity and 71.2% of specificity when using >or= 7.8 mmoL/L (140 mg/dl) as the cut point of 50 g GCT. If 6.4 mmol/L (115 mg/dl) was used as the cut point in GDM group the sensitivity would be 80.0%, which was much higher than that of IGT group and the specificity was 61.2%. In this study, if the value of >or= 8.3 mmoL/L (150 mg/dl) was used as the cut-point of 50 g GCT to screen the GDM, the sensitivity decreased only 2.0% while the specificity increased more than 10.0%.

CONCLUSIONS
(1) The determination of random blood glucose to screen GDM couldn't replace the 50 g GCT, but it can be used as a complemental method and can be used repeatedly at any gestational age and convenience the pregnant women and the doctors. (2) The value of 8.3 mmol/L (150 mg/dl) was used as the cut-point of 50 g GCT, the specificity would be increased and the requirement for OGTT would be lowered markedly, which would reduce economic and psychological stress.


Phenolic compounds from the flower of Clitoria ternatea L. (PCFCTL) were extracted using a high-speed shearing extraction technique and purified by AB-8 macroporous resins, and the phytochemical composition of the purified phenolic compounds from the flower of Clitoria ternatea L. (PPCFCTL) was then analyzed. Subsequently, its bioactivities including antioxidant properties, enzyme inhibitory activities, and antiproliferative activities against several tumor cell lines were evaluated. Results indicated that the contents of total phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols, flavanols, and phenolic acids in PPCFCTL were increased by 3.29, 4.11, 2.74, 2.43, and 2.96-fold, respectively, compared with those before being purified by AB-8 macroporous resins. The results showed PPCFCTL have significant antioxidant ability (measured by reducing power, RP, and ferric reducing antioxidant power method, FRAP) and good DPPH, ABTS+, and superoxide anion radical scavenging activities. They can also significantly inhibit lipase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase. In addition, morphological changes of HeLa, HepG2, and NCI-H460 tumor cells demonstrated the superior antitumor performance of PPCFCTL. However, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity was relatively weak. These findings suggest that PPCFCTL have important potential as natural antioxidant, antilipidemic, anti-glycemic and antineoplastic agents in health-promoting foods.


.. firstname.lastname@example.com. Objectives: To investigate the effects of adding pethidine with intrathecal bupivacaine, in patients having elective Caesarian section under spinal anaesthesia. Design: A prospective randomized double blind study. Setting: Department of Anaesthesiology in Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Period : 15 June 2002 to 15 October 2002. Material and Methods: One hundred patients received intrathecal th th injection of 0.5 % bupivacaine 2.0 ml plus either normal saline 0.2 ml (control group) or 0.2 ml 5% pethidine equivalent to 10mg of the drug (pethidine group). Duration of effective analgesia (defined as the time duration from the intrathecal injection to first patient demand of analgesia) was recorded. Other variables recorded were Hypotension (defined as when systolic blood pressure drops to less than 90 mm of Hg or a decrease of 25% from base line blood pressure), pruritis and occurrence of nausea and vomiting. Results: The duration of effective analgesia was greater in the pethidine group (mean 238.70 minutes) compared with control group (mean 120.88 minutes), this difference was statistically significant with p<0.05. Hypotension was more common in the pethidine group 70% compared to 52% in the control group (P=0.06), while pruritis occurred in 20 % patients of Pethidine group compared to only 6% of control group (p=0.038). Nausea and vomiting were also common in pethidine group (52% vs. 10%) with a p value of 0.001. Conclusion: Addition of 10 mg of pethidine to 2 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine results in significant rise in early postoperative analgesia but at a cost of higher rate of side effects.


In this brief, we present a compact model of nanoscale ferroelectric (FE) capacitors. We first use the phase-field simulation to study the polarization switching of very small FE capacitor that contains only a few grains. We show that at higher applied voltage, the entire grain undergoes a single-domain-like switching, but at lower applied voltage, the domain wall growth mechanism dominates due to the difference between the domain wall energies of bulk and defect nuclei. To create a compact model that includes this voltage dependence, we use a time-dependent domain switching model for each discrete grain with empirical modifications capturing the two different switching mechanisms. In addition, a voltage-dependent dielectric model is included to represent the nonlinear capacitance of the FE capacitor. We verify this compact model by fitting the results of phase-field modeling results with excellent agreement.


Background/Rationale Approximately 20-40% of multiple myeloma (MM) patients have renal impairment (RI) at diagnosis (Kyle et al. Mayo Clin Proc. 2003). Immediate initiation of interventions aimed at restoring renal function including but not limited to anti-MM chemotherapy is critical in such patients. Lenalidomide can be used in this context as a component of chemotherapy, but requires close monitoring and adherence to manufacturer recommendations to avoid toxicity given the impact of impaired renal function on lenalidomide pharmacokinetics (Chen et al. J Clin Pharmacol. 2007). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of lenalidomide dosing on the agent's toxicity profile in patients with and without RI. Objective The primary objective of this study is to assess the impact of initial lenalidomide dose administered to newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory MM patients with and without RI, and to evaluate the incidence of dose reductions, temporary drug discontinuations, and adverse events in these two groups. The secondary objective is to assess patients' anticoagulation use and the development of venous thromboembolic events (VTE). Methods Data was collected retrospectively on 62 myeloma patients who filled a prescription for lenalidomide at a single institution outpatient pharmacy from January 2010 to May 2012. Data collected included the initial dose and schedule of lenalidomide, dose reductions due to toxicities, types of toxicities and number of days of temporary discontinuations of lenalidomide. Renal impairment was defined as creatinine clearance (CrCl) less then 60ml/min. The manufacturer's label recommends a dose of 25 mg for patients with CrCl ≥60ml/min QD, 10mg QD for those with CrCl 30 – 59 ml/min, and either 15 mg QOD or 5 mg QD for patients with CrCl Results Sixty two patients were included in this study, 40 of whom had normal CrCl and 22 who had RI. Thirty (48.4%) patients had newly diagnosed MM, 25 (40.3%) had relapsed/refractory disease and the remainder of patients (N=7) were on maintenance therapy either post transplant or post induction. Lenalidomide was most frequently partnered with dexamethasone (N=52; 84%) and/or bortezomib (N=24; 39%). Among the 22 patients with RI, 11 (50%) received a starting dose of lenalidomide that was greater than the manufacturer recommended one. Dose reductions and/or temporary discontinuation occurred in 49 (79%) of the 62 patients: 30 (75%) in the normal CrCl patients and 19 (86%) among those with RI (difference=11%, 95% CI:-11%, 31%). Amongst the RI patients, dose reductions and/or temporary discontinuation occurred in 72.7% (8/11) of patients in whom an initial dose adjustments was made for RI, and in 100% (11/11) of patients in whom dose adjustment of lenalidomide based on renal function was not made (difference=27%, 95% CI:-5%, 62%). The most common adverse events (any grade, according to CTCAE version 3) leading to dose reductions and/or temporary discontinuations included neutropenia (N=15), rash (N=10), worsening renal function (N=10), VTEs (N=9), GI intolerance (N=8), and thrombocytopenia (N=5). Among patients with RI, no difference in the type of adverse events was observed based on whether or not an initial dose adjustment for lenalidomide was made. Aspirin or warfarin was initiated as prophylaxis in 57 of the 62 (92%) patients evaluated. Nine (15%) patients had a documented thrombotic event, all of whom were receiving aspirin prophylaxis. As of data retrieval, 23 patients are still on lenalidomide either as treatment for relapsed disease or maintenance. For the remaining 39 patients who discontinued lenalidomide, the most common reason for lenalidomide discontinuation was progressive disease (16/39) or toxicities (9/39). Conclusion This analysis suggests that in the setting of RI, dose reductions and/or discontinuations were less common in patients who received the recommended renally-dose adjusted lenalidomide at time of treatment initiation. However, the type of adverse events leading to dose reduction and/or discontinuation were similar between the two groups. The rate of thrombotic events was higher than expected and thrombotic events occurred exclusively in patients receiving aspirin prophylaxis. Disclosures: Richardson: Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Schlossman: Celgene: Consultancy. Anderson: Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.


