Handwritten text offers challenges that are rarely encountered in machine-printed text. In addition, most problems faced in reading machine-printed text (e.g., character recognition, word segmentation, letter segmentation, etc.) are more severe, in handwritten text. In this paper we present the application of human interactive proofs (HIP), which is a relatively new research area with the primary focus of defending online services against abusive attacks. It uses a set of security protocols based on automatic tests that humans can pass but the state-of-the-art computer programs cannot. This is accomplished by exploiting the differential in the proficiency between humans and computers in reading handwritten word images.


Spore germination is the first step in establishing Bacillus and Clostridium infections. Germination is triggered by the binding of small molecules by the resting spore. Subsequently, the activated spore secretes dipicolinic acid and calcium, the spore core is rehydrated and spore structures are degraded. Inhibition of any of the germination-related events will prevent development to the vegetative stage. Inhibition of spore germination has been studied intensively in the prevention of food spoilage. In this perspective, we propose that similar approaches could be used in the prophylactic control of Bacillus anthracis and Clostridium difficile infections. Inhibition of B. anthracis spore germination could protect military and first-line emergency personnel at high risk for anthrax exposure. Inhibition of C. difficile could prevent human C. difficile-associated disease during antibiotic treatment of immunocompromised patients.


Foreword. Acknowledgments. 1. Literary Interpretation: Beowulf. 2. Literary Interpretation: Several Poems. 3. Textual Criticism. 4. Manuscript Contexts: 5. Three Editions of the Old English Texts. 6. Women in Old English Literature. 7. Names in Old English Literature. 8. Linguistic Studies in Old English. 9. Old English in the Twentieth Century. List of Essays and Notes by Fred C. Robinson not included in this volume. List of Reviews by Fred C. Robinson. Index.


Issued as a companion to Johnson Space Center's Research and Technology Annual Report, which reports JSC accomplishments under NASA Research and Technology Operating Plan (RTOP) funding, this report describes 42 additional JSC projects that are funded through sources other than the RTOP. Emerging technologies in four major disciplines are summarized: space systems technology, medical and life sciences, mission operations, and computer systems. Although these projects focus on support of human spacecraft design, development, and safety, most have wide civil and commercial applications in areas such as advanced materials, superconductors, advanced semiconductors, digital imaging, high density data storage, high performance computers, optoelectronics, artificial intelligence, robotics and automation, sensors, biotechnology, medical devices and diagnosis, and human factors engineering.


Chronic sympathoexcitation is implicated in ventricular arrhythmogenesis (VAs) following myocardial infarction (MI), but the critical neural pathways involved are not well understood. Cardiac adrenergic function is partly regulated by sympathetic afferent reflexes, transduced by spinal afferent fibers expressing the TRPV1 channel. The role of chronic TRPV1 afferent signaling in VAs is not known. We hypothesized that persistent TRPV1 afferent neurotransmission promotes VAs after MI. Using epicardial Resiniferatoxin (RTX) to deplete cardiac TRPV1‐expressing fibers, we dissected the role of this neural circuit in VAs after chronic MI in a porcine model. We examined the underlying mechanisms using molecular approaches, immunohistochemistry, in vitro and in vivo cardiac electrophysiology, and simultaneous cardio‐neural mapping. Epicardial RTX depleted cardiac TRPV1 afferent fibers and abolished functional responses to TRPV1 agonists. Ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF) was readily inducible in MI subjects by programmed electrical stimulation or cesium chloride administration, however, TRPV1 afferent depletion prevented VT/VF induced by either method. Mechanistically, TRPV1 afferent depletion neither altered cardiomyocyte action potentials and calcium transients; nor the expression of ion channels and calcium handling proteins. However, it attenuated fibrosis and mitigated electrical instability in the scar‐border zone. In vivo recordings of cardiovascular‐related stellate ganglion neurons (SGNs) revealed that MI enhances SGN function and disrupts integrated neural processing. Depleting TRPV1 afferents normalized these processes. Taken together, these data indicate that after MI, TRPV1 afferent‐induced adrenergic dysfunction promotes fibrosis, adverse cardiac remodeling, and worsens border zone electrical heterogeneity, resulting in electrically unstable ventricular myocardium. We propose targeting TRPV1‐expressing afferent to reduce VT/VF following MI.


Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disease characterized by alpha-galactosidase A (α-Gal A) enzyme deficiency. It can present with a variety of clinical manifestations ranging from complaints of extremity numbness and tingling to end-stage renal disease, cardiovascular disease, or stroke. Although it causes proteinuria and chronic kidney disease, it is often not included in the differential diagnosis of a young adult who presents with proteinuria. We describe the histories of two brothers who received a diagnosis of Fabry disease after one underwent a kidney biopsy. The diagnosis had profound implications for both individuals and their family. These cases and the accompanying review of kidney manifestations of Fabry disease demonstrate why the differential diagnosis of a young male with proteinuria and family history of kidney disease must include Fabry disease and why nephrologists should consider α-Gal A enzyme deficiency screening in the evaluation of male patients. Additionally, they highlight the importance of obtaining a kidney biopsy when the etiology of kidney disease is unknown.
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This paper introduces a provably stable adaptive learning controller which employs nonlinear function approximation with automatic growth of the learning network according to the nonlinearities and working domain of the control system. The unknown function in the dynamical system is approximated by piecewise linear models using the nonparametric regression technique. Local models are allocated as necessary and their parameters are optimized online. Inspired by composite adaptive control methods, the proposed learning adaptive control algorithm uses both the tracking error and the estimation error to update the parameters. We provide Lyapunov analyses that demonstrate the stability properties of the learning controller. Numerical simulations illustrate the rapid convergence of the tracking error and the automatic structure adaptation capability of the function approximator.


In this paper, we propose a novel differential encoder for QAM (quadrature-amplitude modulation), by a look-up table instead of a rule. Using a table for differential encoding has the advantages of both low complexity and good error performance. We propose algorithms to construct the table for maximizing the minimum noncoherent distance and minimizing the number of different data bits between two codewords with small noncoherent distance. For 16QAM and 32QAM, we show that the differential encoders obtained by the proposed algorithms are optimal in terms of minimum noncoherent distance. Differential detectors for QAM, including a reduced-complexity two-symbol detector and multiple-symbol detectors, are proposed as well. Simulation results of 16QAM show that the proposed differential encoder provides significant gain over existent differential encoders as expected by distance analysis, and the proposed low-complexity multiple-symbol differential detector can further improve the error performance.


Abstract:
 Stable isotopes are an important tool for studying invertebrate food webs and movement of invertebrates in farmland. However, stable isotope values of farmland invertebrates have been reported for only a few crop types, and rarely for other land uses within farmland. We compared &dgr;O13C and &dgr;15N of invertebrates captured in corn, soybean, hay, and hedgerows in eastern Ontario, Canada. &dgr;13C was significantly lower in invertebrates captured in hay and hedgerows than in invertebrates captured in soybean and corn, but was not different between invertebrates captured in corn and soybean. This suggests invertebrates may be moving between crop fields during the growing season, using alternative food sources within crop fields, or retaining &dgr;13C values from the previous year. When all invertebrates were examined together, &dgr;15N was significantly higher in invertebrates captured in manured corn than in those captured in soybeans, hedgerows, or manured or unmanured hay, but there was no difference between invertebrates captured in manured or unmanured corn. However, spiders from manured corn had significantly higher &dgr;15N than those from unmanured corn. Spiders had less variable &dgr;15N than other taxa in this study, because they occupy a single trophic level. This may make spiders more suitable for detecting changes in fertilization regimes. By demonstrating how invertebrate &dgr;13C and &dgr;15N vary with land use, this study will contribute to the understanding of agricultural food webs and of responses of invertebrates to land use change.


