Abstract : Heavy use of environmental contaminants over the past century has led to the accumulation of large quantities of pollutants in the soil system and water supplies. Trichloroethylene, a non-flammable colorless industrial solvent, has been shown to be among the most difficult to remove from the environment. It has been found in no less than 852 of 1430 National Priorities Environmental Contamination Sites identified in a report by the Environmental protection Agency. Some data has suggested that TCE's half-life in soil can be as long as 8,460 hours (approximately 1 year's time) or as long as 39,672 hours (4.5 year's time) if not treated. Health professionals have long noticed the side effect of short-term inhalation of TCE include: dizziness, headaches, slowed reaction time, sleepiness and facial numbness. Along with these health concerns many current reports have suggested a relationship between the use of TCE and cancer formation. Recent advances in technology have lead to the development of new mechanisms to identify the location of trichloroethylene spills and to increase the rate for degradation of trichloroethylene. Several studies have shown that metallic ions can act as catalysts in the degradation of chlorinated solvents by chemical oxidation. One such study was performed by Doong and Wu of National Taiwan University. Their results showed an 84% drop in aqueous carbon tetrachloride content in 33 days. Another study, performed by M. Lisa Imrogno, showed that soil samples that contained high metal concentrations showed an increase in degradation of TCE. These studies led to the question- Which individual metals are most effective as a catalyst in the degradation of TCE? A variety of metals were tested including Chromium, Zinc, Manganese and Iron. These results suggest than zinc(II) and chromium(III) better catalyzed TCE's dechlorination. These results are in contradiction to other observed. Iron(III) and manganese(II) did not appear to have a significant effect.


Nowadays the consumption of alcoholic beverages has become a scourge that affects almost all young people around the world and all those living in underprivileged areas. The opinions of young people on the consumption of alcoholic beverages are shared; the majority is favorable in terms of consumption. For teens, alcohol is a symbol of entry into the adult world and a factor of socialization. The resurgence of this phenomenon leaves the scientists in the various fields and especially in the educational field indifferent, which is why this study aims to identify the opinions of adolescents in the Brodo district on the consumption of alcoholic beverages and to identify the categories of children. Consumers in order to propose appropriate solutions that would help to reduce the phenomenon observed in this environment. On the basis of the survey method supported by questionnaire and opinion polling techniques, we had reached 146 respondents (48 non-consumers and 98 consumers) and 98 respondents made up our research sample of which 62 were boys and 36 were daughters. an age range of about 13 to 18 years old. We arrived at the results according to which: our respondents took their first glasses at age 14 under the pretext that they wanted to know how it was and they consume these drinks because their friends drink and get drunk. And their opinions on the consumption of these drinks are favorable because they think it's ok to drink, but without getting drunk. Based on consumption numbers per week, we grouped our respondents into four categories of consumers: abstainers (1 time), experimental consumers (two to three times), occasional consumers (at parties or events) and regular consumers (four to five and more).


This study presents a possible qualitative analysis within the scope review about the key concepts most sensitive to confront domestic violence against children and adolescents. This is part of a larger systematic review study. The authors have discussed the difficulty of health services in identifying and accommodating the health needs created by the phenomenon of violence (Egry, Apostolico & Morais, 2018; Apostolico, Nobrega, Guedes, Fonseca & Egry, 2012). This difficulty can be explained by the existence of policies and strategies based on the classical epidemiology, followed by a market-driven health ideas and a care based on the detail and medical centrality (Mendes, 2015; Breilh, 2014). Therefore, they neither provide conditions, capacity, nor governability over all determinations of violence, and they do not always respond to all the health needs of children and adolescents in violence's conditions. This shows the need for a critical-hermeneutic reflection on the key concepts that support the elaboration of policies and strategies to cope with domestic violence against children and adolescents. Objective: to demonstrate ways to synthesize the key concepts existent in the plans, projects and actions which support the confrontation of violence against children and adolescents in the primary health care setting. Methodology: This is an analytical demonstration of a Systematic Scope Review. In the present study, this method allowed the qualitative approach to map the key concepts and to define conceptual boundaries. The methodological procedures followed the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute with the guideline question being "What are the plans, projects, and actions that facilitate or support strategies to fight violence against children and teenagers within the primary health care scope of practice?". The articles selected were published in English, Spanish and Portuguese, regardless of the publishing date, in 14 databases in several areas of knowledge. We adopted the theoretical bases of Nursing in Collective Health and its respective analytical categories with special emphasis in the categories of gender and generation. We used the webQDA qualitative analysis software. Critical hermeneutics was used for the synthesis. Results: Out the 987 citations found, 37 were included in the review in which 15 articles were Latin American, nine North American and 13 European. The main key concepts were: multi professional and inter sectoral work; routing; work process; promotion; identification and family. These concepts are contradictory, at the same time as they are shown as the pillars for policies and strategies. They also appear as limitations that needs to be overcome. The worldview that is the foundation of policies and strategies provides a fragmented view of the health-disease process; therefore, the key map concepts failed to perform the synthesis for totalizing the intervention in practice. Conclusion: This review allowed the identification, synthesis and the critical reflection of the key concepts that are sensitive to the confrontation of violence in different countries, circumstances and health institutions, under a theoretical framework that includes the factors of the violence phenomenon. This may promote new forms of professional qualification and contribute to the formulation of policies and strategies.


We aim to utilize semantic Web [James Hendler et al., (2002)] technology to the semantic annotation of classical Chinese poetry. We investigate the feasibilities and advantages of semantic retrieval and automated ontology acquisition from semantically annotated poems based on a Chinese thesaurus. We have induced a set of semantic composition rules for pair-wise character (word) patterns that can be used to parse the poem sentences and recursively generate RDF [(1999)] triple relations among the pair of characters (words). We have also defined a scoring scheme to assess semantic similarity for semantic retrieval. We showed that the semantic retrieval method significantly outperformed the keyword-based retrieval method.


Appendicitis is the leading cause of surgical admission in most hospitals in Nigeria and the removed appendix, a frequent surgical specimen in most routine histopathological laboratories in Nigeria. The aim of this study is to audit the appendectomy procedures in Benue State University Teaching Hospital. Sixty-two appendices removed for acute appendix in Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, Nigeria middle belt, over an 8-year period were analyzed. Twenty-eight (45%) were found to be normal, while 29 (46%) showed histopathological evidence of acute inflammation. There were 5 (9%) cases of unusual pathologies which include a case each of metastatic adenocarcinoma and chronic granulomatous inflammation (2% each) and 3 (5%) cases of schistosomiasis. The Negative Appendectomy Rate (NAR) was 27% in females compared with 18% in males. Adult (>16 years) represented 29% of the NAR. The overall NAR was 45%. The NAR in this study is considerable higher when compared with existing literature. In a poor resource center like Benue State University Teaching Hospital, due diligence in taking detailed history coupled with good clinical examination cannot be over emphasized. The use of a combination of Total Leukocyte Count (TCC) and C-Reactive Protein (CPR) in every patient may help in reducing NAR, though it's definitely going to be impossible to eradicate it.


BACKGROUND
A steroid-free immunosuppressive protocol may improve the general well-being of patients, but long-term renal graft survival has been a concern.

METHODS
In a retrospective clinical study, 329 consecutive transplantations with renal grafts at our centre during the period 1995-2004, were followed for up to 9.3 years. Patients mainly received steroid-free immunosuppression with an initial induction with antithymocyte globulin or basiliximab and maintenance therapy with ciclosporin and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Steroids were given after rejection, or if the physician judged it necessary, for instance because of primary kidney disease or when calcineurin inhibitor toxicity was suspected.

RESULTS
About 71% of the patients did not take steroids at all. Nevertheless, graft survival rates at 1, 5 and 7 years were 95, 77 and 72% for all grafts, including 27% living donor transplants and 27% second or subsequent grafts. Ten patients (3.2%) died with functioning grafts. Within the first year of transplantation there were 69 acute rejections in 63 patients (19%). Four cases (1.3%) of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) occurred with one graft loss and no deaths. Owing to a high PTLD rate in a previous patient cohort, total immunosuppression was lessened after 1998.

CONCLUSIONS
Steroid avoidance is possible with good results with respect to acute rejection and long-term graft survival. After introducing MMF, largely avoiding muromonab-CD3 mouse raised monoclonal antibody against CD (OKT3), and reducing doses of calcineurin inhibitor, the rates of PTLD did not differ from what is usually found. For the present, induction and use of MMF, together with a calcineurin inhibitor, is probably to be preferred.


Post‑translational modifications of histones by histone demethylases have an important role in the regulation of gene transcription and are implicated in cancers. Recently, the family of lysine (K)‑specific demethylase (KDM) proteins, referring to histone demethylases that dynamically regulate histone methylation, were indicated to be involved in various pathways related to cancer development. To date, numerous studies have been conducted to explore the effects of KDMs on cancer growth, metastasis and drug resistance, and a majority of KDMs have been indicated to be oncogenes in both leukemia and solid tumors. In addition, certain KDM inhibitors have been developed and have become the subject of clinical trials to explore their safety and efficacy in cancer therapy. However, most of them focus on hematopoietic malignancy. This review summarizes the effects of KDMs on tumor growth, drug resistance and the current status of KDM inhibitors in clinical trials.