Multi-material lightweight structures are gaining a great deal of attention in several industries, in particular where a trade-off between reduced weight, improved performances, and cost compression is required. Magnesium alloys, such as the zinc-rare earth elements ZE41A alloy, fulfill the first two requirements; however, they are susceptible to corrosion and relatively expensive. Lightweight structures hybridization, for instance combining Magnesium alloys and Aluminium alloys, is currently under consideration as a potential solution to this problem. Nevertheless, dissimilar joining of Magnesium and Aluminium alloys is challenging due to the significant differences in physical properties, as well as to the precipitation of brittle intermetallic compounds, such as Al 12 Mg 17 and Al 3 Mg 2 . In this study, the dissimilar joining of Magnesium and Aluminium alloys by friction stir welding process is discussed. In particular, 4 mm thick plates of ZE41A Mg alloy and AA2024-T3 Al alloy were welded in the butt joint configuration. The feasibility of the process was assessed by means of microstructure and mechanical analysis. The formation of brittle intermetallic compounds was investigated as well.


Performance testing of the International Space Station Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly flight hardware in the United States Laboratory during 1999 is described. The CDRA exceeded carbon dioxide performance specifications and operated flawlessly. Data from this test is presented.


This study aims to determine the effect of nanocrystalline cellulose and potassium chloride (KCl) to bioplastics from avocado seed starch and glycerol as plasticizer. In this study, nanocrystal cellulose obtained from palm fruit fiber was hydrolyzed using sulfuric acid (H2SO4) at a concentration of 50%. The starch used in this study was obtained from the avocado seed extraction process. On producing bioplastic, the casting method was used with the addition of nanocrystal cellulose as filler of 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% (%w), KCl as dispersing agent of 0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% (%w), and glycerol as plasticizer by 30 (%w). Based on the density test, the optimum value was obtained at 2% of nanocrystal cellulose and 2% of KCl with the value around 0.041 gram/cm3. The best water absorption values were 57.1% and 53.8% which obtained at 2% of nanocrystal cellulose and 1% of KCl. Scanning Electron Microscope test results showed uniformly distributed nanocrystal cellulose granules filling the surface of the bioplastic. The addition of KCl as dispersion agent give a good impact.


TPS451Background: SEA-CD40 is an investigational non-fucosylated, humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody directed against CD40, a co-stimulatory receptor expressed on antigen-presenting cells (APCs). A...


Prepared cellulase solutions from different origins may differ in their relative effectiveness in providing accurate estimates of in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of forages. Our objectives were to compare prepared cellulase solutions from different commercial sources with our non-commercial prepared cellulase solution and evaluate their effectiveness in obtaining meaningful estimates of IVDMD for three grass and three legume species. A total of 46 samples were evaluated from six different forage species including switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.), and lespedeza (Kummerowia striata Thunb.). Significant differences for IVDMD were found among the prepared cellulase solution sources. Correlations between IVDMD estimates using the prepared cellulase solutions and in vitro rumen fermentation ranged from 0.57 to 0.95. The highest correlation (r = 0.95) was observed using a non-commercial prepared cellulase solution and the next (r = 0.91) was obtained from cellulase procured from Worthington Biochemical Corp (Freehold, NJ). We concluded that the cellulase solution prepared from cellulase obtained from Worthington Biochemical Corp. was an alternative to our non-commercial source in obtaining estimates of IVDMD. Contribution of Missouri Agric. Exp. Stn. Journal Ser. No. 11 393.


This paper attempts to situate alternative media in relation to Bourdieu's journalistic (or media) field. More specifically, it explores the various conceptions of media power and the ways in which the media field influences, and is influenced by, other fields, as well as its internal dynamics in the struggle for the control of symbolic power. Using Fuchs' (2010) critical media model as a starting point, the current analysis argues in favor of a conceptualization of alternative media as conflictual activist media; media focused on contesting centralized power from within – through its alternative form and focus – and from without by mobilizing the public in pursuit of an alternative organization of society. Ultimately identifying a continuous process of de-centering and re-centering within the media field, this paper identifies the role of conflictual activist media as one of "conflictual unity," following Muhlmann (2010).


The developers of residential areas generally promote a theme in marketing their residential units. Likewise, one of many developers in West Jakarta markets its residential area with the Green theme. The purpose of this study is to identify the application of the green architectural design concept in building design and neighborhood at residential area. This research uses descriptive method through survey and field observation. The results showed that almost all criteria of the green concepts have been applied on building design and neighborhood with classical modern style related with theme of the cluster. The criteria are Appropriate Site Development, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Water Conservation, Indoor Health and Comfort, and Building Environment Management. The use of renewable local materials (bamboo and wood) is not widely applied in home design. But the selection of modern materials follows the green standard, which is material that is already eco-material certified. The supply of building materials also comes from the area around the housing, so it does not use a lot of fossil energy.


Abstract Elevated blood cholesterol level was the first major contributor to atherosclerosis to have its clinical manifestations established by controlled clinical trials. More specific lipid conditions (high LDL-C and low HDL-C) and nonlipid conditions (hypertension, smoking, obesity and diabetes mellitus) have also been established by clinical trials or extensive observational studies as contributors to atherosclerosis and its sequelae. Programs directed at adults to control these conditions, known as risk factors, have reduced the incidence of clinical disease. However, both autopsy and cohort studies have demonstrated that atherosclerosis begins in childhood, and its progression to clinically significant lesions is associated with all the risk factors, lipid and nonlipid, during the teenage and young adult years. Advanced plaques, vulnerable to changes that lead to rupture and thrombosis, are present in the coronary arteries of some individuals by the age of 40 years. These observations indicate that risk-factor prevention should begin in childhood. Furthermore, all risk factors are important and no risk factor can be safely ignored, regardless of the presence or absence of other risk factors. Promoting lifestyles in childhood that prevent all the risk factors offers the best long range prevention strategy for adult atherosclerotic disease.


