The bulbar symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) include difficulty with the management of swallowing, saliva production, aspiration of secretion to the air ways and problems with spoken communication. These symptoms originate from the malfunction of the face muscles and pharynx sphincters. Patients with early symptoms of bulbar ALS are often referred to the otolaryngologist for the evaluation and management of dysphagia and dysarthria. The bulbar onset of ALS with hypernasality, articulation defects and voice harshness make the otolaryngologists the primary diagnostician for these signs. Careful examination of the speech quality and morphology as well as the function of vocal cords should be undertaken. Once the diagnosis of ALS is made, the otolaryngologist's involvement in medical treatment is necessary at different stages of the disease.


Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), a relatively recent addition to the field of non-invasive, electrical brain stimulation, has been shown to improve perceptual and cognitive functions across a wide variety of tasks. However, the underlying mechanisms of visual improvements caused by tRNS remain unclear. To study this question, we employed a well-established, equivalent-noise approach, which measures perceptual performance at various levels of external noise and is formalized by the Perceptual Template Model (PTM). This approach has been used extensively to infer the underlying mechanisms behind changes in visual processing, including those from perceptual training, adaptation and attention. Here, we used tRNS during an orientation discrimination task in the presence of increasing quantities of external visual white noise and fit the PTM to gain insights into the effects of tRNS on visual processing. Our results show that tRNS improves visual processing when stimulation is applied during task performance, but only at high levels of external visual white noise—a signature of improved external noise filtering. There were no significant effects of tRNS on task performance after the stimulation period. Of interest, the reported effects of tRNS on visual processing mimic those previously reported for endogenous spatial attention, offering a potential area of investigation for future work.


Since the seminal paper by Breiman in 2001, who pointed out a potential harm of prediction multiplicities from the view of explainable AI, global analysis of a collection of all good models, also known as a `Rashomon set,' has been attracted much attention for the last years. Since finding such a set of good models is a hard computational problem, there have been only a few algorithms for the problem so far, most of which are either approximate or incomplete. To overcome this difficulty, we study efficient enumeration of all good models for a subclass of interpretable models, called rule lists. Based on a state-of-the-art optimal rule list learner, CORELS, proposed by Angelino et al. in 2017, we present an efficient enumeration algorithm CorelsEnum for exactly computing a set of all good models using polynomial space in input size, given a dataset and a error tolerance from an optimal model. By experiments with the COMPAS dataset on recidivism prediction, our algorithm CorelsEnum successfully enumerated all of several tens of thousands of good rule lists of length at most $\ell = 3$ in around 1,000 seconds, while a state-of-the-art top-$K$ rule list learner based on Lawler's method combined with CORELS, proposed by Hara and Ishihata in 2018, found only 40 models until the timeout of 6,000 seconds. For global analysis, we conducted experiments for characterizing the Rashomon set, and observed large diversity of models in predictive multiplicity and fairness of models.


In this paper, characteristics of a tidal current power generation system are analysis using power hardware-in-the-loop simulation (PHILS). A 10 kW motor generator set is connected to the real grid through a fabricated 10 kW back to back converter. A power control scheme is applied to the back to back converter. A 2 MW class tidal current turbine is modeled in real time digital simulator (RTDS). Generating voltage and current from the 10 kW PMSG is applied to a 2 MW class tidal current turbine in the RTDS using PHILS. The PHILS results depict the rotation speed, power coefficient, pitch angle, tip-speed ratio, and output power of tidal current turbine. The PHILS results in this paper can contribute to the increasing reliability and stability of the tidal current turbines connected to the grid using PHILS.


Background: There is a growing number of athletes participating in bodybuilding sport around the Limpopo Province. However, little is known about the nutrition information sources used by these athletes to guide their decisions during sports performance. Therefore, the researcher aimed at closing this gap through the investigation of nutrition information sources used by the bodybuilding athletes around one of the largest municipalities (Polokwane) in Limpopo Province. Methods: A quantitative descriptive study design was adopted to purposively sample 51 out of 60 amateur bodybuilding athletes in gyms around Polokwane municipality. Ethical approval and permission were obtained from the MEDUNSA Research and Ethics Committee (MREC) and coaches respectively. Athletes signed informed consent forms after the purpose of the study was explained. Data were collected at gyms in the evenings using self-designed questionnaires. The athletes' demography, training information, and nutrition sources were collected. The SPSS (23) was used to analyse data using descriptive tests. Results: A Few athletes (11.8%) trained as bodybuilders for ≤6 months, while most athletes (66.7%) had been training for >7 months to 2 years. The majority (86.3%) trained for ≥1hour during weekdays. Most of the athletes (37.3%) relied on coaches as their source of information, while 29.4% and 29.3% relied on social media and teammates respectively. Only 4.0% used a professional for nutrition information. Conclusion: The bodybuilding athletes around Polokwane municipality mostly used coaches as sources for nutritional information.Trial registration: Not Applicable.


A history of the world's most famous trading company based on Peter Newman's history. In 1838 Sir George Simpson, the governor of the HBC, was toasted at a dinner as the "Head of the most extended dominion in the known world - the Emperor of Russia, the Queen of England and the President of the United States excepted". It was an astonishing but appropriate tribute to a commercial enterprise of unique scope and character, with trading houses that once stretched from the Arctic Ocean to Hawaii. Yet the history of the HBC is less the story of a company than of a people - its self-proclaimed gentlemen-adventurers mapped a continent and built a nation. The exciting story of the company and the people is told in this book.


UNLABELLED
Symptomatic Os trigonum requires an initial conservative treatment, if clinical improvement cannot be obtained, then surgical treatment is performed with a traditional open approach. We describe an endoscopic technique: with the patient on prone position two portals are made, the first is posterolateral just at the tip of the fibula just lateral to the Achilles tendon; the second portal is posteromedial and at the same level to the first one but medial to the Achilles tendon. With the use of this technique, a wide and safe working field is obtained for the resection of the Os trigonum. We present the case of a 17 year-old classical ballet dancer with a symptomatic Os trigonum to whom an endoscopic resection of Os trigonum was done with the described technique, her clinical evolution was excellent and she could rein-corporate to her artistic activity at four weeks follow-up.

CONCLUSION
The endoscopic technique described is a therapeutic option that allows the effective and safe treatment of the posterior compartment of the ankle with good functional results.


Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is an acquired autoimmune disorder characterized by severe mucosal erosion, and polymorphous cutaneous lesions associated with neoplasia. PNP patients have circulating autoantibodies that bind to stratified and nonstratified epithelia. Previously, we showed that envoplakin was a component of the antigen complex recognized by PNP sera. In the present study we generated a monoclonal antibody, EVP-YS, against human envoplakin. The antibody bound to keratinocyte cell surfaces and reacted with the 210-kDa PNP antigen, confirming its specificity for envoplakin. The variable regions of the heavy (H) and light (L) chain genes were cloned from the hybridoma and shown to belong to mouse H chain subgroup III and kappa light chain subgroup V, respectively. The L chain of EVP-YS was 98% identical to the k chains of some autoantibodies and anti-nucleic acid antibodies, and had an identical amino acid sequence in all three complementary determining regions, suggesting that the H chains determine the specificity of the EVP-YS-envoplakin interaction. The EVP-YS antibody can be used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of clinical, histological, and immunological criteria for diagnosing PNP.


Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Abstract Objective The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with exceeding a target inpatient rehabilitation length of stay of 28 days or less for individuals with hip fracture. Design Retrospective cohort study of hip fracture patients admitted to an urban Canadian inpatient rehabilitation facility between January 1, 2013, and January 1, 2018. Patient characteristics previously shown to be associated with individual outcomes and/or length of stay after hip fracture were extracted from the institution's data warehouse. Regression models were used to examine factors associated with exceeding target length of stay as well as overall length of stay. Results Four hundred ninety-three subjects were included in the analysis. Three hundred forty-five (70%) met and 148 (30%) exceeded their target length of stay. Patients who exceeded their target were more likely to be elderly (odds ratio, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.08), to live alone prefracture (odds ratio, 1.72; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–2.91), to have dementia (odds ratio, 2.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.12–6.97), and higher admission pain scores (severe pain odds ratio, 2.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–5.93). Higher admission motor Functional Independence Measure scores (odds ratio, 0.95; 95% confidence interval, 0.92–0.98) were protective. Conclusions Advancing age, having dementia, living alone prefracture, and reporting moderate or severe pain at the time of admission not only increased the odds of an individual exceeding their target length of stay but also was associated with an overall increase in length of stay. Conversely, having a higher admission motor Functional Independence Measure score was protective.


Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major health problem associated with high morbidity and mortality. Recently, angiogenesis has emerged as a novel therapeutic approach against ischemic diseases including MI. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the potential angiogenic effects of vanillin (Van) both alone and in combination with pentoxifylline (PTX), and to examine the molecular mechanisms through which Van and PTX may ameliorate cardiac injury induced in rats including their effects on oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis which play a key role in MI pathogenesis. MI was induced in rats using isoproterenol (ISO) (150 mg kg-1, SC, twice at a 24 h interval). Then, rats were treated orally with Van (150 mg kg-1 day-1), PTX (50 mg kg-1 day-1) or Van + PTX combination. ISO-induced cardiac injury was characterized by cardiac hypertrophy, ST-segment elevation and elevated serum levels of troponin-I, creatine kinase-MB and lactate dehydrogenase. Cardiac levels of the antioxidant markers GSH and SOD and the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 were decreased. On the other hand, cardiac levels of the oxidative stress marker malonaldehyde, the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β, the proapoptotic protein Bax, and caspase-3 were increased. Moreover, the cardiac levels of p-Akt and HIF-1α and the mRNA expression levels of the angiogenic genes VEGF, FGF-2 and ANGPT-1 were increased. Treatment with either Van or PTX ameliorated ISO-induced changes and further upregulated Akt/HIF-1α/VEGF signaling. Furthermore, Van + PTX combination was more effective than monotherapy. These findings suggest a novel therapeutic potential of Van and PTX in ameliorating MI through enhancing cardiac angiogenesis and modulating oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis.