(99m)Tc-Tin colloid is a commonly used colloidal radiopharmaceutical in human medicine for evaluating liver function and morphology. (99m)Tc-Tin colloid is taken up in the liver by the phagocytic activity of Kupffer cells, the reticuloendothelial cells of the liver. Unlike what occurs in human beings, we demonstrated (99m)Tc-Tin colloid uptake within the lungs and liver in healthy, mature, miniature pigs. Our observations may be explained by the presence of pulmonary intravascular macrophages (PIMs) closely apposed to the endothelium of the pulmonary capillaries in several animal species, such as the sheep, horse, goat, cat and pig. In the current study, we compared scintigraphic images using (99m)Tc-Tin colloid in rats with those in mature, miniature pigs, and identified the presence of PIMs, reticuloentothelial cells similar to Kupffer cells, by immunohistochemistry in pigs. Pulmonary uptake of (99m)Tc-Tin colloid occurred only in pigs, and PIMs in the pulmonary capillaries stained positively for mouse monoclonal MAC387 antibodies to macrophages in lung sections, as well as Kupffer cells in liver sections. Therefore, we conclude that the uptake of intravenously injected (99m)Tc-Tin colloid within both Kupffer cells and PIMs results in scintigraphic imaging of the lung and liver in miniature pigs.


The recharge and discharge of groundwater were investigated for a lake basin in the mantled karst terrain of central Florida to determine the relative importance of transient groundwater inflow to the lake water budget. Variably saturated groundwater flow modeling simulated water table responses observed beneath two hillsides radiating outward from the groundwater flow‐through lake. Modeling results indicated that transient water table mounding and groundwater flow reversals in the nearshore region following large daily rainfall events generated most of the net groundwater inflow to the lake. Simulated daily groundwater inflow was greatest following water table mounding near the lake, not following subsequent peaks in the water level of upper basin wells. Transient mounding generated net groundwater inflow to the lake, that is, groundwater inflow in excess of the outflow occurring through the deeper lake bottom. The timing of the modeled net groundwater inflow agreed with an independent lake water budget; however, the quantity was considerably less than the budget‐derived value.


The growth in neuroscience discoveries continues to be explosive, with new frontiers being reached every year in the understanding of new principles of the central and peripheral nervous system (CNS and PNS), in the interplay between structure and function at different scales (from molecules to behavior), and with the introduction of new technologies for direct transfer of information between natural neuronal systems and artificial devices. Rapid advances in biomedical engineering and computer science are producing the methodologies required for predictive models of neural function that can interact with the brain in real time. The continuous achievements in microelectronics that allow ever-greater circuitry miniaturization together with increased speed and computational capacity are providing the next-generation hardware platforms for neuroprostheses and Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) or Brain Machine Interfaces (BMIs). On the other hand, in the last ten years, demonstrations of direct, real-time interfaces between living brain tissues and artificial devices, such as computer cursors, robots and mechanical prostheses, have opened new avenues for experimental and clinical investigations (Nicolelis and Lebedev, 2009). Interest in these BMIs has been kindled by the contribution that they may make to the treatment or rehabilitation of patients suffering from severe motor disabilities (Daly and Wolpaw, 2008; Hatsopoulos and Donoghue, 2009). When motor pathways fail, BMIs offer a physical bridge for movement intention to reach the external world (Donoghue, 2008). The first experimental demonstration that ensemble of cortical neurons could directly control a robotic manipulator was given in 1999 by the group of M. Nicolelis at the Duke University (USA) (Chapin et al., 1999). Since then, a continuous stream of research papers in the BMI field came out. Many groups (Nicolelis and Chapin, 2002; Taylor et al., 2002; Andersen et al., 2004; Schwartz, 2004; Hochberg et al., 2006; Velliste et al., 2008) have successfully shown the possibility of using cortical signals, recorded from different subjects, like rats, monkeys or humans, to move an artificial effector and, in these systems, the feedback was constituted by vision, tactile information and proprioception. BMIs have also been recently used as a tool for studying neural processing of information (Nicolelis and Lebedev, 2009). Nevertheless the limitations arising from the reduced possibility of a full control and observation of the system do not allow a systematic study on how information is processed and transmitted within and among cell-assemblies.


National Transfer Accounts' (NTA) overt link to the System of National Accounts means that non-market services are rendered invisible in our conventional estimates of the generational economy. This is particularly problematic from the perspective of gender analyses of NTAs, since women allocate more time to producing non-market services than men. Thus, our assessment of the generational economy using gender-disaggregated NTAs may be misleading, particularly with respect to patterns of dependency. This paper applies the National Time Transfer Accounts (NTTA) methodology to South African data for 2000 to integrate estimates of household production into the gender-disaggregated NTAs to derive profiles of total economy production and consumption. The results value household production at 29.8 percent of GDP, while revealing significant gender specialisation in productive activities across the lifecycle. The total consumption of young children is found to be 2.0 to 4.5 times their market consumption, a fact that has important implications in terms of understanding decisions around fertility and for policy aimed at increasing women's economic participation.


ABSTRACT Insecurities associated with the credible commitment problem during disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) processes are usually examined within a dyadic relationship between the government and a rebel group, ignoring how these insecurities play themselves out in the context of multiple warring parties. In addition, most studies on these dynamics take an overview macro-perspective, leaving out micro-dynamics such as how insecurity is experienced by those undertaking the disarmament process. This paper examines FARC members' perception of insecurity and threat during the disarmament process in Colombia in the context of multiple armed groups. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with FARC combatants in three different demobilisation camps during the process of disarmament, this paper sheds light on how credible commitment problems between the FARC and the Colombian government were influenced by the presence of additional armed actors and how associated insecurities are perceived by combatants who are disarming vis-à-vis various armed actors.


This study aims to explain the limited applicability of the New Public Management Reforms (NPM) in the Korean public sector. The paper elaborates and contrasts two opposing models of public management, which are designated the Jupiter and Hercules models. The paper will show that the NPM reforms are based upon the Herculean model, whereas existing Korean public administration, with its strong statist tradition, operates on the Jupiter model. This mismatch of models has brought about paradoxical effects in Korean public administration, which are the results of a wrong prescription. The fundamental reason why the NPM reform cannot succeed lies in the bureaucratic power and dual structure of operation. This paper proposes that a post-NPM model for Asian countries should instead start out from their own, distinct definitions of problem areas and develop solutions that better fit the particular circumstances of the concerned Asian societies.


Proliferative T cell responses against syngeneic (SMLC) and allogeneic (alloMLC) non-T cells were investigated during the splenic regeneration after an injection of a sublethal dose (300 mg/kg) of cyclophosphamide (Cy). Two days after Cy injection spleen contained no cells capable of proliferative responses. T cells from the regenerating spleens (on day 6-8) had a defective proliferative capacity: the reactivity in the SMLC was at the normal level while alloreactivity was negative. The alloMLC appeared by 14 days after Cy injection, and it was still lower than the alloMLC of the normal splenic T cells. Responding cells of the SMLC in the regenerating phase belonged to the Ly-1+2- cell population: anti-Ly-1 antibody + complement (C) diminished the SMLC by 80%, anti-Ly-2 antibody + C had no effect on the responsiveness of the regenerating T cells. The stimulation of this SMLC was less dependent on splenic adherent cells than the normal SMLC. The significance of these data to the origin of alloreactivity and to the role of the SMLC in the cytotoxic T cell responses are discussed.


Significant tubulointerstitial disease is multifactorial in origin, and two or more causes may coexist in the same patient. Since removal of the responsible agent or agents is often curative, careful etiologic diagnosis is essential to effective management. Etiology and pathophysiologic mechanisms, therapeutic regimens, and prognosis for several of the various forms of the disease are discussed.


Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill, the European wild apple, is a small tree native to Europe which reaches its north-western limit in Northern Britain. It has been identified as one of the main contributors to the domesticated apple M. domestica (Suckow) Borkh. There are concerns that wild populations of this rare tree are threatened by hybridization with M. domestica throughout Europe. We genotyped 332 trees collected in the wild from Scotland and Northern England using 14 microsatellite markers to investigate levels of introgression in wild M. sylvestris populations. Our results showed that 70 per cent of the samples could be considered pure M. sylvestris, 27 per cent showed varying degrees of introgression from M. domestica and 3 per cent were pure M. domestica. Hybrids were more frequent in areas with more intensive land use and less semi-natural woodland. About 80 per cent of hybrids were identified as backcrosses to M. sylvestris. Areas in the Southern Highlands had the highest frequency of pure M. sylvestris trees (87 per cent). Morphological characters such as leaf size and hairiness as well as fruit size generally used by botanists for identification of M. sylvestris in the field proved to be unreliable as only 68 per cent of the trees could be identified accurately. Given the use of wild apple trees it seems likely that many of the trees collected from agricultural areas are planted and not the product of natural in situ hybridization and seed dispersal events thus compounding natural hybridization rates. Areas with high frequencies of pure M. sylvestris trees should be prioritized for conservation and possible measures are discussed to safeguard M. sylvestris as a species in Northern Britain.


In application domains, such as human-robot interaction and ambient intelligence, it is expected that an intelligent agent can respond to the person's actions efficiently or make predictions while the person's activity is still ongoing. In this paper, we investigate the problem of continuous activity understanding, based on a visual pattern extraction mechanism which fuses decomposed body pose features from estimated 2D skeletons (based on deep learning skeleton inference) and localized appearance-motion features around spatiotemporal interest points (STIPs). Considering that human activities are observed and inferred gradually, we partition the video into snippets, extract the visual pattern accumulatively and infer the activities in an online fashion. We evaluated the proposed method on two benchmark datasets and achieved 92.6% on the KTH dataset and 92.7% on the Rochester Assisted Daily Living dataset in the equilibrated inference states. In parallel, we discover that context information mainly contributed by STIPs is probably more favourable to activity recognition than the pose information, especially in scenarios of daily living activities. In addition, incorporating the visual patterns of activities from early stages to train the classifier can improve the performance of early recognition; however, it could degrade the recognition rate in later time. To overcome this issue, we propose a mixture model, where the classifier trained with early visual patterns are used in early stages while the classifier trained without early patterns are used in later stages. The experimental results show that this straightforward approach can improve early recognition while retaining the recognition correctness of later times.