Working today with digital resources in the classroom is a reality without the possibility of questioning. In this sense, the incorporation of tools such as Augmented Reality (from now on AR) are reflecting a new way of seeing and understanding the teaching and learning process. Its use for curriculum development is very diverse as well as the different ways of incorporating them, depending on the perspective that teachers have of it. In this sense, this article presents the vision that a group of pre service teachers have of AR in Primary Education. Thus, by using an ex post facto design, by the collection the dates a questionnaire with 30 items has been created, distributed in 6 dimensions, using a Likert type response scale of 5 options. The sample has been composed of N=520 students from the University of Cordoba. The main objective of the research has been: to evaluate the possibilities and potentials offered by different software used for the creation of technological environments under the AR architecture to be used in university formative contexts. The main result achieved reflects the non-existence of differences around the perception that teachers have of the RA in the field of primary education that this is a difficult-to-use tool with students with specific educational support needs and that once dominated would be easy to be incorporated into your teaching action.


Amoeba-resisting bacteria (ARB) such as Legionella spp. are currently regarded as potential human pathogens living in the environment. To detect ARB from both human and environmental samples, co-culture with amoebae has been demonstrated as an efficient tool. However, using this procedure, mostly water from cooling towers and hospital water supplies have been investigated as the possible reservoir of ARB. In the present study, we studied ARB population in 77 environmental water samples including rivers, fountains, lakes and domestic wells in the south of France. As a result, a total of 244 isolates corresponding to 89 different species of ARB, but not Legionella spp., were identified. Ability to grow within and/or to be lytic for amoebae was revealed for the first time for several human pathogens. Six isolates are likely to be the members of a new or uncharacterized genus/species. An anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium frigidicarnis was demonstrated to be lytic for amoebae. This preliminary work demonstrates that the water environment in the vicinity of humans is a reservoir of ARB, including well-known pathogens for which amoebae and/or water was not recognized earlier as a possible reservoir.


To tell the truth, psychiatric practitioners and tens of thousands of their patients and families annually know the reality and nontrivial nature of mental dysfunctions. Many also know that these in fact reflect quite different and specific disorders, diseases, crises, or handicaps of differing intensities and durations and causation. They know firsthand of our capacity to provide significant remediation for the majority of these, as well as the agony of the persisting and perplexing problems challenging professional skill, ingenuity, and research. These differentiated realities are obscured by a truly operative myth, that of " The Mentally Ill." One speaks of such a "class" only for convenience, or for broad public policy and bureaucratic purposes. But such rubrics of convenience lead to mischief and complacency by the concrete and literal interpretation of bureaucrats, budget officers, and the media who view psychiatric services for one and all as an assembly line function. For


We thank Dr. Spiliopoulos and colleagues for their interest in our management of pump thrombosis. We agree that device exchange is the gold standard of treating pump thrombosis and that systemic thrombolysis (STL) can only be a treatment option in selected patients. One important criterion for STL is timing. Thrombolysis should be performed as soon as possible after the onset of clinical symptoms of pump thrombosis, within 24 hours at the latest. This implies that patients are instructed in recognizing signs of device thrombosis manifestation (low pump flow, increased power consumption, hematuria). Moreover, outpatients should maintain intensive contact with their clinic, and readmission to the hospital should be possible very rapidly after the onset of signs of device thrombosis. Because pump thrombosis needs an intervention as soon as possible, therapy can already be started during transportation to the specialized center. In our decision of treating device thrombosis, we take into account that thrombotic material, because of its fibrous nature, is only partly susceptible to thrombolytic agents. Besides timing of STL, pump design may also play a role. With respect to HeartMate II, any thrombus that forms within the components of the device may become very solid and firm. Although in the STL group of our study freedom from therapy failure did not differ significantly between patients with HeartMate II implants and HeartWare implants,1 we are very cautious in performing STL in patients with HeartMate II implants. Moreover, device exchange is easier to perform in HeartMate II patients than in HeartWare patients, because of better access to the pump head. Therefore, in our opinion, STL can be a first-line therapy in HeartWare patients, whereas in HeartMate II patients, device exchange should be the first line of therapy. We are also well aware of the high risk of thrombus recurrence after STL. This risk is illustrated by our finding that compared with device exchange STL is associated with markedly lower freedom from therapy failure.1 However, if necessary, device exchange can already be safely performed 12 hours after STL. It is also noteworthy that in the STL group of our study the relatively high risk of therapy failure was not associated with an increased mortality risk. Taken together, in our opinion, STL represents an alternative therapeutic option for pump thrombosis with acceptable risks.


Any statistical mean value in a lattice gauge theory without matter may be written as an integral over plaquette variables with the constraint of the Bianchi identity for each cube. A mean-plaquette approximation can thus be developed. Using this technique for a mixed fundamental-adjoint SU(2) model we reproduce all the features of the phase diagram given by Monte Carlo simulations including the existence of an end point near the crossover region on the fundamental axis.


The "Soul Stealer: Chinese Sorcery Scare 1768" written by Alden Kuhn is a successful example to research more profound problem areas by use of legal history. In the aura of prosperity and good governance by the determination of the Qianlong Emperor, a "Soul incident" occurred and broke this harmony. All the people, from the emperor to the common plebs, were confused for a witchcraft events, with a kind of panic filled in the whole country. Emperors, officials and the plebs driven by different interests and motivations, took full advantages of the event to achieve their purpose of class. Behind the ordinary case of "soul stealer", a huge social crisis is hidden.


The problem was to develop a concept of teaching English for the adult (24 years old or older) undergraduate. The purposes were to make a statement on teaching the adult, survey adults for their perceptions of their needs and the ways the courses met them, review findings of schools offering special adult degree programs, and develop a typology of the adult undergraduate in English with teaching implications. Chapter I states the problem, purposes, significance, and limitations of the study. Chapter II develops the historical background. Chapter III covers the survey and its implications. Chapter IV presents teachers' views of teaching English for adults. Chapter V summarizes the study and sets forth a conceptual structure for teaching the adult undergraduate in such courses.


The imaging findings in 5 cases of sacrococcygeal chordoma and 4 patients with other sacral tumours (1 primary neurogenic tumour, 1 metastatic tumour from primary disease in the breast and 1 from the kidney, and an abdominal paraganglioma) are presented to highlight features that may be peculiar to chordomas. Both chordomas and other sacral tumours show heterogeneous high signals on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging sequences and similar enhancement characteristics following intravenous contrast. In chordomas the appearance of numerous intralesional septations is distinguishing. On computed tomography, chordomas show characteristic calcification, and the size of the extrasacral soft tissue component can be seen to exceed the intraosseous counterpart. Magnetic resonance imaging is the imaging modality of choice in surgical planning and for long term management.


