SIR–The recent review by Novak et al. delivers a 'do not do it' verdict on neurodevelopmental therapy (NDT), traditionally attributed to the Bobaths. One has to wonder why (1) in spite of the bad publicity the Bobath-NDT approach has been receiving over the past decade, thousands of therapists world over are attending Bobath-NDT basic, refresher, and advanced courses; (2) parents of children in all age groups, with all levels of motor and cognitive challenges, follow the Bobath-NDT approach. Could it be that in the absence of a criterion standard and with knowledge readily available on the internet on any number of treatment options, parents feel and see that their needs and their child's needs are well served with the Bobath-NDT approach? Perhaps research questions should look into the reasons why over a period of 70 years, the Bobath-NDT approach is continuing to expand and spread across cultures and continents. Bobath and NDT-trained physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, and occupational therapists, closely follow all valuable research, and use it where it fits best, giving full credit to the authors. Is that not what hardworking knowledge brokers and knowledge translators wish for? Is it not time for researchers and therapists to bridge the gap, get together, and ask what really makes a difference to families when they chose this 'popular' NDT approach?


The problems associated with the distribution, diagnosis, classification and treatment of urogenital tract chlamydiosis in Russia are discussed. Some arrangements for the improvement of the activities of the laboratory diagnostic services, the use of the International Classification of urogenital tract chlamydioses and the treatment optimization are offered. The drug of choice in the treatment of urogenital tract chlamydiosis is azithromycin (Sumamed, Pliva). Doxycycline, erythromycin and ofloxacin are recommended as the reserve drugs.


Abstract Invasive species are a major threat to the persistence of native species, particularly in systems where ephemeral aquatic habitats have been replaced by permanent water and predators, such as fish, have been introduced. Within the Altar Valley, Arizona, the invasive American bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus (formerly Rana catesbeianus), has been successfully eradicated to help recover Chiricahua leopard frogs (Lithobates chiricahuensis). However, other nonnative predators including sunfish (Lepomis) are present in some permanent water bodies. During four consecutive years (2014–2017), we detected both the federally threatened Chiricahua leopard frog and sunfish at one permanent water body in the Altar Valley. This suggests that despite the potential negative effect of predatory fish on amphibians, there may be conditions where the Chiricahua leopard frog can co-occur with this nonnative predator. A better understanding of rare situations of co-occurrence with nonnative predators may contribute to our understanding of why co-occurrence happens in some, but not all, systems and whether conservation strategies can be developed in situations where eradication of nonnative predators is infeasible.


The idea of the knowledge economy has brought with it a new paradigm of work that espouses the professionalization of all work. This new paradigm is now affecting the organization of work throughout the economy. However, not all work is knowledge work, whatever definition is used. The number of 'professionals' may rise, but many workers still face rather traditional working conditions. Moreover, we argue, the expected growth in the share of knowledge work may be less than expected: along with the forces pushing for an increase in knowledge work, there are also forces counteracting these. We develop a simple typology of work that takes autonomy and frequency of external contacts as dimensions. Workplaces with high autonomy and frequent external contacts (with customers and other stakeholders) are considered 'paradigmatic' for knowledge work. Using data from the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS), we analyze the distribution of the European workforce across different types of work. Analysis of EWCS data (1995, 2000, 2005) shows that 'paradigmatic' knowledge work is actually shrinking. We offer a first, tentative explanation of this remarkable trend.


Currently, surgery remains the only approach to cure gastric cancer. However, improvement of prognosis by surgical resection alone is limited, and peri-operative chemotherapy is necessary (1). In recent years, several large clinical trials have shown the effectiveness of adjuvant post-operative chemotherapy for gastric cancer (2-4). In contrast, the usefulness of adjuvant pre-operative chemotherapy has not been fully demonstrated.


intubation tube. Ann Fr Anesth Reanim 1993; 12:321–2 8. Landess WW: Retropharyngeal dissection: A rare complication of nasotracheal intubation revisited—a case report. AANA J 1994; 62: 273–7 9. Watanabe S, Yaguchi Y, Suga A, Asakura N: A "bubble-tip" (Airguide) tracheal tube system: Its effects on incidence of epistaxis and ease of tube advancement in the subglottic region during nasotracheal intubation. Anesth Analg 1994; 78:1140–3 10. Cohen SP, Anderson PL: Mucoid impaction following nasal intubation in a child with an upper respiratory infection. J Clin Anesth 1998; 10:327–30


Working memory (WM) is the ability to hold information for online processing. As the basis of long-term memory formation and a fundamental construct of thinking, it is paramount that we understand how WM works. Distributed network models posit that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) supports WM by coordinating top-down control over other regions involved in sensory representation and long-term memory. We utilized an episodic memory paradigm that probes WM for identity, spatial, and temporal information to examine the PFC dependent model of WM. In two studies, multimodal electrophysiology data reveal that PFC control over WM is fundamentally dynamic in nature, and that WM is dependent on activity distributed across anterior and posterior cortical regions. Results challenge the simple PFC model of WM.Ch. 1 presents evidence from intracranial recordings that frontal and medial temporal lobe (MTL) theta rhythms carry WM-related activity, and uncovers two WM systems. The PFC-MTL system exhibits bidirectional interaction that shifts with msec precision in response to task demands. In contrast, MTL rhythms direct activity in the orbitofrontal cortex via theta rhythms that do not vary with task demands. These findings support a bidirectional PFC-MTL system in humans – in which theta rhythms subserve executive control during episodic memory formation. Ch. 2 presents evidence from patients with unilateral PFC damage, which shows that a posteriorly-sourced alpha-beta network provides adequate resources for well above-chance WM accuracy. However, when the PFC is intact, PFC low theta activity increases commensurate with executive demand, and PFC-sourced slow rhythms and posteriorly-sourced alpha-beta rhythms travel in opposite directions to support optimal WM.Ch. 3 reviews 15 years of intracranial research on human memory, and considers the potential of intracranial electrophysiology as a technique to address unresolved questions in the neuroscience of human memory. Ch. 4 presents key themes from this work for younger readers; specifically, it introduces the concepts of cross-frequency coupling between theta rhythms and fast activities in the MTL, and inter-regional PFC-MTL synchrony for memory formation. In a second public outreach piece, appendix 1 introduces the logic of neuropsychology to younger readers to understand why memories of music are resilient to the deleterious effects of amnesia and dementia. Appendix 2 shows that WM develops in children along with increases in sustained attention, and appendix 3 reviews evidence that executive control develops commensurate with PFC connectivity across distributed neural networks. Finally, appendices 4-5 present applications of research on WM and control, together delineating behavioral and neural underpinnings of optimal relational reasoning in neurologically healthy adults.


The human hand's versatility allows for robust and flexible grasping. To obtain such efficiency, many robotic hands include human biomechanical features such as fingers having their two last joints mechanically coupled. Although such coupling enables human-like grasping, controlling the inverse kinematics of such mechanical systems is challenging. Here we propose a cortical model for fine motor control of a humanoid finger, having its two last joints coupled, that learns the inverse kinematics of the effector. This neural model functionally mimics the population vector coding as well as sensorimotor prediction processes of the brain's motor/premotor and parietal regions, respectively. After learning, this neural architecture could both overtly (actual execution) and covertly (mental execution or motor imagery) perform accurate, robust and flexible finger movements while reproducing the main human finger kinematic states. This work contributes to developing neuro-mimetic controllers for dexterous humanoid robotic/prosthetic upper-extremities, and has the potential to promote human–robot interactions.


ABSTRACT:The Hebrew medical text referred to as Sefer Refuʾot or Sefer Asaf has long been one of the greatest mysteries of Hebrew science with regards to fundamental questions such as the date and place of its composition and the identity of its author or authors. It has been dated anytime between the third and the eleventh centuries, with its composition located anywhere between Persia and southern Italy. This paper explores some of the Persian lore in Sefer Asaf: the figure of Asaf himself, the similarity with other Persian or Persianinfluenced accounts of the origins of the sciences, the appearance of the Indo-Iranian motif of the trees of medicine, the central importance given to Indic medical knowledge, and the form and use of the Persian months in the text.Previous important contributions to the study of Sefer Asaf have argued for a Syriac connection; several other studies have linked the text to a Persian cultural milieu. The information presented here links those two and argues for dependence on material deriving from the Church of the East in Persia.


