OBJECTIVE
To assess the role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38MAPK) in the protective effect of remifentanil preconditioning (RPC) on hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.

METHODS
Ninety-six male SD rats were randomly assigned into sham-operated group, ischemia-reperfusion group (I/R group), RPC group, and SB (an inhibitor of p38 MAPK) +RPC group. The rats were sacrificed at the end of reperfusion, and serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were measured. HE staining was used to observe the hepatic histopathological changes, and Western blotting was employed to examine p38MAPK and pp38MAPK protein expression. TUNEL staining was used to examine cell apoptosis in the liver tissues.

RESULTS
Compared with sham-operated group, I/R group showed significantly increased serum levels of AST, ALT, TNF-α and IL-1β with obvious histopathological changes and cell apoptosis in the liver. RPC significantly decresed the elevated serum levels of AST, ALT, TNF-α and IL-1β and lessened hepatic histopathological changes, and caused reduced p38MAPK phosphorylation and hepatic cell apoptosis index. The protective effects of RPC were abolished by SB 203580 pretreatment.

CONCLUSION
RPC attenuates the production of inflammatory factors by activating p38MAPK signal pathway to improve hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury, and these effects can be blocked by SB203580, a p38MAPK inhibitor.


Purpose: To investigate the combined effect of Linggui zhugan decoction and Western medicine on inflammatory cytokines, and immune and heart functions of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), and the underlying mechanism(s). Methods: Patients with CHF ( n = 140) were randomly assigned to two groups: control group and study group (70 per group). Patients in the control group were treated with furosemide, metoprolol, spironolactone, isosorbide mononitrate, trimetazidine and irbesartan, once, twice or thrice daily. Study group patients were treated with a combination of Linggui zhugan decoction, in addition to the treatment given to the control group. Levels of inflammatory cytokines, T-lymphocyte subsets and cardiac function were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), flow cytometry and color Doppler echocardiography, as appropriate. Clinical effectiveness for the two groups were also assessed. Results: Following the treatments, the serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukins-18 (IL-18) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) significantly decreased in the study group, when compared with the control group ( p < 0. 05). However, the study group had markedly higher levels of CD3+ T, CD4+ T, and CD4+ T /CD8+ T than the control group ( p < 0. 05). In addition, CD8+ T was significantly lower in the study group than in control group ( p < 0. 05). Patients in the study group had significantly higher total treatment effectiveness than those in the control group ( p < 0. 05). Conclusion: These results suggest that co-administration of decoction of Linggui zhugan and western medicine improves ventricular function and reduces clinical symptoms in patients with CHF via a mechanism involving inhibition of inflammatory reactions. Keywords: Chronic heart failure, Linggui zhugan decoction, Inflammatory cytokines, T- lymphocyte subsets, Cardiac function


Obesity in childhood and adolescence represents a major health problem. Novel e-Health technologies have been developed in order to provide a comprehensive and personalized plan of action for the prevention and management of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence. We used information and communication technologies to develop a "National Registry for the Prevention and Management of Overweight and Obesity" in order to register online children and adolescents nationwide, and to guide pediatricians and general practitioners regarding the management of overweight or obese subjects. Furthermore, intelligent multi-level information systems and specialized artificial intelligence algorithms are being developed with a view to offering precision and personalized medical management to obese or overweight subjects. Moreover, the Big Data against Childhood Obesity platform records behavioral data objectively by using inertial sensors and Global Positioning System (GPS) and combines them with data of the environment, in order to assess the full contextual framework that is associated with increased body mass index (BMI). Finally, a computerized decision-support tool was developed to assist pediatric health care professionals in delivering personalized nutrition and lifestyle optimization advice to overweight or obese children and their families. These e-Health applications are expected to play an important role in the management of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence.


The technological and economic changes that occurred since the second half of the twentieth century expanded markets, reduced the limits imposed by national borders and promoted a real and indisputable globalization of trade, especially for emerging countries. In this context, Brazil is shown as a major player, along with other countries that make up the BRICS Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, a group with growing political power given the relevance of their markets. Nevertheless, Brazil's share in global trade is small compared to other emerging countries. The level of internationalization is particularly low in relation to products with higher added value, with components of technological innovation. Most of the products exported by Brazil in 2011 (65.8%) consists of products of low and medium-low technology, 27.9% is medium-high technology and only 6.2% is high-tech (MDIC, 2012). Thus, this article proposes to analyze the characteristics of the internationalization of small and medium-sized technology-based companies, incubated and graduated in order to identify the role of incubators in the process. We started from three basic premises: that the technology-based companies are essentially innovative companies; business incubators constitute environments for potentiating networks, both between the incubated and graduated ones with external agents And finally, the third premise is that innovation is a competitive advantage that leverages the process of internationalization of companies and has proven crucial to the competitive performance of the company in foreign markets. The research from cases of small technology-based companies shows it is relevant given the need for Brazil to stimulate the insertion of foreign companies selling technologyintensive products, review passage The research is descriptive in character, in the form of a multicase study of six companies, three incubated and three graduated. The results show that innovation is actually set as the main advantage to compete in international markets. Intentional and planned, there is an acceleration of the internationalization process in young companies, designed with a global vision. It was found that the incubator favors the formation of social networks that encourage innovation and interaction with other actors ANALISE DO PAPEL DA INCUBADORA NA INTERNACIONALIZACAO DE EMPRESAS DE BASE TECNOLOGICA, INCUBADAS E GRADUADAS. Gabriela Goncalves Silveira Fiates Cristina Martins Jose Eduardo Azevedo Fiates Graciella Martignago Neri dos Santos 271 R. eletr. estrat. neg., Florianopolis, v.6, n.1, p. 252-274, jan./abr. 2013 that can foster the process of internationalization, however, no actions perceived by the entrepreneurs themselves for this purpose, which points to an opportunity to systematic action of the incubators in supporting the internationalization of companies. Key-Words: Internationalization. Incubators. Innovation. Technology-Basis.


A filter bubble refers to the phenomenon where Internet customization effectively isolates individuals from diverse opinions or materials, resulting in their exposure to only a select set of content. This can lead to the reinforcement of existing attitudes, beliefs, or conditions. In this study, our primary focus is to investigate the impact of filter bubbles in recommender systems (RSs). This pioneering research aims to uncover the reasons behind this problem, explore potential solutions, and propose an integrated tool to help users avoid filter bubbles in RSs. To achieve this objective, we conduct a systematic literature review on the topic of filter bubbles in RSs. The reviewed articles are carefully analyzed and classified, providing valuable insights that inform the development of an integrated approach. Notably, our review reveals evidence of filter bubbles in RSs, highlighting several biases that contribute to their existence. Moreover, we propose mechanisms to mitigate the impact of filter bubbles and demonstrate that incorporating diversity into recommendations can potentially help alleviate this issue. The findings of this timely review will serve as a benchmark for researchers working in interdisciplinary fields such as privacy, artificial intelligence ethics, and RSs. Furthermore, it will open new avenues for future research in related domains, prompting further exploration and advancement in this critical area.This article is categorized under:
Fundamental Concepts of Data and Knowledge > Human Centricity and User Interaction
Application Areas > Internet
Commercial, Legal, and Ethical Issues > Ethical Considerations
Commercial, Legal, and Ethical Issues > Security and Privacy


How to identify specific profiles among the hundred of millions LinkedIn's members? LinkedIn Economic Graph thrives on skills, around 50 thousand of them are listed by LinkedIn and constitute one of the main sig-nals to identify professions or trends. Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills, for example, can be used to identify the diffusion of AI in industries [16]. But the noise can be loud around skills for which the demand is high. Some users may add "trendy" skills on their profiles without having work experience or training related to them. On the other hand, some people may work in the broad AI ecosystem (e.g. AI recruiters, AI sales representatives, etc.), without being the AI practitioners we are looking for. Searching for keywords in pro-files' sections can lead to mis-identification of certain profiles, especially for those related to a field rather than an occupation. This is the case for Artificial Intelligence. In this paper, we propose a machine learning approach to identify such profiles, and suggest to train a binary text-classifier using job offers posted on the platform rather than actual profiles. We suggest this approach allows to avoid manually labeling the training dataset, granted the assumption that job profiles posted by recruiters are more " ideal-typical " or simply provide a more consistent triptych "job title, job description, associated skills" than the ones that can be found among member's profiles.


Objectives: We evaluated the effects of carpal tunnel release with a mini-open incision by analyzing symptom improvement. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 64 carpal tunnel syndrome patients who underwent carpal tunnel release with mini-open incisions between January 2001 and December 2010. The 22 males and 42 females had a mean age of 49 years and a mean follow-up of 12 months. We analyzed postoperative symptoms using The Michigan Hand Outcome Questionnaire. Results: Patients reported complete resolution of their symptoms, and some patients who had presented with residual symptoms improved gradually. No complications or scar hypersensitivity were observed. MHQ(Michigan Hand outcomes Questionnaire) scores improved significantly between preoperative and postoperative 6 months and 12 months. Conclusions: Carpal tunnel release with mini-open incision provides a clinically effective, reliable and safe procedure.