There is a scarcity of evidence pertaining to the general public's perception of public sector pay. Hence, in the present study, 161 women and 149 men were asked to estimate the wages 35 public sector professions should receive annually in the fictitious nation of Maldoria, based on a comparison value of an annual income of T10,000 for general practitioners. Analysis showed that only pilots were given a higher annual income than general practitioners; miners and local government workers were also provided with relatively high annual incomes. By contrast, newscasters were provided with the lowest annual income. Participants' sex did not affect these evaluations, and other demographic variables and public sector-related information of the participants were poor predictors of their evaluations. The implications of this research on public attitudes toward wage determination are discussed, and avenues for further research highlighted.


BACKGROUND
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a concern due to its rapid increase in incidence in recent years.

AIM
To investigate the correlation and predictive value of serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), triglyceride (TG), and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25-(OH)D] with GDM in early pregnancy.

METHODS
A total of 99 patients in early pregnancy admitted to Peking University International Hospital from November 2015 to September 2017 were included, and underwent a fasting glucose test and oral glucose tolerance test screening at 24-28 wk of pregnancy. Of these cases with GDM, 51 were assigned to group A and the remaining 48 cases without GDM were enrolled in group B. Serum PAPP-A, TG and 25-(OH)D in the two groups were compared and their correlation with blood sugar was analyzed. In addition, their diagnostic value in GDM was determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

RESULTS
Group A had markedly lower serum PAPP-A and 25-(OH)D levels and a significantly higher serum TG level than group B, with statistical significance (P < 0.05). Furthermore, Pearson analysis identified that PAPP-A and 25-(OH)D levels were negatively correlated with fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels (r = -0.605, P < 0.001), (r = -0.597, P < 0.001), while TG and FBG levels were positively correlated (r = 0.628, P < 0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve (AUC) and optimal cut-off value of serum PAPP-A level in the diagnosis of GDM were 72.55%, 82.35%, 0.861 and 16.340, respectively, while the sensitivity of TG in diagnosing GDM was 86.27%, the specificity was 66.67%, the AUC was 0.813, with an optimal cut-off value of 1.796. The corresponding sensitivity, specificity, AUC and optimal cut-off value of serum 25-(OH)D were 64.71%, 70.59%, 0.721 and 23.140, respectively. Moreover, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that FBG, vascular endothelial growth factor, Flt-1, serum PAPP-A, TG, and 25-(OH)D were related risk factors leading to GDM in patients.

CONCLUSION
Serum PAPP-A, TG, and 25-(OH)D levels are all correlated with blood glucose changes in GDM, and are independent factors affecting the occurrence of GDM and have certain value in the diagnosis of GDM.


PurposeThis paper examines the relationship between volatility, sentiment and returns in terms of levels and changes for both lower and higher data frequencies using quantile regression (QR) method.Design/methodology/approachIn the first step, the study applies the Granger causality test to understand the causal relationship between realized volatility, returns and sentiment as levels and changes. In the second step, the study employs a QR method to investigate whether investor sentiment and returns can predict realized volatility. This regression method gives robust results irrespective of distributional assumptions and to outliers in the dependent variable.FindingsEmpirical results show that the VIX volatility index is a better fear gauge of market-wide investors' sentiments and has a predictive power for future realized volatility in terms of levels and changes for both higher and lower data frequencies. This study provides evidence that the relationship between realized volatility, investor sentiment and returns, respectively, is not symmetric for all quantiles of QR, as opposed to OLS regression. Furthermore, this work supports the behavioral theory beyond leverage hypothesis in explaining the asymmetric relation between returns and volatility at higher and lower data frequencies.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the limited understanding of investor sentiment's impact on volatility by proposing a QR model which provides a more complete picture of the relationship at all parts of the volatility distribution for both higher and lower data frequencies and in terms of levels and changes. To the author knowledge, this is the first paper to study the volatility responses to positive and negative sentiment changes for developed market and to use both lower and higher data frequencies as well as data in terms of levels and changes.


We examined the inhibitory effect of the extract of kakrol extracted by 3 types of solvent (water, 50% and 100% ethanol) on histamine release in human basophilic KU812 cells. The water extract of kakrol flesh showed the strongest inhibitory effect on histamine release as compared with the other extracts. Therefore, we evaluated whether water extract of kakrol flesh had a suppressive effect on development of atopic dermatitis-like lesions in picryl chloride-treated NC/Nga mice. The dietary kakrol flesh water extract alleviated the development of skin lesions in ears accompanied by lower IgE levels and inflammatory cytokines levels in serum. These results indicate that the water extract of kakrol flesh might have therapeutic potential for allergic responses in vitro and in vivo.


What could be more valid than judging that one piece of work is more creative than another? Or more effective? Or just better? And if many judges agree that the same one is better, isn't that the best evidence for validity we could ask for? This paper describes progress in applying comparative judgement (first reported to IAEA in 2004) to the assessment of holistic traits like overall achievement, including effectivenes, quality and creativity. Marking was invented (in Cambridge) during the 18th century enlightment, not in pursuit of validity or even reliability but to overcome serious problems of bias and prejudice in the examinations of the day. Its unintended consequence has been a most serious loss of validity in most of our formal assessments. Some progress has been made in abolishing marksism in UK assessment. A web-based system has been developed for presenting pairs of 'scripts' and collecting judgements, and the estimation procedure has been shown to be remarkably robust with the extremely sparse data 'matrices' that result. A simple initiation algorithm has been used developed. Some technical aspects of the procedure are described, and a procedure for qualitative description of the scalel for public use id described.


With current and upcoming imaging spectrometers, automated band analysis techniques are needed to enable efficient identification of most informative bands to facilitate optimized processing of spectral data into estimates of biophysical variables. This paper introduces an automated spectral band analysis tool (BAT) based on Gaussian processes regression (GPR) for the spectral analysis of vegetation properties. The GPR-BAT procedure sequentially backwards removes the least contributing band in the regression model for a given variable until only one band is kept. GPR-BAT is implemented within the framework of the free ARTMO's MLRA (machine learning regression algorithms) toolbox, which is dedicated to the transforming of optical remote sensing images into biophysical products. GPR-BAT allows (1) to identify the most informative bands in relating spectral data to a biophysical variable, and (2) to find the least number of bands that preserve optimized accurate predictions. To illustrate its utility, two hyperspectral datasets were analyzed for most informative bands: (1) a field hyperspectral dataset (400–1100 nm at 2 nm resolution: 301 bands) with leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) and green leaf area index (gLAI) collected for maize and soybean (Nebraska, US); and (2) an airborne HyMap dataset (430–2490 nm: 125 bands) with LAI and canopy water content (CWC) collected for a variety of crops (Barrax, Spain). For each of these biophysical variables, optimized retrieval accuracies can be achieved with just 4 to 9 well-identified bands, and performance was largely improved over using all bands. A PROSAIL global sensitivity analysis was run to interpret the validity of these bands. Cross-validated R2 CV (NRMSECV) accuracies for optimized GPR models were 0.79 (12.9%) for LCC, 0.94 (7.2%) for gLAI, 0.95 (6.5%) for LAI and 0.95 (7.2%) for CWC. This study concludes that a wise band selection of hyperspectral data is strictly required for optimal vegetation properties mapping.


Murine ecotropic leukemia viruses use a common receptor for entry into host cells; however, the site of virus fusion appears to differ with the host cell. Entry in mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts is by endocytosis, whereas entry in rat XC sarcoma cells is by surface fusion. We report here the identification of a step common to both entry pathways, as well as of a step unique to the endocytic pathway. Recent demonstration of the clustering of the virus receptor on rat cells suggested a possible interaction of the receptor with the cellular cytoskeleton (M. H. Woodard, W. A. Dunn, R. O. Laine, M. Malandro, R. McMahon, O. Simell, E. R. Block, and M. S. Kilberg, Am. J. Physiol. 266:E817-E824, 1994). We tested the hypothesis that such an interaction might influence receptor function. We found that entry into NIH 3T3 and XC cells was greatly diminished by the disruption of the actin network before but not shortly after virus internalization, suggesting the actin network plays a critical role in an early step common to both entry pathways. Disruption of microtubules before and shortly after virus internalization markedly reduced entry in NIH 3T3 cells, while entry into XC cells remained efficient. These data suggest that intact microtubules are required in a postpenetration step unique to efficient virus entry via endocytosis. The physiological function of the receptor was not affected by disruption of either the actin network or the microtubules, as the uptake of cationic amino acids in NIH 3T3 and XC cells was comparable to that in control cells even when the cytoskeleton remained disrupted for as long as 3 h.


Introduction The design and evaluation of national HIV programs often relies on aggregated national level data. However, there is often substantial geographical heterogeneity in the HIV epidemic within countries, which could be used to tailor programmatic responses to the specific local needs. Given this background, the study attempts to answer the question: Could environmental and socio-behavioural factors be used to generate sub-national estimates of HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa? Methods Data were obtained from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in Tanzania, Malawi, and Kenya. Associations between covariates and HIV prevalence were assessed using non-spatial logistic regression models. Covariates included life time number of sexual partners, percentage of condom use, wealth index, percentage of male circumcision (MC), distance to urban settings, distance to roads, and normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI). The prediction formula generated from the covariate analysis along with kriging interpolation techniques were used to produce high resolution continuous surface maps of HIV prevalence. Results Condom use, MC, distance to main roads, NDVI, poverty and wealth index were associated with HIV prevalence in Tanzania and Malawi, and were included to generate HIV prevalence maps in these countries. Conversely, only NDVI, poverty life time number of sexual partners and MC were associated with HIV prevalence in Kenya. All three maps illustrated substantial geographical variation of HIV prevalence within the country, and localised areas where HIV prevalence is concentrated. Conclusion The HIV prevalence maps generated highlight the stark spatial disparities in the epidemic within a country, and localise areas where both the burden and drivers of the HIV epidemic are concentrated. These maps present an opportunity to apply differential local approaches to maximise impact by informing both planning and delivery of defined packages of services. Additional work is needed for routine incorporation of such strategies into existing national HIV estimation processes. Disclosure of interest statement Nothing to declare.