The manuscript is titled 'Emotional
facial processing: does cognitive load make a difference?' and it describes a
research study that measures how emotion and distraction of different cognitive
loads may impact working memory performance. The findings show that cognitive
load on working memory performance, with poorer working memory performance in
the high compared to the low level of distraction. However, no effects of
emotional faces were found on task performance. The work therefore has
significance with regard to cognitive processing and working memory span.


Many peer-to-peer (P2P) systems require accurate information about their peer's available bandwidth, e.g., for load balancing. Determining this information is difficult, as a suitable approach must address two challenges. First, it must be able to deal with fluctuating bandwidth. Second, it must incur low overhead to prevent interference with the operation of the P2P system. In this paper we present an approach to estimate the available bandwidth of peers in a P2P system, based on a combination of traffic observation and the strategic injection of traffic into the system. We evaluate our approach and show that it is accurate and responsive in settings with variable bandwidth while resulting in limited interference with the system.


A case of occupational contact dermatitis to gold is presented. This is uncommon as gold is relatively insoluble. Allergic contact dermatitis to gold is confirmed by patch testing with gold sodium thiosulfate 0.5% in petrolatum. Occupational contact dermatitis in the gold industry can be reduced by providing workers with more protective gear and better ventilation.


Aim To uncover sex-related microvascular abnormalities that underlie the early presentation of reduced perfusion in leg skeletal muscle in a type II rat model of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Methods and Results Diabetes was induced using a non-obese, diet-based, low-dose streptozotocin model in adult female (18 diabetic, 9 control) and male rats (29 diabetic, 11 control). Time-course monitoring over 12 months following diabetes induction was performed using echocardiography, treadmill exercise, photoacoustic imaging, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), histopathology, and immunohistochemistry. Diabetic rats maintained normal weights. Hypertension appeared late in both diabetic males (7 months) and females (10 months), while only diabetic males had elevated cholesterol (7 months). On echocardiography, all diabetic animals maintained normal ejection fraction and exhibited diastolic dysfunction, mild systolic dysfunction, and a slightly enlarged left ventricle. Exercise tolerance declined progressively and early in males (4 months), later in females (8 months); FMD showed lower baseline femoral arterial flow but unchanged reactivity in both sexes (5 months); and photoacoustic imaging showed lower tissue oxygen saturation in the legs of diabetic males (4 months) and diabetic females (10 months). Myocardial perfusion was normal in both sexes. Histopathology at the final timepoint of Month 10 (males) and Month 12 (females) revealed that myocardial microvasculature was normal in both vessel density and structure, thus explaining normal perfusion on imaging. However, leg muscle microvasculature exhibited perivascular smooth muscle thickening around small arterioles in diabetic females and around large arterioles in diabetic males, explaining the depressed readings on photoacoustic and FMD. Histology also confirmed the absence of commonly reported HFpEF markers, including microvessel rarefaction, myocardial fibrosis, and left ventricular hypertrophy. Conclusion Exercise intolerance manifesting early in the progression of diabetic cardiomyopathy can be attributed to decreased perfusion to the leg skeletal muscle due to perivascular smooth muscle thickening around small arterioles in females and large arterioles in males. This microvascular abnormality was absent in the myocardium, where perfusion levels remained normal throughout the study. We conclude that although skeletal muscle microvascular dysfunction of the vasculature presents at different levels depending on sex, it consistently presents early in both sexes prior to overt cardiac changes such as rarefaction, fibrosis, or hypertrophy.


The activation of the Na+-H+ exchanger 1 (NHE1) and extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation in Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts (CCL39) was characterized in response to the specific alpha1-adrenergic agonist, phenylephrine (PE). Addition of 100 micromol PE/L increased the steady-state intracellular pH (pHi) by 0.16 +/- 0.03 pH units, as well as increasing the phosphorylation of ERK. The response of NHE1 to PE in CCL39 cells was determined by the use of specific antagonists. Use of 2 specific chemical inhibitors of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) reduced the ability of PE to activate either the exchanger or ERK. Studies were conducted in PLCbeta-deficient cell lines derived from parental CCL39 cells. NHE1 activity in both mutant cell lines was increased in response to phorbal esters or lysophosphatidic acid, whereas the addition of PE only caused a minimal change in either pHi or ERK phosphorylation. These results, combined with reconstitution experiments with exogenously expressed PLCbeta1, PLCbeta2, or PLCbeta3, revealed that stimulation of NHE1 activity by PE in CCL39 cells is a PLCbeta1-coupled event. Furthermore, the data indicate that alpha1-adrenergic signaling of PLCbeta is upstream of ERK activation. These data demonstrate that PLCbeta1 is primarily involved in the activation of NHE1 in CCL39 fibroblasts.


Wire line data transmission scheme in a mobile communication system, can reduce the wire line transmission cost. Measuring radio state qualities of the plurality of radio channels between the base stations and the mobile station, and determines validity and a redundancy in composition of each radio channel according to a corresponding radio state quality measurements. Subsequently, by stopping the transmission determination corresponding to those obtained according to the transmission result it is determined to be invalid or redundant radio channel of the signal, the control wire line transmission path. All measurements, each base station may be determined and a control and / or the mobile station to perform.


An emerging subfield of strategic management is that dealing with the natural environment as it affects corporate strategy. To analyze this we organize the literature on environmental regulations and corporate strategy into a new managerial framework. Next we develop a resource-based view of the interaction between firm-level competitiveness and environmental regulations, including the conditions for the use of green capabilities. Finally, we analyze the green capabilities of multinational enterprises within a standard international business model, using firm-specific advantages (FSAs) and country-specific advantages (CSAs). We then use this FSA/CSA configuration to explore hypotheses on environmental regulations, competitiveness, and corporate strategy. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Suspended stripline (SSL) provides a transmission line medium featuring many advantages, but due to the effective permittivity being close to unity, distributed elements are usually bulky. This letter introduces a novel SSL resonator, which is both compact and low loss. For that purpose, cuboid shaped bricks of metal are incorporated into the SSL channel in the vicinity of the open-circuited side of the resonator. Through this capacitive loading, the area occupied by the resonator can be reduced by a factor of about 5, yet maintaining a high quality factor. The feasibility of this new resonator type is demonstrated with an example bandpass filter at 670 MHz center frequency showing both compact size and low insertion loss.


The mechanism of CO2 fixation catalyzed by protic hydroxyl-functionalized quaternary ammonium ionic liquids (ILs) is investigated by two different models, the Single-IL model and the Double-IL model. The relative sequence of catalytic activity calculated by the Single-IL model is contradictory with the experimental result. The situation is totally varied when the Double-IL model is utilized. In this system, ILs are not limited to the catalyst but solvent. The ILs are incorporated into the catalytic system to consider the solvent effect rather than by the existing solvent model. When the solvent effect is included, it is better to distinguish the catalytic activity of three ILs. According to the noncovalent interaction and the atoms in molecules analysis, the highest catalytic activity of tris(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium bromide ([HTEA]Br) is attributed to its strongest nucleophilic attack and moderate hydrogen bond interaction between IL and reactant. It is necessary to consider the interaction between ILs to...


Polymer electret transistor memory device has stable charge storage and memory properties. Here, we combine a large band gap organic semiconductor dinaphtho[2,3-b:2′,3′-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene with the polystyrene electret to form an optical sensor with memory effect. The blue light combined with programming bias leads to a positive threshold voltage shift for more than 100 V while the drain-source current shows a variation of seven orders of magnitude. The dynamic range of current device is up to 23 bits and the photo responsivity is 420 A W−1. The optically programmed transistor can be directly used for high-resolution optical sensor and multi-level data storage applications.


Leprosy care services are facing several challenges with the advent of the global COVID 19 pandemic.
The impact on case detection has been felt globally with the annual new cases declining by 37.1% from 2019 to 2020. This trend reflects the disruption in routine health care services and active case finding activities than a true drop in the incidence of leprosy. There are marked differences in the major determinants of the leprosy burden even within countries of south Asia. Disease modelling has indicated that well over 100% of new cases of leprosy have gone unreported during the pandemic.
Even though availability of MDT has not suffered significantly, other services like active case finding, post exposure prophylaxis and reconstructive surgery have been curtailed to a great extent. The use of new technology and social media to reach patients and deliver care have been encouraged.
Co infection has not shown any significant effect on either leprosy or COVID 19. Even patients who are on immunosuppressants for lepra reactions have not been shown to have a bad outcome in the face of coinfection. Continuation of MDT during active infection with COVID 19 has been recommended as both dapsone and clofazimine have shown anti-coronaviral activity.
Stigma and social discrimination have not been studied in detail. It is postulated that patients affected by leprosy may suffer more social discrimination as both leprosy and COIVD 19 have been associated with stigma.
Urgent action is needed to improve case detection in leprosy on a global scale as delay in diagnosis and treatment may lead to further nerve damage and disability.
Key Words: COVID-19; leprosy; Pandemic; World Health Organization


A systematic account is given for the first time of the methods of synthesis, properties, and practical applications of silicon-containing derivatives of carbonic acid — carbonates and chlorocarbonates (chloroformates). Together with monomeric compounds, oligomeric and polymeric products are discussed as well as other compositions from which new organosilicon articles with valuable practical properties, for example with a highly effective gas-separating capacity, have been made. The bibliography includes 426 references.