Bulletin of the Geological Society of Finland, Vol. 84, 2012, pp 45–57 This paper presents new results on the morphometry and spatial distribution of the glaciogenic landforms and ice flow directions in the Madliena Tilted Plain that occupies the eastern part of the Central Latvian Lowland. Landforms were investigated by using topographic maps at scales of 1:25 000 and 1:10 000. There were identified and mapped 1461 glaciogenic landforms such as drumlins, end moraine ridges, eskers, ribbed moraines, marginal ridges, lateral shear margin moraines and recessional formations. Particular attention is given to the morphometry, spatial distribution, and the internal structure of drumlins. Glacial landscape of the study area was formed by the Zemgale ice lobe in course of deglaciation of the Late Weichselian Fennoscandian Ice Sheet, when the ice decay was interrupted by the reactivation of the Middle Lithuanian and the North Lithuanian glacial phases at the end of the Oldest Dryas (18–15 ka BP). The detailed study of the internal structure of the Brenceni drumlin suggests that it consists of glaciotectonically disturbed glacio-aquatic sediments and of a single till thrust sheet between sand sediments on the flank of the drumlin. Morphometric analysis of the drumlin field shows that the mean length of drumlins is about 850 m; the mean width indicates the average size 280 m, and the mean elongation ratio is 3.0. The obtained statistics compared to the morphometry of drumlins worldwide, show close similarity, so it coincides with the concept that in general morphometry of drumlins is mostly independent of their location and the characteristics of the ice streams.


In this paper, we present a method for dynamically assembling views in multi-dimensional data cubes in order to more e ciently support data analysis and querying involving aggregations. The proposed method decomposes the data cubes into an indexed hierarchy of view elements. The view elements di er from traditional data cube cells in that they correspond to partial and residual aggregations of the data cube. The view elements provide highly granular building blocks for synthesizing the aggregated and rangeaggregated views of the data cubes. We propose a strategy for selecting and materializing the view elements based on the frequency of view access. This allows the dynamic adaptation of the view element sets to patterns of retrieval. We present a fast and optimal algorithm for selecting non-expansive view element sets that minimize the processing costs for generating a population of aggregated views. We also present a greedy algorithm for selecting redundant view element sets in order to further reduce processing costs. We demonstrate that the view element approaches perform better in terms of lower processing and storage costs than methods based on materializing views.


The aim of this study is to investigate the predictive power of attachment to friends and positive character strengths in relation to subjective well-being of adolescents in school. The sample of the study is composed of 400 volunteers of high-school students in Istanbul European Side. Data are collected through Brief Adolescents' Subjective Well-Being in School Scale, Adolescent Friendship Attachment Scale and Character Growth Index. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in subjective well-being according to gender but the difference was noted according to socio-economical factors and school attendance levels of adolescents. According the result of the multiple regression analysis, the secure attachment to friend and optimism as character strength significantly predict %13 of the difference in the school subjective well-being levels of adolescents. Additionally, secure attachment and closeness as character strength significantly predict %9 of the change in the school subjective well-being. The findings were then discussed in line with the literature.


Numerous experiments have yielded contradictory results on the harmful action of magnetic fields on embryonic development. Pulsed magnetic fields appear to be able to delay normal development of embryos. In the present study, fertilized Gallus domesticus eggs were exposed during incubation to pulsed magnetic fields (harmonic signals of 10 µT for 1 second with silences of 0.5 seconds) of 50 or 100 Hz frequency. Embryos extracted at 45 h of exposure to fields of 50 Hz or 100 Hz frequency had significantly (p<0.05) fewer somite pairs compared with controls of the same age. At 15 days of incubation, only embryos exposed to a 10 µT- 50 Hz field had a significantly (p<0.05) higher somatic weight. At 21 days of incubation, a significantly lower somatic weight (p<0.01) and development stage (p<0.05) was found in embryos exposed to a 10 µT-100 Hz field than in controls, while a lower development stage (p<0.05) alone was observed in those exposed to a 10 µT-50 Hz field. In addition, animals showed higher expression of the neural marker NSE (neural specific enolase) after 21 days of development as determined by immunohistochemistry, with very low expression of glycosaminoglycans identified by alcyan blue staining. These results suggest that pulsed magnetic fields may be able to hinder normal embryonic development in vivo and to alter normal neural function, at least at the intensities and frequencies analyzed in the present study.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a model to examine how the active management of work-family boundary strength acts as behavioral mechanism through which role-based factors – role demands and role identity – influence the conflict experienced by individuals.

Design/methodology/approach

Three studies were conducted to examine the proposed model. Studies 1 and 2 used an experimental design to test the causal effects of role demands on the strength of work and family boundaries, whereas Study 3 surveyed 389 working professionals to test the interactional and mediating effects of the model variables on inter-role conflict.

Findings

Results suggest that increasing demands in one domain weaken the boundary strength around the cross-domain to make resource drain possible, which, in turn, increases the conflict experienced in that domain; moreover, results show that work identity reinforces the weakening of the boundary strength at home caused by increasing work demands.

Research limitations/implications

The study of boundary management decisions as an underlying mechanism through which individuals' role-based factors affect work-family conflict (WFC) can offer new insights into how to manage increasing work-family responsibilities.

Practical implications

This study findings can help individuals to cope with role demands and organizations to promote a culture that supports work-family balance.

Originality/value

This paper advances WFC research by examining alternative mechanisms through which role demands influence WFC. Methodologically, the research improves on past studies by bringing together experimental and correlational designs.


Porphyria cutanea tarda is a metabolic disorder caused by reduced hepatic uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase activity characterized by skin lesions and liver damage. The high frequency of liver histological damage in patients with porphyria cutanea tarda led us to study hepatitis B and C viral infection which has a striking prevalence in southern Europe. We attempt here to expose different pathophysiological hypotheses: is viral hepatitis a triggering factor precipiting latent decreased uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase activity or does it directly induce the enzyme deficiency?


We surveyed Wisconsin veterinarians to assess the frequency and severity of accidental self- and other human exposure to Mycobacterium paratuberculosis bacterin (Johne's bacterin). Of 199 veterinarians administering the bacterin to cattle, 22 reported one or more exposures, including 19 needle-stick exposures, 8 skin surface exposures, and 2 oral mucosa exposures. The mean incidence of needle sticks was 5.5/100 veterinarians/year of bacterin use or 1/1,000 doses administered. The mean total doses given in the needle-stick exposure group was 276 +/- 318 vs 80 +/- 268 in the group without needle-stick exposure, and the mean number of months administering the bacterin was 21.7 and 16.1, respectively; 63% of needle-stick exposures took place during the injection process. Five adverse reactions were reported, and each resulted from needle-stick exposure. The only systemic reaction followed an exposure to the original bacterin formulation of sonically ruptured M paratuberculosis in Freund incomplete adjuvant. The remaining reactions were to the current formulation of whole killed M paratuberculosis in mineral oil and ranged from a small nodule persisting for 4 to 6 months to painful inflammation of a finger persisting for 24 months. We anticipate an increase in incidence of these minimally debilitating injuries as the use and distribution of the bacterin expands. For hand wounds, we recommend conservative management. Surgical intervention should be considered if a granuloma persists and causes the patient functional difficulty.


Abstract Background. With the increasing development of regional specialty centers, emergency physicians are often confronted with patients needing definitive care unavailable at their hospital. Interfacility transports (IFTs) may be a useful option to ensure timely, definitive patient care. However, since traditional IFT can be a challenging and time-consuming process, some EMS agencies that have previously limited their service to 9-1-1 emergency responses are now performing emergency IFTs. Objective. We sought to determine the frequency and nature of transfers provided by a local fire-based 9-1-1 EMS agency that recently began to provide limited IFT for time-critical emergencies. Methods. A retrospective review of paramedic reports for all IFTs between April 2007 and March 2014 in the City of Los Angeles, California. All IFTs initiated by 9-1-1 call from an emergency department (ED) and performed by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics were included. Reason for transfer, patient demographics, and key time metrics were captured. Results. There were 919 IFTs during the study period, out of approximately 1,160,000 total ambulance transports (0.1%). The most frequent reason for IFT request was for transport of patients with ST segment elevation MI (STEMI) to a STEMI receiving center, followed by major trauma to a trauma center, and intracranial hemorrhage to a center with neurosurgical capability. Less common reasons included vascular emergencies, acute stroke, obstetric emergencies, and transfers to pediatric critical care facilities. Median transport time was 8 minutes (IQR 6–13 minutes) and median total time for IFT was 51 minutes (IQR 39–69 minutes). All IFTs involved a potentially life-threatening condition requiring a higher level of care than was available at the referring hospital. Conclusions. Emergent ED-to-ED interfacility transport can provide access to time critical definitive care. EMS agencies that have limited the scope of their response to community 9-1-1 emergencies should have policies in place to assure timely response for emergent IFT requests.


The epidemiological trends that characterize our generation are the aging of the population. Aging results in a progressive loss of muscle mass and strength called sarcopenia, which is Greek for 'poverty of flesh'. Sarcopenia could lead to functional impairment, physical disability, and even mortality. Today, sarcopenia is a matter of immense public concern for aging prevention. Its prevalence continues to rise, probably as a result of increasing elderly populations all over the world. This paper addressed the definition and epidemiology of sarcopenia and its underlying pathophysiology. In addition, we summarized the abundant information available in the literature related to sarcopenia, together with results from Korean sarcopenic obesity study (KSOS) that we performed.


We study the infinite-horizon optimal control problem for N-network queueing systems, which consists of two customer classes and two server pools, under average (ergodic) criteria in the Halfin–Whitt regime. We consider three control objectives: (1) minimizing the queueing (and idleness) cost, (2) minimizing the queueing cost while imposing a constraint on idleness at each server pool, and (3) minimizing the queueing cost while requiring fairness on idleness. The running costs can be any nonnegative convex functions having at most polynomial growth. For all three problems, we establish asymptotic optimality; namely, the convergence of the value functions of the diffusion-scaled state process to the corresponding values of the controlled diffusion limit. We also present a simple state-dependent priority scheduling policy under which the diffusion-scaled state process is geometrically ergodic in the Halfin–Whitt regime, and some results on convergence of mean empirical measures, which facilitate the proofs.