The breakdown performance of an advanced synthetic dielectric coolant, poly-α olefin, is compared to conventional transformer oil over a range of temperatures from 10 to 50 °C. The poly-α olefin oil is first benchmarked against conventional transformer oil, and then compared to poly-α olefin oil that has been exposed to a large number of high-energy discharges in order to establish the effects of oil age on performance. The results obtained from the standard ANSI D877 testing procedure are then compared to the results of a modified test procedure


This paper falls under the problems of the monitoring of a Discrete Event System (DES) with time constraints. Among the various techniques used for online and distributed monitoring, we are interested in the chronicle recognition. Chronicles are temporal patterns that represent the system's possible evolutions. The proposed models are based on - time Petri nets that are suitable to represent with accuracy and modularity the Tunisian railway network. These models are scalable and may be used to represent a large variety of railway networks. Then, monitoring is based on the generation of chronicles that are suitable to detect and isolate traffic incidents in a distributed setting. Consequently, the proposed approach is tractable for large networks. Finally, to demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the approach, an application to the case study of the Tunisian railway network is outlined.


Millions of workers today labor in nontraditional situations involving part-time work, temporary agency employment, and skills underutilization or face the precariousness of long-term unemployment. To date, research has largely focused on how these experiences shape workers' well-being, rather than how hiring agents perceive and treat job applicants who have moved through these positions. Shifting the focus from workers to hiring agents, this book explores how key gatekeepers evaluate workers with nonstandard, mismatched, or precarious employment experience. Factoring in the social groups to which workers belong—such as their race and gender—the book shows how workers get jobs, how the hiring process unfolds, who makes the cut, and who does not. The book documents and unpacks three important discoveries. Hiring professionals extract distinct meanings from different types of employment experiences; the effects of nonstandard, mismatched, and precarious employment histories for workers' job outcomes are not all the same; and the race and gender of workers intersect with their employment histories to shape which workers get called back for jobs. Indeed, hiring professionals use group-based stereotypes to weave divergent narratives or "stratified stories" about workers with similar employment experiences. The result is a complex set of inequalities in the labor market. Looking at bias and discrimination, social exclusion in the workplace, and the changing nature of work, the book probes the hiring process and offers a clearer picture of the underpinnings of getting a job in the new economy.


Abstract Variability in gross tumour volume (GTV) definition is a major source of systematic error in conformal radiotherapy. This prospective study assesses the role of multidisciplinary collaboration between oncologists and radiologists in defining lung cancer volumes. Twenty patients with non–small cell lung cancer due to receive three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy formed the study population. GTVs were defined by a radiologist (GTVrad) and an oncologist (GTVonc) using available clinical information and imaging. A collaborative meeting was then held to agree on a final, common GTV (GTVfin) to be used for treatment planning, and differences analysed. The collaboration changed the GTV in 19/20 patients with a total of 50 regions being edited. Changes made were categorized as (a) differentiation of tumour from atelectasis or ground glass shadowing, (b) separation of tumour from vasculature, and (c) defining mediastinal extent of tumour. Oncologists were more confident in the GTVfin than the GTVonc. The radiologist took longer to define the GTV than the oncologist. Real-time collaborative GTV definition by a radiologist and oncologist is practical and feasible. This approach allows specific areas of uncertainty to be categorized and focussed on, reducing systematic error in GTV definition. The physician's approach to risk and decision making for each patient may also play a role.


Counting detector systems are increasingly used in X-ray experiments because of their attractive properties as regards linearity, large dynamic range and simple noise properties. In synchrotron radiation source (SRS) applications of X-ray detectors, counting rates are generally high enough to require dead-time correction. The time structure of an SRS beam interacts with the dead-time characteristics of the detector in a way that the simple stochastic dead-time models cannot always handle. This report generates analytical and Monte Carlo mathematical models which describe the rate performance of any given detector system when used with the typical beam structures encountered in an SRS.


This paper presents commentaries on the microscopic morphology of esophageal squamous epithelium; the frequency of duplication of the muscularis mucosae (MM) in Barrett's esophagus (BE); the significance of multilayered epithelium; whether cells in the lamina propria reflect those in the epithelium; how stem cells are identified in the squamous esophagus; dilated intercellular spaces; the metastasizing potential of early carcinoma‐dependent, molecular or immunohistochemical tests that improve diagnosis; the role of immunohistochemistry IHC in grading of neoplasia in Barrett's esophagus and defining the risk of progression to adenocarcinoma; the roles of CDX1 and CDX2 in squamous and cardiac mucosa; and the role of desmosomal cadherins and lectins in squamous and cardiac mucosa.


The understanding of the death of man in Saint Thomas Aquinas is necessarily contained in the preliminary study of the concept of the human person and of questions related to their nature. The essence of man basically lies in his substantial unity made up by the soul as the substantial form of the matter. This is why death is considered as the separation of its natural unity, a substantial corruption. The reflection and the analysis of the soul's nature and its relationship with matter allows us to answer one of the most controversial issues about man: is there a human person after death?


BACKGROUND
Processed meat has been related to the risk of digestive tract neoplasms but the evidence remains inconclusive. We examined data from a network of case-control studies conducted between 1992 and 2002 in the Swiss Canton of Vaud.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
We studied 316 patients with incident, histologically confirmed oral and pharyngeal cancer, 138 patients with oesophageal cancer, 91 patients with laryngeal cancer and 323 patients with colorectal cancer. Controls were 1271 subjects admitted to the same hospital for a wide spectrum of acute non-neoplastic conditions, unrelated to long-term modification of diet.

RESULTS
There were strong direct trends in risk between consumption of processed meat and the various neoplasms considered: the multivariate odds ratios for the highest quartile of intake compared to the lowest were 4.7 for oral and pharyngeal cancer, 4.5 for oesophageal cancer, 3.4 for laryngeal cancer and 2.5 for colorectal cancer. The association was stronger in younger subjects, in moderate drinkers and in non-smokers.

CONCLUSION
Processed meat represents a strong indicator of unfavourable diet for digestive tract and laryngeal cancer risk in this population.


Background: Ethical reflections over care practices are important. In order to be able to perform such reflections, healthcare professionals must learn to think critically about their care practice. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether an introduction to and practice in ethical reflections in community healthcare have consequences for the healthcare personnel's practice. Research design: A mixed-methods design was adopted with five focus group interviews and an electronic questionnaire based on results from the interviews. Participants and research context: A total of 29 community healthcare personnel with experience in ethical reflections participated in the interviews. The electronic questionnaire was sent via email to 2382 employees in community healthcare services in 13 municipalities in southern part of Norway. Ethical considerations: The study was guided by the intentions of the Declaration of Helsinki and ethical standard principles and approved by the Norwegian Social Science Data Services. Results: An introduction to and practice in performing ethical reflections brought about an ethical awareness with understanding and respect for both colleagues and patients. The leader had a key role. Lack of time was a hindrance for ethical reflections. Three factors could predict meaningful ethical reflections: higher age of personnel, higher percentage of employment and longer experience with ethical reflections. Discussion: According to other studies, ethical reflections may enhance moral development of colleagues and their actions as advocates for the patients. A deepened ethical awareness, professional competency and sufficient time resources will guarantee proper caregiving. Conclusion: A supportive environment that prioritizes participation in reflection meetings is decisive. To practice ethical reflections will provide better care for patients. A challenge for the community healthcare system is to offer adequate positions that provide the personnel an opportunity to be involved as caregivers and to participate in ethical reflections.


survival rate for advanced disease is <20%. Immunotherapeutic response has been associated with select members of the microbiome in melanoma; however, the potential benefit in colorectal cancer and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We sought to determine how specific members of the intestinal microbiome affect anti-tumor immunity in colorectal cancer (CRC) in hopes of discovering novel treatments and revealing potential hurdles to current therapeutic response in CRC patients. Methods We utilized a carcinogen-induced mouse model of CRC and colonized half of the tumor-bearing mice with Helicobacter hepaticus (Hhep) 7 weeks post AOM. Tumor number was assessed 12 weeks post AOM. We isolated lymphocytes from the lamina propria, colonic epithelium, mesenteric lymph nodes, and tumor(s) to track the spatial and transcriptional Hhep-specific and endogenous immune responses during tumor progression through 5' single cell RNAseq, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence. In addition, we utilized 16S sequencing and FISH to track Hhep colonization, location within the colon, and its impact on the surrounding microbiome. Results We have found that rational modification of the microbiome of colon tumor-bearing mice through addition of a single bacteria, Hhep, led to tumor control or clearance and a significant survival advantage. Colonization led to the expansion of the lymphatic network and development of numerous perior intra-tumoral tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) composed of Hhep-specific CD4 T follicular helper cells (TFH) as well as the bacteria itself. This led to an overall 'heating' of the tumor, wherein we saw an increase of CD4 T cell infiltration to the tumor core as well as an increase in CD103+ type 1 DC (cDC1) recruitment through increased chemokines such as CCL5 and XCL1. Hhep-specific TFH were both necessary and sufficient to drive TLS formation, increased immune invasion, and anti-tumor immunity. Conclusions We have shown that addition of a single bacteria, Hhep, leads to a reduction in CRC tumor burden or clearance through lymphatic expansion, TLS formation, and remodeling of the tumor microenvironment, and that Hhepspecific T cells are required for tumor control. These studies suggest that rational modification of the microbiome and microbiome-specific T cells can positively impact anti-tumor immunity and may represent a unique immunotherapeutic target to turn resistant tumors into responsive tumors.