A new nanohybrid material is prepared by attaching CdTe nanoneedles (NNs) to surface-modified ZnSe quantum dots (QDs). The NNs and QDs are prepared by a colloidal synthesis method in an aqueous alkaline medium. The surface modification and the attachment of nanostructures are achieved by a bifunctional ligand 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA). The band gap of the ZnSe QDs is varied by controlling the size of the QDs in order to get the maximum overlap between the absorption band of the CdTe NNs and the emission band of the ZnSe QDs, which is a prerequisite for effective charge/energy transfer. The possibility of photoinduced charge transfer (PCT) and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the donor (QDs) to the acceptor (NNs) has been assessed. Very fast (less than 800 ps) PCT and FRET from QDs to NNs occur because the emission band of QDs overlaps with the absorption band of NNs. The calculated large value of the overlapping integral, J(λ) ∼4.5 × 1019 M−1 cm−1 nm4, of the donor and the acceptor bands proves the feasibility of energy transfer. These findings suggest that the ZnSe QDs can exchange photoinduced energy with the CdTe NNs effectively over a wide distance in a CdTe–ZnSe nanohybrid.


A challenging control strategy is studied on a novel cellular microinjection technology called the rotationally oscillating drill (Ros-Drill). Ros-Drill is developed primarily for intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). It is an inexpensive device, which creates high-frequency rotational oscillations at the tip of an injection pipette tracking a harmonic motion profile. These rotational oscillations enable the pipette to drill into cell membranes with minimum biological damage. Such a motion control procedure presents no particular difficulty when it uses high-resolution motion sensors. However, coarse spatial resolution in these sensors is enforced due to various limitations (especially from the pricing aspects). They severely constrain the performance and trajectory tracking capabilities are adversely affected. In this paper, we present a new adaptive control scheme to overcome these hurdles. The control is implemented using a commonly available and very economical microcontroller and extremely low-resolution position measurements. First, a continuous control system is used for the core proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller logic. Then, an adaptive, robust and optimal updates over this core logic are developed. We demonstrate via simulations and experiments that the tracking of the harmonic rotational motion is achieved with desirable fidelity.


This paper presents a high precision pronoun resolution system that is capable of greater than 90% precision with 60% and better recall for some pronouns. It is suggested that the system is resolving a sub-set of anaphors that do not require general world knowledge for successful resolution. The system does this by being very sensitive to ambiguity, and only resolving pronouns when very high confidence rules have been satisfied. The system is capable of 'noticing' ambiguity because it requires that there be a unique antecedent within a salience ranking, and the salience rankings are not total orders, i.e. two or more antecedents can be equally salient. The system has been evaluated in three distinct experiments which support the overall validity of the approach.


In this paper, we present investigation of a direct-current discharge with a gridded anode from the point of view of using it as a means of creating plasma coating that could efficiently absorb incident electromagnetic (EM) waves. A single discharge cell consists of two parallel plates, one of which (anode) is gridded. Electrons emitted from the cathode surface are accelerated in the short interelectrode gap and are injected into the post-anode space, where they lose acquired energy on ionization and create plasma. Numerical simulations were used to investigate the discharge structure and obtain spatial distributions of plasma density in the post-anode space. The numerical model of the discharge was based on a simple hybrid approach which takes into account non-local ionization by fast electrons streaming from the cathode sheath. Specially formulated transparency boundary conditions allowed performing simulations in 1D. Simulations were carried out in air at pressures of 10 Torr and higher. Analysis of the discharge structure and discharge formation is presented. It is shown that using cathode materials with lower secondary emission coefficients can allow increasing the thickness of plasma slabs for the same discharge current, which can potentially enhance EM wave absorption. Spatial distributions of electron density obtained during simulations were used to calculate attenuation of an incident EM wave propagating perpendicularly to the plasma slab boundary. It is shown that plasma created by means of a DC discharge with a gridded anode can efficiently absorb EM waves in the low frequency range (6–40 GHz). Increasing gas pressure results in a broader range of wave frequencies (up to 500 GHz) where a considerable attenuation is observed.In this paper, we present investigation of a direct-current discharge with a gridded anode from the point of view of using it as a means of creating plasma coating that could efficiently absorb incident electromagnetic (EM) waves. A single discharge cell consists of two parallel plates, one of which (anode) is gridded. Electrons emitted from the cathode surface are accelerated in the short interelectrode gap and are injected into the post-anode space, where they lose acquired energy on ionization and create plasma. Numerical simulations were used to investigate the discharge structure and obtain spatial distributions of plasma density in the post-anode space. The numerical model of the discharge was based on a simple hybrid approach which takes into account non-local ionization by fast electrons streaming from the cathode sheath. Specially formulated transparency boundary conditions allowed performing simulations in 1D. Simulations were carried out in air at pressures of 10 Torr and higher. Analysis of th...