In this work, we consider the satisfiability problem in a logic that combines word equations over string variables denoting words of unbounded lengths, regular languages to which words belong and Presburger constraints on the length of words. We present a novel decision procedure over two decidable fragments that include quadratic word equations (i.e., each string variable occurs at most twice). The proposed procedure reduces the problem to solving the satisfiability in the Presburger arithmetic. The procedure combines two main components: (i) an algorithm to derive a complete set of all solutions of conjunctions of word equations and regular expressions; and (ii) two methods to precisely compute relational constraints over string lengths implied by the set of all solutions.We have implemented a prototype tool and evaluated it over a set of satisfiability problems in the logic. The experimental results show that the tool is effective and efficient.


Abstract How do extremist sympathizers respond to counter-radicalization efforts? Over the past decade, programs to counter violent extremism have mushroomed around the world, but little is known of their effectiveness. This study uses social media data to examine how counter-radicalization efforts shape engagement with extremist groups in the online world. Matching geolocated Twitter data on Islamic State sympathizers with granular information on counter-extremism activities in the United States, I find that, rather than deradicalizing, these efforts led Islamic State sympathizers to act strategically to avoid detection. After counter-extremism activities, the group's supporters on Twitter who were in the vicinity of these events began self-censoring expressions of support for the Islamic State, altered profile images and screen names, and encouraged followers to migrate to Telegram, an encrypted network not viewable by the public. These findings reveal previously unknown patterns in the effects of counter-extremism programs in the digital era.


Ectopic ureters are rarely observed in cats. Therefore, for a better chance of success in the corrective surgical procedure and survival of the patient, diagnosis should be confirmed early. This report illustrates the occurrence of bilateral ectopic ureters in a seven month old Maine Coon cat and describes the medical and surgical management adopted for correction of the abnormality.


An efficient laparoscope manipulator robot was designed to automatically control the position of laparoscope via a passive joint on end-effector position. The end position of the manipulator is controlled to have corresponding velocity defined in the global coordinate space using laparoscopic visual information. Desired spatial position of laparoscope was derived from detected positions of surgical instrument tips, then the clinical viewing plane was moved by visual servoing task. The laparoscope manipulator is advantageous for automatically maintaining clinically important views in the laparoscopic image without any additional operator. A laparoscope is mounted to a holder which is linked to four degree of freedom manipulator via universal joint-type passive rings connection. No change in the design of laparoscope or manipulator is necessary for its application to surgery assistant robot system. Expanded working space and surgical efficiency were accomplished by implementing slant linking structure between laparoscope and manipulator. To ensure reliable positioning accuracy and controllability, the motion of laparoscope in an abdominal space through trocar was inspected using geometrical analysis. A designed laparoscope manipulating robot system can be easily set up and controlled in an operation room since it has a few subsidiary devices such as a laparoscope light source regulator, a control PC, and a power supply.


: Radiothermometry-aided investigations have shown that the initial period of specific dynamic food action (SDFA) in man is characterized by a distinct rise of temperature of tissues of some organs. A rise of temperature in liver, intestinal and brown fatty tissues (by 0.5-0.9 degree C) is noted 3-10 min. after taking exploratory food (220 kcal). As has been shown before, a considerable rise of oxygen, consumed by the body, is noted. The results obtained reaffirm the existence of the initial reflectory period of SDFA in man and suggest that the liver, intestine and brown fatty tissue play the role of executive organs in this period.


The study investigated the effect of plastic money on the financial performance of commercial banks in Kenya, that is; whether plastic money usage increases or decreases the profitability of commercial banks in Kenya. The outcome of the study was intended to enable the banking industry to establish the extent of achievement of the purpose for which plastic money was introduced, and offer information for further strategy formulation and enhancement to their competitive advantage. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. Secondary data from the Central bank annual reports for all commercial banks in Kenya for the period between 2010 and 2014 was used, together with published reports from previous studies in the same field. Descriptive statistics such as mean score for each variable were calculated. The analysis involved multiple regression of variables under study that is the financial performance represented by net profit, number of plastic cards issued by the banks, number of A.T.M system installations, number of Point of Sale Machines, and transaction value of plastic cards by the banks. The findings of the study were that plastic money has a strong and significant effect on the profitability of commercial banks in the Kenyan banking industry. Thus, there exists positive relationship between plastic money and bank performance. The significance test showed that the influence of plastic money on bank profitability was statistically significant meaning that the combined effect of plastic money in this research is statistically significant in explaining the profits of commercial banks in Kenya. The study recommends that commercial banks should revise the commission charged on plastic cards. This has the end effect of encouraging consumers to increase the usage of plastic cards. Commercial banks should also collaborate with S.M.E's to install ATM/Credit card machines for use by consumers. Banks should also enhance credit risk management by incorporating high technology to mitigate cases of fraud and credit loss provisions. Further research needs to be carried out on the relationship that exists between money and spending, saving or investment patterns. A study would also be undertaken to show the effects of plastic on money supply.


As a responsible partner in healthcare systems, the pharmaceutical industry hopes to see a research agenda on pharmaceutical issues that will provide more information on trends in healthcare reform affecting medicines. Urgent questions include whether some forms of cost containment are harming innovation and the quality of care, and what constructive alternatives to policies such as reference pricing can the industry offer?


BackgroundMany studies have compared the performance of time-series models in predicting pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Few studies regarding the role of meteorological factors in predicting PTB are available. This study aims to explore whether incorporating meteorological factors can improve the performance of time series models in predicting pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).MethodsWe collected the monthly number of PTB cases registered in three cities of China from 2005 to 2018, and data of six meteorological factors in the same period. We constructed three time-series models, including the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, the ARIMA with exogenous variables (ARIMAX) model, and the recurrent neural network (RNN) model. The construction of the ARIMA model did not incorporate meteorological factors, while the construction of ARIMAX and RNN models incorporated meteorological factors. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and root mean square error (RMSE) were used to compare the performance of models in predicting the monthly number of PTB cases in 2018.ResultsBoth the cross-correlation analysis and spearman rank correlation test showed that PTB was related to meteorological factors in the three cities. The prediction performance of both ARIMA and RNN models was improved after incorporating the meteorological factors. The MAPEs of the ARIMA, ARIMAX, and RNN models were 12.536%, 11.957%, and 12.360% in Xuzhou, 15.568%, 11.155%, and 14.087% in Nantong, and 9.700%, 9.660% and 12.501% in Wuxi, respectively. The RMSEs of the three models were 36.194, 33.956 and 34.785 in Xuzhou, 34.073, 25.884 and 31.828 in Nantong, and 19.545, 19.026 and 26.019 in Wuxi, respectively.ConclusionsOur study revealed a possible link between PTB and meteorological factors. Taking meteorological factors into consideration may increase the accuracy of time series models in predicting PTB.


As academic advisers, how we communicate our role and work to academic colleagues affects if and how they will use the services we provide and how they view us. It also influences how they perceive the value of our work and whether they in fact consider us colleagues in the process of tertiary teaching and learning, or merely adjuncts and "outsiders". This paper argues that in order for our work to flourish and be highly regarded we need to promote the three Rs: Resources, Room and Respect. The first of these, Resources, is easy to understand – unless we are provided with sufficient well qualified staff and the necessary material resources, it is difficult to provide an excellent service. The second, Room to move, indicates that staff need to be allowed enough room to experiment and grow in their role. The third, Respect for our work, we should both expect and earn through providing an excellent, well-informed and effective service which makes a difference to the quality of the teaching and learning experience of both students and staff. This paper examines the way we pitch our message when we "sell" our services and discusses whether we in fact address the above three Rs when communicating with academic colleagues.