The radioactive source terms pertinent to spent fuel transport cask safety assessments are of three distinct origins; residual contamination within the cask due to previous transport and handling operations, ''crud'' deposited on the fuel rods in the course of reactor operation, and the radioactive material contained within the rods. Although the last source overwhelms the others in terms of inventory, its release into the cask, and thence into the biosphere, requires the breach of an additional release barrier, viz., the fuel rod cladding. Hence an evaluation of the fuel source term is complicated by the need to address the likelihood of fuel cladding failure during transport. A comprehensive methodology is being developed to accurately describe fuel rod response to severe impacts which includes the extent of release of radioactive material in the event of fuel cladding failure. The analysis model allows for the various levels of interaction that could occur, namely, between the cask basket and assemblies, between assemblies, and between rods. Using as-transported conditions and material properties of spent fuel, analyses have been conducted for various levels of geometric modeling details, including multi-assemblies, single assemblies, and single rod configurations. For cask design purposes, the maximum impact loading on themore » fuel rods that need be considered is that resulting from 0.3 meter and 9 meter drops of the loaded cask onto an unyielding target. If it is assumed that the cask body is infinitely rigid, energy absorption is limited only to the impact limiters of the cask, providing a conservative estimate of the deceleration forces imparted by the cask to its contents. 7 refs., 1 tab.« less


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the correlation between osteopontin(OPN) and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) levels in synovial fluid of patients with knee osteoarthritis(KOA) and the severity of the disease.

METHODS
A total of 59 patients with KOA admitted to our hospital from February 2018 to May 2020 were selected as the KOA group, including 25 males and 34 females, age ranged 60 to 75 years old with an average of(65.57±1.56) years old, the body mass index(BMI) ranged 21.4 to 30.7(26.12±1.54) kg/m2. After admission, X-ray examination was performed, and Kellgren-Lawrence(K-L) grading system was used to evaluate the X-ray examination results. There were 14 cases in gradeⅡ(K-L2 group), 27 cases in grade Ⅲ(K-L3 group), and 18 cases in grade Ⅳ(K-L4 group). Eighteen patients who underwent arthroscopy for ligament or meniscus disease without cartilage damage were selected as control group, including 7 males and 11 females, age ranged 61 to 78 years old with an average of (64.88±1.60) years old, BMI ranged 22.8 to 29.9(25.89±1.49) kg/m2. Before treatment, synovial fluid samples of subjects were collected, and the OPN and COMP levels of synovial fluid were detected by Elisa. The OPN and COMP levels of synovial fluid in KOA group and control group were compared. The clinical data of KOA patients with different K-L grades were collected, including gender, age and BMI. The biochemical indices of interleukin-1 β(IL-1β), OPN, COMP and matrix metalloproteinase 3(MMP-3) in synovitic fluid were detected by enzyme-linked immunoassay, and the clinical data and biochemical indices of KOA patients with different K-L grades were compared. Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors affecting the K-L classification of KOA patients, and the area under the ROC curve(AUC) was used to predict the severity of KOA.

RESULTS
All the 59 patients were followed up for 8 to 27(15.75±3.27) months. The levels of OPN and COMP in synovial fluid in KOA group were significantly higher than those in control group (t=16.991, 17.387, P<0.001). The levels of IL-1β, OPN, COMP and MMP-3 in synovitic fluid were significantly different among those in different K-L grade KOA patients(P<0.001). Compared with the K-L2 group, the levels of IL-1β, OPN, COMP, and MMP-3 in the synovial fluid of K-L3 and K-L4 were increased (P<0.05). Compared with the K-L3 group, the levels of IL-1β, OPN, COMP, and MMP-3 in the K-L4 joint were increased (P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the levels of OPN, COMP and MMP-3 were independent risk factors for K-L grading of KOA patients(OR=6.653, 4.229, 1.579, P<0.001). AUC of OPN in synovial fluid predicting K-L4 KOA was 0.720[95%CI(0.588-0.851)], and the sensitivity was 94.4%. the specificity was 65.9%. The AUC of COMP in synoviac fluid predicting K-L4 KOA was 0.731[95%CI(0.592-0.870)], the sensitivity was 88.9%, the specificity was 63.4%. The AUC of OPN combined with COMP in synoviac fluid predicting K-L4 KOA was 0.839 [95%CI(0.724-0.953)], the sensitivity was 94.4%, and the specificity was 51.2%. The AUC of OPN combined with COMP in synoviac fluid predicting K-L4 grade KOA was greater than that of OPN and COMP alone(Z=4.037, 3.540, P<0.05).

CONCLUSION
The levels of OPN and COMP in synovial fluid increase in patients with KOA, and they increase with the increase of K-L grade. Synovitic fluid OPN and COMP are independent risk factors affecting K-L grade of KOA patients, and they have high AUC, sensitivity and specificity in predicting of K-L4 KOA, and can be used to evaluate the progression of KOA disease.


Background/Aim: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of leading cancers in terms of incidence and mortality. Interaction of tumor cells with the surrounding microenvironment plays a crucial role in the development and progression of CRC. Many pathways such as the kynurenine pathway, OX40/OX40L-mediated signaling and microRNAs targeting PD-L1 may be involved in CRC development by affecting T cell activation, thus creating an immune-deficient microenvironment. Herein, our goal was to assess the association between plasma levels of tryptophan (TRP), kynurenine (KYN), KYN/TRP ratio, soluble OX40 (sOX40) and PD-L1-targeting miR-138-5p and CRC risk. Patients and Methods: Plasma concentrations of TRP and KYN were determined by HPLC; sOX40 was measured by ELISA whereas circulating miR-138-5p was measured by quantitative PCR in pathologically confirmed CRC patients and colonoscopy-verified CRC-free controls without polyps (control group 1) and with polyps (control group 2). Results: We found significantly lower plasma levels of TRP in CRC patients compared to control groups which resulted in significantly higher KYN/TRP ratio in CRC patients than in the controls (p=0.007). Plasma levels of sOX40 did not significantly differ between groups. The levels of circulating miR-138-5p were significantly lower in CRC patients (relative median value 0.02) than in the control groups (relative median values 0.2 and 4.29, respectively) (p=0.03). Plasma levels of KYN and sOX40 were considerably higher in patients with no tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) than those with TILs whereas circulating miR-138-5p had opposite expression pattern in plasma. Conclusion: The kynurenine pathway and miR-138-5p are associated with CRC risk and plasma levels of KYN, sOX40 and miR-138-5p are related to TILs, making them possible target molecules in possible immunotherapeutic targets for CRC.