Examining the functions of RES in patients with various blood diseases and in rabbits with experimentel anemia by Congo-red method advocated by Adler and Reimann and by the technique of carbon-particle phagocytosis in the subcutaneous tissue according to Sugiyama, the author studied the relationship between the hematopoiesis in bone marrow and the functions of the reticuloendothelial system (RES); and obtained the following results. 1. The Congo-red indices of various blood diseases are 71.9 in essential hypochromic anemia; 72.2 in hookworm anemia; 72.2 in Banti's disease; 72.7 in hypoplastic anemia; and 74.4 in leukemia, all showing about an equal degree of the diminution in the functions of RES. 2. As for the results of examinations of the RES functions in the rabbits with various experimental anemia whose hematopoietic functions of the bone marrow are disturbed by the injection of benzol, saponin, collargol, or irradiation of X-rays, not only the functions of the RES are disturbed but also the degree of anemia has been found to parallel to a certain extent with the change in the RES functions. Furthermore, in the blooddepleted anemia whose hematopoietic functions of the bone marrow are accelerated, the functions of RES have bean likewise accelerated. From these facts the functions of RES seem to be closely associated with the hematopoietic functions of the bone marrow. However, in the case of phenylhydradine anemia, despite the acceleration in the hematopoietic functions of the bone marrow, the functions of RES have been decreased. This seems to be due to the fact that RES is forced tc phagocytose and dispose of the decomposed substances of erythrocytes arising out of the hemolysis by phenylhydradine and therefore, the phagocytotic ability of RES for foreign substances is on the whole diminished. 3. In the examinations of the RES functions the change in the Congo-red index has generally paralleled with the change in the degree of the carbon-particle phagocytosis in the subcutaneous tissue.


Three histologically proven gestational herpes cases were presented. All were complaining of itching and vesiculobullous skin lesions. The diagnosis was confirmed by skin biopsies and they all gave a complete response to 1 mg/kg-day oral prednisolone therapy. No neonatal morbidity was observed.


Background: In Southern Africa, groups of mothers living with HIV successfully provide peer psychosocial support during pregnancy and early childhood. We report patterns of attendance at Mother Support Groups (MSGs) sessions among women and mothers living with HIV in rural Zimbabwe. Methods: In the Elimination of Pediatric AIDS cluster-randomized trial, MSGs were established in 14 health facilities in Mutare and Makoni districts. Patterns of attendance at MSG sessions were categorized by calendar attendance from delivery to 6-month postpartum using a Dynamic Time Warping clustering method. Baseline characteristics of women and postpartum MSG attendance patterns were described. Linkages between these patterns and 12-month postpartum retention in care were explored using mixed-effects models. Results: Most women (88%) attended at least 1 MSG session between enrollment and 6-month postpartum. Two patterns of postpartum MSG attendance, "Regular Attendance" and "Non-Regular Attendance," were readily identified. Being older than 32 (P = 0.01), booking for antenatal care before 22 weeks gestational age (P = 0.02), and being on antiretroviral therapy at first antenatal care booking (P = 0.01) were significantly associated with "Regular Attendance." "Regular Attendance" at MSG sessions during the 6-month postpartum period was significantly associated with better retention in care at 12 months, compared with "Non-Regular Attendance" (P < 0.01). Discussion: Women living with HIV attended MSG sessions. However, few attended regularly. Younger and newly diagnosed women were less likely to attend postpartum MSG sessions or remain in care at 12 months postpartum. Peer support models should consider specific needs of these women, especially in rural areas, in order for MSGs to contribute to improve maternal and child health outcomes.


Inspector's training represents one of the most important factors affecting the effectiveness of the process. It is important to guarantee a well-trained inspector to offer a clear, objective and useful service to the farmers. But not only inspector's training is important for the success of the global process. In order to guarantee a good dissemination of the knowledge, CHAFEA (Consumers, Health and Food European Agency) launched BTSF training courses (Better Training for Safer Food) focused on inspection and calibration of pesticide application equipment. This paper shows the experience and results after 12 three-days training courses where more than 400 official stakeholders have been trained. Great differences have been observed in the last years in the organization, contents and procedure of the inspector's training at different EU members. In order to have an objective overview of the situation, a survey was conducted among all the EU members, through more than 200 attendants to BTSF training courses. Results will be presented in this paper.


ABSTRACT. A zero-order emission system was applied to address the variation in emission wavelengths between analytes. Also, it assists to compensate for the drop in emission intensity resulted from the changes in analyte excitation wavelength. So, a high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD) with zero order emission mode was used for the simultaneous estimation of rhodamine B (RhB) and eosin Y (EsY) based on their native fluorescence. The presented method is considered the first fluorescence method for simultaneous determination of RhB and EsY. The efficiency of the developed method was tested by determining the two dyes in a high matrix sample, chili sauce. Under the optimum condition, a linear calibration graphs for RhB and EsY in range of 0.5 -300 ng/mL with r = 0.9994 and 0.9991, respectively, were acquired. The limits of detection for RhB and EsY were 0.344 ng/mL (0.355 ng/g) and 0.215 ng/mL (0.222 ng/g), respectively. The recovery percentage and relative standard deviation of two analytes were obtained in the range of 98.38-101.86% and 0.83-1.66%, respectively. RhB was detected only in one chili sauce sample at a concentration of 0.388 ng/mL while EsY was not found in any sample.
KEY WORDS: Rhodamine B, Eosin Y, HPLC-FLD, Zero-order emission mode, Solid phase extraction
Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2023, 37(6), 1315-1323. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v37i6.2


Quality improvement methodology provides the necessary processes to help reduce medication errors. A project was initiated to improve the chemotherapy ordering process by using the quality improvement methodology of Plan, Do Study, Act. The Plan phase was to determine the problem and develop an aim statement. The aim was to improve the chemotherapy ordering process by decreasing deviations when completing the order form. Tools utilized throughout the project were a fishbone diagram to provide the causes and effects of the deviations; a process map to describe the flow of the order form with nursing and pharmacy, and after baseline data collection of types of deviation, a pareto chart provided a percentage display of the various types of deviations with the order form. The Do phase involved the implementation of interventions to improve knowledge of the process to complete the chemotherapy order forms. The Study phase required the collection and analysis of data. The Act phase incorporated the process throughout the organization with a follow-up status to assess for sustainment. After a six-month follow-up, this project reflected a 51% decrease in the number of order forms with deviations, surpassing the goal. The one-year follow-up reflected a slight increase in the number of reviews with a deviation in the chemotherapy ordering process. Even with the slight increase, education to physicians and staff continue. The overall goal was to decrease the number of deviations on the chemotherapy order form and to promote improvement in safe, efficient, and quality care of our patients.


Time series shapelets are discriminative subsequences that have been recently found effective for time series clustering (TSC). The shapelets are convenient for interpreting the clusters. Thus, the main challenge for TSC is to discover high-quality variable-length shapelets to discriminate different clusters. In this paper, we propose a novel autoencoder-shapelet approach (AUTOSHAPE), which is the first study to take the advantage of both autoencoder and shapelet for determining shapelets in an unsupervised manner. An autoencoder is specially designed to learn high-quality shapelets. More specifically, for guiding the latent representation learning, we employ the latest self-supervised loss to learn the unified embeddings for variable-length shapelet candidates (time series subsequences) of different variables, and propose the diversity loss to select the discriminating embeddings in the unified space. We introduce the reconstruction loss to recover shapelets in the original time series space for clustering. Finally, we adopt Davies Bouldin index (DBI) to inform AUTOSHAPE of the clustering performance during learning. We present extensive experiments on AUTOSHAPE. To evaluate the clustering performance on univariate time series (UTS), we compare AUTOSHAPE with 15 representative methods using UCR archive datasets. To study the performance of multivariate time series (MTS), we evaluate AUTOSHAPE on 30 UEA archive datasets with 5 competitive methods. The results validate that AUTOSHAPE is the best among all the methods compared. We interpret clusters with shapelets, and can obtain interesting intuitions about clusters in two UTS case studies and one MTS case study, respectively.


Health and wellbeing education programmes, as part of the recovery package, are now recommended for all cancer patients on completion of treatment. There is limited evidence to determine whether such programmes improve the quality of life (QoL) for cancer survivors. The purpose of the systematic review was to synthesise the available research and provide recommendations for practice and education programme delivery. A critical appraisal and narrative synthesis of eligible randomised controlled trials showed that there was a small mean percentage difference in reported QoL for cancer survivors who participated in an education programme (8%) over those who received usual care alone (7%). Cancer-site specific programmes are recommended over generic programmes. The optimum time frame for programme delivery is between 3 and 12 months following treatment. Various methods of programme delivery are effective, including face-to-face group sessions and self-directed web-based programmes.