The N-[3-(dimethoxy-methyl-silanyl)-propyl]-N′- (9-methyl-3,9-dioxo-2,4,8,10-tetraoxa-3,9-diphospha-spiro[5.5]undec-3-yl)-ethane-1,2-diamine/dimethoxy dimethyl silane copolymer (PSiN II), which simultaneously contains silicon, phosphorus, and nitrogen, is synthesized and incorporated into polypropylene (PP). The flame retardancy is evaluated by the limiting oxygen index value, which is enhanced to 29.5 from 17.4 with 20% total loading of PSiN II. The thermal degradation behavior of PP/PSiN II is investigated by thermogravimetric analysis under N2 and air. The PP/PSiN II sample degrades at 400°C for different amounts of time, and the process of degradation is studied by Fourier transform IR. The morphology of the char formed at 400°C for 10 min is investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The swollen inner structure, close, and smooth outer surface provide a much better barrier for the transfer of heat and mass during fire and good flame retardancy. The thermal stability of PP is improved by incorporation of PSiN II. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 2487–2492, 2005


Health shocks have been shown to have important economic consequences in industrial countries. Less is known about how health shocks affect income, consumption, labor market outcomes, and medical expenditures in middle- and low-income countries. The authors explore these issues in China. In addition to providing new evidence on the general impact of health shocks, they also extend previous work by assessing the extent of risk protection afforded by formal health insurance, and by examining differences in the impact of health shocks between the rich and poor. The authors find that health shocks are associated with a substantial and significant reduction in income and labor supply. There are indications that the impact on income is less important for the insured, possibly because health insurance coverage is also associated with limited sickness insurance, but the effect is not significant. They also find evidence that negative health shocks are associated with an increase in unearned income for the poor but not the non-poor. This effect is however not strong enough to offset the impact on overall income. The loss in income is a consequence of a reduction in labor supply for the head of household, and the authors do not find evidence that other household members compensate by increasing their labor supply. Finally, negative health shocks are associated with a significant increase in out-of-pocket health care expenditures. More surprisingly, there is some evidence that the increase is greater for the insured than the uninsured. The findings suggest that households are exposed to considerable health-related shocks to disposable income, both through loss of income and health expenditures, and that health insurance offers very limited protection.


This helpful addition to the literature and thinking around planning and archaeology comes at an exciting time, as the Localism Act, streamlining of non-planning consents, economic recession and political change all converge. It is striking, in the review of archaeology and planning policy over some thirty years, what a revolution we have experienced in that time. When PPGs 16 and 15 were introduced in 1990s, they professed not to place any new responsibilities on local authorities, but in practice their implementation required a new zealousness, a significant new commitment and in many cases new skillsets among local authorities. Despite the challenges for even-handed implementation, it is to the enormous credit of authorities around the country that the PPG policies were implemented to the extent they were.


We propose an innovative method of electron injection by E-field drift into a plasma device and discuss its application in starting-up tokamak plasmas at low loop voltage. The experimental results obtained from HT-6M Tokamak are also presented. The breakdown loop voltage is obviously reduced and the discharge performance is improved by using the electron injection method. It could be applied to some other types of plasma device.


This paper presents a survey of evolutionary algorithms that are designed for decision-tree induction. In this context, most of the paper focuses on approaches that evolve decision trees as an alternate heuristics to the traditional top-down divide-and-conquer approach. Additionally, we present some alternative methods that make use of evolutionary algorithms to improve particular components of decision-tree classifiers. The paper's original contributions are the following. First, it provides an up-to-date overview that is fully focused on evolutionary algorithms and decision trees and does not concentrate on any specific evolutionary approach. Second, it provides a taxonomy, which addresses works that evolve decision trees and works that design decision-tree components by the use of evolutionary algorithms. Finally, a number of references are provided that describe applications of evolutionary algorithms for decision-tree induction in different domains. At the end of this paper, we address some important issues and open questions that can be the subject of future research.


A direct method has been devised for determining serum and urinary inorganic phosphorus and serum phosphatase activity. Inorganic phosphorus forms a phosphomolybdate complex in the presence of borate. The complex is reduced with ascorbic acid. The resulting suspension is solubilized with carbonate and the absorbance measured at 720 nm. Samples containing low to moderate concentrations of bilirubin may be assayed by the method, and it compares favorably with a p -semidine reduction procedure with use of a TCA filtrate. Alkaline phosphatase values obtained by the method in which a β-glycerophosphate substrate is used compare favorably with a reference method in which p -nitrophenolphosphate is used as a substrate. Citrates, fluorides, nitrites, oxalates, and mannitol do not appreciably affect results obtained by the method.


As in the Vietnam era, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not the focus of the nightly news. Nevertheless, there are countless numbers of individuals enlisting, serving, deploying, redeploying, and leaving military branches every day. These individuals are underserved in many ways, especially after they end their formal relationship with their service. The purpose of this introduction is to describe the ongoing concerns and psychological problems of our military personnel and the efforts, described by the authors of papers in this issue, to address these concerns and problems.


This chapter is written at a time when heads of government use mobile technologies to reach the public via instant messages and when school children deal comfortably with multiple simultaneous modes of communication (more often at home than at school). Developments in digital and mobile technology have contributed to radical changes in communication, and these developments have significant implications for the definition of literacy in the twenty-first century and for its applications within educational contexts. As new technologies enable classrooms to be connected, not only via corridors, but also by networks of electronic pathways, this chapter aims to show how the social context of school and concepts of literacy have been significantly altered.


Evapotranspiration (ET) is the major cause of wetland water loss. The Penman–Monteith model is the most suitable ET model for wetlands. However, its accuracy depends on canopy resistance. Here, we studied the Phragmites australis community in the Liaohe Delta, northeastern China. We used flux and environmental data from the Panjin Wetland Ecosystem Research Station, and physiological and ecological parameters. Canopy resistance was calculated by the Penman–Monteith model, and canopy resistance and its influencing factors were analyzed. We created a canopy resistance model, named the Phragmites australis wetland (PW) model, using leaf stomatal resistance, leaf area index (LAI) and environmental factors. The PW model differed from the traditional Jarvis model in that the effective LAI was added, and the stomatal resistance was changed from a fixed to dynamic value and the environmental factors only contained two items: solar radiation and water vapor pressure difference. The PW model allowed the conversion from leaf scale to canopy scale. A comparison of the PW model with the Jarvis model parameters showed that accuracy improved significantly: R2 values increased from 0.56 to 0.74. The model can provide parameters for P. australis ET models and provide a new method for accurate estimation of wetland ET.


Several diseases have affected apple production, among them there is Glomerella leaf spot (GLS) caused by Colletotrichum spp. The first report of this disease in apple was in plants nearby citrus orchards in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The origin of this disease is still not clear, and studies based on the molecular phylogeny could relate the organisms evolutionarily and characterize possible mechanisms of divergent evolution. The amplification of 5.8S-ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) of rDNA of 51 pathogenic Colletotrichum spp. isolates from apples, pineapple guava and citrus produced one fragment of approximately 600 bases pairs (bp) for all the isolates analyzed. The amplified fragments were cleaved with restriction enzymes, and fragments from 90 to 500bp were obtained. The sequencing of this region allowed the generation of a phylogenetic tree, regardless of their hosts, and 5 isolated groups were obtained. From the "in silico" comparison, it was possible to verify a variation from 93 to 100% of similarity between the sequences studied and the Genbank data base. The causal agent of GLS is nearly related (clustered) to isolates of pineapple guava and to the citrus isolates used as control.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

DNAJB6 is an HSP40 family protein which plays an important role in regulating tumorigenicity and metastasis of breast cancer and melanoma. Expression of DNAJB6 is found to be reduced in advanced stages of the disease. Restoration of its expression significantly decreases tumor growth and metastasis in xenograft studies. DNAJB6 expressing cells also show altered morphology, gain in epithelial markers and loss of mesenchymal markers and increased expression of DKK1, a secreted Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Our current studies elaborate the intricate mechanistic details about contributions of DNAJB6 to the negative regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. We describe the important role of the "J" domain of DNAJB6 in inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin. Deletion of "J" domain renders DNAJB6 incapable of impeding tumor growth and metastasis. Co-immunoprecipitation, mammalian-two-hybrid and FPLC studies show that DNAJB6 can form a multimeric complex with HSPA8 (HSC70), GSK3β and PP2A. DNAJB6 binds HSC70 and dephosphorylates GSK3β by recruiting PP2A. Activated GSK3β in-turn degrades β-catenin protein. Deletion of the J domain does not allow the formation of this multiprotein complex, which inactivates GSK3β and restores β-catenin levels. We further noted that the morphology of the cells grown in three dimensional matrix show distinct difference in WT-DNAJB6 and J-domain deleted expressors. In vivo and in vitro studies done with J domain deleted expressors showed increased malignancy. We also demonstrate the importance of J domain of DNAJB6 in suppressing osteopontin as one of the critical factors contributing to its reduced malignant activity in suppressing invasion and growth of xenografts. In summary, our studies unravel a novel mechanistic role of DNAJB6 in regulating GSK3β, a critical kinase which restricts tumor progression.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2403. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2403