Heavy oil production poses multiple challenges on oil companies such as intricate operations (complexity), high operational costs (efficiency control), and solutions for high viscosity and low API fluids (specific technology). This paper describes the technical workflows implemented in a heavy oil field located in the Middle Magdalena Valley basin in Colombia to assist in the complexity of an operation where cyclic steam injection is applied.
 The complexity of producing heavy oil is due to its high viscosity at repository conditions, which limits the mobility of the fluid and the draining effect to a relative small area around the wellbore, thus it is required an infrastructure that involves many wells, flowlines, manifolds, and facilities to produce this type of crude oil. To support the surveillance and the technical decision-making processes in an operation with more than 300 wells, effective workflows were designed and implemented with the aims to eliminate mistaken decisions, optimize resources, and contribute to cost optimization.
 The algorithms, foundation of these workflows, are presented with the analysis of different elements taken into consideration during the technical design process, such as well intervention program, field infrastructure, daily reports, and current well parameters. Additionally, four specific targets are discussed: Heat injection surveillance, which follows program plan vs current execution, including the calculation of heat values from operational conditions (pressure, steam quality, mass rate, and running time); Well test schedule, which organizes the wells test plan in a hierarchy considering flowline connections, well services plan, and priority well list (time since last test, wells with abnormal behavior); Dinalog plan, which is the foundation for artificial lift control; Steam injection scheme, which creates a suggested ranking of wells requiring steam stimulation based on current conditions (Wcut, WHT, production rate), time since last stimulation, and steam/oil ratio.
 The developed workflows are applicable in both heavy oil fields, and light oil fields with a large number of wells, and they can be a valuable foundation for digital oil fields providing support for technical management and contributing to resolve the challenges of a vast operation.


Background: Face lifting is one of the most common operative procedures for facial aging and perhaps the procedure most synonymous with plastic surgery in the minds of the lay public, but no verifiable documentation of patient satisfaction exists in the literature. This study is the first to examine face-lift outcomes and patient satisfaction using a validated questionnaire. Methods: One hundred five patients undergoing a face lift performed by the senior author (C.H.T.) using a high, extended–superficial musculoaponeurotic system with submental platysma approximation technique were asked to complete anonymously the FACE-Q by e-mail. FACE-Q scores were assessed for each domain (range, 0 to 100), with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction with appearance or superior quality of life. Results: Fifty-three patients completed the FACE-Q (50.5 percent response rate). Patients demonstrated high satisfaction with facial appearance (mean ± SD, 80.7 ± 22.3), and quality of life, including social confidence (90.4 ± 16.6), psychological well-being (92.8 ± 14.3), and early life impact (92.2 ± 16.4). Patients also reported extremely high satisfaction with their decision to undergo face lifting (90.5 ± 15.9). On average, patients felt they appeared 6.9 years younger than their actual age. Patients were most satisfied with the appearance of their nasolabial folds (86.2 ± 18.5), cheeks (86.1 ± 25.4), and lower face/jawline (86.0 ± 20.6), compared with their necks (78.1 ± 25.6) and area under the chin (67.9 ± 32.3). Conclusion: Patients who responded in this study were extremely satisfied with their decision to undergo face lifting and the outcomes and quality of life following the procedure.


We propose and practically demonstrate a joint detection and decoding scheme for short-packet wireless communications in scenarios that require to first detect the presence of a message before actually decoding it. For this, we extend the recently proposed serial Turbo-autoencoder neural network (NN) architecture and train it to find short messages that can be, all "at once", detected, synchronized, equalized and decoded when sent over an unsynchronized channel with memory. The conceptional advantage of the proposed system stems from a holistic message structure with superimposed pilots for joint detection and decoding without the need of relying on a dedicated preamble. This results not only in a higher spectral efficiency, but also translates into the possibility of shorter messages compared to using a dedicated preamble. We compare the detection error rate (DER), bit error rate (BER) and block error rate (BLER) performance of the proposed system with a hand-crafted state-of-the-art conventional baseline and our simulations show a significant advantage of the proposed autoencoder-based system over the conventional baseline in every scenario up to messages conveying $k\!=\!96$ information bits. Finally, we practically evaluate and confirm the improved performance of the proposed system over-the-air (OTA) using a software-defined radio (SDR)-based measurement testbed.


2′,4′-Dihydroxy-6′-methoxy-3′,5′-dimethyl chalcone (DMC) is a biological flavonoid that is present in the fruits of Syzygium nervosum (Ma-Kiang in Thai). Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), which utilizes microwave radiation to heat the extraction solvent quickly and effectively, was used to recover DMC-rich extract from Syzygium nervosum fruit. To determine the DMC content, a highly accurate and precise HPLC technique was developed. The influences of MAE conditions, including the solid–liquid ratio, microwave power, and microwave duration on the content of DMC, were sequentially employed by a single factor investigation and response surface methodology (RSM) exploratory design. The predicted quadratic models were fitted due to their highly significant (p < 0.0001) and excellent determination coefficient (R2 = 0.9944). The optimal conditions for producing DMC-rich extract were a ratio of sample to solvent of 1:35 g/mL, a microwave power of 350 W, and a microwave time of 38 min. Under the optimal MAE setting, the DMC content reached 1409 ± 24 µg/g dry sample, which was greater than that of the conventional heat reflux extraction (HRE) (1337 ± 37 µg/g dry sample) and maceration (1225 ± 81 µg/g dry sample). The DMC-rich extract obtained from MAE showed stronger anticancer activities against A549 (human lung cancer cells) and HepG2 (human liver cancer cells) than the individual DMC substance, which makes MAE an effective method for extracting essential phytochemicals from plants in the nature.


Purpose - This paper aims to offer a typology of temporary workers, based on their motives for accepting their work arrangement, which includes voluntary, involuntary and stepping-stone motives, and relate this typology to various individual and work-related variables. Design/methodology/approach - Latent class analysis of 645 European workers was used to construct a typology of temporary workers. Variation of individual and work-related variables between types of temporary workers was analyzed using ANOVA. Findings - The analyses suggest that there are three types of workers: involuntary temporary workers highlight the involuntary motive and the stepping-stone motive; the stepping-stone type stresses the stepping-stone motive only, and the non-involuntary group disagrees with all three motives. Moreover, the groups differed significantly on important work-related variables such as occupational position, tenure, employability, and work-involvement. However, differences in individual variables were limited. Research limitations/implications - The research puts forward a more complex typology of temporary workers than is usually suggested. Moreover, the study shows a non-involuntary group for which temporary employment can become a trap, and hence these workers should be targeted by future policy and interventions. Originality/value - The research offers a typology of temporary workers, which is founded on motivation theory, and existing research on motives for accepting temporary employment.


Background & Objective: The aim of this present study was to assess the relationship between serum zinc levels and liver histopathological findings in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients. Methods: This case-control study was performed in consecutively selected NASH patients who had been referred to a general hospital. The control group consisted of age and sex-matched individuals with normal physical examinations, laboratory findings, and liver ultrasounds. Serum zinc level was measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Liver histopathological findings were determined based on non-alcoholic fatty liver activity score. Results: A cohort of eighty biopsy-proven NASH patients and eighty controls were enrolled in the study. The mean serum zinc level was significantly lower in the NASH group compared with the controls. The mean serum zinc concen- tration was significantly lower in moderate and severe lobular inflammation groups than the mild group. After multiple adjustments for potential contributing variables, serum zinc level was associated with the severity of lobular inflam- mation. Nonetheless, it was not associated with liver steatosis and fibrosis. A serum zinc value of 89 (µg/dl) yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 93% and 86%, respectively, characterizing patients with lobular inflammation of less than two inflammatory foci per high-power field (HPF) from more advanced groups. Furthermore, a value of 79.55 (µg/dl) yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 87% and 100%, respectively, distinguishing those with a lobular inflammation grade of less than four foci per HPF from more advanced cases. Conclusion: Serum zinc level might be associated with the severity of lobular inflammation in NASH.