There are currently few suitable test systems for the chronic toxicity testing of aquatic macroinvertebrates under stream conditions. Therefore, a new test system mimicking running water conditions was developed for testing with lotic insects. This system uses small test cages, with 10 of these suspended inside each 25‐L container and rotating at 0.1 m/s, to create a water flow for the individual organism inside each cage. To test the performance of the new exposure system, chronic effects (21 d) of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid were investigated with field‐collected larvae of the stonefly Protonemura sp. Endpoints were survival, growth, and/or emergence (depending on the developmental stage of the larvae at the start of the exposure). Two experiments conducted 1 yr apart showed good reproducibility: growth 10% effect concentration (EC10) values were 15.3 and 18.5 μg/L and no‐observed‐effect concentration (NOEC) values were 30.3 and 21.5 μg/L. A third experiment, performed with further‐developed larval instars, showed a significant effect of imidacloprid on emergence (with EC10 of 5.97 μg/L and NOEC of 2.89 μg/L) and a significant effect on survival (with median lethal concentration of 44.7 µg/L). The results of the present study show that the newly developed test system provides a suitable approach for toxicity testing with stonefly larvae and potentially for other lotic macroinvertebrate species. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:2229–2239. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.


EKSPLA, a Lithuanian SME set up in 1992, started off supplying customised high-performance laser systems to scientific laboratories. It later extended its product range to standardised laser systems for industrial applications. The move to producing standardised lasers made IP more important. EKSPLA now owns 12-patent families. In addition, some of its incremental innovations are kept as trade secrets. EKSPLA participates in EU projects and co-operates on R&D with contract manufacturers. Decisions to file patent applications are taken together with its partners. As its main competitors are based in Europe, EKSPLA looks forward to the Unitary Patent as a means of securing more extensive patent protection in the region.


The purpose of this study was to compare motivation, engagement and achievement in two teaching conditions; one focusing on a skill-drill-game approach, and the second using Sport Education. Forty high school students were randomly selected to participate in either a Sport Education season or a Skill-Drill-Game unit. Post intervention measures of student enjoyment/interest, effort/importance, perceived competence, and pressure/tension were obtained for both groups. A daily gauge of engagement was obtained through pedometry. A pre- and post- intervention measure of aerobic fitness was used to assess achievement. ANOVAs indicated a significant difference between groups for effort/importance (p= .012) and enjoyment/interest (p= .005), but not for pressure/tension (p= .762) or perceived competence (p= .218). Three separate one- way ANOVAs indicated that the SEM group took significantly more steps than the SDG group during the introduction and skill practice phase of the season/unit, during the preseason/modified games phase, and also during the regular season/game play phase. ANOVAs indicated a significant difference between groups on both engagement (p= .005) and aerobic fitness (p= .048). The results of this study provide initial, but cautious support for the notion that participation in Sport Education moves students towards more autonomous forms of motivation, which in turn results in greater levels of engagement in classes. The results support Sport Education as a viable curricular model for teachers in order to promote engagement in physical education. The challenge now is to plan studies that formally test this notion, and also use more sophisticated measures of engagement that use both the dimensions of active involvement as well as emotional intensity and effort.


We evaluate whether 850 nm fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor systems can use low-cost 1550 nm telecom fibers; in other words, how detrimental the influence of higher-order modes is to the polarization stability and linearity of the strain and temperature response. We do this by comparing polarization sensitivity of a few-mode 850 nm FBG sensor to a strictly single-mode 850 nm FBG sensor system using 850 nm single-mode fibers. We also compare the performance of the FBGs in strain and temperature tests. Our results show that the polarization stability and the linearity of the response degrade due to the presence of the higher-order modes. We demonstrate that, by using simple coiling of the 1550 nm fiber, one can regain the performance of the few-mode system and make it usable for high precision measurements.


Background Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune disorder with cutaneous, vascular and immune cells abnormalities that lead to extensive cutaneous and visceral fibrosis with high morbidity and mortality. P-Selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) is the major ligand for P-selectin. PSGL-1 mediates the initial contacts with endothelial cells during extravasation to inflamed tissues or homing to several tissues in homeostatic conditions. In addition, PSGL-1/P-Selectin interaction contributes to the homeostasis of the immune system by generating regulatory T cells1. Importantly, the metalloprotease ADAM8 interacts with PSGL-1 and proteolytically processes it, what could be a regulatory mechanism to control the expression of PSGL-12. Interestingly, mice lacking PSGL-1 develop a progressive SSc-like syndrome3. Objectives To investigate whether PSGL-1 and ADAM8 expression on leukocytes could be implicated in the pathogenesis of SSc. Methods PBLs from 47 SSc patients and 35 healthy donors were analyzed by flow cytometry. The percentage of cells expressing PSGL-1, HLA-DR and ADAM8, as well as the membrane (without cell permeabilization) and total (after cell permeabilization) expression were assessed for each leukocyte subset. For cell permeabilization, cells were incubated for 15 min at room temperature with a fixation/permeabilization solution. Positivity was stablished using isotype control antibodies. Comparisons between groups were analyzed with Student t tests or Mann-Whitney U test. For pairwise multiple comparisons one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test was applied (p<0.05, 95% CI). To analyze the possible contribution of PSGL-1, ADAM8 and HLA-DR to SSc pathogenesis, and to explore whether they could be used as biomarkers for SSc, we studied the influence of these molecules using a multivariate logistic regression model. Results SSc patients showed increased expression of HLA-DR in antigen presenting cells (B cells, monocytes and dendritic cells), indicating a higher activation of these cells. PSGL-1 expression in B cells was decreased in SSc patients but increased in monocytes, dendritic cells (DC) and T cells. ADAM8 was increased in B and T lymphocytes, monocytes and DC from SSc patients. Overall, we have identified three variables that are associated with SSc: high percentage of ADAM8-expressing pDC, high PSGL-1 expression in cDC and high HLA-DR expression in CD16+ monocytes. Remarkably, highest PSGL-1 expression on conventional DC (cDC) and high levels of ADAM8 on plasmacytoid DC (pDC) associate with interstitial lung disease (ILD), one of the most severe SSc clinical manifestations, suggesting that PSGL-1 and ADAM8 could be prognostic markers of ILD. Conclusions This study highlights that PSGL-1 and ADAM8 expression on DC, monocytes and lymphocytes could be implicated in SSc pathogenesis and particularly on DC might act as biomarkers for ILD. References Urzainqui et al., J. Immunol 2007; Domínguez-Luis et al., Eur J Immunol 2011. Pérez-Frías et al., Arthritis Rheumatol 2014. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Abstract A re-description of the post-embryonic development of Derocheilocaris remanei Delamare-Deboutteville and Chappuis, 1951 (Mystacocarida) is presented. It includes nine stages, not ten as originally described. The first stage already has a maxillula (though not fully developed) and is, therefore, not an ortho-nauplius as previously reported. Particular focus is on the development of the post-mandibular appendages (maxillula, maxilla, maxilliped) that undergo significant changes during ontogeny, and the development of the so-called 'toothed furrows', all of which are good indicators of changes between the stages. The maxilla and maxilliped are quite different from each other in the adult stage, but they develop in a very similar manner, showing very similar morphologies at certain stages. None of the post-mandibular appendages has a fully formed coxa, but only a proximal endite, which is in contrast to some previous interpretations. The development of D. remanei was originally considered very different from that of its transatlantic 'sister species', D. typicus, but our observations indicate that this is not the case. Rather, the development of D. typicus and D. remanei is very similar. This implies that not only the adult morphology of Mystacocarida is remarkably conservative, but also the larval sequence. With regard to the feeding system, mystacocaridans have a cephalo-thoracic feeding apparatus including the first pair of trunk limbs modified as maxillipeds, which collaborate with the maxillulae and maxillae in the feeding process. All three limbs are very similar to each other (the main difference is that the maxilliped possesses a vestigial exopod). The feeding system is in both general aspects and in particular details very similar to that of Copepoda and the representatives of the Cambrian taxon Skara. This suggests a close relationship between these three taxa, for which we propose the name Copepodoida. The name refers to specific features found exclusively in copepodans and, in our view, mystacocaridans and the three species of Skara.


The solar conversion of CO2 to low carbon fuels has been heralded as a potential solution to combat the rise in greenhouse gas emissions. Here we report the first light-driven activation of [NiFe] CODH II from Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans for the reduction of CO2 to CO. To accomplish this, a hybrid photosystem composed of CODH II and CdSe/CdS dot-in-rod nanocrystals was developed. By incorporating a low-potential redox mediator to assist electron transfer, quantum yields up to 19% and turnover frequencies of 9 s-1 were achieved. These results represent a new standard in efficient CO2 reduction by an enzyme-based photocatalytic systems. Furthermore, successful photoactivation of CODH II allows for future exploration into the enzyme's not fully understood mechanism.