This paper presents the dynamic stability analysis of a spinning, thick, annular disk loaded by a circumferentially distributed frictional traction. Considering the automotive/aircraft disc brake as a representative system for this study, the brake rotor is modeled as a spinning annular disk in the context of the Mindlin's thick plate theory to ensure a more accurate estimation of the eigenvalues when the disk involves high circumferential vibration modes that are often observed in unstable disc brake rotors. The frictional traction is decomposed into in-plane and transverse components. The in-plane component is equilibrated by membrane stresses while the transverse component is a nonconservative follower-type force that is the source of the dynamic instability of the disk. The corresponding nonconservative eigenvalue problem is formulated based on the modal expansion theory for traveling waves and direct discretization technique. The brake pad or stator is modeled as a second order viscoelastic subgrade that reacts to both transverse and shearing motion of the disc brake rotor. The instability behavior of the disk is investigated by examining the resulting complex eigenvalues under various combinations of the system parameters such as frictional traction, geometry of the disk, and viscoelastic properties of the pad lining. In order to assess the effects of shear deformations and rotary inertia of the disk model under such loading conditions, results are compared with those from the classical Kirchhoff–Love's thin disk model. Based on the phase angle information of the eigenvalues, it is found that there exists a critical value of friction, slenderness ratio of the disk, and the size of pad lining at which the transverse amplitude growth rates of high circumferential vibration modes drastically increase. Unless damping is present in the disc brake rotor or pad lining, vibration modes with repeated eigenvalues are found to be always unstable either by means of divergence or flutter even for a very small nonconservative traction load.


Postcolonial theory is frequently dismissed as too theoretical and esoteric, and hence irrelevant to the study of contemporary African politics and society. This article challenges this dismissal of postcolonialism, and argues for a more constructive dialogue between African studies and postcolonial approaches. Recognizing that postcolonialism cannot be regarded as a uniform body of theory, or a school of thought in the conventional academic sense, the article focuses on certain key themes and problematizations of relevance to contemporary Africa. In particular, it elaborates on postcolonialism's conceptualization of power, and argues that the recognition of the relationship between power, discourse and political institutions and practices has much to contribute to the study of African politics. These insights are further investigated through a discussion of development, hybridity and resistance. The article concludes that both African studies and postcolonial approaches stand to benefit from a more constructive engagement


Adult guardianship in English-speaking countries has its roots firmly planted in the protective parens patriae principle. In the last 20 years, in response to societal changes and international developments, concerns about human rights have fundamentally challenged the historic basis of guardianship. This article argues that social justice offers a better framework than human rights for adult guardianship legislation.


With its Tianwen-1—"quest for heavenly truth"—mission, China is aiming to join one of the most exclusive clubs in spacefaring by landing on Mars. Only two countries have accomplished the feat—the United States and Russia, and the Russian probe immediately lost communications. The Tianwen-1 lander will release a rover as well. The mission is due to launch at roughly the same time as NASA9s Perseverance mission, in July. And if both are successful, two rovers will be traversing the Red Planet at the same time. The Tianwen-1 orbiter aims to study the martian magnetic field and atmosphere and map the surface with a high-resolution camera. The six instruments on the rover include an additional camera for detailed looks at the topography and a ground-penetrating radar to investigate subsurface layering, structures, and the presence of permafrost or ice.


In this work, we present accordion arrays, a straight-forward and effective memory compression technique targeting Unicode-based character arrays. In many non-numeric Java programs, character arrays represent a significant fraction (30-40% on average) of the heap memory allocated. In many locales, most, but not all, of those arrays consist entirely of characters whose top bytes are zeros, and, hence, can be stored as byte arrays without loss of information. In order to get the almost factor of two compression rate for character vectors, two challenges must be overcome: 1) all code that reads and writes character vectors must dynamically determine which kind of array is being accessed and perform byte or character loads/stores as appropriate, and 2) compressed vectors must be dynamically inflated when an incompressible character is written. We demonstrate how these challenges can be overcome with minimal spaceand execution time overhead, resulting in an average speedup of 2% across our benchmark suite, with individual speedups as high as 8%.


Conceptualizing drug use within stages of drug career, this study explored differences between former and current regular marijuana users and the factors associated with reduction of their marijuana use. A total population of 2,983 graduate students were surveyed with a purposive sampling technique resulting in interviews with 186 study subjects. While no attribute variables were predictive of reduction or discontinuance, the frequency of substitution of other activities significantly differed among groups. The implications of these results are discussed within the context of alternative life-style changes in the marijuana careers of study subjects.


The cover image is a colour inverted figure taken from Role of DOCK2 and DOCK180 in fetal thymus colonization by Lei et al. (pp. 2695–2702). By co‐staining sections of frozen embryos for CD45 and keratin, the authors elegantly show that a combination of DOCK2 and DOCK180, two closely related CDM family molecules, plays a significant role in prevascular fetal thymus colonization.


The use of periodontal surgery to treat the condition of gummy smile is an essentially aesthetic approach and plays an important role in raising the self-esteem of patients. Effective treatment requires identification of the best technique for the correction, and the long-term predictability of the procedure. Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct an integrative review of scientific evidence relating to the periodontal surgery techniques used to treat gummy smile. Method and Materials: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria A total of five (05) articles from the PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were analyzed. The majority of cases found featured women, and the average age was 26 years. In most cases, the predominant surgical technique was based on the use of gingivectomy with osteotomy, with a follow-up period of around 6 months. Conclusion: This review revealed a serious lack of controlled and randomized clinical studies into the use of periodontal surgery to treat gummy smiles and highlighted a need for longitudinal clinical studies, with greater evidence, about the best type of periodontal surgery for this purpose.


With approximately 5.9 million vehicular collisions in the United States per year, the ability of a vehicle to absorb energy during a collision is critical to reducing the likelihood and severity of injuries. A primary means to absorb energy during a collision is a crush tube, which is a predominantly-prismatic-shaped, metallic structure located at the front or rear of a vehicle intended to absorb energy by progressively buckling in addition to dissipating energy, crush tubes must be light weight to reduce vehicular green-house gas emissions, resilient to fatigue, resilient to environmental exposure, and economically feasible to manufacture. Historically, these competing objectives have been satisfied via extrusion, hydroforming, or a combination of extrusion and hydroforming manufacturing processes. Such manufacturing processes limit geometric freedom, resulting in a peak initial force significantly greater than the mean force during progressive buckling. Thus, the problem, i.e., crush tubes cause an excessively large initial deceleration due the current manufacturing process. This research seeks to address this problem via two actions: 1. Explore fused depositional modeling (FDM) as a possible manufacturing process for energy dissipating structures. 2. Characterize the effects of FDM processing parameters and honeycomb meso-structures on energy dissipation properties (e.g., peak initial for, mean force, total energy dissipated, slope of force-deflection curve during progressive buckling). Honeycomb structures will be subjected to quasi-static, compressive forces within a design of experiments (DOE) framework. The results of this thesis can be used to influence the design of crush tubes and energy dissipative structures made of materials that are more conductive to automotive components such as aluminum or steel. The results can also be used to categorize the physical properties of Polylactic Acid 3D printed components.


Water treatment is crucial to improve the water quality and reduce diarrheal and chronological diseases caused by excessive discharge of organic dyes and other waste. The development and expansion of efficient catalysts for the degradation and sterilization of organic dyes has attracted widespread attention. Herein, we report an example of a porphyrin-based two-dimensional layered metal-organic framework (MOF) (2DZnTcpp) and its efficient sono-/photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes and bactericidal activity. The dislocated layers effectively avoid close π-π stacking and provide a porous space for oxygen/water/dye contact. The introduction of Zn ions increases the spin orbital coupling through the heavy atom effect and promotes the intersystem crossing process for singlet oxygen generation. The effective ligand-to-metal charge transfer and the excessive open Zn catalytic sites also facilitate water splitting for hydroxyl radical generation. These features together promote the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation of 2DZnTcpp under light illumination or ultrasound sonication. It is worth noting that the 2DZnTcpp with a high specific surface area and porosity shows efficient sono-/photocatalytic degradation of organic dye waste. Moreover, 2DZnTcpp could also largely inactivate Escherichia coli under light irradiation (the light power of 1 sun) or ultrasound sonication for 30 min with efficiencies over 99.99999%. This work provides an approach for the design and synthesis of MOF-based sono-/photocatalysts used in the purification and treatment of textile wastewater and is committed to the establishment of a more efficient, fast, and environmentally friendly catalytic system.


Abstraction is a fundamental part when learning behavioral models of systems. Usually the process of abstraction is manually defined by domain experts. This paper presents a method to perform automatic abstraction for network protocols. In particular a weakly supervised clustering algorithm is used to build an abstraction with a small vocabulary size for the widely used TLS protocol. To show the effectiveness of the proposed method we compare the resultant abstract messages to a manually constructed (reference) abstraction. With a small amount of side-information in the form of a few labeled examples this method finds an abstraction that matches the reference abstraction perfectly.


We investigate the dynamics of a system consisting of a simple harmonic oscillator with small nonlinearity, small damping and small parametric forcing in the neighborhood of 2:1 resonance. We assume that the unforced system exhibits the birth of a stable limit cycle as the damping changes sign from positive to negative (a supercritical Hopf bifurcation). Using perturbation methods and numerical integration, we investigate the changes which occur in long-time behavior as the damping parameter is varied. We show that for large positive damping, the origin is stable, whereas for large negative damping a quasiperiodic behavior occurs. These two steady states are connected by a complicated series of bifurcations which occur as the damping is varied.


The study on monitoring carbon accumulation and sequestration potential of Large Leaf Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King.) plantation in Mount Makiling Forest Reserve was a continuation of the same study conducted in 2000. It aimed to look into the sequestration rate of the plantation after a 10-year period. The study measured the biomass, C and CO2 stored in the aboveground, ground and belowground biomass. It also quantified the rate of C captured with the 2000 study as baseline data. The latest study showed that the plantation has a total biomass production of 1,120 Mg ha-1 which is equivalent to 542 Mg ha-1 of C and 1,989 Mg ha-1 of CO2. Within a 10-year period, it registered a biomass buildup of 43 Mg ha-1 yr-1 and sequestered carbon at 22 Mg ha-1 yr-1 and 81 Mg ha-1 yr-1 of CO2. Its carbon storing capacity surpasses that of an old growth forest, natural stand and other types of vegetation. It can be concluded that the potential of forest plantation to sequester carbon can be maximized given a good-site condition, appropriate silvicultural practices applied, less human disturbances thus allowing the stand to attain its optimum growth as manifested by the plantation studie.