Tryptases are serine proteases involved in mast cell-mediated inflammatory responses which represent potential targets of drugs against diseases such as asthma, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. In order to interpret pharmacodynamic data on the tryptase inhibitors undergoing clinical trials, we defined the genetic variability of the tryptase 1 (TPS1) and tryptase 2 (TPS2) loci by screening a reference population of 32 individuals representing three major ethnic groups (Caucasian, African American, Asian). Using overlapping PCR products, we resequenced the entire tryptase genes with the only exclusion of TPS2 intron 1 and 20 bp of TPS2 5' untranslated region included in exon 1 and we identified 21 novel single nucleotide polymorphisms in TPS1 and 17 single nucleotide polymorphisms plus a large polymorphic deletion in the TPS2 gene. We also compared the type, frequency and distribution of single nucleotide polymorphisms in TPS1 and TPS2 and we observed that the polymorphism frequency within these two loci is unexpectedly high (approximately 1 SNP every 90 bp) and that some of the allele frequencies differ significantly among the three ethnic groups. Based on differences observed in preclinical studies using a cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis) asthma model system, we investigated the difference between monkey and human tryptase genes in order to better understand the mechanism of action of our tryptase inhibitors.


This study introduces a new spike sorting method that classifies spike waveforms from multiunit recordings into spike trains of individual neurons. In particular, we develop a method to sort a spike mixture generated by a heterogeneous neural population. Such a spike sorting has a significant practical value, but was previously difficult. The method combines a feature extraction method, which we may term "multimodality-weighted principal component analysis" (mPCA), and a clustering method by variational Bayes for Student's t mixture model (SVB). The performance of the proposed method was compared with that of other conventional methods for simulated and experimental data sets. We found that the mPCA efficiently extracts highly informative features as clusters clearly separable in a relatively low-dimensional feature space. The SVB was implemented explicitly without relying on Maximum-A-Posterior (MAP) inference for the "degree of freedom" parameters. The explicit SVB is faster than the conventional SVB derived with MAP inference and works more reliably over various data sets that include spiking patterns difficult to sort. For instance, spikes of a single bursting neuron may be separated incorrectly into multiple clusters, whereas those of a sparsely firing neuron tend to be merged into clusters for other neurons. Our method showed significantly improved performance in spike sorting of these "difficult" neurons. A parallelized implementation of the proposed algorithm (EToS version 3) is available as open-source code at http://etos.sourceforge.net/.


To introduce selection into a model of coalescence, I explore the use of modified integer partitions that allow the identification of a preferred lineage. I show that a partition-partition transition matrix, along with Monte Carlo discrete time kinetics, treats both the neutral case and a wide range of positive and negative selection pressures for small population sizes. Selection pressure causes multiple collisions per generation, short coalescence times, increased lengths of terminal branches, increased tree asymmetry, and dependence of coalescence times on the logarithm of population size. These features are consistent with higher order coalescences that permit multiple collisions per generation. While the treatment is exact in terms of the simplified Wright-Fisher model used, it is not easily extended to large population size. Keywords: Selection, Coalescence, Integer Partitions, Multiple Collisions, Tree Asymmetry.


This book attempts to explain the use of radiation in industry and medicine. It is aimed at the practicing physician and is written for him in simple and non-technical language. It deals only with radioactive radiation, not with the rest of the radiation spectrum of light, heat, and radio waves. The theoretical background is presented first, in non-mathematical form. The uses of radiation in medicine and industry are then covered. Chapters deal with the effects of various doses of radiation— their symptoms and treatment. Low doses cause little damage; high doses cause nausea, burns and death. Case histories are given for each type. In many instances, no cure can be effected; only supportive treatment is possible. The problem of genetic damage by any radiation exposure is discussed at length. The author concludes that, with the maximum allowable dosages now in effect, the number of mutations caused by uses of radiation


The objectives of the present work were (1) to identify the cause of the linear bias in predictions of rumen-undegradable protein (RUP) content of feeds, and devise methods to remove the bias from prediction equations, and (2) to further explore the impact of rumen-degradable protein (RDP) on microbial N (MiN) outflow from the rumen. The kinetic model used by NRC (2001), which is based on protein fractionation and rates of degradation (Kd) and passage (Kp), displays considerable slope bias (-0.30 kg/kg), indicating parameter or structural problems. Regressing Kp by feed class and a static adjustment factor for the in situ-derived Kd on observed RUP flows completely resolved the slope bias problem, and the model performed significantly better than models using unadjusted Kd and marker-based Kp. The Kd adjustment was 3.82%/h, which represents approximately a 50% increase in rates of degradation over the in situ values, indicating that in situ analyses severely underestimate true rates of protein degradation. The Kp for concentrate-derived protein was 5.83%/h, which was slightly less than the marker-predicted rate of 6.69%/h. However, the derived forage protein rate was 0.49%/h, which was considerably less than the marker-based rate of 5.07%/h. Compartmental analysis of data from a single study corroborated the regression analysis, indicating that a 25% reduction in the overall passage rate and an 87% increase in the rate of degradation were required to align ruminal N pool sizes and the extent of protein degradation with the observed data. Therefore, one must conclude that both the in situ-derived degradation rates and the marker-based particle passage rates are biased relative to protein passage and cannot be used directly to predict RUP outflow from the rumen. The effects of RDP supply on microbial nitrogen (MiN) flow were apparent when intakes of individual nutrients were offered but not when DM intake and individual nutrient concentrations were offered, due to collinearity problems. Microbial N flow from the rumen was found to be linearly related to ruminally degraded starch, ruminally degraded neutral detergent fiber (NDF), RDP, and forage NDF intakes; and quadratically related to residual OM intake. More complicated models containing 2- and 3-way interactions among nutrients were also supported by the data. Independent MiN responses to RDP, ruminally degraded starch, and ruminally degraded NDF aligned with the expected responses to each of those nutrients. Nonlinear representations of MiN were found to be inferior to the linear models. Despite using unbiased predictions of RUP and MiN as drivers of AA flows, predictions of Arg, His, Ile, and Lys flow exhibited linear slope bias relative to the observed data, indicating that representations of the AA composition of the proteins may be biased or the observed data are biased. This is an improvement over the NRC (2001) predictions, where bias adjustments were required for all of the essential AA. Despite the bias for 4 AA flows, the revised prediction system was a substantial improvement over the prior work.