We describe a man aged 87 with a subdural haemorrhage which needed to be evacuated three times over an eight-week period. After the third operation the patient's physical and cognitive performance increased markedly, even though his performance had been assessed as "normal for his age" during his illness. The case illustrates the impressive regenerative capacity of the aged brain, the challenge in differentiating between disease symptoms and age-associated functional decline, the difficulties in deciding when to operate on an old patient, and the importance of functional assessments in health care for the elderly.


This paper describes the kinetic study of a number of gas-phase reactions of iron oxides and hydroxides with O, H and O3. These reactions are important for characterising the chemistry of meteor-ablated iron in the earth's upper mesosphere. Pulses of atomic Fe were produced in the upstream section of a fast flow tube by the pulsed laser ablation of a pure Fe rod, and detected at the downstream end by LIF at 248.3 nm Fe(x5F05 ← a5D4). The Fe-containing reactant species FeO and FeO2 were produced by sequential reaction of Fe with NO2; FeO3 by the reaction of metastable excited Fe atoms with O2 to form FeO, followed by addition of O2; and Fe(OH)2 by the addition of H2O to FeO. Atomic O or H was produced by the microwave discharge of N2
(with addition of NO) or H2, respectively, and their absolute concentrations determined by conventional titration with NO2. Rate coefficients were essentially measured relative to absolute rate coefficients for Fe and FeO determined previously [J. M. C. Plane and R. J. Rollason, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys, 1999, 1, 1843; R. J. Rollason and J. M. C. Plane, ibid., 2000, 2, 2335], but were extracted using a full kinetic model including diffusive loss on the flow tube walls of the relevant species. The following results were obtained (units: cm3 molecule−1 s−1; quoted uncertainty is 2σ): k(FeO + O → Fe + O2, 209–381 K) = 4.6+2.6−1.6 × 10−10 e−(350±130)/T; k(FeO2 + O → FeO + O2, 209–381 K) = 1.4+0.8−0.5 × 10−10 e−(580±120)/T; k(FeO3 + O → FeO2 + O2, 610 K) = 8+10−5 × 10−12; k(FeO2 + O3 → FeO3 + O2, 224–298 K) = 4.4+6.4−2.6 × 10−10 e−(170±230)/T; k(FeO3 + H → FeOH + O2, 294 K) = (2.0+1.2−0.6) × 10−11, and k(FeOH + H → products, 294 K) = (1.3 ± 0.3) × 10−11 . Theoretical calculations at the B3LYP/6-311 + g(2d,p) level were used to identify the stationary points on the relevant potential energy surfaces for most of these reactions, before applying statistical theories to model the kinetics. The implications of these results for the chemistry of iron in flames and the upper atmosphere are then discussed.


LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,-In the first place I wish to thank the members of this Society for having re-elected me as President, and to say how keenly I appreciate this honour. To-night, in delivering this Presidential address, I hope you will excuse me if I do not keep to the written word. It is very difficult to condense so large and wide a subject before an expert and critical audience. I hope, when the address is published in full, to have the benefit of your comment and criticism. In reviewing the literature, I find references to neurosyphilis as far back as i635, when Sennert spoke of this condition. A hundred years later, Astruc, in a masterly treatise, which I advise everyone to read, made reference to syphilis of the nervous system. In I798 we have the first clinical description of general paralysis, by Haslam, and later by Esquirol and Bayle. In I875 Fournier started a great controversy on the oetiology of tabes and general paralysis of the insane, and for many years we had men like Lancereux and Charcot, Cowers and Hunter opposing the view that these diseases were due to syphilis. On the other hand, Fournier, Bramwell, Hutchinson and others became more and more convinced of the close relationship between syphilis and tabes and G.P.I. The next landmark in our knowledge of nerve syphilis was the institution of lumbar puncture by Corning in I885; the application of this method to diagnosis did not come until the work of Ravaut and his colleagues in I903. The discovery of the Wassermann test in I907, and the demonstration of the spirochaete in I9I3 by Noguchi and Moore, in the spinal cord in general paralytics * The full address will be published at a later date.


A laser differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy protocol was developed for the visualization of starch growth rings in an optical section series. Potato and maize starches were observed with this new technique. Partial lintnerization was necessary to visualize the rings. The best image contrast was obtained using a blue laser and image deconvolution. For native starches, growth rings were evident in potato starch, but not as much as in native normal and waxy maize starches. Lintnerization enhanced the visualization of growth rings until granule integrity became compromised (by 48 h for waxy maize and by 96 h for normal maize and potato starches). Density of growth rings was not different for normal and waxy maize starches (11.3 and 12.1 rings/10 mm) but was lower for potato starch (7.5 rings/10 mm). Compared to other techniques for visualization of growth rings such as SEM and TEM, this protocol is fast and simple with minimum sample preparation and little possibility of artifacts.


Background From 2015 to 2018, the Swiss Clinical Quality Management in Rheumatic Diseases registry (SCQM) offered two mobile apps, iDialog and COmPASS, allowing patients to track disease and health status between rheumatology visits. Both apps are linked to the registry database, providing patients and physicians extra information to guide disease management decisions. Objectives To investigate the effect of SCQM app use on shared decision making (SDM) and disease management. Methods Patients were administered a cross sectional survey about satisfaction with SDM [1], disease management, and app use (February-December 2018). Patients' demographic data and longitudinal data on disease status, health status, and medication use was extracted from the SCQM database. Analyses included patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), or axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) who had 1) used an SCQM app for at least 6 months and discussed app data with their physician (app + discussion group), 2) used an SCQM app for at least 6 months and did not discuss app data with their physician (app only group), or 3) did not use any SCQM app (non-app users). We compared the 3 groups by conducting logistic regressions for the following dichotomized outcomes: maximum satisfaction with SDM and physician following the evolution of the disease, low disease activity at the most recent SCQM visit, disease activity improvement in the last year of followup, and treatment intensification (adding/increasing the dose of a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug) in the last 6 months of followup. Regressions were weighted using multinomial propensity scores to balance differences in baseline characteristics between the 3 groups. Results 1924 patients were included in the analyses. App users were younger than non-app users (Table 1). In adjusted analyses (Table 2), satisfaction rates were higher in the app + discussion group (p<0.05) compared to non-app users, but not for the app only group. The app only group had higher rates of treatment intensification in the last 6 months of followup (p=0.02) compared to non-app users. Although the app only and app + discussion groups had higher adjusted rates of other disease management outcomes compared to non-app users, the effects were not statistically significant. Conclusion App users who communicated with their rheumatologist about their app data were more satisfied with their physicians than app users who did not communicate about their app data and non-app users. Provision of apps that increase the frequency of disease monitoring may have limited impact on patient satisfaction with care and disease management processes without integration of app use into existing care processes. References [1] Elwyn G, et al. Developing CollaboRATE: A fast and frugal patient-reported measure of shared decision making in clinical encounters. Patient Education and Counseling2013;93:102-107. [2] Coates LC, et al. Defining minimal disease activity in psoriatic arthritis: a proposed objective target for treatment. Ann Rheum Dis2010;69:48-53.Table 1 Baseline characteristics #Test of difference between groups *Low disease activity was defined as DAS28 < 3.2 in RA and BASDAI ≤ 4 in axSpA. In PsA, it was defined as fulfilling at least 5 of 7 criteria for minimal disease activity [2].Table 2 Association of app use with patient satisfaction and disease management*Total=1924 (app use only=128, app use + discussion=158, no app use=1638) & Total=1141 (app use only=106, app use + discussion=114, no app use=921) Disclosure of Interests Yomei Shaw Grant/research support from: Unrestricted grant from MSD, Delphine Courvoisier Grant/research support from: has received an unrestricted grant from MSD for this study, Consultant for: has received consulting fees from BMS, Pfizer, AB2 Bio and Janssen., Paid instructor for: Janssen, Almut Scherer Grant/research support from: Almut Scherer is an employee of SCQM, which receives funding from AbbVie, Celgene, iQONE, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sandoz, Sanofi Genzyme, and UCB., Consultant for: Consultant for Pfizer, MSD, and AbbVie, Adrian Ciurea Consultant for: AbbVie, Celgene, Janssen-Cilag, MSD, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Celgene, Janssen-Cilag, MSD, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Thomas Lehmann: None declared, Veronika Jaeger Grant/research support from: Has received an unrestricted grant from AbbVie to support the creation of the COmPASS II app, Ulrich Walker Grant/research support from: Unrestricted grant from AbbVie for the creation of the COmPASS II app, Axel Finckh Grant/research support from: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer Inc, Consultant for: AbbVie, A2Bio, Bristol-Myers Squibb, MSD, Roche, Pfizer Inc, and UCB


We report here a new method for the synthesis of cyclolinear organic−inorganic polymers with phosphazene rings in the main chain structure by the use of ADMET polymerization. In this work, cyclic phosphazene trimers bearing two nongeminal alkene chains were prepared. Both of the alkene chains have a terminal double bond that together form the diene structure required for ADMET polymerizations. The remaining four substituents were varied to include phenoxy, benzyloxyphenoxy, methoxyethoxyethoxy, and dimethylamino groups. The resultant polymers are well-defined, low-polydispersity materials with phosphazene cyclic trimers uniformly incorporated into the backbone structure. The variation of substituents on the phosphazene ring affects both the polymerization and the properties of the resultant polymers.