This paper (Information as a social object and the library environment) is a descriptive study that analyses information and projects it as a social object at a specific stage of the development of society. To achieve the aims of the paper some terms have been examined from the specialized database LISA from the last 40 years to employ them as indicators of the changes within the library environment. At the end of the study some conclusions are drawn, that information as social object, throughout time, has required some kind of containers or formats, either tangible or intangible. The formats or containers of information change, but not the meaning of information. Currently, the social environment of librarians is contingent upon the self-called society of information, and the preeminence of information and communication technologies.


This paper presents a new novel application system based on mobile/wireless control system networks. The AT commands where analysed and processed by the application system to manage a distributed multifunction mobile/wireless control system. To evaluate the application system a full home prototype model were built to be used in a real time control system. In this system, a real time data can be accessed worldwide using the proposed application system via a GSM modem. The proposed application system shows a significant results when it used with a GSM (Global System for Mobile)[1]. A distributed multifunction control system were used and tested. The system can also be configured to control an alarm or any other electrical device via a mobile phone using SMS text messaging. The proposed application system can control a home automation from the remote location, determines the real time actions with a feedback from the system. The Cellular Shield will send the signal to the output PIN's which are programmed using Java language to control the devices operation. The concerned authority can control the system through his mobile phone by sending AT Commands to the GSM modem connected to the computer and the proposed application system works with all GSM modem technologies [2] and in turn to main board controller. The application system providing the access to the system for security and automated monitoring and control the system operations remotely. (Abstract)


Aim : Scientific studies are one of the most effective methods of scientific evaluation in valid databases. The purpose of this study was to investigate and evaluate the scientific production of researchers in the field of psychology during 2013-2017 . Methods : All articles related to psychology indexed in the ISI citation system within the years 2013-2017 were retrieved and reviewed where qualified meeting the inclusion criteria were selected as the statistical population. Excel software was used to draw the diagram and VOS viewer mapping software with the capacity of drawing up the vocabulary map . Results : Findings indicated that the year 2017 has the largest share of scientific production in the field of psychology. Also, in the study of the subject areas; results showed that articles related to behavior and moral issues, depression and mental health were greatly significant in this field. Categories such as behavior and moral issues, health, education, views and perspectives as well asmental health were the most used issues in the field of psychology. Among the subject categories, the field of mental health has been observed to be closely related to other fields in this category. Results also indicated that there is an inverse relation between the length of the word and the number of times the words are used in each text . Conclusion : Given the importance of mental health in today's societies, researchers in this field should study all areas in their research in order to improve and maintain the health of the people and the health of the community .


The more precise modeling of transformers, taking into account also wave propagation along their coils is now even more necessary because of the increasing level of electromagnetic noises on electric networks and the even higher switching frequency of power supply units built into sensible electronic devices. For a reliable forecast through simulation of the reaction transformers to incoming over-voltages and other interference a quasi-distributed parameter model has been proposed for one-layer straight coils. Some aspects for finding the optimum lump number is investigated in this paper.