Background Ovarian vein thrombus (OVT) has been described in patients with numerous comorbidities and is often an incidental finding on imaging. Prior studies have failed to draw a consensus regarding the best treatment for OVT. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if patient outcomes change based on treatment and to examine if anticoagulation duration affects resolution of OVT. Methods This study utilized a retrospective chart review to identify patients with OVT. Patients who carried any diagnosis containing the words "clot" or "thrombus" from January 2010 to May 2015 in the Penn Medicine system were included in the study. If a patient was identified as having an OVT based on radiologic findings, the following data was extracted from her chart: race, age at diagnosis, date of diagnosis, family history of thrombus, hypercoaguable work up, laterality of OVT, if OVT was occlusive, extension into adjacent veins, history of prior thrombus, context of diagnosis, treatment used, length of treatment, complications, and date of last contact. Results Of the 1436 patients identified during the inclusion period, 50 subjects with OVT were identified. The average age at diagnosis was 43.4 years. Fifty-six percent of subjects were African American and 38 percent were Caucasian. Sixty percent of OVT were located within the right gonadal vein, 14 percent were bilateral, and 24 percent were isolated to the left gonadal vein. Thirty eight percent of OVT were occlusive, eight percent extended into adjacent veins, and seven subjects had thrombi identified within alternative locations at the time of OVT diagnosis. Based on presumed etiology of OVT, patients were subdivided into eight categories as follows: active malignancy, peri- partum or post-partum, recent surgery, remote surgery, hypercoaguable state, active infection, incidental finding, and unknown. Eleven subjects received no treatment, one was treated with aspirin alone, three were treated with anticoagulation and antibiotics, and 32 patients were given anticoagulation alone. Three subjects had IVC filters placed at various times after presentation. Average length of follow up was 23.7 months (1- 108 months). Average length of anticoagulation was 13.2 weeks (3.5- 36 weeks). Two patients developed thrombi following treatment completion. Ten patients had imaging showing resolution of OVT after anticoagulation, while two patients who received no anticoagulation had radiographically confirmed resolution of OVT. Five patients treated with therapeutic anticoagulation exhibited persistent OVT following treatment, while four patients who did not receive anticoagulation had persistent OVT on follow up imaging. No statistically significant difference was identified in complication rate or resolution of OVT when comparing between patients who received treatment and those who did not receive treatment. Conclusions Similar to prior studies, we found that most patients had right sided OVT, and most OVT were found in the context of malignancy, pregnancy, the post- partum period, or post- operatively. There was no statistically significant correlation found between treatment and no treatment in terms of overall outcomes for patients diagnosed with OVT. Based on our findings, unless an OVT is symptomatic or septic in nature, an incidentally detected OVT does not necessarily warrant anticoagulation therapy. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Spinal dorsal interneurons, which are generated during embryonic development, relay and process sensory inputs from the periphery to the central nervous system. Proper integration of these cells into neuronal circuitry depends on their correct positioning within the spinal parenchyma. Molecular cues that control neuronal migration have been extensively characterized but the genetic programs that regulate their production remain poorly investigated. Onecut (OC) transcription factors have been shown to control the migration of the dorsal interneurons (dINs) during spinal cord development. Here, we report that the OC factors moderate the expression of Pou2f2, a transcription factor essential for B-cell differentiation, in spinal dINs. Overexpression or inactivation of Pou2f2 leads to alterations in the differentiation of dI2, dI3 and Phox2a-positive dI5 populations and to defects in the distribution of dI2-dI6 interneurons. Thus, an OC-Pou2f2 genetic cascade regulates adequate diversification and distribution of dINs during embryonic development.


Sheanut (Butyrospernum paradoxum) is an oil rich tropical tree crop, which is indigenous to the West African savannah zone. In Nigeria, most of the shea nut roasters are made of light mild steel materials with openings. The source of heat for the roasting is open fire. This takes time and the mild steel can easily get rusted and contaminate the product. In addition, open fire roasting has the disadvantage of producing burnt crushed kernels which in turn lead to black shea oil formation, loss of vital and essential nutrients.  A shea nut roaster which makes use of steam as source of heat energy was designed and fabricated to be used in roasting shea nut prior to extracting oil from them. It was developed to address the aforementioned problems. The equipment consists of heating unit, roasting unit, power transmission unit and the supporting frame. A gear motor of 0.25kW was selected to supply power to the shaft whose end was welded to the stirrer. The roasting unit consists of three compartments: roasting chamber, steam chamber and insulator chamber. The heating unit has two pipes: water inlet pipe and steam delivery pipe. Also, charcoal burner was attached to the heating unit to help boil the water for steam to form; this steam will then be transported by the steam delivery pipe to the steam chamber which in turn heats up the outer surface of the roasting chamber and thus the crushed nuts inside are roasted through the heat being supplied. The machine was fabricated with about 90% local materials. Test results of the roaster using shea nuts indicate successful heating/roasting, the nuts were not scorched or burnt, rather they were looking dry but fresh, this indicates that the design of the machine suits its purpose for roasting shea nuts prior to oil expelling . Also, roasting capacity of 45kg/hr was achieved. The successful development of this machine will reduce drudgery and time taken associated with the traditional method of roasting shea nuts and therefore will increase productivity and utilization. Keywords: Heating, steam; shea nut; roaster; design


The Aarhus Convention is a regulation that environmental right is made coming into at the international level. Environmental right is regulated as access to environmental information, participation and access to justice in the convention. The Aarhus Convention was entered into force in 2001, but Turkey has not been singatured the convention. Making a comprasion subject to access to environmental information, participation and access to justice environmental matters between the Aarhus Convention and legal regulations in Turkey is the purpose of this article. The article will be revealing differencess at the result of the study, and Turkey will be making recommendations about its deficiencies.


In CNC systems, real-time applications such as prototyping of control algorithms and optimizing servo parameters are needed frequently. The most widely used software tools to build such applications are proprietary and expensive. This paper aims to introduce a totally open platform to build real-time applications for CNC systems, which is implemented by applying SCILAB to CNC systems in RTAI Linux environment. The architecture and implementation details of the platform are discussed in the paper. In the end, several samples are demonstrated to show the efficiency of building real-time applications on the platform. The platform can benefit users for its powerful functionalities and can be a reference to other industrial fields.


Discusses several definitions of the deuteron effective range rho (- alpha 2, - alpha 2) given in the literature and their connection with the appropriate scattering phases. Relations between the 3S1-3D1 scattering lengths and effective ranges for three parameterisations of the S matrix are obtained. The authors show that a suggested inelastic two-channel S matrix has five rather than six parameters if the physical situation contains only three channels.


This study investigate water uptake in six different species of hardwood in tangential and radial section. Alder (Alnus glutinosa) and beech (Fagus sylvatika) represent semi-diffuse-porous hardwoods. Aspen (Popolus tremula) and birch (Betula pubescens) represent diffuse-porous group; oak (Quercus robur) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior) the ring-porous hardwoods. Spruce (Picea abies) was used as a reference sample.Significantly higher water uptake was observed in the diffuse-porous and the semi-diffuse-porous group. Water uptake varied among the species, nevertheless tangential section was more permeable in general. Any impact of density or annual rings width on water uptake was observed. Correlation between ratio of earlywood and latewood and water uptake in dependence on hardwood group was found out. Ring-porous species had low rate of earlywood and low water uptake, whereas diffuse-porous and semi-diffuse-porous hardwoods had high rate of earlywood and high water uptake. Relation between water uptake and microstructure of wood was observed.


This is an account of further work on a rating scale for depressive states, including a detailed discussion on the general problems of comparing successive samples from a 'population', the meaning of factor scores, and the other results obtained. The intercorrelation matrix of the items of the scale has been factor-analysed by the method of principal components, which were then given a Varimax rotation. Weights are given for calculating factor scores, both for rotated as well as unrotated factors. The data for 152 men and 120 women having been kept separate, it is possible to compare the two sets of results. The method of using the rating scale is described in detail in relation to the individual items.


Src homology 2-containing phosphotyrosine phosphatase (Shp2) functions as a positive effector in receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling immediately proximal to activated receptors. However, neither its physiological substrate(s) nor its mechanism of action in RTK signaling has been defined. In this study, we demonstrate that Sprouty (Spry) is a possible target of Shp2. Spry acts as a conserved inhibitor of RTK signaling, and tyrosine phosphorylation of Spry is indispensable for its inhibitory activity. Shp2 was able to dephosphorylate fibroblast growth factor receptor-induced phosphotyrosines on Spry both in vivo and in vitro. Shp2-mediated dephosphorylation of Spry resulted in dissociation of Spry from Grb2. Furthermore, Shp2 could reverse the inhibitory effect of Spry on FGF-induced neurite outgrowth and MAP kinase activation. These findings suggest that Shp2 acts as a positive regulator in RTK signaling by dephosphorylating and inactivating Spry.


A new, efficient Cu-catalyzed intramolecular C-H oxidation/acylation method has been developed for the synthesis of substituted indoline-2,3-diones (isatins). In the presence of CuCl(2) and O(2), a variety of formyl-N-arylformamides underwent the tandem reaction to afford the corresponding indoline-2,3-diones in moderate to good yields. It is noteworthy that the reaction serves as the first example of transition-metal-catalyzed transformation for the preparation of indoline-2,3-diones.