The consistency relations for the large scale structure provide a link between the amplitude of baryonic acoustic oscillations in the squeezed bispectrum (BS) and in the power spectrum (PS). This relation depends on the large scale bias of the considered tracer, bα, and on the growth rate of structures, f. Remarkably, originating from basic symmetry principles, this relation is exact and independent on the underlying cosmological model. By analysing data from large volume simulations, both for dark matter and for haloes, we illustrate how BS and PS measurements can be used to extract bα and f without the need of any theoretical approximation scheme for the computation of the BS and the PS. We show that, combining measurements of the squeezed BS with the quadrupole to monopole ratios for the PS at large scales can successfully break the bα −f degeneracy. We forecast that this method, applied to a Euclid-like survey, will be able to measure bias, and then the growth rate, at better than 10% level, with no extra assumption.


Soil data were collected from a 30 ha commercial field using a 60 m sampling grid. Monitored yield data were
also collected in this field between 1996 and 1999, when it had a wheat–processing tomato–bean–sunflower crop rotation.
A comparison between SSURGO–NRCS soil–unit definition and field–measured soil data showed that in this field the former
are a good approximation and starting point for precision agriculture studies and management. In a second test, the EPIC
model, using the SSURGO database soil type definitions, was found to reproduce the yield variability within this field with
reasonable accuracy. The model's performance was not as good when tested with data from soil samples, apparently due to
the way EPIC simulates water holding capacity from texture information and the lack of some key variables (not sampled),
such as water content at field–capacity (FC), wilting–point (WP), and soil saturated conductivity. A set of runs was performed
to simulate the yield at 13 point–locations in the field using FC, WP, and bulk density. Although the accuracy of the simulation
did not improve greatly, the model reproduced the yield trend of two of the crops (wheat and sunflower).


Early identification of HIV infection is of obvious benefit to patients' health, yet many remain unaware of their diagnosis, with detrimental consequences. Current guidelines suggest patients with pneumonia are offered an HIV test. Early diagnosis of HIV infection in critically ill patients within intensive care is vital in reducing mortality and morbidity. In 2015, we established automated HIV testing for patients with pneumonia admitted to our intensive care unit. Prior to our change in practice, our HIV testing rate in patients with pneumonia was 29% within two weeks of admission. After implementation, 80% of patients with pneumonia were tested for HIV within 48 h (73% with 24 h). This intervention also facilitated an early and unexpected HIV diagnosis in one patient, which then allowed prompt tailored therapy and was a significant factor in their survival. Based on our success, we suggest other centres may benefit from employing a similar automated HIV testing system, especially in targeted patient groups such as severe pneumonia.


Invigilation process is an important activity in almost all educational institutions. Administrative department has to ensure that the process of assigning invigilator must be done efficiently in order to reduce problems. Preparing invigilator scheduling is challenging, tedious and time consuming for the exam unit. Usually the staff in charge needs to prepare the invigilator schedule about 3-4 weeks manually by using spreadsheet software in order to prepare future invigilation schedule. Advancement of the technologies could store all the data and information efficiently in computer databases. The arising issue is on how the current technology would help the staff to automatically assign invigilator schedule for each semester without the concern of repetition and duplication even when the number of invigilators increases or decreases. This paper describes the usage of shuffling algorithm in an Automatic Assigning Invigilator Timetable Scheduling System as a randomization technique for assigning invigilator. The results indicate shuffling algorithm could be used to overcome the duplication process of assigning invigilator when the process is done manually.


IVTEAM. | 1 The implementation of universal octenidine-based bathing combined with a standardised washing regime led to a significant reduction of nosocomial VRE" Messler et al (2018). Abstract: Background: Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) is emerging in German intensive care units (ICUs). On a 32 bed surgical ICU at a university hospital increasing numbers of nosocomial cases occurred despite enforcement of hand hygiene and environmental disinfection. Aim: Introduction of universal octenidine-based bathing in order to reduce the burden of VRE. Methods: Between 1/2012 and 3/2014 patients were screened for VRE on admission and twice weekly. Active surveillance for VRE infection and colonisation, and for blood stream infections (BSI) with any pathogen was performed. Intervention in this before-after study comprised of standardised octenidine-based bathing. Distinct subgroups of VRE colonisation or infection were defined and used for statistical analysis of frequency, prevalence and incidence density (ID). Findings: In the pre-intervention period (1/2012 to 4/2013) the admission prevalence of VRE was 4/100 patients and the mean ID of nosocomial cases was 7.55/1000 patient days (PD). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis revealed prevalence of three vanA and two vanB clusters. Post-interventionally (8/2013 to 3/2014), the admission prevalence was 2.41/100 patients and the ID 2.61/1000 PDs (p = 0.001 (pre vs post intervention)). Nosocomial VRE infections were 10 in the preand one in the post-intervention period. Incidence densities of BSI preand post-intervention were 2.98 and 2.06/1000 PDs (p = 0.15), respectively. Conclusion: The epidemiology of emerging VRE appeared as a complex mix of admitted cases and transmissions in small clusters, challenging infection control measures. The implementation of universal octenidine-based bathing combined with a standardised washing regime led to a significant reduction of nosocomial VRE. You may also be interested in...


A HY zeolite supported by highly dispersed electrogenerated iron oxide nanoparticles (EGFe2O3/HY) was prepared by a facile electrochemical method and has been characterized using XRD, TEM, BET, UV-vis/DRS, and XPS. The formation of EGFe2O3 nanoparticles with a size of <30 nm, well distributed on the surface of HY, led to enhanced catalytic activity for the decolorization of organic dyes such as methylene blue (MB), congo red (CR), and methyl orange (MO) under sunlight irradiation. The MB dye shows the highest decolorization (99.9%) followed by CR (96.4%) and MO (91.3%). Kinetics study signifies that the reaction follows pseudo first-order kinetics, and the rate constants was determined using the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model which gave values of KR = 0.48 mg L−1 h−1, KLH = 3.83 L mg−1 for MB; KR = 0.39 mg L−1 h−1, KLH = 1.78 L mg−1 for CR; and KR = 0.29 mg L−1 h−1, KLH = 0.13 L mg−1 for MO. No dissolution of EGFe2O3 ions was detected during the photoreaction. The catalyst was stable with a slight decrease of decolorization (<13%) after five cycling runs. Good performance of the decolorization of simulated dyes was observed with nearly complete mineralization as measured by COD and TOC removal.


This clinical case presents the restoration of an endodontically treated tooth using an endocrown in lithium disilicate-reinforced ceramic fabricated by CAD/CAM system. Case of a female patient, 48 years old who presented coronal fracture of an endodontically treated tooth. Restoration with endocrown in lithium disilicate-reinforced ceramic fabricated by CAD/ CAM system was indicated. The crowns were evaluated using a California Dental Association (CDA) quality assessment system at baseline and at follow-up examination. Endocrown in lithium disilicate-reinforced ceramic fabricated by CAD/CAM system was a reliable restorative alternative for an endodontically treated premolar. The minimally invasive prepare for endocrown preserves maximum tooth structure as a gold standard for tooth restorations. In addition, such restorative alternative is advantageous in comparison to conventional full postand-core supported crown since it presents appropriate mechanical performance and longevity as a lower cost and faster clinical procedure.


Decentralized sensor networks are collections of individual local sensors that observe a common phenomenon, quantize their observations, and send this quantized information to a central processor (fusion center) which then makes a global decision about the phenomenon. Most of the existing literature in this field consider only the data fusion aspect of this problem, i.e., the statisticalhypothesis testing and optimal combining of the information obtained by the local sensors. In this paper, we propose a Parallel Genetic Algorithm (PGA) for optimizing the probability of global detection error performance of a parallel decentralized sensor network. Specifically, we use the PGA to simultaneously optimize both the fusion rule and the local decision rules. We show that our approach provides results comparable to those obtained by using a GA and gradient-based algorithm from previous work by Aldosari and Moura, with reduced complexity. We considerboth the cases of identical (homogeneous) and non-identical (heterogeneous) sensors and demonstrate that our algorithm converges to the same optimal solution in both cases. We alsodiscuss the effect of the quality of the initial solution on the convergence of the PGA.


The study is part of a larger research of market orientation, which was conducted to build on previous research, and particularly examined the association between market orientation and business performance in a larger market context, using a synthesis model approach. Using the survey approach 24 companies out of 37 listed companies participated in the quantitative study; where 72 senior officials were surveyed from August 2011 to September 2011, through a five-likert scale questions. In this preliminary analysis, correlation analysis was used to measure the association between antecedents of market orientation and components of market orientation; as well as the link between market orientation components and business performance of firms. The findings indicated that top management factors on the average had statistical significant relationship with market orientation; organizational factors related highly with market orientation; and external factors also had statistical significant relationship with market orientation. Similarly, the four components of market orientation were found to have statistical significance correlation with both economic and non-economic performance of business. Thus, the results implied that the overall performance of listed companies in Ghana is linked to market orientation.


Distal monosomy 3p is a rare chromosomal anomaly syndrome, resulting from a partial deletion of the short arm of chromosome 3, with a highly variable phenotype typically characterized by pre- and post-natal growth retardation, intellectual disability, developmental delay and craniofacial dysmorphism (microcephaly, trigonocephaly, downslanting palpebral fissures, telecanthus, ptosis, micrognathia). Postaxial polydactyly, hypotonia, renal anomalies and congenital heart defects (e.g. atrioventricular septal defect) may be associated.