Caffeine was studied experimentally for influence upon the running performanceof race horses. Three Thoroughbred horses, 6 years old castrated and weighing about420--500 kg, were injected subcutaneously with a single dose of 2.5 and 5.0 g (usualdose)) per animal of caffeine and sodium benzoate, respectively, in a 20% solution.They were subjected to an exercise started about l hour after the injection. The ex-perimental procedure used was the same as mentioned in the previous reportl), exceptthe standard lap times, which were as follows: 50sec./round (ll4m/min.) at walk, 25sec./round (228m/min.) at trot, and 17sec./round (335m/ruin.) at canter (Fig.1).In addition, caffeine was also examined for influence upon electrocardiogram (ECG), respiration, and behavior in stabled horses at rest. The results obtained are summarizedas follows.l. Caffeine enhanced the running performance; that is, a shortened lap time wasrecorded frequently, particularly in exercise at canter (Fig. 3). Furthermore, it wasdifficult for horse No. 2 injected with 5.0 g to continue running at canter, because thediameter of the track was not long enough to run at an enhanced speed.2. To horse No.2 injected with 2, 5 g, consecutive second-degree A-V blocks occa-sionally followed by a S-A block occurred three times intermittently immediately afterthe exercise (Fig. 4). This kind of successive arrhythmias never occurred to stabledhorses at rest even after administration with 5.0 g.3. Cafleine increased the heart rate during the exercise, particularly in exercise atcanter, and delayed the recovery of the heart rate (Figs. 5 and 6).4. Caffeine brought about no clear changes in stepping frequency during theexercise or in breathing rate during the recovery.5. Although a dose of 2.5 g induced no changes in ECG, heart rate, breathing rate, or behavior in any resting horse, it exerted definite influences upon the running perform-ance, the heart rate during and after the exercise, and ECGS immediatery after theCX(TCISCI.6. zran.s-m-Oxocamphorl) exerted only a


An unusual application of the laser, namely protection of life and property from lightning, is described. The device relies on multiphoton ionization in mode-locked beams, rather than on collisional (avalanche) electron production. Feasibility is demonstrated numerically, and relevant principles explained. A method of mobile deployment is mentioned, by which economic (as opposed to scientific) feasibility might be achieved.


Abstract. Glacier centerlines are crucial input for many glaciological applications. From the morphological perspective, we proposed a new automatic method to derive glacier centerlines, which is based on the Euclidean allocation and the terrain characteristics of glacier surface. In the algorithm, all glaciers are logically classified as three types including simple glacier, simple compound glacier, and complex glacier, with corresponding process ranges from simple to complex. The process for extracting centerlines of glaciers introduces auxiliary reference lines and follows the setting of not passing through bare rock. The program of automatic extraction of glacier centerlines was implemented in Python and only required the glacier boundary and digital elevation model (DEM) as input. Application of this method to 48 571 glaciers in the second Chinese glacier inventory automatically yielded the corresponding glacier centerlines with an average computing time of 20.96 s, a success rate of 100 % and a comprehensive accuracy of 94.34 %. A comparison of the longest length of glaciers to the corresponding glaciers in the Randolph Glacier Inventory v6.0 revealed that our results were superior. Meanwhile, our final product provides more information about glacier length, such as the average length, and the longest length, the lengths in the accumulation and ablation regions of each glacier.


Elastic bending constants of mixed amphiphilic bilayers are calculated using a molecular approach. The free energy is expanded up to quadratic order in curvatures and compositions, choosing a flat symmetrical bilayer as the reference state. Bending constants are then calculated from the derivatives of the free energy evaluated at this reference state. Two-component bilayers are considered. As a novelty, the local compositions are allowed to fully relax upon bending so that the 2 monolayers are at chemical equilibrium with each other at every curvature. The compositional degree of freedom is shown to affect the bending constant k, but not the saddle-splay constant k. The influence on the membrane elastic properties of various chain structural features, such as length, volume, and stiffness, is investigated. This may prove useful to model mixed bilayers composed of hydrocarbon/hydrocarbon and hydrocarbon/fluorocarbon chains.


A "salt-free", automated purge-and-trap sampling method, with gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric detection for simultaneous detection of 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) and geosmin (GSM) was developed. The preliminary procedure involved purging a 25 mL water sample, at 80°C for 11 min, with helium gas, and trapping onto a Tenax sorbent. Target analytes were desorbed with helium gas onto the gas chromatograph, coupled to a mass spectrometer, via a transfer line. Chromatographic separation was performed on HP5-MS capillary column (30 m x 0.25 mm x 0.25 μm), followed by mass spectrometric detection in the selected ion monitoring mode. During the preliminary method optimization and development stages, inconsistencies were noted regarding the relative ratios of ions m/z 95 and 107, two ion fragments frequently used for identification and subsequent quantitation of 2-MIB. NIST reference mass spectra, liquid auto sampler injection of commercial standards of the target analytes, and gas chromatographic retention times were used to confirm peak identification on the chromatograms of aqueous standards analyzed by purge-and-trap, with mass selective detection. The effect of mass spectrometer source temperature and use of a 6 mm drawout plate in the source body, on the relative ratios of m/z 95, 107, 108, for 2-MIB, and m/z 111, 112, 125, for GSM, and precision, was investigated. It was found that use of the latter had no significant effect on the ratios. The observed data indicated that 2-MIB dehydrates to 2-methyl-2-bornene (2-M-2-B) during the purge-and-trap cycle conditions used, presumably when the sample is initially purged at 80°C. The relative retention times were ± 9.2min, ± 12.0min and ± 15.2min, for 2-M-2-B, 2-MIB and GSM, respectively, under the gas chromatographic conditions. Preliminary results indicate suitability of the technique for trace analysis of GSM in water samples over the 5-100 ng/L analytical range.


Stress and anxiety play a significant role in the grades of students and accounts for their negative psychological and mental behavior. This study aims at comparing exam anxiety among normal and special children. The result of the comparison explains the reasons for anxiety. The paper also gives some recommendations to overcome the problem of anxiety. This study is qualitatively cross-sectional. The data was randomly selected from the private and governmental educational sector of Sargodha, Pakistan from the 5 th of October to the 19 th of October 2017. As a methodology, 20 individuals of matric level were selected randomly from private and governmental sectors of both special and normal individuals. 10 individuals were special, and 10 individuals were normal individuals. Anxiety among these individuals was measured by the help of the state-trait anxiety inventory instrument . The findings of the results concluded that student's self-created fears play a significant role in triggering anxiety among learners.  The ratio of special children under the effect of anxiety was higher in terms of confidence, controlling of nerves, exam hall ease and nausea before the exam as compared to normal individuals. Normal individuals lacked concentration, and their overthinking of getting fail was the reason for exam anxiety. Self- created fears were found to be the sole cause of anxiety among normal individuals as compared to impaired individuals where the natural deficiency emotionally destabilizes them and causes loss of their confidence. Dodson's law has been found to overcome anxiety disorders among both types of individuals.