Frank Gannon's introduction to the Talking Points about the use of animals in scientific research (Gannon, 2007) underestimated the burgeoning field of animal replacement techniques. Although it is clearly important to be aware of the philosophical arguments against animal research, it is also vital to discuss the scientific issues that surround the debate. Non-animal research methods have enormous potential to replace animal experiments both now and in the future; furthermore, these cutting-edge techniques often outperform the animal experiments that they replace. The British government now recognizes non-animal techniques as 'advanced methods' that broaden the scope of animal models and overcome some of their limitations. The article mentions that the implementation of the European Union's REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) directive will lead to the use of up to 45 million animals in toxicity tests. This was the original figure suggested by the European Commission; however, recent expert analysis has reduced this figure to an estimated 8–9 million animals (EC, 2006). Approximately half of this massive reduction is due to the application of alternative non-animal techniques; indeed, both UK and European laws require the use of non-animal replacements whenever they are available (UK Government, 1986; EEC, 1986). This huge contribution is made possible by the development of groundbreaking techniques such as Q(SAR)s—quantitative structure–activity relationships—as well as various in vitro methods, which have saved the lives of millions of animals and improved safety for humans. The acceptance of replacement tests by regulatory agencies is slow, but it is occurring. The European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM; Ispra, Italy) has validated more than 18 full or partial replacement methods, 8 of which have gained regulatory acceptance. In May 2007, four new tests to replace animals— mainly rabbits—in skin and eye irritancy tests were validated at the European level. The skin tests, which use reconstructed human skin, will completely replace whole-animal tests in all skin irritation studies and save an estimated 20,000 rabbits in Europe alone (ECVAM Scientific Advisory Committee, 2007). Non-animal replacement methods in toxicology are not just cell-based tests. A whole range of non-animal tests are now available to regulators, and these can be combined or used in isolation to make test results more far-reaching and relevant to humans than the animal studies that they replace. Computer modelling techniques can predict the likely effects of a drug on a range of cells and organs, before specific human cells are selected for in vitro studies. These tests represent progress towards improving safety for humans. The largest survey of drug testing data so far showed that the results of only 43% of toxicity studies of pharmaceuticals using rodents were concordant with human clinical trial results (Olson et al, 2000). Overall, 92% of the drugs that pass animal toxicology studies go on to fail in clinical trials (FDA, 2004). Clearly, we need more effective methods and non-animal replacements are providing the solution. Of course, cell-based tests and modelling techniques do not "represent a whole-body system", as pointed out by Simon Festing and Robin Wilkinson (Festing & Wilkinson, 2007), but they have the advantage of representing human cells and tissues, and not those of a different species. In addition, whenever it is safe and ethical to use them, studies of healthy volunteers and patients provide gold-standard data on the whole human organism. Animal experiments are also being replaced by human-based methods in medical research. During the 1990s, the Dr Hadwen Trust (Hitchin, UK) funded groundbreaking research at Aston University (Birmingham, UK) in human brain imaging. This work showed that a new type of noninvasive brain scanner—magnetoencephalography (MEG)—could be used to study human brains both safely and reliably. MEG detects electrical activity in the human brain with a spatial discrimination of approximately 2 mm and a temporal resolution of 1 ms (Hall et al, 2005), and is increasingly being used to replace invasive experiments on non-human primates and cats. This is just one example of the huge potential of non-animal replacement techniques in medical research. There is only one solution that ensures the safety of humans while maintaining our ethical obligation to animals, and that is to develop and apply more non-animal replacement techniques. This requires an increased commitment and investment at the highest level, but we are already seeing the benefits of these applications.


The study aimed to investigate the impact of microfinance institutions" loans in alleviation of poverty in Tanzania rural areas by taking PRIDE Tanzania LTD in Rungwe district as the case of the study. The study specifically assessed how clients of PRIDE in Rungwe district have improved their livelihood through loans. In determining the degree improvements, the researcher investigated the extent of business growth and ability to meet personal basic needs. In the analysis both primary and secondary data were used. Quantitative methods were also employed in the performance assessment. Primary data was collected using self-administered open and closed ended questionnaires. The study also investigated the challenges encountered by most of the borrowers during and after receiving their loans and suggests possible solutions. However the findings from the study shows that individuals who got loans and invest in SMEs, have improved their life style significantly by being able to build or renovate houses, buying land, buying modern households, afford to pay school fees for their children, medical expenses, and winning social recognition. It is therefore recommended that the Micro-finance institutions and SME sector have to be given much emphasis by the government as it plays a major role in improving the life of the people as well as contributing much to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. The challenges facing the sector especially difficult condition put by financial institutions as requirements for accessing loans have to be re-assessed to attract even the lower income earners.


Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have substantial beneficial effects for the treatment of major depressive mood disorders and other conditions but can also result in unwanted clinical outcomes. One of the reported disadvantages of SSRIs, based on cross-sectional studies, is their adverse effects on glycemic control. However, in this issue of Psychosomatic Medicine, Tharmaraja et al. report a meta analysis of 16 randomized controlled trials, demonstrating beneficial effects of SSRIs on changes in glycemia. In this editorial, the advantages of meta-analysis in biobehavioral medicine are highlighted as well as the importance of the study designs (observational studies versus randomized controlled trials) on which the meta-analyses are based. This article concludes with an outline for future research directions in the area of SSRIs and glycemic control.


The performance of a novel carbon-supported copper complex of 3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole (Cu-tri/C) is investigated as a cathode material using an alkaline microfluidic H(2)/O(2) fuel cell. The absolute Cu-tri/C cathode performance is comparable to that of a Pt/C cathode. Furthermore, at a commercially relevant potential, the measured mass activity of an unoptimized Cu-tri/C-based cathode was significantly greater than that of similar Pt/C- and Ag/C-based cathodes. Accelerated cathode durability studies suggested multiple degradation regimes at various time scales. Further enhancements in performance and durability may be realized by optimizing catalyst and electrode preparation procedures.


This paper investigates the design, measurement and characteristics of a probe-fed dual patch equilateral triangular antenna. A lossless foam material is sandwiched between the two patches to provide a mechanically stable and uniform height. It is shown that the separation height between the two patches plays a significant role in improving the impedance bandwidth of the antenna. A bandwidth of 13.2 percent is measured around a center frequency of 2.50 GHz. Measurements on gain and polar patterns are also presented. This antenna could find useful applications in the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) frequency bands. During the last two decades, a considerable number of papers have been published on the performance and applications of microstrip patch antennas [1-4]. Various patch configurations such as annular-ring, disk, rectangular and triangular have been investigated. These patch antennas possess many desirable features, such as low profile, light weight, low cost, direct integrability with microwave circuitry and the ability to conform to the surface of a host object. Such features make microstrip patch antennas useful for many applications in radar and wireless communication systems. However, one of the principal limitations of such antennas is their very narrow bandwidth, which is on the order of a few percent. Many bandwidth enhancement techniques have been suggested and implemented in recent years, and one such technique is stacking patches either horizontally or vertically [5-7]. In this paper, we present an experimental investigation on broadbanding the impedance bandwidth of a vertically stacked equilateral triangular patch antenna. The equilateral triangular patch configuration is chosen because it has the advantage of occupying less metalized area on the substrate than other existing configurations. A lossless foam material is used to control the distance between the two patches and to provide a mechanically stable height separation. In practice, it was found that the height separation plays a significant role in achieving the optimum impedance bandwidth of the antenna. The described antenna has an impedance bandwidth of 13.2 percent with the two ends of the frequency band being at 2.43 GHz and 2.76 GHz respectively. Measurements of antenna gain and radiation patterns are also presented.


Ecosystem
conservation has become one of the purposes in river management as well as
flood mitigation and water resources management, and understanding of river
flow and morphology in a stream with vegetation becomes important. Recently 2D
depth averaged analysis is familiar even in a stream with vegetation by taking
account of form drag due to vegetation. However, the shear stress in vegetated
area is not properly described because the resistance law due to bed roughness
is not reasonably modified in vegetated area. In this study, we discussed the
bed roughness boundary layer in flow with non-submerged vegetation to deduce a
reasonable relation between U and u* in vegetated area toward improving
the analysis of sediment transport. The results show that the modification of
resistance law using by thickness, velocity distribution in that layer was
found to bring significant improvement of accurate estimation of shear velocity
and subsequently the sediment transport. The proposed modification is improved by
2D depth averaged analysis based on this concept, and its application is
certificated through flume experiment.


This paper presents a novel numerical synthesis technique based on the reversal of the TLM process in time. It allows the designer to generate the geometry of a passive structure from its desired frequency response using alternate forward and backward time domain simulations. The essential steps of the procedure are explained and validated using, as an example, the synthesis of an inductive obstacle in a waveguide. If fully developed, it promises to become an advantageous alternative to the traditional techniques using frequency domain numerical methods. >


Seventy students participated in an experiment to measure the effects of either providing explanations or listening during small group discussions on recall of related subject-matter studied after the discussion. They watched a video of a small group dis cussing a problem. In the first experimental condition, the video was stopped at various points in time, enabling the participants to verbally respond to the discussion. In the second condition, they listened to the same discussion, without contributing. In the control con dition, they listened to a discussion that was not related to the subject-matter subsequently studied. After the discussion, all participants studied a text and answered questions that tested their recall of information from this text. No immediate differences in recall were found. One month later, participants who had actively engaged in explaining remembered more from the text. The conclusion appears justified that actively providing explanations during a discussion positively affects long-term memory.