In a modern power system with the increasing use of power electronics components, nonlinear loads connected to the grid cause power quality problems. To overcome the power quality problems, the parallel active power filter PAPF is used in power systems. In this study, the synchronous reference frame based a new control algorithm is proposed for the three-phase PAPF system. In the proposed control algorithm, synchronous reference frame SRF method and moving average filter MAF filter and space vector pulse width modulation SV-PWM technique are used to obtain low total harmonic distortion and high power factor. SRF method and MAF filter are used to calculate the reference current signal. SV-PWM technique is used to obtain the switching signals of active switches used in power filters. In the proposed algorithm, the number of measurements is reduced and performance is increased by using source ab currents and ab voltages without filter abc currents and abc voltages and load abc currents. Simulation studies of the proposed control algorithm have been tested using PSIM software. According to the simulation results, it is seen that the proposed control algorithm is more successful in eliminating the harmonics in the source current and compensating the reactive power than the other control method used in the literature. Keywords: Parallel active power filter, Space vector PWM, MAF filter, Power factor, Total harmonic distortion. DOI: 10.7176/JSTR/5-10-07


Temperature control algorithms in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are necessary to study isothermal systems. However, these thermostatting algorithms alter the velocities of the particles and thus modify the dynamics of the system with respect to the microcanonical ensemble, which could potentially lead to thermostat-dependent dynamical artifacts. In this study, we investigate how six well-established thermostat algorithms applied with different coupling strengths and to different degrees of freedom affect the dynamics of various molecular systems. We consider dynamic processes occurring on different times scales by measuring translational and rotational self-diffusion as well as the shear viscosity of water, diffusion of a small molecule solvated in water, and diffusion and the dynamic structure factor of a polymer chain in water. All of these properties are significantly dampened by thermostat algorithms which randomize particle velocities, such as the Andersen thermostat and Langevin dynamics, when strong coupling is used. For the solvated small molecule and polymer, these dampening effects are reduced somewhat if the thermostats are applied to the solvent alone, such that the solute's temperature is maintained only through thermal contact with solvent particles. Algorithms which operate by scaling the velocities, such as the Berendsen thermostat, the stochastic velocity rescaling approach of Bussi and co-workers, and the Nosé-Hoover thermostat, yield transport properties that are statistically indistinguishable from those of the microcanonical ensemble, provided they are applied globally, i.e. coupled to the system's kinetic energy. When coupled to local kinetic energies, a velocity scaling thermostat can have dampening effects comparable to a velocity randomizing method, as we observe when a massive Nose-Hoover coupling scheme is used to simulate water. Correct dynamical properties, at least those studied in this paper, are obtained with the Berendsen thermostat applied globally, despite the fact that it yields the wrong kinetic energy distribution.


When it comes to the right to deduct input tax, substance in principle takes precedence over form. The CJEU has already ruled several times that the fundamental principle of the neutrality of VAT requires that if the substantive conditions for the right of deduction are met, this right can be exercised even when certain formal conditions are not met. In this article the author addresses recent case law of the CJEU on the distinction between formal and substantive conditions for the exercise of the right of deduction and the right to refund. The following topics are addressed: (1) Incorrect or incomplete invoices, (2) mistakes and refunds under Directive 2008/9/EC, (3) including an asset in the business assets and (4) VAT deduction in the event of late filing of intra-Community acquisitions. The recent CJEU cases will be analysed in the light of previous and pending case law providing the reader with an overview of the current situation.
formality, substantive condition, deduction, refund, invoice, VAT fraud, business assets, intracommunity acquisition, neutrality principle, principle of proportionality


Pralatrexate is a second generation antifolate that targets dihydrofolate reductase. It was found to have a higher affinity to reduced folate carrier type 1 (RFC-1), the primary folate transporter, and has high intracellular retention via enhanced polyglutamylation. Mucositis, rather than bone marrow toxicity, is the dose limiting toxicity (DLT) in patients. In this study, we examine whether the use of leucovorin (folinic acid) can reduce pralatrexate DLT when used in mouse xenografts, and possibly enable high dose pralatrexate treatment. Nude mice bearing H2052 mesothelioma xenografts were treated with pralatrexate at normal and toxic doses with or without leucovorin administration 24 hours later. Tumors were measured three times weekly and toxicity monitored through weight loss. Leucovorin was found to abrogate pralatrexate toxicities at high doses without sacrificing efficacy. These results demonstrate that high dose pralatrexate with subsequent leucovorin rescue may be a viable treatment strategy in mesothelioma and other cancers.

Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):A266.

Citation Format: Philip M. Tedeschi, Iqra Farooqi, Yamini Kathari, Joseph R. Bertino. Leucovorin rescue of high dose pralatrexate in mesothelioma xenografts. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A266.


With the incisive pen of a newspaperman and the compassionate soul of a poet, Mike Royko was a Chicago institution who became, in Jimmy Breslin's words, "the best journalist of his time." Royko was by all accounts a difficult man, who would chew out his assistants every morning and retire to the Billy Goat Tavern every night. But his writing was magic. No one captured Chicago like Mike Royko. No one wrote with his honesty, his toughness, his passion, and his humor. In this, the first comprehensive biography of one of the most important Chicagoans of the century, Dick Ciccone, a long-time colleague and editor of Royko's at the Chicago Tribune, captures Royko at his best and at his worst. We see Royko on his tenth drink of the afternoon. We see him sweating over columns minutes before deadline. We see him romancing his wife and torturing his legmen. We see him barbequeing ribs and riffing on politicians. Mike Royko was a man of the people. With his keen sense of justice and his murderous pen, he became the most widely read columnist in Chicago history. His column was syndicated in more than 600 newspapers across the country. With 7500 columns spanning four decades, Royko's writing reflects a radically changing America. Royko not only tells the story of one of America's greatest newspapermen, but also explores the dramatic changes in journalism over the course of the twentieth century.


There are some components in materialism of "cultural evolution" in west fashionably, as a theory of cultural materialism, which could be criticized in studies of Chinese regional culture Some doctrines, such as cultural ecology, principle theorem of energy of cultural evolution, and new evolution, refer to historical materialism This relation is a basic angle of view to research both difference and sameness in Chinese regional culture


There is widespread evidence that the use of somatotropin or growth hormone to improve milk and pork production is safe. An independent committee appointed by The National Institutes of Health concluded that, "The evidence clearly indicates that the overall composition and nutritional quality of milk and meat from bST-treated cows is equal to that from untreated cows." Similarly, the FDA has concluded that the use of bST presents no increased health risk to consumers. In addition, there is compelling evidence to indicate that somatotropin poses no increased health risk to the ta rget animal. Thus, treatment of farm animals with somatotropin is not only an effective technology for increasing productive efficiency but one that poses no increased health risk for either the consumer or the target animal.


The purpose of this study is to develop a robust approach to obtain β glucans from Lentinus edodes and to characterize their structural and biological properties for sustainable utilization. The alkali extraction was optimized with an orthogonal experimental design, and a concise process for obtaining specific targeting polysaccharides from Lentinus edodes was developed in this study. After purification with a Q-Sepharose Fast Flow strong anion-exchange column, the monosaccharide composition, a methylation analysis, and NMR spectroscopy were employed for their structural characterizations. LeP-N2 was found to be composed of (1→6)-β-d-glucans with minor β-(1→3) glucosidic side chains. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and high-performance gel permeation chromatography–refractive index–multi-angle laser light scattering (HPGPC-RI-MALLS) also revealed LeP-N2 exhibiting a compact unit in aqueous solution. This (1→6)-β-d-glucan was tested for antioxidant activities with IC50 at 157 μg/mL. Moreover, RAW 264.7 macrophage activation indicated that the release of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were markedly increased with no cytotoxicity at a dose of 100 μg/mL. These findings suggest that the (1→6)-β-d-glucans obtained from Lentinus edodes could serve as potential agents in the fields of functional foods or medicine.


More than a decade after Argentina's socio-economic, political and financial collapse in the period 2001-2002, over two hundred recuperated factories currently operate under the direct control of workers. In many cases the recuperations were a direct response to the growing number of bankruptcies and plant closures in the face of deteriorating economic circumstances. The article revisits the workers' struggle and examines the specific socio-historical context that facilitated the emergence of Argentina's recuperated workplaces during the 1990s and in the aftermath of the country's crisis. It further analyzes the post-crisis policies of stabilization and outlines the movements' present situation. Finally, the document concludes by drawing on Gramsci's observations on factory occupations in post-war Italy and his reflections about the relationship between economic crisis, ideological struggle and social transformation.


Myhre syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant multisystemic disorder. Typical features of this disorder include distinctive facial appearance, deafness, intellectual disability, cardiovascular abnormalities, short stature, brachydactyly, and skeletal anomalies. Gain-of-function mutations in the SMAD4 gene are responsible for this syndrome. Herein, we present a 9.6-year-old Turkish girl with molecularly confirmed Myhre syndrome who had novel findings including bilateral Axenfield Rieger anomaly with secondary glaucoma and bilateral enlarged vestibular aqueducts.