We have explored the hidden symmetries of a generic
four-parameter nearest-neighbor spin model, allowed in
honeycomb-lattice compounds under trigonal compression. Our
method utilizes a systematic algorithm to identify all dual
transformations of the model that map the Hamiltonian on
itself, changing the parameters and providing exact links
between different points in its parameter space. We have found
the complete set of points of hidden SU(2) symmetry at which a
seemingly highly anisotropic model can be mapped back on the
Heisenberg model and inherits therefore its properties such as
the presence of gapless Goldstone modes. The procedure used to
search for the hidden symmetries is quite general and may be
extended to other bond-anisotropic spin models and other
lattices, such as the triangular, kagome, hyperhoneycomb, or
harmonic-honeycomb lattices. We apply our findings to the
honeycomb-lattice iridates Na2IrO3 and Li2IrO3, and illustrate
how they help to identify plausible values of the model
parameters that are compatible with the available experimental
data.


This study aimed at investigating students' views on plagiarism in English academic writing and the factors that lead them to plagiarize. A descriptive quantitative method was used to describe and explain the phenomenon of student plagiarism. A questionnaire was used as an instrument to obtain some data. The data was collected from three classes of semester six university students at Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN or Islamic National University) Ar-Raniry, Banda Aceh. The result of the first analysis demonstrated that students perceive some types of plagiarism as more serious than others, ranging from using another author's whole document, another author's sentences/paragraphs, another author's phrases or another author's ideas. Furthermore, students said acts of plagiarism included: 1) copying statements (from books, websites and/or electronic journals without using inverted comas to show they are quotes, 2) combining and changing various statements from published works of others, 3) buying assignments from senior students/others, 4) using the work of others and using research findings from electronic journals without attribution, and 5) copying all or part of another person's assignment without proper citations and references. Acts they saw as not plagiarism included copying statements from books, websites and electronic journals using inverted commas, translating sentences from the internet in another language and then constructing one's own sentences while acknowledging original authors that were the source of ideas. The secondary results showed that students perceived the five major factors of why plagiarism was committed were (i) efficiency gains, (ii) lack of understanding, (iii) temptation and opportunity, (iv) time management and in particular, last but not least (v) LACK OF DETERRENCE POLICIES. Finally, the opinion of students on the factors of why plagiarism is committed is also related to many factors such as students' past experiences, bad examples from others, thinking no one will know, laziness and wanting to appear clever.


This survey was performed in order to investigate the incidence of adverse reactions to radiopharmaceuticals in FY2019 in Japan. It was based on responses to questionnaires sent to nuclear medicine institutions. Replies were obtained from 1,003 institutions out of 1,213 to which the questionnaire had been sent. A total of 1,037,568 radiopharmaceutical administrations were reported. Eighteen cases of adverse reactions were reported. The incidence of adverse reactions per 100,000 cases was 1.7. No case of defective products was reported.


Recent advancements in nanotechnology have garnered increasing attention due to the improvements in producing and utilizing particles whose sizes are extremely small. There is particular interest in metal nanoparticles due to their distinctive properties. Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) have been of particular interest owing to their unique electrical, optical and physicochemical properties as well as their biomedical applications. Ag-NPs are the fastest growing class of nanoscale materials because of their antibacterial activities. They are now considered to be the next generation antimicrobials. Today, owing to their disinfectant properties, Ag-NPs are extensively used in numerous consumer products, including disinfecting medical devices and home appliances, paints, optical devices, plastics, textiles, soaps and laundry detergents, cosmetics, health-care products, as well as in food packing and food products as preservative and anti-caking agents. Despite their widespread usage, the products containing Ag-NP additives are a serious environmental and human health concern because of their toxicity. Studies on cell and bacterial cultures have shown that Ag-NPs are toxic; and the toxic effects are mainly due to the dissolved Ag ions when Ag-NPs degrade in water. In this study, considering the criteria outlined above, the purpose of the study and Ag-NPs were chemically synthesized in the laboratory environment and modified as chitosan coating. UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography and zeta potential analysis were used to characterize the silver nanoparticles.


Objective To investigate whether dysregulated thyroid hormone function is associated with Bell's palsy. Study Design Cross-sectional. Setting Electronic medical record database of Clalit Health Services (CHS). CHS is an Israeli payer-provider, integrated health care system, serving >4.5 million members (54% of the Israeli population). Patients Older than 18 years with Bell's palsy, during 2002 to 2019. Interventions None. Methods A total of 1,374 patients with Bell's palsy who had thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) blood levels measured up to 60 days before the palsy were matched (1:2) for age and sex with 2,748 controls who had TSH blood levels and no history of Bell's palsy. Results Retrospective review of the CHS database, from 2002 to 2019 yielded 11,268 patients with Bell's palsy, of which, 1,374 met the inclusion criteria. Mean age was 57.9 years, and 61.4% were female. A higher percentage of patients in the Bell's palsy group had low TSH (≤0.55 mIU/L) compared with controls (5.7% vs. 3.6%, p < 0.001). Low TSH compared with TSH > 0.55 mIU/L, was independently associated with 1.45-fold increased odds for having Bell's palsy (95% CI 1.11–2.02, p < 0.001), when controlled for age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, prior cerebrovascular accident, hemoglobin level, and purchasing thyroid hormone drugs. Among the patients with TSH ≤ 0.55 mIU/L, 95.5% had normal free thyroxin and 97.7% had normal free triiodothyronine levels (subclinical hyperthyroidism). For 47.1% of patients, TSH remained ≤0.55 mIU/L, 3 to 12 months after the Bell's palsy occurred and most patients had normal free thyroxin (95.4%) and normal free triiodothyronine (91.8%). Conclusions Subclinical hyperthyroidism is independently associated with Bell's palsy after controlling for multiple confounding factors.


Aim: Ependymomas are highly heterogeneous neuroepithelial tumors that occur in all age groups and in all compartments of the central nervous system. Because of the tumor heterogeneity, the current histopathological criteria for grading are insufficient. Therefore, auxiliary prognostic markers that are cost-effective and easy-to-use and may help predict clinical behavior are still needed. Neural Epidermal Growth Factor Like Like-2 (NELL2) and laminin alpha-2 (LAMA2) are two outstanding proteins with prognostic significance in ependymomas. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the correlation of NELL2 and LAMA2 expression with histopathological parameters in patients with ependymomas. Materials and Methods: A total of 64 ependymomas were retrospectively evaluated and representative paraffin blocks were selected. Demographic and histopathological characteristics of the patients were noted. Slides from selected blocks were immunohistochemically stained using NELL2, LAMA2 and Ki67 antibodies. The results were compared with other characteristics of the patients. Results: We found that the histological grades of the ependymomas correlated with age, tumor localization, histological subtype and number of mitosis. NELL2 staining was significantly higher in grade II ependymomas, while LAMA2 staining was significantly higher in grade III ependymomas. Moreover NELL2 and LAMA2 expression was associated only with the histological grade of the tumor. We found the Ki-67 proliferation index to be consistent with increasing histological grade. Conclusions: Our findings show that higher NELL2 expression than LAMA2 expression is associated with low histological grade and probably better prognosis. On the other hand LAMA2 expression is associated with high histological grade and probably poor prognosis.