Two of the greatest challenges that threaten sustainable development are the water supply crisis together with the control of water resources pollution. The United Nations recognises that the right to safe drinking water and sanitation is an essential right, and states are called upon to intensify their efforts to provide the entire population with affordable access to safe drinking water. However, due to population growth and climate change, water resources are under great pressure, producing millions of cubic metres of wastewater. Due to the near impossibility of increasing water supply in a natural way, the importance of wastewater management as a method has grown in recent years, which, although it is not to increase the amount of this resource, but to facilitate its successive use before its final return to the sea. The objective of this article is to carry out a bibliometric analysis regarding the production and impact of the scientific research related to wastewater management indexed in the WoS and Scopus databases. The purpose is to know key aspects such as the progression of production over the years, maturity in research, coverage of the subject, identifying the most discussed topics and therefore identifying the gaps, the most relevant authors and the core of journals through which knowledge in this area is disseminated, as well as its impact through the analysis of citations. This analysis can help future researchers in this field by providing an overview of the current literature that helps them identify new research approaches to position their own work and identify the most relevant authors in this field. Likewise, a comparison is made on coverage and overlap between the two main international databases WoS and Scopus. From the analysis of the 211 articles selected through an advanced search by terms with a time limit set in 2018, it is concluded that we are facing a very incipient field of knowledge that has aroused great interest since 2010, with about half of the articles published in the period 2012–2018. Although WoS and Scopus differ in general terms in scope and coverage policies, both systems are complementary and not exclusive. In the specific area of wastewater management, Scopus is the base that provides the best coverage taking into account the number of articles published and the number of citations received.


Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a discontinuity of the diaphragm in which abdominal viscera herniates into the chest (Hedrick & Adzick, 2016). A 16-year-old female patient with a past medical history of a left-sided CDH presented with severe pain to her left upper quadrant and chest. An initial diagnosis was made of a recurrent CDH and subsequent herniation of the left kidney into the thoracic space. Intraoperatively, her previous diaphragmatic repair was found to be intact, but a sharp bony protrusion, determined to be an exostosis of the posterior lateral aspect of one of her ribs, was noted. Rongeurs of this lesion resulted in resolution of this patient's symptoms.


Human resources is one important factor for the progress of a company, one of the aspects that affect the achievement of human resources that have high performance is the motivation of work. The purpose of this study to determine the effect of work motivation on employee performance at PT Dagsap Endura Eatore Jakarta. The author uses the method of observation, questionnaires, study documentation. The author distributed questionnaires to 56 respondents by using Likert scale. Data analysis technique using correlation coefficient, determination, regression equation, then writer process the data by using SPSS version 22. Based on calculation of correlation coefficient obtained equal to 0,750 which mean, there is strong relation between work motivation to employee performance at PT Dagsap Endura Eatore Jakarta. From result of calculation of coefficient of determination obtained result of equal to 0,563 or 56% and the rest 44% influenced by other factors like compensation, promotion, training, and seen from regression equation formed Y = 14,774 + 0,650X this indicate that without work motivation employee performance of 14,774 units and if the motivation to work increased 1 unit it will increase the employee performance of 0.650 units.


The principles of static balancing, also called measurement error reconciliation (MER), have been generalized to transient conditions. An exactly linear dynamic balance model has been stated where flow variables are assumed to be stochastic processes with independent increments. With this model the residual error of static MER due to dynamic effects can be estimated. Dynamic balancing is proposed as the estimation of flow and inventory variables by Kalman filtering applied to the balance model. The error of estimates obtained in this way is significantly less than that for the static MER estimates, even if the process is nearly in steady state. The main problem of dynamic balancing is that it requires not only the redundant observation of flow variables but also the observation of inventory variables. Compatibility of MER and dynamic balancing has been shown.


The Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) finds approximate solutions to combinatorial optimization problems. Its performance monotonically improves with its depth $p$. We apply the QAOA to MaxCut on large-girth $D$-regular graphs. We give an iterative formula to evaluate performance for any $D$ at any depth $p$. Looking at random $D$-regular graphs, at optimal parameters and as $D$ goes to infinity, we find that the $p=11$ QAOA beats all classical algorithms (known to the authors) that are free of unproven conjectures. While the iterative formula for these $D$-regular graphs is derived by looking at a single tree subgraph, we prove that it also gives the ensemble-averaged performance of the QAOA on the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick (SK) model defined on the complete graph. We also generalize our formula to Max-$q$-XORSAT on large-girth regular hypergraphs. Our iteration is a compact procedure, but its computational complexity grows as $O(p^2 4^p)$. This iteration is more efficient than the previous procedure for analyzing QAOA performance on the SK model, and we are able to numerically go to $p=20$. Encouraged by our findings, we make the optimistic conjecture that the QAOA, as $p$ goes to infinity, will achieve the Parisi value. We analyze the performance of the quantum algorithm, but one needs to run it on a quantum computer to produce a string with the guaranteed performance.


The surface layer (S-layer) protein genes of the uranium mining waste pile isolate Bacillus sphaericus JG-A12 and of its relative B. sphaericus NCTC 9602 were analysed. The almost identical N-termini of the two S-layer proteins possess a unique structure, comprising three N-terminal S-layer homologous (SLH) domains. The central parts of the proteins share a high homology and are related to the S-layer proteins of B. sphaericus CCM 2177 and P-1. In contrast, the C-terminal parts of the S-layer proteins of JG-A12 and NCTC 9602 differ significantly between each other. Surprisingly, the C-terminal part of the S-layer protein of JG-A12 shares a high identity with that of the S-layer protein of B. sphaericus CCM 2177. In both JG-A12 and NCTC 9602 the chromosomal S-layer protein genes are followed by a newly identified putative insertion element comprising three ORFs, which encode a putative transposase, a putative integrase/recombinase and a putative protein containing a DNA binding helix-turn-helix motif, and the S-layer-protein-like gene copies sllA (9602) or sllB (JG-A12). Interestingly, both B. sphaericus strains studied were found to contain an additional, plasmid-located and silent S-layer protein gene with the same sequence as sllA and sllB. The primary structures of the corresponding putative proteins are almost identical in both strains. The N-terminal and central parts of these S-layer proteins share a high identity with those of the chromosomally encoded functional S-layer proteins. Their C-terminal parts, however, differ significantly. These results strongly suggest that the S-layer protein genes have evolved via horizontal transfer of genetic information followed by DNA rearrangements mediated by mobile elements.


Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a major cause of vision loss for people with diabetes. Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy is the standard of care for DME; however, there is an unmet need for new strategies that address the multifactorial nature of DME, reduce treatment burden, and optimize patient outcomes. Angiopoietin-2 and VEGF-A synergistically drive vascular instability in DME; therefore, dual pathway inhibition with faricimab, the first bispecific antibody designed for intraocular use, may promote vascular stability and durable efficacy beyond current anti-VEGF therapies. YOSEMITE (NCT03622580) and RHINE (NCT03622593) were randomized, double-masked, active comparator-controlled, phase 3 trials designed to assess the efficacy, durability, and safety of faricimab in patients with DME (YOSEMITE, N = 940; RHINE, N = 951) . Patients were randomized 1:1:1 to faricimab 6.0 mg every 8 weeks (Q8W) after 6 initial every-4-week (Q4W) doses, faricimab 6.0 mg per personalized treatment interval (PTI) after 4 initial Q4W doses, or aflibercept 2.0 mg Q8W after 5 initial Q4W doses. The PTI algorithm was a protocol-driven treat-and-extend regimen, with dosing intervals extended, maintained, or reduced (from Q4W up to every 16 weeks [Q16W]) based on prespecified vision and anatomic criteria. Efficacy and safety endpoints were assessed at Q4W study visits through week 100. At 1 year, faricimab Q8W or per PTI offered durable vision gains that were noninferior to aflibercept Q8W and were achieved with Q16W dosing in > 50% of patients in the PTI arms. Faricimab Q8W or per PTI demonstrated anatomic improvements versus aflibercept Q8W and was well tolerated, with low rates of intraocular inflammation. Year 2 results from YOSEMITE/RHINE will be presented at the meeting, and will examine whether early vision gains, anatomic improvements, and extended (up to Q16W) dosing with faricimab are maintained over 2 years.

 C.J. Danzig: Advisory Panel; Genentech, Inc. Consultant; Adverum Biotechnologies, Genentech, Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Research Support; Adverum Biotechnologies, Genentech, Inc., Kodiak Pharmaceuticals, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Roche Pharmaceuticals. Speaker's Bureau; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. J.A. Wells: Advisory Panel; Genentech, Inc. Research Support; Adverum, Alimera, Bayer AG, DRCR Retina Network, Genentech, Inc., Gyroscope, Iveric, Kodiak, Lowy Medical institute, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. D. Eichenbaum: Consultant; Genentech, Inc., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Research Support; Bayer AG, Genentech, Inc., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Speaker's Bureau; Bayer AG, Genentech, Inc. J.I. Lim: Consultant; Cognition, Eyenuk, Genentech, Inc., Iveric Bio, Novartis AG, Quark, Santen, Luxa, Veridian, Aura, Unity. Research Support; Aldeyra, Chengdu Pharmaceuticals, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Stealth, NGM. K. Asik: None. Z. Haskova: Employee; Genentech, Inc. S. Mohan: None. D. Silverman: Employee; Roche Pharmaceuticals. Y. Tang: Employee; Genentech, Inc. H. Lin: Employee; Genentech, Inc.

 F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Basel, Switzerland)