Qwaqwa, the smallest Black homeland in South Africa with its 45 000 ha and a population of about 1,7 million living mostly outside the homeland, held its first general election in March 1975. The fact that under favourable conditions the homeland can accommodate only a fraction of its citizens raises a number of practical questions regarding the policy of separate development. The smallness of the territory also led to the adoption of an electoral system with a single list for all twenty vacancies in the legislative assembly. The result was that the victorious party won 19 out of the 20 seats. Alternative electoral systems can be considered in order to obtain proportionate representation of minority parties and groups. The majority of the members of the legislative assembly (viz. 40) are nominated by two tribal authorities in the homeland, representing the Batlokwa and Moplei (or Kwena) tribes respectively. The tribal division made a major contribution towards the formation of political parties prior to the election, and to the outcome of the election of a chief minister.


This paper describes a new architecture that explores time-based signal-processing concepts for testing LC-tank radio-frequency (RF) oscillator circuits, and in particular, quadrature oscillators, while relying on low-frequency digital test equipment. The proposed system has two inputs that are two step-like signals with a time separation that is externally controlled. The output of the system is an amplified and digitized time separation that is a function of the time separation between the applied input steps and the oscillator output frequency characteristics. Coarse time digitization circuits are used to read the output, from which the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator is deduced. A proof-of-concept circuit is designed and fabricated in a standard 0.18-μm CMOS process. Experimental results confirm the feasibility of the proposed approach, which is demonstrated in this work with the successful on-chip measurement of 1.5 and 1.7 GHz oscillation frequencies.


BACKGROUND
Anti-hypertensives that modify the renin angiotensin system may reduce Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and reduce the rate of disease progression.

OBJECTIVE
To conduct a phase II, two arm, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of losartan to test the efficacy of Reducing pathology in Alzheimer's Disease through Angiotensin TaRgeting (RADAR).

METHODS
Men and women aged at least 55 years with mild-to-moderate AD will be randomly allocated 100 mg encapsulated generic losartan or placebo once daily for 12 months after successful completion of a 2-week open-label phase and 2-week placebo washout to establish drug tolerability. 228 participants will provide at least 182 subjects with final assessments to provide 84% power to detect a 25% difference in atrophy rate (therapeutic benefit) change over 12 months at an alpha level of 0.05. We will use intention-to-treat analysis, estimating between-group differences in outcomes derived from appropriate (linear or logistic) multivariable regression models adjusting for minimization variables.

RESULTS
The primary outcome will be rate of whole brain atrophy as a surrogate measure of disease progression. Secondary outcomes will include changes to 1) white matter hyperintensity volume and cerebral blood flow; 2) performance on a standard series of assessments of memory, cognitive function, activities of daily living, and quality of life. Major assessments (for all outcomes) and relevant safety monitoring of blood pressure and bloods will be at baseline and 12 months. Additional cognitive assessment will also be conducted at 6 months along with safety blood pressure and blood monitoring. Monitoring of blood pressure, bloods, and self-reported side effects will occur during the open-label phase and during the majority of the post-randomization dispensing visits.

CONCLUSION
This study will identify whether losartan is efficacious in the treatment of AD and whether definitive Phase III trials are warranted.


It has beenestimated that Enterocytozoon bieneusi may account forbetween 6.5 and 27% of previously unexplained, chronicdiarrhea in AIDS patients (11, 13, 15). Although it wasformerly thought that Enterocytozoon bieneusi infects onlyenterocytes of the small bowel (8, 15), subsequent studiesindicate that it can also colonize the bile duct epithelium,


Essential for muscle fiber formation and hypertrophy, muscle stem cells, also called satellite cells, reside beneath the basal lamina of the muscle fiber. Satellite cells have been commonly localized by the expression of the Paired box 7 (Pax7) due to its specificity and the availability of antibodies in tetrapods. In fish, the identification of satellite cells remains difficult due to the lack of specific antibodies in most species. Based on the development of a highly sensitive in situ hybridization (RNAScope®) for pax7, we showed that pax7+ cells were detected in the undifferentiated myogenic epithelium corresponding to the dermomyotome at day 14 post-fertilization. Then, from day 24, pax7+ cells gradually migrated into the deep myotome and were localized along the muscle fibers and reach their niche in satellite position of the fibres after hatching. Our results showed that 18 days after muscle injury, a large number of pax7+ cells accumulated at the wound site compared to the uninjured area. During the in vitro differentiation of satellite cells, the percentage of pax7+ cells decreased from 44% to 18% on day 7, and some differentiated cells still expressed pax7. Taken together, these results show the dynamic expression of pax7 genes and the follow-up of these muscle stem cells during the different situations of muscle fiber formation in trout.


The numerical analysis results of arched constructions are considered taking into account creep of the material. A typical building material substantially exhibiting creep under long-term loading is concrete. As a basic model of concrete creep, a model of viscoelastic material was selected. The model was verified and calibrated on the experimental studies basis of concrete creep and in accordance with the requirements of regulatory documents. Numerical modeling of arches was carried out in the software environment of SIMULIA Abaqus.


Two new species of Chariergus White are described from Brazil: Chariergus caeruleus, from Bahia, Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo and C. paranaensis., from Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Ethemon brevicorne, sp. n. is described from Argentina (Cordoba). A key to species of Chariergus is added.


Lack of educational progress of Hispanics and other language minority students has very important implications for special education as these students are very likely to be referred for special services. Language minority students are overrepresented in programs for the learning disabled, and, with the exception of Asian students, are underrepresented in programs for the gifted and talented. With projections that one of every three Americans in this country will be a minority by the year 2,000, greater attention must be given to assuring that multicultural populations succeed in mainstream education and that procedures used to assess functioning levels and to recommend services reflect that those involved in the decision-making process understand how language and culture influence performance. Prereferral intervention attempts to deal with learning and behavior problems that might otherwise be inaccurately identified as disabilities. The anticipated outcomes of the implementation of prereferral strategies include: a reduction in the number of students perceived to be "at risk" by regular classroom teachers because of teacher's increased abilities to handle naturally occurring diversity of skills and characteristics of students in their classes; reduction of the number of students referred to special education; reduction of the number of students inappropriately labeled as handicapped; and improved student outcomes. Responses to the paper by Ann C. Willig and Sherry R. Migdal are appended. (VWL) *********************************************************************** AeproaucLions suppliea oy tbAS are the crest mat can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************


The Backup Placement problem in networks in the distributed setting considers a network graph G = (V, E), in which the goal of each vertex v ∈ V is selecting a neighbor, such that the maximum number of vertices in V that select the same vertex is minimized [9]. Previous backup placement algorithms suffer from obliviousness to main factors of heterogeneous wireless network. Specifically, there is no consideration of the nodes memory and storage capacities, and no reference to a case in which nodes have different energy capacity, and thus can leave (or join) the network at any time. These parameters are strongly correlated in wireless networks, as the load on different parts of the network can differ greatly, thus requiring more communication, energy, memory and storage. In order to fit the attributes of wireless networks, this work addresses a generalized version of the original problem, namely Backup K-Placement, in which each vertex selects K neighbors, for a positive parameter K. Our Backup K-Placement algorithm terminates within just one round. In addition we suggest two complementary algorithms which employ Backup K-Placement to obtain efficient virtual memory schemes for wireless networks. The first algorithm divides the memory of each node to many small parts. Each vertex is assigned the memories of a large subset of its neighbors. Thus more memory capacity for more vertices is gained, but with much fragmentation. The second algorithm requires greater round-complexity, but produces larger virtual memory for each vertex without any fragmentation.


Recently a technique for extending general relativity called algebraic extension was shown to yield only five classes of gravitational theories (general relativity plus four extensions). The particle spectra of these theories are analysed and it is shown that only one of these extensions is ghost free. Two inequivalent theories are shown to result from this extension at the linearised level. One of these is the linearised version of Moffat's theory of gravitation (1979) the other is a new theory which possesses an additional gauge invariance which has been associated with a closed string.


A high cholesterol diet is known to promote the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in arteries, leading to coronary heart disease. However, there are four monogenic diseases in which plasma cholesterol increases independently of diet due to defects in liver LDL receptors, which fail to clear cholesterol-carrying LDLs from plasma. In a lively and informative Perspective,
 Brown and Goldstein
 discuss the newest member of the cholesterol disease quartet, autosomal recessive hypercholesterolemia (ARH), and speculate how mutations in the ARH protein could lead to defective functioning of liver LDL receptors.


A 29-year-old nulliparous woman was diagnosed with ovotesticular disorder of sex development (DSD) based on postoperative histopathological findings after undergoing unilateral gonadectomy at the age of 6 years; later (age of 8 years), she had also undergone vulvoplasty and vaginoplasty. Her karyotype was 46, XX. She had dyspareunia because of a narrow vagina, but had a normal uterus and left gonad.Spontaneous ovulation was confirmed, but sexual intercourse was impossible because of dyspareunia despite performing vaginal self-dilatation using a vaginal dilator. Artificial insemination was initiated; however, five cycles failed to yield a viable pregnancy. We decided to perform in vitro fertilization (IVF), which resulted in conception. To reduce her distress during IVF because of insufficient lumen expansion following vaginoplasty, we administered adequate intravenous anesthesia before oocyte collection. The patient delivered a healthy male infant weighing 2,558 g at 37 weeks of gestation via cesarean section, which was performed because of gestational hypertension. This is the eighth report of a viable neonate born from a patient with ovotesticular DSD following gonadectomy and the first such pregnancy achieved by IVF. Therefore, IVF seems to be an effective option for infertile patients with ovotesticular DSD. Additionally, self-management of the plastic vagina is important during the peri- and postoperative periods of early vaginoplasty to prevent dyspareunia.