Barium ferrite (BaM) thin films are deposited on platinum coated silicon wafers by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The effects of deposition substrate temperature on the microstructure, magnetic and microwave properties of BaM thin films are investigated in detail. It is found that microstructure, magnetic and microwave properties of BaM thin film are very sensitive to deposition substrate temperature, and excellent BaM thin film is obtained when deposition temperature is 910 °C and oxygen pressure is 300 mTorr (1 Torr = 1.3332 × 102 Pa). X-ray diffraction patterns and atomic force microscopy images show that the best thin film has perpendicular orientation and hexagonal morphology, and the crystallographic alignment degree can be calculated to be 0.94. Hysteresis loops reveal that the squareness ratio (Mr/Ms) is as high as 0.93, the saturated magnetization is 4004 Gs (1 Gs = 104 T), and the anisotropy field is 16.5 kOe (1 Oe = 79.5775 A·m−1). Ferromagnetic resonance measurements reveal that the gyromagnetic ratio is 2.8 GHz/kOe, and the ferromagnetic resonance linewith is 108 Oe at 50 GHz, which means that this thin film has low microwave loss. These properties make the BaM thin films have potential applications in microwave devices.


Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the antibacterial activity, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and cytotoxic activities of petroleum-ether, chloroform, and ethyl acetate extracts of leaves, stolons and ethanol extract of the roots of the plant Alocasia fornicata (Roxb.) from the family Araceae. Materials and Methods: The antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the disk diffusion method and then MIC was detected using the serial dilution technique. The various parts of the plant were also assessed for cytotoxic activity using the brine shrimp lethality bioassay. Results: All crude extracts, except petroleum ether extract of the leaf and stolon showed moderate-to-good levels of antimicrobial activity against most of the tested bacteria, with an average zone of inhibition of 8-20 mm. The MICs were detected using the serial dilution method and the results ranged from 64 μg/ml to 256 μg/ml. All crude extracts displayed considerable general toxicity toward brine shrimps. The chloroform extract of the leaf, ethyl acetate extract of the stolon, and ethanol extract showed good cytotoxic activity and the LC 50 values were found to be 13.98 μg/ml, 12.26 μg/ml, and 12.81 μg/ml, respectively. Conclusion : From the above context, it may be concluded that the plant A. fornicate may be a potential source for the development of traditional medicine, such as, a safer antibiotic and also as an anticancer agent.


Background: A primary challenge in mental health services is a high rate of non-attendance (i.e. no-show and drop-out) for patients referred to treatment for psychiatric disorders. Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of demographic and clinical variables on mental health treatment attendance and to investigate differences in predictors for no-shows and drop-outs. Methods: A naturalistic study of 2473 non-psychotic consecutive patients offered psychotherapeutic treatment at a community mental health centre in Denmark. Fifteen demographic and clinical variables were recorded at assessment. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the associations between these variables and no-show and drop-out. Results: Of the 2473 participants, 668 (27.0%) did not show up for treatment, whereas 290 (11.7%) dropped out of treatment. Regression analysis showed that the significant predictors of treatment no-show were: age below 25, no more than the compulsory 9 years of school education, no sick leave, a diagnosis of personality disorder, a Global Assessment of Functioning score (GAF) below 40 or above 70, no previous psychiatric/psychological treatment, no use of antidepressants and substance abuse. The significant predictors of treatment drop-out were: age below 45, no more than the compulsory 9 years of school education or up to 11 years of school education, no vocational/university education, unemployment and substance abuse. Conclusion: No-show was predicted by both demographic and clinical factors, whereas drop-out was predicted by demographic factors and substance abuse as the only clinical factor. Results and strategies to reduce non-attendance are discussed.


The aim of this paper is to validate the effectiveness of model-based approach for the indigenously developed stall warning and aircraft interface computer system (SWS/AIC) by generating the software engineering process metrics and the development of the empirical relationship between the conventional and the model-based approach. The quantitative metrics for software analyzability, changeability, testability, stability, traceability, safety compliance, reliability, design time, de-bug time, upgrade time, reusability, readability, maintainability, modularity, reachability and availability is derived and generated for the two approaches to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model-based approach. The empirical relationship developed
helps in analyzing the reduction in effort for development of safety critical software using model-based approach. The metrics generated and the empirical relationship derived between the two approaches proves the effectiveness of the model-based approach over the conventional approach. The results of this work are encouraging for incorporation of the model-based approach for the design, development and verification and validation of safety critical systems.


Semiconductor materials, such as titanium dioxide, have garnered extensive interest due to their excellent self-cleaning and antibacterial properties. These materials possess desirable attributes resulting from the photocatalytically induced superhydrophilicity of the surface, permitting its employment in an array of important industrial, commercial and domestic applications. During the photochemical reaction, UV or visible light irradiates these semiconductors, promoting electrons to excited states, facilitating the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These ROS degrade organic compounds and induce superhydrophilicity on the material's surface. Furthermore, the material is endowed with antibacterial activity, enhancing its effectiveness when employed in areas necessitating unsurpassed hygiene standards. In this chapter, the photocatalytically induced self-cleaning mechanism of surfaces is analysed. Focus then turns to photocatalytic materials, where titanium dioxide is discussed and developments regarding the rapid testing of self-cleaning photocatalytic activities are reviewed. The antimicrobial capabilities of photocatalytic materials are observed, while improvements in semiconductor technology involving the use of dopants are examined. Metal oxide composites of graphene and carbon nanotube hybrids are detailed and the properties of TiO2/SiO2 composites are explained. Examples of prominent commercial materials are discussed, as their fabrication and development can be attributed to the principle of photocatalytic self-cleaning activity.


A method of studying strongly coupled Jahn-Teller (JT) systems involving a unitary transformation and energy minimisation procedure is used to obtain analytical expressions for the first- and second-order reduction factor of T(X)e and T(X)t JT systems. The results obtained for T(X)e JT systems are found to be identical to those of previous calculations. The values of the resulting expressions for the first-order reduction factors in T(X)t JT systems are compared to those of existing numerical calculations. The effect of anisotropy on the first-order T(X)t reduction factors will also be investigated.


Neural radiance fields (NeRF) shows powerful performance in novel view synthesis and 3D geometry reconstruction, but it suffers from critical performance degradation when the number of known viewpoints is drastically reduced. Existing works attempt to overcome this problem by employing external priors, but their success is limited to certain types of scenes or datasets. Employing monocular depth estimation (MDE) networks, pretrained on large-scale RGB-D datasets, with powerful generalization capability would be a key to solving this problem: however, using MDE in conjunction with NeRF comes with a new set of challenges due to various ambiguity problems exhibited by monocular depths. In this light, we propose a novel framework, dubbed D\"aRF, that achieves robust NeRF reconstruction with a handful of real-world images by combining the strengths of NeRF and monocular depth estimation through online complementary training. Our framework imposes the MDE network's powerful geometry prior to NeRF representation at both seen and unseen viewpoints to enhance its robustness and coherence. In addition, we overcome the ambiguity problems of monocular depths through patch-wise scale-shift fitting and geometry distillation, which adapts the MDE network to produce depths aligned accurately with NeRF geometry. Experiments show our framework achieves state-of-the-art results both quantitatively and qualitatively, demonstrating consistent and reliable performance in both indoor and outdoor real-world datasets. Project page is available at https://ku-cvlab.github.io/DaRF/.