The southwest karst area in China could be a key carbon sink after appropriate ecological engineering. Vegetation carbon pool has been noted to be more critical for carbon budgets of ecosystems than shallow soils which have limited carbon saving capacity. However,due to the unique nature of geological settings of karst regions,spatial distributions of vegetation in these regions usually follow three-dimensional characteristics of discontinuity and fragmentation. This has resulted in difficulties in obtaining the belowground portions of vegetation,which have in turn caused a general lack of attention to this issue. Thus vegetation carbon pool has become a limiting factor in the assessment of regional vegetation carbon savings. In this study,we attempted to reveal the spatial distribution characteristics and differentiations of vegetation carbon savings in typical karst regions by analyzing remote sensing images. The spatio-temporal variation of vegetation carbon storage and density in typical karst areas of Northwest Guangxi in China was analyzed using remote sensing images of 1990,2000 and2005 in combination with elevation and weather data in geographic information system(GIS) environment. The results showed that vegetation carbon storage and density in the study area increased for 1990—2005. Vegetation carbon storage increased from 1.03×108t in 1990 to 1.41×108t in 2000 and then to 1.63×108t in 2005. The corresponding carbon density was 14.82t·hm 2in 1990,20.38 t·hm 2in 2000 and 23.49 t·hm 2in 2005,consistent with vegetation carbon density in Sichuan(18.47t·hm 2) and Jiangxi(25.38 t·hm 2) Provinces of China. With regards to spatial distribution of carbon storage and density,high values were noted for the west or high-elevation(elevation 500 m) regions and low values in the east or low-elevation(elevation 500 m) regions of the study area. The carbon density was 15 22 t·hm 2in most of the western counties of the study area while it was 8 15 t·hm 2in most of the eastern counties of the study area in 1990. While an explicit increase was noted in the trend of change in spatial distribution of carbon storage and density in low-value areas(the eastern part of the region),slight decrease or increase was noted in high-value areas(the western part of the region). Vegetation carbon density obviously increased in typical karst areas with carbon storage to vegetation ratios of 45.54% in 1990 and 51.99% in 2005. The study suggested that vegetation carbon storage and density in cluster and depression regions obviously increased. Also ecosystem conditions accordingly improved due to policy initiatives regarding prevention of rocky desertification such as ecological migration and returning farmlands to forests. This had clearly benefited by enhancing vegetation carbon storage.This paper showed that assessments based on remote sensing images could provide the scientific basis for reducing uncertainty in estimating carbon stocks in karst regions and carbon balance in terrestrial ecosystems. It provided the basis for scientific reference regarding beneficial evaluation and adaptive regulation of rocky desertification in karsts in a comprehensive manner.


Human mast cells play a role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory airway diseases. We have reported that CSE increased IL-6 and IL-8 production in IL-1beta activated human mast cells (HMC-1). Baicalein (BAI) has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to examine the effect of BAI on IL-6 and IL-8 production in HMC-1. Two ml of HMC-1 at 1 x 106 cells/ml were cultured either with or without IL-1beta (10 ng/ml), and in the presence or absence of mainstream (Ms) or sidestream (Ss) CSE (0.25 mg/ml or 0.125 mg/ml), and BAI (30 μM). Treated HMC-1 were incubated for 24 hours and culture supernatants were collected and analyzed for the levels of IL-6 and IL-8 by ELISA. Both concentrations of Ms and Ss CSE significantly increased production of both IL-6 (p < 0.0001) and IL-8 (p < 0.0005) in IL-1beta activated HMC-1. BAI (30 μm) decreased IL-6 and IL-8 production in the Ms CSE (0.25 mg/ml) + IL-1beta treated HMC-1 culture from 2615 ± 38 to 251 ± 19 pg/ml (p < 0.0000001) and from 583 ± 37 to 179 ± 7 pg/ml (p < 0.0005), respectively. A similar inhibitory effect of BAI was also observed in the Ss CSE + IL-1beta treated HMC-1 culture. Our results show that BAI inhibits the enhancing effects of CSE on inflammatory cytokine production in IL-1beta activated mast cells. It suggests that BAI may be a novel candidate for treatment of smoking related inflammatory airway disease (Supported by the Ruth R. Harris Endowment and RDC of ETSU).


It is worth understanding the potentials of zero charge (PZCs) and structures of stepped metal/water interfaces, because for many electrocatalytic reactions, stepped surfaces are more active than atomically flat surfaces. Herein, a series of stepped Pt/water interfaces are modeled at different step densities with ab initio molecular dynamics. It is found that the structures of Pt/water interfaces are significantly influenced by the step density, particularly in regard to the distribution of chemisorbed water. The step sites of metal surfaces are more preferred for water chemisorption than terrace sites, and until the step density is very low, water will chemisorb on the terrace. In addition, it is revealed that the PZCs of stepped Pt/water interfaces are generally smaller than that of Pt(111), and the difference is mainly attributed to the difference in their work function, providing a simple way to estimate the PZCs of stepped metal surfaces. Finally, it is interesting to see that the Volta potential difference is almost the same for Pt/water interfaces with different step densities, although their interface structures and magnitude of charge transfer clearly differ.


*1 Takasago Research & Development Center, Technical Headquarters *2 Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works Electronic toll collection (ETC) is under construction at expressway tollgates in Japan. It is important that ETC be highly reliable because it deals with electronic money information. Reliability of a communication error rate 10-6 is required by wireless communication. Communication protocol redundancy is very effective in the achievement of high reliability with wireless communication and the high margin budget of the air link. A microwave hybrid module (MHM) suitable for downsizing and cost reduction was developed. This MHM uses a channel switching circuit indispensable to ETC and having the world's shortest switching time, 100μs. Highly reliable wireless communication can be realized by enhancing the communication protocol because of sufficient time due to high-speed switching.


Currently, Islamic popular culture practices can be found almost everywhere across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and among Muslim communities in Europe and the United States. In Egypt, Pakistan, Morocco, and Lebanon, Muslim heavy metal and hip hop fans and artists have created a thriving underground music scene. Satellite music video channels in Arabian countries have, since 2000, started to broadcast a new style of religious music video that combines lyrics in praise of God and the Prophet with Western-style instrumental music and a set of high-quality, commercially appealing images and storylines in contemporary settings. Meanwhile, in the United States, Islamic poet performances by Brother Dash and stand-up comedy by Shazia Mirza are enjoying critical acclaim among many, and are even considered halal by the Great Ayatollah of Iraq. These instances and others, like halal song, Islamic film or "clean cinema" (no bed scenes, kissing, or other images considered shameful), Islamic boy bands, Islamically correct reality TV shows, and Islamic tourism prove that Islamic revivalism and the subsequent piety movements are not incompatible with contemporary popular culture. This new trend of commercial Islamic music video emphasizes the dignity and humanity of Islam and its harmonious integration with a comfortable middle-class, modern lifestyle. This edited volume offers a wide range of Islamic popular cultural practices in two neighbouring countries—Indonesia and Malaysia—that are often overlooked in media discourses about Islam. The book illuminates not only the way in which Islam and popular culture intersect in the two countries, but also how that interplay causes both protest and praise. In his introduction, Andrew N. Weintraub exemplifies this by pointing out that even though for some Islamic groups popular music is thought to corrupt people by the perceived sexualized performance of women's bodies or the perceived negative effects on youth, popular music is also increasingly being used to promote Islamic ideas and values. Weintraub explains some ways to understand the meaning of "popular" in relation to Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia. He suggests that, in general, the notion of "popular Islam" refers to large numbers of people practicing Islam in daily life, and also refers to how the majority of Muslims celebrate local ideas, beliefs, values, and practices. However, Weintraub stresses that in this volume the writings on "popular Islam" focus much more on "Islamic popular culture," which refers to mass production, mass mediation, urban setting, and globalism and cosmopolitanism, rather than "traditional popular Islam." This excellent book is divided into four parts. The first part—"Commercial, Educational, Government, and Religious Institutions"—deals with institutions involved in the practices of Islamic popular culture. The second—"Social Processes of Media Production, Circulation, and Reception"—focuses on how Islamic popular practices in Indonesia are being produced, circulated, and perceived. The contributors in the third part—"Islamic Perspectives on Film, Music, and Literature"—write about how popular culture practitioners (filmmakers, authors,


Abstract : This study was part of an ongoing effort to evaluate plans for increasing air traffic capacity in the Dallas/Fort Worth (D/FW) area. The objective was to evaluate the traffic handling ability of controllers during Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) for D/FW's proposed quadruple parallel approach airport configuration using a real-time air traffic control (ATC) simulation. Both dual and quadruple simultaneous parallel Instrument Landing System (ILS) approaches were simulated with controllers monitoring approach traffic. Blunders were introduced by having simulated aircraft deviate toward adjacent localizers. Some of the blundering aircraft also simulated a loss of radio communication. The ability of the controllers to maintain distance between blundering aircraft and aircraft on parallel approaches was the central issue in the study. Additionally, a few runs evaluated the missed approach procedures with the controllers monitoring the departing and missed approach aircraft. Based upon the findings of the simulation, it was concluded that the quadruple simultaneous parallel ILS approach procedures are safe and workable for the airport configuration (D/FW) tested. Therefore, the operations at D/FW were recommended.


The purpose of the work was to study the patterns of development and formation of the structure of the skeletal, muscular, circulatory system under the influence of various physical activities in the dynamics, followed by the definition of correlations of the value of anthropometric and morphometric parameters in the training of athletes. Studying of the literature data, we can conclude that modern professional sports requires loads close to maximum, and sometimes even exceeding them, the establishment of these maximum permissible loads and the study of the patterns of their development is a very urgent task. The main problem in training athletes is adequate selection and sports affiliation. Solving the problems of selection involves the creation of a model of the athlete of this specialization, that is a certain set of characteristics that determine athletic performance. This requires anthropometric assessment, morphometric and biometric data to track physical and physiological parameters, information to assess performance and recovery in sports, modification of training regimes to prevent injuries, provide guidance on regulating the use of technologies used in professional sports, as well as to research and make recommendations for the proper collection, storage and exchange of health information. One of important problems of modern morphology is the study of changes that occur in the body under the influence of various factors. This problem has become especially important in connection with the development of sports. High sports performance, associated with a significant load on the athlete's body, encourages scientists, doctors, coaches to search for physiological reserves of the body and search for optimal training regimes. From this point of view, the study of changes that occur in individual organs, systems and in the body as a whole, under the influence of physical activity of varying intensity and nature is relevant and of great practical importance. Conclusion. Modern professional sports require loads that are close to the maximum, and sometimes are such or exceed them. It is the establishment of these maximum allowable loads and study the patterns of their development which is a very promising area. This will allow timely selection of athletes for a particular sport, to carry out preventive and curative measures to improve their structural and functional condition


In order to clarify the polymerization mode of a carbon fiber cylinder, mathematical modeling of the process of heating a composite structure (cylinder) by infrared radiation using the finite difference method was carried out. Using mathematical modeling, it was found that under given polymerization conditions, when exposed to infrared heating, the carbon fiber cylinder will reach a cured state within 120 minutes. The calculation data are confirmed by an analysis of the degree of polymerization of a carbon fiber fragment cut from a cylinder, cured by infrared heating. The degree of polymerization of carbon fiber using infrared radiation during curing is 95—96 %.