The p-n heterostructures of CuO-Ga2O3 obtained by magnetron sputtering technology in a fully reactive mode (deposition in pure oxygen) were tested under exposure to low acetone concentrations. After deposition, the films were annealed at previously confirmed conditions (400 °C/4 h/synthetic air) and further investigated by utilization of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The gas-sensing behavior was tested in the air/acetone atmosphere in the range of 0.1–1.25 ppm, as well as at various relative humidity (RH) levels (10–85%). The highest responses were obtained for samples based on the CuO-Ga2O3 (4% at. Ga).


Previous studies have shown that aberrant arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism, especially cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-Lox) pathways, are activated during oral carcinogenesis, and can be targeted for cancer prevention. This study was designed to investigate the importance of 5-Lox/leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H) pathway of AA metabolism in 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced hamster cheek pouch carcinogenesis. In a short-term study, topical application of DMBA for 3 weeks induced severe inflammation and aberrant AA metabolism. Subsequent topical treatment with zileuton, celecoxib, or their combination for 1 week significantly suppressed aberrant AA metabolism and cell proliferation in the oral epithelium. Interestingly, zileuton was effective in inhibiting biosynthesis of multiple AA metabolites, including leukotriene B4 (LTB4), 5-, 12-, 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), while celecoxib only suppressed PGE2 biosynthesis significantly at a high dose. In a long-term carcinogenesis study topical application of LTB4 or PGE2 enhanced oral carcinogenesis by increasing the incidence and volume of visible tumors, and the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). To further examine the role of LTB4 in oral carcinogenesis, two LTA4H inhibitors, bestatin and SA6541, were evaluated in a long-term chemoprevention experiment. Both agents significantly inhibited SCC, and such an inhibition correlated with reduced levels of LTB4 in hamster cheek pouch. In summary, our studies have demonstrated that 5-Lox/LTA4H pathway is one of the major AA-metabolizing pathways involved in DMBA-induced oral carcinogenesis in hamsters, and may be targeted for chemoprevention.


This case is based on research conducted in the context of teacher education and training in Vietnam, which employed narrative inquiry in combination with a self-rated English language proficiency survey and semi-structured interviews to explore the perceptions of Vietnamese primary and secondary English as a foreign language teachers regarding their English proficiency in comparison with the standard mandated by the Ministry of Education and Training, their attitudes toward English proficiency development, and the characteristics of their language practice. The survey collected responses from 298 in-service English as a foreign language teachers participating in professional development courses in four provinces of Northern Vietnam. A total of 42 teachers were then selected for the semi-structured interviews on a voluntary and availability basis. Of these participants, five were chosen and then repeatedly interviewed using narrative inquiry techniques over a 10-week period. The case promotes the use of narrative inquiry, justifies and illustrates the process of incorporating it into the research design, and suggests frameworks for narrative data collection and analysis. Narrative inquiry is a qualitative methodology based on the premise that we make sense of our lives through narratives and uses storytelling to uncover the issues which may not be captured by other methods. This approach emphasizes the collaborative aspect of research between researcher and participants over time in a socio-cultural context and allows for a rich description of these experiences and an exploration of the meanings that participants derive from their experiences.


Multilayered CrN/SiNx coatings are formed using the method of magnetron sputtering by the sequential sputtering of Cr and Si3N4 targets upon a variation in the thickness of an individual layer from 2 to 5 nm at a substrate temperature of 450°C. X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrates that multilayered CrN/SiNx coatings consist of nanocrystalline CrN layers with the preferred orientation (002) and amorphous SiNx layers. The lattice parameters of the metal nitride phase for the CrN/SiNx films are greater than for monolytic CrN layers. As wavelength dispersive Xray spectrometry of the film composition and scanning electron microscopy of the surface have shown, the multilayered CrN/SiNx coatings are more resistant to high-temperature oxidation (in the temperature range of 400–950°C) in comparison with the CrN coatings. This resistance does not essentially depend on the ratio of the thickness of the CrN individual layer to that of the SiNx individual layer. The stability of CrN/SiNx system is compared with the earlier obtained results for ZrN/SiNx system. In general, CrN/SiNx coatings are significantly more stable than ZrN/SiNx coatings under the conditions of high-temperature oxidation.


This study gives detailed proofs of some limit theorems in probability which are important in theoretical and applied probability,
The general introduction contains definitions and theorems that are basic tools of the later development. Included in this first chapter is material concerning normal distributions and characteristic functions, The second chapter introduces lower and upper bounds of the ratio of the binomial distribution to the normal distribution., Then these bound are used to prove the local Deioivre-Laplace limit theorem. The third chapter includes proofs of the central limit theorems for identically distributed and non-identically distributed random variables,


There is a desire amongst nursing faculty to effectively teach the process of nursing, and to have a meaningful context in which to disseminate this information. The use of an educational theory as a guide to nursing faculty in teaching the practice of nursing, specifically the NCLEX categories is demonstrated. Applying the ARCS Motivational Theory to the teaching of nursing practice using the NCLEX categories as a format is a way to demonstrate the categories, process, and relevance of the model. The separate categories of the NCLEX are outlined and addressed.


Background/aim: Rheumatism is a chronic auto-immune disease, which can be divided into three categories: inflammatory rheumatism, osteoarthritis and soft tissue rheumatism. Rheumatism leads to pain, stiffness, fatigue and degradation of the bone and the cartilage, but eventually also leads into distortions and position change. The symptoms that rheumatoid arthritis patients experience are often treated through medication. However, not all patients are adherent. The effectiveness of the treatment is limited because this non adherence. Due to of conflicting results that are pointed out in the literature, the aim of the present study is to find out how big non adherence is in patients with inflammatory rheumatism and which variables exist to predict non adherence.
Methods: Arthritis patients from two hospitals in the Netherlands were asked to participate in the study by completing a questionnaire. In total, 519 questionnaire were completed and send back. The questionnaire consists questions on (non)adherence, sociodemographic factors, disease-related factors, psychosocial characteristics of the patient and the doctor-patient relationship. The patients were divided into two groups, adherent or nonadherent, and the differences between these groups were tested by a Mann-Whitney U-test or a Chi-square test.
Results: This study shows that almost one on five patients is nonadherent (19%). Significant differences appear for the variables age and informedness: patients in the nonadherent group were significant younger and were less informed about their treatment. The percentage nonadherent patients who take Sulfasalazine is higher than the percentage on other medicines. For all the other variables tested, the differences do not differ significantly, and therefore have no predictive value for nonadherence for patients with inflammatory rheumatism.
Conclusions: Adherence is essential for effective treatment of rheumatoid. The findings indicate a need for interventions to counter further nonadherence and should focus on the risk group: a younger patients who is less informed. Further research should point out the effects of these interventions.


Abstract Post-stroke depression (PSD) has become a prominent negative factor of stroke recovery. Different etiological mechanisms may be involved, and there forms two major hypotheses: biological hypothesis and psychological hypothesis. Biological hypothesis included four mechanisms: lesion location mechanism, neurotransmitters mechanism, inflammatory cytokines mechanism and gene polymorphism mechanism. As for lesion location, the specific location of a lesion (e.g., basal ganglia or left frontal lobe lesions) played an important role in the etiology of PSD. For neurotransmitters, decreased serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain were associated with PSD. In inflammatory cytokines, increased cytokines [including interleukin (IL) 1β, IL-18, tumor necrosis factor α] after stroke lead to depression. For gene polymorphism, there was significant association between serotonin transporter gene-linked promoter region short variant genotype and post-stroke major depression. Psychological hypothesis suggested that social and psychological stressors associated with stroke may be the primary cause of depression. Up to now, there is no definitive evidence to support or refute either a solely biological or solely psychosocial mechanism. It appears to be a kind of biopsychosocial multifactorial mental illness.


Finger vein, as a biological characteristic of individual, has been increasingly utilized for personal identification in advanced security applications. Nonetheless, the finger-vein images always are low in quality, which seriously affect the vein-feature extraction and classification. Hence, establishing a reasonable finger-vein enhancement strategy is indispensable in reality. In this paper, an improved approach, incorporating directional decomposition and Frangí filtering, is proposed to enhance finger veins. First, background subtraction is processed to improve image contrast and eliminate uneven illumination. Then, the vein information as ridge-like directional characters in image is detected by directional filter bank and enhanced through Frangí filtering after noise removal. Finally, the enhanced images are obtained from enhanced directional images using a finer reconstruction rule. Experimental results show that the proposed approach is much more effective and robust in enhancing finger-vein images.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, microbiology and outcomes of patients of all ages with Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis two years pre- and postintroduction of a S pneumoniae 7-valent conjugate vaccine program in Alberta in children <2 years of age.

METHODS
Between 2000 and 2004, all cases of invasive pneumococcal disease in Alberta were identified. From this cohort, patients with S pneumoniae meningitis were identified by chart review. Clinical data, laboratory data and in-hospital outcomes were collected.

RESULTS
Of the 1768 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease identified between 2000 and 2004, 110 (6.2%) had S pneumoniae meningitis. The overall incidence was 0.7 per 100,000 persons and remained unchanged over the study period. The rate in children <2 years of age appeared to fall over time, from 10.5 per 100,000 persons in 2000 to five per 100,000 persons in 2004, although there was insufficient evidence of a statistically significant time trend within any age group. Overall, the mean age was 30 years and 47% were male. In-hospital mortality was 20%, ranging from 6% in those ≤2 years of age to 31% for those ≥18 years of age, despite appropriate antimicrobial therapy.

CONCLUSION
The high mortality rate associated with S pneumoniae meningitis suggests that prevention by vaccination is critical. In children <2 years of age, there was a downward trend in the rate of S pneumoniae meningitis after implementation of the S pneumoniae 7-valent conjugate vaccine program, but rates were still high.