Background: Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are dynamic environments with exotic faunas. In this study, we found a new species of Branchipolynoe (Aphroditiformia: Polynoidae) polynoid scale worm living in the recently discovered mussel Gigantidas vrijenhoeki in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and methane seeps at depths of 2,014 - 2,023 m. Associations between scale worms and giant mussels are common in hydrothermal ecosystems.Results: We analyzed the morphology of Branchipolynoe from the Onnuri vent field (OVF) on the northern Central Indian Ridge and sequenced the full mitochondrial genome. Based on its morphological traits and mitochondrial genes, we designated the specimens as Branchipolynoe onnuriensis n. sp., described herein. This species resembles B. longqiensis and B. tjiasmantoi, but is distinguished by its notopodial acicular lobe form and the tips of the subacicular neurochaetae. The identity of the new species was well supported by genetic distance and phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Genetically, the new species is closest to the Western Pacific species B. tjiasmantoi; phylogenetic analyses support the correlation between Indian Ocean and Western Pacific hydrothermal polychaetes. This study provides a foundation for exploring the evolutionary relationship between scale worms and giant mussels.


Background : S100A4 has been implicated in invasion and metastasis of various malignant tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not S100A4 plays an important role in non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs). Methods : Sixty-seven patients with NSCLC including 37 with squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and 30 with adenocarcinomas (ADs) who had undergone surgical resection were analyzed. S100A4 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarray blocks. Results : S100A4 expression was positive in 56 (83.6%) of 67 NSCLC cases. ADs were more frequently S100A4 positive than SCCs (p = 0.017). However, no significant correlation was observed between S100A4 expression and age, gender, pT, pN or tumor, node and metastasis (TNM) stage. Two distant metastatic cases revealed an S100A4 positive reaction. Kaplan-Meier survival curves with the logrank test showed no correlation with 3-year survival (p = 0.782) or 5-year survival (p = 0.227) in either group of patients according to S100A4 expression. Conclusions : S100A4 expression was not correlated with age, gender, pT, pN or TNM stage or survival in patients with NSCLCs. Therefore, S100A4 expression may not be useful as a prognostic marker for NSCLCs. However, S100A4 expression showed a higher positivity in ADs than in SCCs.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Previous studies demonstrated that naive T cells transferred into lymphopenic hosts develop into memory like T cells and acquire some effector functions. We and others have shown that sublethal whole body irradiation and transfer of naive T cells augment antitumor immunity and inhibited tumor progression. Further, we found a significant increase of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) in irradiated mice. Depletion of those radio-resistant Treg after irradiation and transfer of naive T cells enhanced generation of antitumor effector T cells and suppressed tumor progression (Baba J, et al. 2012, Blood). The combination of lymphodepletion and transfer of naive T cells seems to be a promising strategy. However, whole body irradiation has not been routinely used in clinical settings. Previously, we demonstrated that the sublethal doses of cyclophosphamide (CPA) efficiently depleted lymphocytes in mice, and enhanced antitumor effects of transferred naive T cells. In this study, we examined the effect of lymphodepleting doses of CPA on immune suppressor cells. Similar to the irradiated lymphopenic hosts, a significant increase of Treg was observed in mice treated with CPA. The combination of CPA, transfer of naive T cells and Treg depletion with anti-CD25 monoclonal antibodies succeeded to cure advanced skin tumors.To evaluate the proliferation and apoptosis of Treg increasing in CPA-treated mice, we performed BrdU incorporation, Ki-67 expression and Annexin V apoptosis assay. The results indicated that the increased percentage of Treg during recovery from lymphopenia is due to the rapid proliferation of Treg that survive CPA treatment.