Abstract Aim: Maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) frequency is associated with survival and complication rates. Achieving the optimal balance between healthcare, quality of life (QOL), and medical costs is challenging. We compared complications, inflammatory status, nutritional status, and QOL between patients with different MHD frequencies. Material and Methods: This was a multicenter randomized trial of patients treated between May 2011 and August 2017 at 3 tertiary hospitals in Wenzhou. Patients were grouped according to their treatment schedule over 1 year: twice-weekly or 3-times-weekly. Complications, biochemistry parameters, and QOL (KDQOL-SFTM 1.3 scale) were assessed. Results: One hundred forty patients were included aged 29 to 68 years (mean age, 50.9 ± 4.3 years). There were no significant differences in infection, heart failure, or cerebral hemorrhage complications between the 2 groups (P = .664). Pre-dialysis hemoglobin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, serum albumin, total cholesterol, triglyceride, calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone, and ejection fraction were similar in both groups (P > .05). After 1 year of MHD, both groups exhibited significant improvements in these parameters (all P < .05) with no significant differences between groups. Serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and weekly standard hemodialysis treatment adequacy did not improve after treatment (all P > .05), although a difference in BUN was observed between the 2 groups (P < .001). QOL was superior in the twice-weekly group than in the 3-times-weekly group (all P < .05), except for social support, which was slightly better in the 3-times-weekly group than in the twice-weekly group. Conclusions: Twice- and 3-times-weekly MHD resulted in comparable inflammatory and nutritional clinical outcomes and adverse events. QOL was better for the twice-weekly schedule. Even for patients with economic constraints, twice- or 3-times-weekly MHD should be selected with caution after consideration of BUN levels at baseline.


Growth hormone insensitivity syndrome (GHIS), a genetic disease characterized by growth retardation combined with high serum concentration of growth hormone (GH) and low insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels, can be caused by mutations in the GH receptor (GHR) gene. We investigated the molecular defects in the GHR gene in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). The patient, a 2-year-old boy with NF-1, was assessed on his short stature by auxological, biochemical and molecular studies. Height of the patient and his family members were measured and compared to normal control. Serum concentrations of GH, IGF-1 and IGF-binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) in the patient were measured during a GH stimulation test. We examined the GHR gene in the patient and his parents. Genomic DNA and mRNA of the GHR gene were extracted from peripheral lymphocytes. All the exons and the flanking regions of the GHR gene were amplified by PCR, and directly sequenced. The patient's height was 75 cm (-2.89 SDS) with gradually reducing growth velocity, while the heights of the other family members were within the normal range. The GH stimulation test revealed that serum GH concentrations in the patient were much higher than those in the control group, and serum IGF-1 and IGFBP3 levels were extremely low. There was no germline mutation in the exons or the flanking regions of the patient's GHR gene. Interestingly, a deletion of 166 bases of exon 7 in the GHR mRNA was found, and it was suggested that the novel mutation resulted in premature termination (M207 fs. X8). This mutation decreases GH binding affinity to the GHR, and, thus, would be responsible for growth retardation.


Here we edit a second leaf of an Old Uigur manuscript preserved in the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage. While the leaf published in 2011 is an account of the history of the West Uigur Kingdom of Qoco, the present text refers to the early years of Buddhism as well as to the relationship between religion and state, the inner and outer sphere in Old Uigur historiography. We consider the possibility that the manuscript was a kind of World History.


I recent years, polyurethane structures are paving the way for elastomer usage in biology, human medicine and biomedical application areas. Polyurethanes having a combination of high oxidative and hydrolytic stability and excellent mechanical properties are focused due to enhancing the usage of PUs especially for implantable medical device application such as cardiac-assist. Currently, unique polyurethanes consisting of polyisobutylenes as soft segments and conventional hard segments, named as PIB-based PUs, are developed with precise NCO/OH stoichiometry (~1.05) for obtaining PIB-based PUs with enhanced properties (i.e., tensile stress increased from ~11 to ~26 MPa and elongation from ~350 to ~500%). Static and dynamic mechanical properties were optimized by examining stress-strain graphs, self-organization and crystallinity (XRD) traces, rheological (DMA,creep) profiles and thermal (TGA,DSC) responses. Annealing procedure was applied for PIB-based PUs. Annealed PIB-based PU shows ~26 MPa tensile strength, ~500% elongation, and ~77 Microshore hardness with excellent hydrolytic and oxidative stability. The surface characters of them were examined with AFM and contact angle measurements. Annealed PIB-based PU exhibits the higher segregation of individual segments and surface hydrophobicity thus annealing significantly enhances hydrolytic and oxidative stability by shielding carbamate bonds by inert PIB chains. According to improved surface and microstructure characters, greatly efforts are focused on analyzing protein adsorption and calcification profiles. In biomedical applications especially for cardiological implantations, protein adsorption inclination on polymeric heart valves is undesirable hence protein adsorption from blood serum is followed by platelet adhesion and subsequent thrombus formation. The protein adsorption character of PIBbased PU examines by applying Bradford assay in fibrinogen and bovin serum albumin solutions. Like protein adsorption, calcium deposition on heart valves is very harmful because vascular calcification have been proposed activation of osteogenic mechanism in the vascular wall, loss of inhibitory factors, enhance bone turnover and irregularities in mineral metabolism. The calcium deposition on films is characterized by incubating samples in simulated body fluid solution and examining SEM images and XPS profiles. PIB-based PUs are significantly more resistant to hydrolytic-oxidative degradation, protein adsorption and calcium deposition than ElastEonTM E2A, a commercially available PDMS-based PU, widely used for biomedical applications.


This article focuses on the interpretation of Directive 2004/35 on the prevention and remedying of environmental damage (Environmental Liability Directive). It singles out eight core issues which are likely to become the subject of future litigation before the European Court of Justice. These are the Directive's scope, exceptions and defences, failures to implement associated Directives, biodiversity damage, orphan damage, prevention, remediation, and enforcement. The analysis is informed by the judicial activism employed by the Court in recent years. The Court's approach has safeguarded the effectiveness of environmental directives, and their compatibility with general principles of EC environmental law. It is argued that the Court will apply a similar teleological approach as regards the Environmental Liability Directive, which should bring about a more stringent regime than its wording at first glance might suggest.


Future searches for the neutrino-less double beta decay mode in candidate nuclei must confront the need for sensitivities at the level of 10 – 50 meV effective neutrino mass. Current techniques may not be able to scale simultaneously to the needed mass of active isotope with both improved energy resolution and much higher levels of background rejection. To address these severe challenges, a novel approach based on a negative-ion time projection chamber filled primarily with high-pressure 136Xe gas is developed. In addition to the provision of a nearly ideal active fiducial boundary surface, an energy resolution of ∼5 × 103 FWHM appears possible at the Q-value of 2.48 MeV. The background rejection advantages of detailed track information and a single monolithic detector are addressed. A barium daughter-tagging scheme based on mobility differences and a new approach addressing the goal of efficient electron capture and release in high-density gas exploiting chemical reactions are introduced. Many R&D issues are suggested by this new concept.


Sulfur and nitrogen oxides (SOX/NOX) are the primary air toxic gas pollutants emitted during fuel combustion, causing health and environmental concerns. Therefore, their emission in flue gases is strictly regulated. The existing technologies used to decrease SOX/NOX content are flue gas desulfurization, which necessitates high capital and operating costs, and selective catalytic reduction, which, in addition to these costs, requires expensive catalysts and high operating temperatures (350–400 °C). New wet scrubbing processes use O3 or H2O2 oxidants to produce (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3 fertilizers upon ammonia injection. However, these oxidants are expensive, corrosive, and hazardous. SiO2/Co(OH)2 nanocomposites are presented here as potential catalysts for SOX/NOX oxidation in wet scrubber reactors to scrub these toxic gases using atmospheric oxygen as the oxidant at relatively low temperatures of 60–90 °C. Several silica-cobalt-oxide-based nanocomposites were synthesized as potential catalysts at different concentrations and temperatures. The nanocomposite catalysts were characterized and exhibited excellent catalytic properties for SOX/NOX oxidation using atmospheric oxygen as the oxidant, replacing the problematic H2O2/O3. We thus propose SiO2-supported Co(OH)2 nanoparticles (NPs) as excellent catalysts for the simultaneous scrubbing of polluting SOX/NOX gases in flue gases using atmospheric O2 as the oxidation reagent at a relatively low-temperature range.