Histamine production was studied during controlled tunafish decomposition at 0, 8, and 20°C. The influence of the location of the anatomic section on the amount of histamine formed and the incidence of histidine decarboxylating bacteria were also considered. By the time of sensory rejection, histamine levels in tunafish sections stored at 0 and 20°C were still below the hazard levels and the allowable levels established by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Union. Toxic amounts were only formed after the tunafish was considered organoleptically unsuitable for human consumption. However, at 8°C, levels of histamine between 100 and 200 mg/l00 g of fish were found before tuna reached the rejection point. Hence, physical appearance was not a good criterion for estimating the shelf life and especially the histamine-related health hazard when tuna was stored at 8°C, a common temperature in many home refrigerators.


This study with grazing beef cows on the range was designed to explore the possibility of determining incremental energy expenditure (EE) in standing, traveling, and grazing relative to that in lying down, by means of continuous monitoring of EE, location, and activity by the heart-rate method, with Global Positioning System (GPS) collars, and by motion sensors in the GPS collars, respectively. Cows were observed on Mediterranean foothill rangeland covered with herbaceous vegetation through 4 seasons of the year. There were 2 stocking rate treatments, and 14 statistical models were evaluated, including one that was a stepwise model. Total daily EE (TEE) was affected by many interdependent factors apart from activity, including season, stocking rate, herbage quality, standing biomass, and reproductive state of the cow. Each model included all activity variables, plus some of the other factors. Across seasons and treatments TEE, in kJ/(kg of BW(0.75) . d), ranged from 469 in densely stocked, nonlactating cows in June to 1,092 in sparsely stocked, lactating cows in April. The cows' daily vertical and horizontal movements ranged from 75 to 174 m and from 1.5 to 4.2 km, respectively. Within a day, time spent traveling (without grazing) ranged from 0 to 32 min, and grazing time ranged from 4.4 to 12.1 h. Cows spent less time grazing (P < 0.001) in the summer, when herbage quality was low, than in winter and spring. Relative to the baseline EE while lying down, the daily increment incurred by grazing ranged from 13 to 48 kJ/(kg of BW(0.75) . d), and that incurred by grazing, standing, and traveling combined ranged from 38 to 74 kJ/(kg of BW(0.75) . d) or 5.8 to 11.4% of TEE. In conclusion, the estimates of activity costs yielded by 11 of the models were similar to one another, whereas those yielded by the stepwise model and the remaining 2 models were 20% smaller. The cost of grazing activity was estimated to be 6.14 J/(kg of BW(0.75) . m), and that of locomotion during grazing was 6.07 J/(kg of BW(0.75) . m), which agree with values obtained for animals and humans by means of a treadmill. The experimental and statistical approach tested here yielded fairly reliable estimations of energy costs of activities in grazing cows.


Davey's companion to surgery in Africa, 2nd edn edited by Adelola Adeloye (1987 pp 486 £40 Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone) This book when it came out was a godsend to any surgeon planning to practise in Africa. It was essential reading, covering as it did, those aspects of surgery which were likely to be unfamiliar to those trained in Britain or other countries of the Western world. In its pages one could gain advice about the management of such diverse conditions as Burkitt's lymphoma, sickle cell disease, cancrum oris, pyomyositis tropicans, Kaposi's sarcoma, tropical ulcer, mycetoma, keloid, elephantiasis and a host of other conditions. The reviewer was very much indebted to the book for shepherding him through his early years in Africa. The second edition has been long awaited, and has now come out. It boasts new chapters on salivary gland tumours, gastrointestinal tuberculosis and conditions of the appendix. Scarcely a chapter has escaped considerable revision, with large numbers of recent references. There has been, of course, a price to pay. Thus, whereas the previous edition had a detailed description of external urethrotomy for impassable urethral stricture, the advent of newer but very complex staged operations to cure stricture has meant that the text contains less detailed practical advice and more references to operations whose details must be gleaned elsewhere. Urethrotomy has been 'pruned' from the text. Happily there are good references at the end of each chapter, and the isolated surgeon can usually get copies of the important monographs by writing to the WHO library in Geneva if nowhere else. Some chapters are disappointing in not having been brought up-to-date. Thus the chapter on cancrum oris does not help with references to the modern myocutaneous flaps that can so transform the operative armamentarium, and is little different from the original chapter. As one would expect, there is a large chapter on leprosy. Understandably perhaps, this gives little guidance on drug treatment and the use of combinations of drugs, concentrating as it does on more 'surgical' aspects, although the reviewer was a little disappointed. It was also sad to note the continued use of the term 'leper' in the pages. On the whole the book appears to recommend simpler operations where these are expected to be safer than operations commonly performed in more sophisticated surroundings. Thus in chronic empyema skin flap and Schede's thoracoplasty are recommended in preference to the more dangerous and difficult (yet otherwise satisfactory) decortication procedure, and this is probably wise although decortication is given a mention. Radiotherapy is available in an increasing number of African countries now, and so gets increasing mention Tropical Doctor, January 1989


ABSTRACT This piece is an imagined email correspondence between three renowned international relations scholars, E. H. Carr, Hedley Bull and Coral Bell, who are discussing the Australian 2016 Defence White Paper. The purpose of such an exercise is to reflect on the 'big-picture' international relations questions posed by what might otherwise be thought of as a relatively technical defence policy document. In particular, the correspondence between the three focuses on the central importance of the White Paper's assumptions of a 'rules-based global order' and the relationship between this order and US power. In their time, all three authors spoke directly to questions of power, law and order in their scholarly work, which had been deeply influenced, in all three cases, by periods spent working at the 'coalface' of these issues in government in Britain and Australia. As such, Carr, Bull and Bell have much to say about how Australia is positioning itself for a post-unipolar world.


Learning with few samples is a major challenge for parameter-rich models like deep networks. In contrast, people learn complex new concepts even from very few examples, suggesting that the sample complexity of learning can often be reduced. Many approaches to few-shot learning build on transferring a representation from well-sampled classes, or using meta learning to favor architectures that can learn with few samples. Unfortunately, such approaches often struggle when learning in an online way or with non-stationary data streams. Here we describe a new approach to learn with fewer samples, by using additional information that is provided per sample. Specifically, we show how the sample complexity can be reduced by providing semantic information about the relevance of features per sample, like information about the presence of objects in a scene or confidence of detecting attributes in an image. We provide an improved generalization error bound for this case. We cast the problem of using per-sample feature relevance by using a new ellipsoid-margin loss, and develop an online algorithm that minimizes this loss effectively. Empirical evaluation on two machine vision benchmarks for scene classification and fine-grain bird classification demonstrate the benefits of this approach for few-shot learning.


An implicit kinetic scheme is proposed to solve the stationary phonon Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) for multiscale heat transfer problem. Compared to the conventional discrete ordinate method, the present method employs a macroscopic equation to accelerate the convergence in the diffusive regime. The macroscopic equation can be taken as a moment equation for phonon BTE. The heat flux in the macroscopic equation is evaluated from the nonequilibrium distribution function in the BTE, while the equilibrium state in BTE is determined by the macroscopic equation. These two processes exchange information from different scales, such that the method is applicable to the problems with a wide range of Knudsen numbers. Implicit discretization is implemented to solve both the macroscopic equation and the BTE. In addition, a memory reduction technique, which is originally developed for the stationary kinetic equation, is also extended to phonon BTE. Numerical comparisons show that the present scheme can predict reasonable results both in ballistic and diffusive regimes with high efficiency, while the memory requirement is on the same order as solving the Fourier law of heat conduction. The excellent agreement with benchmark and the rapid converging history prove that the proposed macro-micro coupling is a feasible solution to multiscale heat transfer problems.


Abstract. A digital halftone of blue noise characteristics is preferred as dots in the halftone of a constant input should be isotropically and homogeneously distributed. In practice, the placement of dots is constrained by a sampling grid and hence aliasing happens when the input gray level is in the middle range. To solve this problem, Lau et al. suggested replacing isolated dots by dot clusters to maintain the principal frequency of the output to be 1/2 when this happens. However, this model does not take into account that due to the stochastic nature of the dot distribution there is a considerable amount of energy distributed around the principal frequency and it causes aliasing problems even when the principal frequency of the output is 1/2. Here, we present a new noise model that takes this factor into account. A halftoning algorithm is then proposed to generate halftones that satisfy the new noise model. By comparing its performance with that of some other algorithms that are proposed based on the traditional blue noise model and Lau et al.'s noise model, one can see that the proposed noise model can be a better model to describe the noise characteristics of a high-quality halftone.


The present study compared the semantic processing of pictures and words by dyslexics to that of typical readers utilizing the electro-physiological (ERP) technique during a semantic categorization decision task. ERPs of 40 university students, 20 typical readers and 20 dyslexic readers were recorded while they participated in a categorization decision task. The subjects were presented with two kinds of stimuli—words and pictures. Results revealed longer reaction times in response to words as compared to pictures in both groups. Electrophysiological measures revealed differences in amplitudes and latencies of ERP components in addition to differences in the mean activity. The results illustrated that the differences between processing words and processing pictures were manifested in timing and in the brain areas involved in the tasks. It also illustrated that although dyslexic and typical readers displayed equal ability to read and understand familiar words, dyslexics could not perform as quickly as typical readers. The semantic domain may be one of the compensatory mechanisms which help compensated dyslexic readers reach and succeed in the higher education system.