This paper describes and critically reviews an important but under-theorized value capture mechanism that we have termed "vertical allocations" (or vertical exactions). This mechanism enables cities to capture value vertically by allocating floor space for public utilities in privately owned, mixed-use, vertical development. As a value capture tool, vertical allocations allow the government to tap value uplift to supply the nearby neighborhood, and the city as a whole, with much needed public services. The owner or developer is required to make in-kind contributions in the form of spaces provided for a range of public facilities such as schools, preschools, community centers, and public medical clinics. While focusing on vertical exactions in Israel we explore how a certain share of land/floorspace can be allocated for public amenities in a given project. There are several legal pathways for securing public floorspace including negotiated agreements, land readjustment and expropriation. The findings show that unclear policies and regulations could create frictions between developers and municipalities, and these raise the nexus question as well as debates about construction costs and financial contributions developers have to make. Specifically, the paper finds that while developers often argue that cities should cover the costs of constructing public floorspace, city officials assert that the costs should be borne by the owners and developers.


Abstract Background Heart failure is considered an epidemic disease in the modern world. Since it presents as a multifactorial, systemic disease, a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanism is essential. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is increasingly recognized to be metabolically active and is able to secrete myriad bioactive molecules, including exosomes carrying tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs). Mounting evidence has suggested that these specific tsRNAs dynamically impact fundamental cellular processes, but no studies have focused on the influence of tsRNA in EAT on cardiac dysfunction. Methods To investigate the regulatory mechanism of tsRNAs of EAT associated with HF, we collected EAT from HF (n = 5) patients and controls (n = 5) and used a combination of RNA sequencing, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT–PCR) and bioinformatics to screen the expression profiles of tsRNAs in HF. Results We ultimately identified an expression profile of 343 tsRNAs in EAT. Of those, a total of 24 tsRNAs were significantly differentially expressed between HF and controls: 17 were upregulated and 7 were downregulated (fold change >1.5, p < 0.05). Four tsRNAs (tiRNA-Pro-TGG-001, tRF-Met-CAT-002, tRF-Tyr-GTA-010 and tRF-Tyr-GTA-011) were randomly selected and validated by qRT–PCR. Bioinformatics analyses revealed a dense interaction of target genes between tRF-Tyr-GTA-010 and tRF-Tyr-GTA-011. Based on functional analysis, these two tRFs might play a protective role by regulating sphingolipid and adrenergic signaling pathways by targeting genes mainly contributing to calcium ion transport. Conclusions Our study profiled tsRNA expression in EAT with HF and identified a comprehensive dimension of potential target genes and tsRNA-mRNA interactions.


In the article the authors substantiate the necessity for improvement of adaptation mechanisms in man-machine systems. They set a task of optimizing the man-machine interaction; describe the use of functional networks for ergonomic design tasks' solution. There are introduced the concepts of "controlled functional network" and "neural functional network", the principle of multi-stage optimization of man-machine interaction. The offered method differs from the existing ones: by interconnecting functional and neural networks; by the possibility of multiple (in the course of work) adaptation (optimization) of the system "tailored to a man", which provides properties of adaptive man-machine interaction.


Evaluating open-domain dialogue systems is challenging for reasons such as the one-to-many problem, i.e., many appropriate responses other than just the golden response. As of now, automatic evaluation methods need better consistency with humans, while reliable human evaluation can be time- and cost-intensive. To this end, we propose the Reference-Assisted Dialogue Evaluation (RADE) approach under the multi-task learning framework, which leverages the pre-created utterance as reference other than the gold response to relief the one-to-many problem. Specifically, RADE explicitly compares reference and the candidate response to predict their overall scores.Moreover, an auxiliary response generation task enhances prediction via a shared encoder.To support RADE, we extend three datasets with additional rated responses other than just a golden response by human annotation.Experiments on our three datasets and two existing benchmarks demonstrate the effectiveness of our method, where Pearson, Spearman, and Kendall correlations with human evaluation outperform state-of-the-art baselines.


The relevance feedback based on a keyword map is proposed so that a Web interface can be more interactive. There exists vast amount of information in the Web, from which users usually gather information without definite information needs. The relevance feedback techniques have been studied in the field of document retrieval, aiming to generate appropriate queries for users' information needs. However, conventional relevance feedback techniques are performed on document space, while the resultant queries should be represented in keyword space. In this paper, it is proposed to perform relevance feedback on keyword space. The relevance feedback is supposed to work with interactive keyword map system, which visualizes the relationship between keywords extracted from retrieved results. As the first stop for realizing relevance feedback based on interactive keyword map, this paper also proposes the algorithm for extracting the pair of keywords that reflects a user's interest from the keyword map. Experimental results are given for showing how the algorithm works on the keyword map that is modified by the user, and for discussing the difference between the RF based on keyword map and conventional RF methods.


The Austrian economy also remains tepid in a context of weak economic activity in Europe. The export-driven manufacturing sector is recovering only slowly; the production index has stabilised in recent months, although it suffered a renewed decline in May. The latest leading indicators show only little improvement; companies still expect the economic situation to remain tense. Trade and tourism have recently seen a decline in sales. The economic weakness continues to weigh on the labour market; employment growth decelerated in July compared with the previous month, and was accompanied by a renewed increase in the number of unemployed persons.


Cyclically operating enzyms and molecular motors are shown to be restricted non-linearly by a fluctuation theorem that basically relates the number of backward steps to that of forward steps. Only if the rates obey a quasi-equilibrium form in terms of chemical potentials and mechanical load, this fluctuation theorem becomes the usual one for entropy fluctuations. Boundary terms can be subsumed under an entropy change if one defines a trajectory-dependent entropy of the enzym or motor. Explicit expressions are derived for a three-state motor with and without an intermediate state and an enzym with Michaelis-Menten kinetics.


Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease induced by a complex interaction between susceptibility genes encoding skin barrier components and environmental allergen exposure that results in type 2 cytokine production. Although genetic lesions in either component can be risk factors for disease in patients, whether these pathways interact in the development of AD is not clear. To test this, we mated mice with T‐cell specific expression of constitutively active Stat6 (Stat6VT) that spontaneously develop allergic skin inflammation with Flaky tail (Ft) mice that have mutations in Flg and Tmem79 genes that each affect skin barrier function. Our results demonstrate that over 90% of the Stat6VT transgenic mice carrying the Ft alleles (Stat6VTxFt−/−) develop severe atopic dermatitis lesions by 3–5 months of age, compared with only 40% of Stat6VT mice that develop disease by 6–7 months of age. Further, histopathological analysis of skin tissues from Stat6VTxFt−/− mice revealed extensive thickening of the dermis with increased inflammatory infiltrates as compared with Stat6VT mice. Our study suggests that skin barrier defects and altered Th2 responses independently cooperate in the pathogenesis of allergic skin inflammation, similar to effects observed in patients with AD.


Objective Immunotherapy plus etoposide and platinum (EP)-based chemotherapy is the standard of care for patients with extensive stage–small cell lung carcinoma (ES-SCLC). In the era of immunotherapy, the role of thoracic radiotherapy for ES-SCLC remains unclear. Methods We retrospectively included ES-SCLC patients treated with first-line EP-based chemotherapy plus atezolizumab or durvalumab at Taichung Veterans General Hospital to evaluate the prognostic role and safety of thoracic radiotherapy. Results A total of 22 patients were included. The median age was 64 years and most of them were male and smokers. Sixteen patients (72.7%) received durvalumab, while the other 6 patients (27.3%) underwent atezolizumab treatment. Among these patients, 11 (50.0%) had a history of thoracic radiotherapy. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics between patients with and without thoracic radiotherapy. In the overall population, the objective response rate to immunotherapy plus chemotherapy was 73.7%. The progression-free survival and overall survival were 6.0 months (95% CI: 4.0–7.9) and 13.8 months (95% CI: 8.0–19.6), respectively. The overall survival was significantly longer in patients with thoracic radiotherapy (not-reached [NR] [95% CI NR-NR] vs. 9.6 months [95% CI 2.5–16.6]), respectively (P value by log-rank test <0.001). Both multivariate analysis and subgroup analysis specifically comparing patients with consolidative thoracic radiotherapy and patients with clinical benefits to systemic therapy who did not undergo thoracic radiotherapy indicated that thoracic radiotherapy improved survival. Conclusion The real-world efficacy of EP-based chemotherapy plus atezolizumab or durvalumab was comparable with that of clinical trials. Thoracic radiotherapy may improve the outcome of ES-SCLC.