A possible approach for providing new properties for textiles is the insertion of natural ingredients into the textile product during the process of its manufacture. Myrrh has long been used in medicine as an antibacterial and antifungal material. Polylactide (PLA) is a thermoplastic synthetic biopolymer obtained from renewable resources—and due its biodegradability, is also widely used in medicine. In this study, films and multifilament yarns from modified biodegradable PLA granules with ethanolic and aqueous myrrh extracts were developed and characterized. Optical microscopy was used to determine the surface morphology of PLA/myrrh multifilament yarns. Tensile tests, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were applied to determine, consequently, mechanical, optical properties and degree of crystallinity of PLA/myrrh films and multifilament yarns. The chemical composition of PLA/myrrh multifilament yarns was estimated by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy method. The results showed that it is possible to form PLA melt-spun multifilament yarns with myrrh extract. The type of myrrh extract (ethanolic or aqueous) has a significant influence on the mechanical and optical properties of the PLA films and melt-spun yarns. The mechanical properties of PLA films and melt-spun multifilament yarns formed from PLA granules with aqueous myrrh extract decreased 19% and 21% more than PLA with ethanolic extract, respectively. Analysis of UV-vis spectra showed that, due to the yellow hue, the reflectance of PLA films and melt-spun PLA multifilament yarns modified with myrrh extracts decreased exponentially. The DSC test showed that multifilament yarns from PLA modified with aqueous extract had the highest degree of crystallization.


This paper presents simulation results for improving the performance of a single-input, single-output state-space system by the method of pole placement using an estimate of the state vector generated by a full-order observer. The particular performance criteria under consideration are percent overshoot, 2% settling time, and zero steady-state error of the unit step response of the state-space system. It is observed that if the initial conditions of the observer are not close to those of the original system, the use of the observer state in place of the actual state for pole placement will result in significant deviation of the performance criteria from the desired criteria. If the initial conditions of the observer are very close to that of the state-space system, the use of the observer state can yield results close to that of using the actual state. For the case that the initial conditions of the observer are not close to those of the state-space system, there is no improvement of the performance criteria by pushing the observer poles deep into the left half plane even though this will make the state of the observer converge rapidly to the state of the original system.


For the preparation of modern cement and concrete, supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) have become essential ingredients. The technical, economic and environmental advantages of using SCM have become unquestionable. The main technical reasons for their use are the improvement of the workability of fresh concrete and durability of hardened concrete. Actually, SCM affect almost all concrete properties, while environmental and economic reasons may be more significant than technical reasons. These ingredients can reduce the amount of Portland cement used in cement composites, resulting in economic and environmental benefits. In addition, many of the SCM are industrial by-products, which can otherwise be considered as waste. This paper presents a literature review of the present knowledge on the impact of natural zeolite, waste construction brick and waste container glass on physical, chemical and mechanical properties of Portland cement as the most commonly used cement in the world. using as The a detailed and clear presentation overview obtained in construction way, the cement sustainable development of the society.


Technology and digitalization is viewed as an integral part of the today's business world which has revolutionized the business operations. Digitalization has also affected marketing plans usage of social media and different business application is rapidly increasing to connect customers and business organizations. The growing number of foreigners in Thailand which has given rise to use of English language. This study is purposed to examine that how marketing performance of business are affected by different applications characteristic and contacts. The moderation effect of use of English language is also checked in this study. The relationship between these variables is analyzed by gathering responses from 372 foreigner's through online survey.  The structural equation modeling tool was selected to evaluate hypothetical relationship between these constructs. The results found that effective application characteristics and content of these applications enhance business marketing performance and confirmed significance relationship between direct relationship and raveled insignificant indirect relationship of use of English language between applications characteristics and marketing performance. This paper provides useful implications for both literature and practice. It offers informative insights to researchers to expand research work. This study can be utilized by marketers to develop effective marketing plans implementing English language applications.


The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is an excellent molecular marker for the studies of evolutionary ecology and conservation genetics because it is a family of highly polymorphic genes that play a key role in vertebrate immune response. In this study, the functional genes of MHC Class II B (DAB) were isolated for the first time in a vulnerable species, the Chinese egret ( Egretta eulophotes ). Using a full length DNA and cDNA produced by PCR and RACE methods, four potential MHC DAB loci were characterized in the genome of this egret and all four were expressed in liver and blood. At least four copies of the MHC gene complex were similar to two copies of the minimal essential MHC complex of chicken, but are less complex than the multiple copies expressed in passerine species. In MHC polymorphism, 19 alleles of exon 2 were isolated from 48 individuals using PCR. No stop codons or frameshift mutations were found in any of the coding regions. The signatures of positive selection detected in potential peptide-binding regions by Bayesian analysis, suggesting that all of these genes were functional. These data will provide the fundamental basis for further studies to elucidate the mechanisms and significance of MHC molecular adaptation in vulnerable Chinese egret and other ardeids.


Research during the past decade about the role of the transcription factors known as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) subtype alpha (-α), delta/beta (-δ/β), and gamma (-γ) indicates that they are master switches controlling tissue-specific physiological adaptations in the use of fatty acids, glucose, and amino acids during feeding and fasting.1,2 These nuclear receptors modulate in concert the expression of genes associated with specific metabolic pathways together with the signaling of hormones involved in energy homeostasis like insulin, glucagon, growth hormone (GH), and cortisol. In this capacity they seamlessly adjust the reversible transitions from storage to use of fatty acids and triglycerides, of glucose and glycogen, and of the more complex ones of amino acids and proteins. Moreover, enzymes and transporters required for the interpathway conversions of glucose into fatty acids and of some amino acids into glucose also are target genes for PPARs, at least when rodents and humans are maintained on a high carbohydrate supply. Endowed with such central functions it is not surprising that the PPARs have impact on metabolic alterations contributing to insulin resistance and diabetes, as well as on abnormalities of lipid metabolism causing dyslipidemias and atherosclerosis. Therefore is also logical that intense research is dedicated to evaluate how modulation of the PPARs could improve the dyslipidema associated with insulin resistance, insulin resistance itself, diabetes, and atherosclerosis.

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The PPARα agonists, known generically as fibrates, reduce the risk of cardiovascular events especially in patients with the dyslipidemia of insulin resistance.3 At present, no data are available about the effect on cardiovascular events of the two …


This paper discusses the development and execution of the co-sponsored air combat command, directorate of conventional munitions requirements and NAVAIR-526, warfare analysis division joint direct attack munition (JDAM) cost and operational effectiveness analysis COEA. JDAM, a precision guided munition capable of off-axis delivery by various aircraft, is a response to a mission need statement (MNS) requiring greater precision in attacks against fixed, high value targets under adverse weather conditions. This paper describes the complete analysis process leading to the conclusion of this study, including the many analysis tradeoff decisions along with the rationale behind them. The COLA discussed is predominantly a campaign level COEA with emphasis on the general employment of the JDAM weapon, and the effect of that employment on the various measures of effectiveness. The impact of the rules of engagement (ROE) on the outcome of a 2010 time frame campaign is examined. The paper discusses the difficulty of achieving a realistic campaign analysis, while at the same time defining a tactical employment philosophy. Examples of the difficulties arising in cost assessments, and impacts of ROE on the differences between optimized force employment and managed attrition are among the tough issues described.<<ETX>>


Objective:Mechanical ventilation causes cyclic changes in the heart's preload and afterload, thereby influencing the circulation. However, our understanding of the exact physiology of this cardiopulmonary interaction is limited. We aimed to thoroughly determine airway pressure distribution, how this is influenced by tidal volume and chest compliance, and its interaction with the circulation in humans during mechanical ventilation. Design:Intervention study. Setting:ICU of a university hospital. Patients:Twenty mechanically ventilated patients following coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Intervention:Patients were monitored during controlled mechanical ventilation at tidal volumes of 4, 6, 8, and 10 mL/kg with normal and decreased chest compliance (by elastic binding of the thorax). Measurements and Main Results:Central venous pressure, airway pressure, pericardial pressure, and pleural pressure; pulse pressure variations, systolic pressure variations, and stroke volume variations; and cardiac output were obtained during controlled mechanical ventilation at tidal volume of 4, 6, 8, and 10 mL/kg with normal and decreased chest compliance. With increasing tidal volume (4, 6, 8, and 10 mL/kg), the change in intrathoracic pressures increased linearly with 0.9 ± 0.2, 0.5 ± 0.3, 0.3 ± 0.1, and 0.3 ± 0.1 mm Hg/mL/kg for airway pressure, pleural pressure, pericardial pressure, and central venous pressure, respectively. At 8 mL/kg, a decrease in chest compliance (from 0.12 ± 0.07 to 0.09 ± 0.03 L/cm H2O) resulted in an increase in change in airway pressure, change in pleural pressure, change in pericardial pressure, and change in central venous pressure of 1.1 ± 0.7, 1.1 ± 0.8, 0.7 ± 0.4, and 0.8 ± 0.4 mm Hg, respectively. Furthermore, increased tidal volume and decreased chest compliance decreased stroke volume and increased arterial pressure variations. Transmural pressure of the superior vena cava decreased during inspiration, whereas the transmural pressure of the right atrium did not change. Conclusions:Increased tidal volume and decreased chest wall compliance both increase the change in intrathoracic pressures and the value of the dynamic indices during mechanical ventilation. Additionally, the transmural pressure of the vena cava is decreased, whereas the transmural pressure of the right atrium is not changed.