One of the most challenging tasks for network utilities is to reduce costs and improve reliability at the same time. In order to manage the task successfully advanced IT-solutions are needed providing reliability analysis as part of the planning process. This paper presents advanced reliability analysis for distribution network. A sophisticated failure rate model has been developed based on failure statistics of the network and engineer judgement. Practical fault management process and statistics has been analyzed in order to model the customer outage times in different fault situations. Outage cost model for different customer groups are used in order to reach financial results by the analysis. The practical implementation and some demonstration studies are presented in the end of the paper.


The purpose of this study is examination relationship between manager's personality types and their effectiveness in Elementary Schools Yasouj. This study is descriptive and its correlation nature is descriptive and inferential. Statistical society consists of managers of both public and private primary school for boys and girls in Yasouj that their number in 2014-2015 academic years is 104 schools according to the Office of Education report. Due to the limited number of directors whole counting method was used to collect data and questionnaires were distributed among all managers. In this study, two types of questionnaires were used. Myers- Briggs type indicator (MBTI) questionnaires that applies four personality dimensions to identify sixteen personality traits, these four personality dimensions are extraversion vs. introversion (E-I), sensory versus intuitive or no sensory (S-N), thinking vs. feeling (T-F), and Judgments against Perceived (J-P).The second questionnaire consisted of 30 questions and has been developed based on Dr. Ali Alagheband's questionnaire about behavioral characteristics of effective managers and manager's effectiveness questionnaire of Dr. Mohammad Hassan Pardakhtchi. Results showed that managers who have (ESTJ) and (ISTJ) personality have high efficiency, managers who have (ESTP) personality have average efficiency and managers who have (ISTP) personality have low efficiency.


In this work, the dose response of a methacrylic acid based gel dosimeter containing different concentrations of gelatin is examined to clarify the role of gelatin in the polymerization process. Direct temperature monitoring of the gel throughout the irradiation process is adopted as the method. In addition, to investigate the function of gelatin on polymerization, another experiments are performed after replacing gelatin with some acids. From the results, it is concluded that gelatin is an indispensable component in the polymerization reaction which acts as a "trigger", and that the peptide structure in gelatin also assumes an important role.


In this paper, we show that the combination of different characterization techniques based on the photoconductivity of hydrogenated amorphous silicon can be a tool to investigate on the density of states and transport parameters of this material. We insist mainly on two techniques in which one records a photocurrent resulting from the movement of an interference grating onto a sample. We describe the experimental set-ups and provide a theoretical explanation of the observed behaviors of these photocurrents. We demonstrate that a density of state spectroscopy can be done with these techniques. Additionally, comparing this spectroscopy to that performed with modulated photocurrent experiment, we show that it is possible to derive a good order of magnitude estimate of the electron capture coefficient of the conduction band tail states as well as the electronic extended states mobility. The derived parameters are compared with previous results.


Digital objects or entities present us with particular problems of an acute nature. The most acute of these are the issues surrounding what constitutes identity within the digital world and between digital entities. These are problems that are important in many contexts but, when dealing with digital texts, documents, and certification, an understanding of them becomes vital legally, philosophically, and historically. Legally, the central issues are those of authorship, authenticity, and ownership; philosophically, we must be concerned with the sorts of logical relations that hold between objects and in determining the ontological nature of the object; and historically, our concern centers around our interest in chronology and the recording of progress, adaptation, change, and provenance. Our purpose is to emphasize why questions of digital identity matter and how we might address and respond to some of them. We will begin by examining the lines along which we draw a distinction between the digital and the physical context and how, by importing notions of transitivity and symmetry from the domain of mathematical logic, we might attempt to provide at least interim resolutions of these questions.


--The Recognition of Objects is considered as difficult one in Image Processing. It includes recognition of face,iris,cars,airplanes,etc.For object recognition, many neural networks in FPGA have been proposed. But these neural network methods have high computational complexity with high computation time and also reduce the number of images recognized per second in object recognition. Hierarchical Model and X model (HMAX model) is a biologically inspired model which is used to improve above all complexities in old methods. This literature survey, discusses all the existing neural networkmethods in FPGA and their performance. Keywords--FPGA,HMAX model,Object Recognition.


The effects of focused intention have nonetheless been studied using both physical (Jahn and Dunne, 1986) and biological systems (Braud, 1989), and is often referred to respectively as psychokinesis (PK) and Bio-PK. A parallel investigation of conscious intention on biological systems falls under the auspices of healing research where investigators have demonstrated that various types of healers can produce biological effect (Benor, 1990). A third line of investigation involves the study of Chi-Gong practitioners who can also influence biological systems. Most of these studies, however, are phenomenological and are only intended to demonstrate an energetic communication between the practitioner and the biological target. In most healing experiments the intention of the practitioner is to "heal" or normalize the pathological situation.


abstract Ultrasonic, seismic-model experiments have been performed to re-examine the nature of head waves from a transition layer. Two-dimensional, layered structures, some with a transition zone and some with a sharp discontinuity, constructed by lead-aluminum laminations have served as the models. Amplitude and phase responses have been measured in a frequency range of 25 kHz to 200 kHz. At low frequencies, where the wavelength is much longer than the thickness of the transition zone, little difference is observed between head waves from a transition zone and those from a sharp discontinuity. At a certain frequency range where the wavelength is close to the thickness of the transition zone, the measured head-wave amplitude from a transition zone becomes a few times larger than that from a sharp discontinuity. This is characteristic of head waves from a poorly defined boundary and may be used to estimate the thickness of a general transition layer. A sharp, high-frequency cutoff is again observed, but the cutoff frequency is not consistent with previous studies.


Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) is an extremely abundant protein in the brain where, remarkably, it is estimated to make up 1–5% of total neuronal protein. Although it comprises only 223 amino acids it has one of the most complicated 3D knotted structures yet discovered. Beyond its expression in neurons UCH-L1 has only very limited expression in other healthy tissues but it is highly expressed in several forms of cancer. Although UCH-L1 is classed as a deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB) the direct functions of UCH-L1 remain enigmatic and a wide array of alternative functions has been proposed. UCH-L1 is not essential for neuronal development but it is absolutely required for the maintenance of axonal integrity and UCH-L1 dysfunction is implicated in neurodegenerative disease. Here we review the properties of UCH-L1, and how understanding its complex structure can provide new insights into its roles in neuronal function and pathology.


Pregnancy-block after exposure of recently inseminated females to strange males was studied in mice of the Q strain. In one series of experiments the incidence of blocked pregnancy was very low. This strain displayed a normal increase in the frequency of oestrus when the females were exposed to males, hence the low pregnancy-block rate could not be attributed to anosmia. In other experiments, Q females displayed a high incidence of pregnancy-block after a period of adaptation. The initial low rate of pregnancy-block was evidently due to disturbance resulting from unaccustomed daily handling during the test.


In many developing countnes, llmitlng factors for development of sustalnable production
systems Include varlabll~ty In agroecologlcal and soclo-econom~c cond~tlons, poor access to
gec-referenced data and lnformatlon, and poor relatlonshlp between the civil soclety,
researchers and decls~on makers Working wlth Interactwe Development Scenarios (IDS)
models may provlde a way to plan (agr~cultural)d evelopment Thls tool can Integrate results of
vanous methods that asslst In land use plannlng Nlne methods are bnefly discussed and
evaluated All methods depend on reliable baslc data, but many drsplay Inadequate plannlng
procedures, statlc approaches and neglect of soclo-economlc aspects Therefore, an
alternative methodology "Land Use Systems Analysls (LUSA)" 1s belng presented It alms to
cover the successful management of resources to satisfy changlng human needs wlthout
degrading the envlronment or the natural resource base Components and the functlonlng of
land use systems are analysed In flve steps, In an ~nterdlsclpllnaryw ay, to glve quantlfled and
clear altematlve land use optlons on different scales Based on thls approach, ICRISAT has
started In 1996 a joint research project based on thls approach with NARS In Mall. Burkina
Faso and Nlger, entitled "Exploltlng multi-scale varlablllty of land use systems to Improve
natural resource management In the Sudano-Sahellan zone of West Afnca (MUSCLUS)" Four
levels of scale are dlstlngulshed agro-ecological zone, dlstnct, village land, and household Its
goals and expected outputs are presented In thls paper


The diagnostic efficacy of some tubeless screening tests was examined in chronic pancreatitis patients with different degrees of pancreatic insufficiency. Results of the Pancreolauryl and Lipiodol tests were equal in the same patients. Sensitivity of the Lipiodol test, starch tolerance test and PABA test was 80%, 90% and 57%, respectively. Specificities were 48%, 57% and 100%. Sensitivity increased considerably when two tubeless tests were used in combination: 99% and 90% of patients had at last one abnormal result with starch tolerance + Lipiodol and PABA + Lipiodol tests, respectively. The specificity did not change significantly. Combination of tubeless tests seems to be useful for screening of mild and moderate pancreatic diseases because false negative results of single tests caused possibly by non-parallel enzyme secretion can be avoided.


This paper presents a novel dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) scheme, called SLICT, for service level agreeable EPON. To guarantee the upper bound of maximum polling interval, we introduce sliding cycle time constraint. A new concept of shared time and remnant time is used to calculate extended bandwidth allocation. For service level agreeable EPON, we propose a design method to support multiple services such as fixed, guaranteed and extended bandwidth service. We show that simple remnant time management based on greedy contention guarantees steady state fairness. Simulation results show that proposed scheme outperforms existing schemes in aspects of throughput, delay, loss, and average queue size under self similar traffic.