Smart Home automation is increasingly gaining popularity among current applications of Internet of Things (IoT) due to the convenience and facilities it provides to the home owners. Sensors are employed within the home appliances via wireless connectivity to be accessible remotely by home owners to operate these devices. With the exponential increase of smart home IoT devices in the marketplace such as door locks, light bulbs, power switches etc, numerous security concerns are arising due to limited storage and processing power of such devices, making these devices vulnerable to several attacks. Due to this reason, security implementations in the deployment of these devices has gained popularity among researchers as a critical research area. Moreover, the adoption of traditional security schemes has failed to address the unique security concerns associated with these devices. Blockchain, a decentralised database based on cryptographic techniques, is gaining enormous attention to assure security of IoT systems. The blockchain framework within an IoT system is a fascinating substitute to the traditional centralised models, which has some significant concerns in fulfilling the demand of smart homes security. In this article, we aim to examine the security of smart homes by instigating the adoption of blockchain and exploring some of the currently proposed smart home architectures using blockchain technology. To present our findings, we describe a simple secure smart home framework based on a refined version of blockchain called Consortium blockchain. We highlight the limitations and opportunities of adopting such an architecture. We further evaluate our model and conclude with the results by designing an experimental testbed using a few household IoT devices commonly available in the marketplace.


Wireless grid is a collection of distributed computing resources such as low-powered mobile, patient monitoring sensors, wired grid and nomadic devices over a wide geographical connectivity that appear to an end-user as one large virtual computing system. The wireless grid has emerged as an attractive platform to tackle various large scale problems or applications, especially in science, medical and engineering. Key services such as resource discovery, monitoring, energy management and scheduling are inherently more complicated in a wireless grid environment. In this paper, we present a threshold accepting scheduling (TAS) mechanism to obtain the nearer-to-optimal solution faster on scheduling scientific workflows in wireless grids. In addition, we have compared the proposed scheduling mechanism with other mechanisms, namely, simulated annealing (SA) and the combination of genetic algorithm with local search (GA-LS) algorithm in terms of lateness, job completion ratio and average CPU running time. The computational results reveal that the proposed method is more effective.


The need to co-ordinate European Science and Technology (S&T) policies has been recognised for more than three decades, and predates the Single European Act of 1986 which transferred the competencies for a common European research and technology policy to the European Commission, and resulted in the implementation of the Framework Programmes (FPs). In spite of the multiple initiatives, and continuous discussions, to achieve better co-ordination of national and community S&T policies, progress has been very limited. Similarly, the idea of creating a European Research Area (ERA) – a common playing field for these policies has a long history, and, although the ERA extends beyond the EU27 nowadays, in many aspects, it still remains "an idea". Nevertheless, the term "European Research Area" has made its official debut in the Lisbon Treaty, which states that:


Abstract Positive and negative what, why and yes/no questions with the 3sg auxiliaries can and does were elicited from 50 children aged 3;3–4;3. In support of the constructivist "schema-combination" account, only children who produced a particular positive question type correctly (e.g., What does she want?) produced a characteristic "auxiliary-doubling" error (e.g., *What does she doesn't want?) for the corresponding negative question type. This suggests that these errors are formed by superimposing a positive question frame (e.g., What does THING PROCESS?) and an inappropriate negative frame (e.g., She doesn't PROCESS) learned from declarative utterances. In addition, a significant correlation between input frequency and correct production was observed for 11 of the 12 lexical frames (e.g., What does THING PROCESS?), although some negative question types showed higher rates of error than one might expect based on input frequency alone. Implications for constructivist and generativist theories of question-acquisition are discussed.


An improvement neural network adaptive control strategy is put forward for X-Y position platform with uncertainty by the paper. Firstly, dynamics model of X-Y position platform is established. Then, RBF neural network with good learning ability is used to approach non-linear system. The early period control accuracy of the problem is considered by the paper, because good precision in the early period is difficult to be obtained by neural network controller, so PID controller is designed to compensate control. An improvement dynamic optimization adjustment algorithm of network weights is designed to speed up the learning speed. Simulation results show that the control method is more effective to improve the control precision and real-time and has a good application value.


Statistical data of household waste management and relevant data found by one year long direct survey at five households were compared. While the composition of residual (mixed) household waste is determined by sieve analysis and manual aftersorting to predetermined groups (and the material composition of waste that passes through a sieve mesh of 8x8 mm openings is not detected by this analysis), during the direct survey in households all the household waste is sorted to predetermined groups. Official information systems report that average total amount of household waste is 301 kg per person and just less than 4 % of it is sorted to usable fractions. The direct survey shows that avarage total amount of household waste is just 164 kg per person and it is possible to sort 63 % of it.


Despite recording high-levels of corruption persistently, some governments in least developed countries have recently achieved impressive online transformation level, through electronic or e-Governance implementation. What explains the digital transformation of these governments? In particular, how did such governments with little or no knowledge on digital governance policies, embark upon the e-Governance path? The article analyzes how Bangladesh, a least developed country, is experimenting with design thinking policies for e-Governance implementation. It combines survey data from a design thinking led empathy training program with secondary literature and interviews with top-level bureaucrats and representatives from international donor agencies. The results support the thesis regarding the importance of design thinking policies and strategies in motivating public sector managers to engage in digital transformation efforts. We discuss the policy implications for practitioners and scholars working in the area of designing policies such as capacity building training programs, for public sector managers to implement citizen-centric innovations.


Wildfire research is working toward near real-time tactical wildfire mapping through the application of computer vision techniques to airborne thermal infrared (IR) imagery. One issue hindering automation is the potential for waterbodies to be marked as areas of combustion due to their relative warmth in nighttime thermal imagery. Segmentation and masking of waterbodies could help resolve this issue, but the reliance on data captured exclusively in the thermal IR and the presence of real areas of combustion in some of the images introduces unique challenges. This study explores the use of the random forest (RF) classifier for the segmentation of waterbodies in thermal IR images containing a heterogenous wildfire. Features for classification are generated through the application of contextual and textural filters, as well as normalization techniques. The classifier's outputs are compared against static GIS-based data on waterbody extent as well as the outputs of two unsupervised segmentation techniques, based on entropy and variance, respectively. Our results show that the RF classifier achieves very high balanced accuracy (>98.6%) for thermal imagery with and without wildfire pixels, with an overall F1 score of 0.98. The RF method surpassed the accuracy of all others tested, even with heterogenous training sets as small as 20 images. In addition to assisting automation of wildfire mapping, the efficiency and accuracy of this approach to segmentation can facilitate the creation of larger training data sets, which are necessary for invoking more complex deep learning approaches.


Evaluation's "ancestors" have formed a strong foundation on which experienced, nascent, and future evaluators can build. An area for growth and cultivation is culturally responsive evaluation. The author describes sociocultural theory (ST), a comprehensive theory explaining how culture influences human development, and its potential for program evaluation. Although ST concretizes culture and provides guidelines for culturally responsive research, it has never been applied to program evaluation. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association


STUDY QUESTION
What do older women understand of the relationship between age and fertility prior and subsequent to delivering their first child?

SUMMARY ANSWER
Women who were first-time parents over the age of 40 did not accurately perceive the relationship between age and fertility prior to conceiving with IVF.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
While increases in women's age at their first birth have been most pronounced in relatively older women, the rapidity of fertility decline is not appreciated by most non-infertility specialist physicians, the general public or men and women who are delaying childbearing.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE AND DURATION
Qualitative retrospective interviews were conducted from 2009 to 2011 with 61 self-selected women who were patients in one of two fertility clinics in the USA.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS
All participants had delivered their first child following IVF when the woman was 40 years or older. The data include women's responses to the semi-structured and open-ended interview questions 'What information did you have about fertility and age before you started trying to get pregnant?' and 'What did you learn once you proceeded with fertility treatment?'

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
Of the women, 30% expected their fertility to decline gradually until menopause at around 50 years and 31% reported that they expected to get pregnant without difficulty at the age of 40. Reasons for a mistaken belief in robust fertility included recollections of persistent and ongoing messaging about pregnancy prevention starting in adolescence (23%), healthy lifestyle and family history of fertility (26%), and incorrect information from friends, physicians or misleading media reports of pregnancies in older celebrity women (28%). Participants had not anticipated the possibility that they would need IVF to conceive with 44% reporting being 'shocked' and 'alarmed' to discover that their understanding of the rapidity of age-related reproductive decline was inaccurate'. In retrospect, their belated recognition of the effect of age on fertility led 72% of the women to state that they felt 'lucky' or had 'beaten the odds' in successfully conceiving after IVF. Of the women, 28% advocated better fertility education earlier in life and 23% indicated that with more information about declining fertility, they might have attempted conception at an earlier age. Yet 46% of women acknowledged that even if they had possessed better information, their life circumstances would not have permitted them to begin childbearing earlier.

LIMITATIONS AND REASONS FOR CAUTION
Both the self-selected nature of recruitment and the retrospective design can result in biases due to memory limitations or participant assimilation and/or contrast of past events with current moods. The cohort did not reflect broad homogeneity in that the participants were much more likely to be highly educated, Caucasian and better able to pay for treatment than national population norms. As attitudes of older women who were unsuccessful after attempting IVF in their late 30s or early 40s are not represented, it is possible (if not likely) that the recollections of women who did not conceive after IVF would have been more strongly influenced by feelings of regret or efforts to deflect blame for their inability to conceive.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
While the failure to appreciate the true biological relationship between aging and fertility may be common and may reflect inaccessibility or misinterpretation of information, it is not sufficient to explain the decades-long socio-demographic phenomenon of delayed childbearing.


New innovations in distance and open learning are ever taking place. However, the pace has been intensified in this direction by the advances in information and communication technology. The innovators and early adopters have been there in all the ages who make these innovations take place and new ideas flourish. The book under review is an effort in the direction of documenting the innovations and experiences in the area of distance and open learning. Spread over 19 chapters in all by different masters of their fields, the book gives a snap shot of the new work being done for furtherance of open and distance learning in different parts of the world.


Testing inbred lines for their combining ability is, due to high numbers of line to line testing needed for determination of hybrid performance, the most limiting factor in the F1 hybrid breeding procedure. We propose a novel method of F1 hybrid breeding that enables evaluation of large number of line to line crosses for their hybrid performance. Inbred lines (preferably doubled haploid - DH) are produced from heterozygous populations, genotyped and maintained. A group of lines is inter-pollinated randomly and their progeny examined. To identify elite F1 hybrids, these individual plants are selected by their superior phenotypic characteristics. Finally using paternity testing only of selected hybrids, the origin of paternal lines is revealed. To predict the number of F1 offspring needed in relation to the number of inbred lines being inter-pollinated, a mathematical formula was developed. For instance, using this formula for the inter-pollination of 60 distinct lines, the probability of obtaining all descendants of paternal-parent lines in a maternal-parent row represented at least once is achieved with 420 F1 plants in a row (p = 0.95). In a practical experiment with white cabbage, DH lines were produced using microspore culture; plants were grown to maturity and genotyped at eight polymorphic SSR loci. Two groups of lines (36 and 33 lines per group) were inter-pollinated by two methods, either using cage pollination with bumblebees or using open pollination in isolated field. A total of 9,858 F1 plants were planted and based on their phenotypic characteristics 213 were selected as elite phenotypes. 99 of them were genetically diverse and 5 of them were selected as super elite. Selected plants were analysed by the same SSR markers and the paternal origin of selected F1 plants was determined. Out of 213 selected elite plants 48 were reciprocals thus exhibiting power of selection based on single plant. We demonstrate that this new approach to hybrid development is efficient in white cabbage and we propose breeders to test it in various vegetable and crop species. Moreover, some other aspects of the proposed technique need to be tested and verified both for practical and economic criteria.


The article is devoted to the study of the epic word on the example of O-Icel. hel 'world of the dead; the dead-goddess' in the Old Icelandic Elder Edda, used to nominate one of the most important loci of the mythopoetic model of the world, as well as its personification. The author focuses on the analysis of the context, on the basis of which it is possible to realize the main goal — to understand the principles of distribution of this lexeme in the Elder Edda. A multi-component analysis is used, taking into account statistical data (primarily the frequency of word usage), grammar (the case paradigm of the corresponding forms), morphology (types of combination of composite components), syntax (predicates that perform a number of functions), etymology capable of actualization in certain situations, mythology (attraction to certain mythologems, motives, plots or myths), poetics (alliteration, sound repetitions, anagrams) and extralinguistic aspect — connection with the "world of things." Particular attention is paid to composites, which include O-Icel. hel as the first or second components, since it is in compound words that the semantic potential of this lexeme can be realized. It was found that O.-Icel. hel is opposed to the "world of the living" (O.-Icel. heimr), associated with the bottom, indicating the localization of hel, the way to get into the lower world (to kill) and the subjects that inhabit it (people), mainly performs the function of direction, combined with verbs of movement. A hypothesis is put forward about semantic evolution: locus (the underworld) > character (its owner), and the various stages of this process found in the Elder Edda are reconstructed. To determine the semantics of O.-Icel. hel, the anthropocentric factor acquires special significance, since the starting point is the "middle world" inhabited by people, in relation to which spatial reference points are used underneath and from here. Based on the Eddic facts, the extralinguistic specificity of the corresponding denotation as a fenced space with a gate is established. The affiliation of O.-Icel. hel with the sphere of funeral ritual and sacral terminology is verified.


During the past years, the wish to become independent of spectacles has been growing among cataract and presbyopic patients due to many factors, such as the increase in near visual demands, the aesthetic need for a spectacle‐free image and ageing of refractive surgery patients, among others. This review assesses recently published studies that analyse visual and optical performance through different metrics of eyes implanted with multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs), particularly hybrid IOL designs. The published evidence suggests that hybrid multifocal IOLs provide very good outcomes in a number of visual and optical performance parameters. Patients implanted with this type of IOL obtain a satisfactory full range of visual functions, including patients of particular characteristics such as highly ametropic or post‐LASIK.


htmlabstractIt has been argued many times that syntactical movement, in the form of leftward extraposition and wrapping discontinuous constituents, is of such a crucial importance that there is a need to develop grammar formalisms aimed solely at a clear and concise treatment of these phenomena.
Along the guiding lines of a number of examples of Dutch verb phrase structure, I first discuss head grammar (HG) and show that it inherently lacks the strong generative to describe even very simple fragments of complete Dutch sentences. I then make, in three steps, a progression from linear context-free rewriting systems (LCFRS) to literal movement grammar (LMG), and show that in contrast to the general feeling about LCFRS, the resulting formalism is an attractive and adequate tool for describing concrete fragments of configurational languages with a nontrivial surface structure.


In order to perform any data analysis procedure (analysis of variance, linear correlation, linear regression, etc.), a series of assumptions need to be true, most of which are concerned with the distribution of the variables. If one or more of these assumptions are violated, the obtained parameter estimates are inadequate. Resampling methods are offered as a means to overcome this issue, as they only require one assumption to be made - that the available data is reasonably representative of the population. Resampling methods use existing, available samples to create a large number of new subsamples. This produces an empirical distribution of the desired statistics, which forms a basis for an adequate parameter estimate. In this paper, we will discuss the methods of bootstrapping and jackknifing, which fall under the broader category of resampling. The most common form of the jackknifing procedure is sometimes labeled 'leave-one-out' procedure, because new subsamples are made by excluding one unit of the original sample at a time. Thus, the number of new subsamples is equal to the number of units in the original sample. In bootstrapping, subsamples are created by randomly picking units from the original subsample with replacement so that all subsamples are equal in size to the original sample. The number of bootstrapping subsamples is usually very large (over 1000). A canonical discriminant analysis will serve as an example to illustrate how the usage of resampling procedures can significantly alter the obtained parameter estimates and researcher's conclusions. A detailed explanation on how to perform these methods in IBM SPSS Statistics package is also given.


Susceptibility-based negative contrast in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a mean to visualize magnetic microparticles. In the presence of a number of micropaticles in the field of view (FOV), the shape of the artifact is affected by the dipole-dipole interaction between the particles. Due to the limited spatial resolution of the clinical MR scanners, the exact positioning of the particles in MR images is not possible. However, the shape of the artifact can shed light on how the particles are distributed within the FOV. In this work, a simulation model and in-vitro experiments were used to study the shape and the amount of the susceptibility artifact for various spacing and angulations between the microparticles. The results showed that for a pair of identical particles with a diameter of D, the signal loss starts to change when particles are separated ∼15×D and they become fully distinguishable when their distance reaches ∼ 40×D.


Highlights of the IMA workshop RNA in Biology, Bioengineering, and Biotechnology are summarized, including recent developments in RNA secondary structure prediction and RNA design, innovative mathematical constructs for RNA structure, bioinformatics advances in RNA structure analysis and prediction, and experimental progress in RNA folding and imaging. In small things considered is the world revealed. Robert Lee Hotz, Feb. 2008.