The Perspective Reformulation (PR) of a Mixed-Integer NonLinear Program with semicontinuous variables is obtained by replacing each term in the (separable) objective function with its convex envelope. Solving the corresponding continuous relaxation requires appropriate techniques. Under some rather restrictive assumptions, the Projected PR (PR) can be defined where the integer variables are eliminated by projecting the solution set onto the space of the continuous variables only. This approach produces a simple piecewise-convex problem with the same structure as the original one; however, this prevents the use of general-purpose solvers, in that some variables are then only implicitly represented in the formulation. We show how to construct an Approximated Projected PR (APR) whereby the projected formulation is "lifted" back to the original variable space, with each integer variable expressing one piece of the obtained piecewise-convex function. In some cases, this produces a reformulation of the original problem with exactly the same size and structure as the standard continuous relaxation, but providing substantially improved bounds. In the process we also substantially extend the approach beyond the original PR development by relaxing the requirement that the objective function be quadratic and the left endpoint of the domain of the variables be non-negative. While the APR bound can be weaker than that of the PR, this approach can be applied in many more cases and allows direct use of off-the-shelf MINLP software; this is shown to be competitive with previously proposed approaches in some applications.


The choice of travel mode is dependent not only on attitudes, demographic aspects and socioeconomic factors, but also on conditions linked with the particular journey, such as weather and road conditions, distance and journey time. How do people travel in the winter? What factors govern the choice of travel mode? These are some of the questions that are of relevance for municipalities, for example, who need to distribute operating and maintenance costs between roads, paths and cycleways. This project is divided into three segments. The report describes the results from the questionnaire study, analyses of data from the bus card payment machines and completed and evaluated road user counts. The study aims at increasing knowledge of those factors that are important in the choice of travel mode, i.e. the factors controlling redistribution of travel mode. It also aims at studying the importance of road conditions and weather in determining choice of travel mode during the winter. (A) This report is also available via Internet at http://www.vti.se/pdf/reports/M921.pdf


Many benefits can be derived from in situ monitoring of the growth, load response, and condition of human bone. In particular, bone monitoring offers opportunity to advance understanding and designing of osseointegrated mechanical components fixated into bones such as artificial joints and more recently osseointegrated prosthetic limbs. In this study, a bio-compatible wireless inductive strain-sensing system is proposed, which is designed to monitor the growth and strain response of bone-hosting implants. Thin-film circuit fabrication methods based on lithography are adopted to develop a conformable wireless strain sensor designed as a passive resistive–inductive–capacitive circuit. Two forms of strain sensing are designed into the thin-film sensor. First, parallel-plate capacitors fabricated from metal electrodes and a polyimide dielectric layer are introduced to modulate bone strain onto a resonant frequency of the thin-film sensor. A second resonant frequency is introduced in the sensor design to measure circumferential bone growth using a highly nonlinear titanium-resistive element, whose resistance exponentially increases well after 1000 µε under monotonic increasing hoop strain. To ensure the possibility for implantation in animal subjects in future study, the thin-film sensing system is fabricated using mainly bio-compatible polymers (e.g. polyimide) and metals (e.g. titanium and gold). Fabricated prototypes inductively coupled using an impedance analyzer are experimentally tested. Results reveal linear response of the first resonant frequency to low levels of strain with a sensitivity of 4.555 Hz per unit microstrain. The second resonant frequency is sensitive to the resistive fuse with nonlinear fuse behavior initiated above 1000 µε and impedance phase increasing exponentially thereafter.


In the title compound, C23H22N2, the dihedral angle between the methylbenzene groups is 77.62 (6)°, and the dihedral angle between the envelope-shaped pyrazole ring [in which one C atom displaced by 0.109 (1) Å from the mean plane of the other four atoms] and the phenyl ring is 17.57 (7)°. The dihedral angles between the phenyl ring and the two methylbenzene rings are 13.24 (6) and 81.02 (7)°. In the crystal, weak C—H⋯π interactions link the molecules.


In this paper, the origins of second‐order Cybernetics are sketched, and are particularly identified with circularity: a quality that was at the basis of the studies that lead to the creation of the field of Cybernetics. The implications of the new analysis that second‐order Cybernetics (Cybernetics treated cybernetically: that is, Cybernetics when circularity is taken seriously) gives rise to are considered in terms of the two qualities that Wiener gave to Cybernetics in his eponymous book – control and communication. Finally, the analysis is applied to that other proto‐cybernetic concept, purpose. It is shown that (and in consequence how) the notion of goal and purpose must be radically reconsidered in second‐order Cybernetic systems.


Proton therapy (PT) is expected to benefit from integration with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. However, the magnetic field distorts the dose distribution and enhances the dose at tissue-air interfaces by the electron return effect (ERE). The objectives were (a) to provide experimental evidence for the ERE in proton beams and (b) to systematically characterise the dependence of the dose enhancement ratio (DER) on magnetic field strength, orientation, proton energy and voxel size by computer simulations. EBT3 films were irradiated with 200 MeV protons with and without a 0.92 T transverse field of a permanent magnet to determine the DER at effective measurement depths of 0.156 and 0.467 mm from an air interface. High-resolution Monte Carlo simulations were performed to reproduce the irradiation experiments and to calculate the DER for proton energies between 50–200 MeV and magnetic field strengths between 0.35–3 T as function of distance from the air interface. Voxel sizes of 0.05, 0.5 and 1 mm were analysed. DERs of (2.2  ±  0.4)% and (0.5  ±  0.6)% were measured at 0.156 and 0.467 mm from the air interface, respectively. Measurements and simulations agreed within 0.15%. For a 200 MeV proton beam, the maximum DER in 0.05 mm voxels increased with magnetic field strength from 2.6% to 8.2% between 0.35 and 1.5 T, respectively. For a 1.0 T magnetic field, maximum DER increased from 3.2% to 7.6% between 50 and 200 MeV, respectively. Voxel sizes of 0.5 and 1 mm resulted in maximum DER values of 2.6% and 1.4%, respectively. The ERE for proton beams in transverse magnetic fields is measurable. The local dose enhancement is significant, well predictable, decreases rapidly with distance from the air interface, and is negligible beyond 1 mm depth. Its impact on air-filled ionisation chambers and porous tissues (e.g. lung) needs to be considered.


Abstract Diabetes now is the most common chronic disease in the world inducing heavy burden for the people's health. Based on this, diabetes research such as islet function has become a hot topic in medical institutes of the world. Today, in medical institutes, the conventional experiment platform in vitro is monolayer cell culture. However, with the development of micro- and nano-technologies, several microengineering methods have been developed to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) islet models in vitro which can better mimic the islet of pancreases in vivo. These in vitro islet models have shown better cell function than monolayer cells, indicating their great potential as better experimental platforms to elucidate islet behaviors under both physiological and pathological conditions, such as the molecular mechanisms of diabetes and clinical islet transplantation. In this review, we present the state-of-the-art advances in the microengineering methods for fabricating microscale islet models in vitro. We hope this will help researchers to better understand the progress in the engineering 3D islet models and their biomedical applications such as drug screening and islet transplantation.


The SARS-Cov-2 virus pandemic causes an acute public health emergency with millions of infected patients and thousands of deaths The infection makes adults prone to severe and fatal consequences, especially when they suffer several comorbidities Our oncologic patients are the most susceptible to its severe repercussions because of their initial diagnosis and the immunosuppressive adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatments they receive The Chinese CDC reported a 5 6% risk of mortality among cancer patients compared to 0 9% in the general population;likewise, other studies showed a twofold higher risk of death in this patients' subgroup In order to maintain the best quality of medical services during this crisis, along with the safety of healthcare providers, accurate triage of our oncologic patients must be done before any medical or surgical intervention to decide whether or not postponing treatments may be considered, without risking the disease progression and patients' worsening outcomes, otherwise inpatient and outpatient special precautions must be followed whenever interventions are currently scheduled, according to each gynecologic cancer type The disease is worldwide but local and regional circumstances vary, thus practice guidelines must be individualized according to each country virus prevalence and available medical resources, in order to limit the burden of the COVID-19 infection on the health system during the crisis and the upcoming months after its resolution


The Game Design activity is often conditioned by pre-existing assumptions of what constitutes a game and its constituting elements, which can lead to repetitive designs and all too familiar experiences. In trying to support the education of a new generation of designers so as to leave the comfort zone of familiar objects, we proposed a design canvas with six perspectives for which to conceptualize player participation in the experience. For each perspective, we proposed a set of questions designed to prompt new lines of thought regarding design intent, game object, and player participation. The canvases were tested throughout three research iterations and improved based on qualitative evaluations of their influence in game design learning processes. The canvas was generally found to be effective at quickly pulling inexperienced game design participants to consider a variety of innovative play experiences, beyond what we would expect from derivative design from examples.


This paper analyses in detail the problems of protecting cultural heritage in rural regions and small towns, in traditional rural landscapes and in the context of the revival of rural settlements. The paper substantiates the necessity and possibility of measures for the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage by measures of both organisational and technical nature. The international experience of safeguarding cultural heritage by organisational measures and digital preservation is considered; the need to correct this experience in accordance with local specifics is substantiated. The existing technical approaches to the digital preservation of cultural heritage are analysed. An original approach is proposed that most fully simulates complex objects such as artistic reliefs with painting – the method of synchronised laser triangulation, combined with the method of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.


The school nurse is often sought out by students because he or she has an ability to listen to the student, offers an intervention that focuses attention on the student, and allows the student to experience her or his symptom in a new way. Helping the student to change the way the symptom is experienced, shifting focus, and adapting to a new awareness are all ways of using mind-body concepts. Many states' Boards of Nursing Registration have developed rulings expanding the scope of practice to include mind-body interventions. This article will explain three such interventions applicable to the school nurse setting: breathing exercises, mindfulness practices, and the use of imagery.