Next, we investigated which subsets of donor T cells are necessary in this combination therapy. CD4+ or CD8+ T cells were depleted from donor T cells before transfer into lymphopenic skin tumor bearing mice. Depletion of CD4+ T cells, but not CD8+ T cells eliminated the antitumor effects. Intracellular cytokine FACS revealed that transfer of CD4+ T cells following CPA treatment induced tumor specific effector CD4+ T cells in lymphopenic hosts. Interestingly, transfer of CD4+ T cells also induced CD8+ effector T cells from CPA treated recipient cells. Depletion of CD8+ recipient cells with anti-CD8 monoclonal antibodies abrogated the antitumor effects of lymphodepletion and CD4+ T cells transfer. Furthermore, Transfer of CD4+ T cells into Rag-2 knockout mice showed no antitumor effects. These results suggested that donor CD4+ T cells induce effector CD8+ T cells originate from recipients after CPA treatment and suppress tumor progression. Our results showed that the combination of CPA treatment, naive CD4+ T cell transfer, and Treg depletion had potent antitumor efficacy. Both of donor CD4+ T cells and recipient CD8+ T cells were necessary for this augmentation of antitumor immunity.

Citation Format: Yu Saida, Satoshi Watanabe, Tomohiro Tanaka, Junko Baba, Koh Satoh, Satoshi Shoji, Natsue Igarashi, Koichirou Nozaki, Masaaki Okajima, Satoru Miura, Junta Tanaka, Hiroshi Kagamu, Hirohisa Yoshizawa, Ichiei Narita. Chemo-resistantregulatory T cells suppress the development of antitumor immunity aftercytotoxic regimens. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3963. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3963


Goal and the intension of the recent course were to show the connectivity between the blood pressure and ladyfinger likeness. Blood pressure or BP is the pressure exerted on the walls of the blood vessels when the blood circulates. Blood pressure is measured by the device called sphygmomanometer. The normal range of the blood pressure is 80mmHg to 120mmHg. The first is the diastolic blood pressure and the later is systolic blood pressure. Ladyfinger is the green vegetable which helps in controlling the blood pressure. During the sampling, we made a Performa about the connectivity of blood pressure and ladyfinger likeness. Gross of 188 colleagues were involved in this Performa study to which we questioned about their blood pressure. These colleagues are the undergraduate students of Bahauddin Zakariya University. It was concluded that the males who like ladyfinger have higher blood pressure and the females who dislike ladyfinger also have the high blood pressure.


The aim of the SELFIE (Smart and Efficient Layers for Innovative Envelope) project was to develop novel adaptive envelope systems for nZEBs, within the framework of a smart city, in order to facilitate the exploitation of RES at building scale and simultaneously decrease the energy consumptions and improve indoor environmental quality in non-residential buildings. The process of designing innovative technological systems, capable of integrating smart materials and novel technologies, into the new construction and/or renovation of buildings, will be described in this paper. The objective is demonstrated how it is possible transferring know-how from different production sectors aimed to reduction of environmental impact of the built environment of our cities.


Abstract. In this paper we focus on flux transfer events (FTEs) and poleward moving auroral forms (PMAFs) in the cusp region, combining data from the EISCAT Svalbard radar, SuperDARN HF radars, ground-based optics, and three low-altitude polar-orbiting spacecraft. During an interval of southward interplanetary magnetic field the EISCAT Svalbard radar tracked a train of narrow flow channels drifting into the polar cap. One 30-60 km wide flow channel surrounded by flow running in the opposite direction is studied in great detail from when it formed equatorward of the cusp aurora, near magnetic noon, until it left the field-of-view and disappeared into the polar cap. Satellite data shows that the flow channel was on open field lines. The flow pattern is consistent with field-aligned currents on the sides of the flow channel; with a downward current on the equatorward side, and an upward current on the poleward side. The poleward edge of the flow channel was coincident with a PMAF that separated from the background cusp aurora and drifted into the polar cap. A passage of the DMSP F13 spacecraft confirms that the FTE flow channel was still discernable over 15 minutes after it formed, as the spacecraft revealed a 30–40 km wide region of sunward flow within the anti-sunward background convection. From the dimensions of the flow channel we estimate that the magnetic flux contained in the event was at least 1 MWb. This data set also shows that Birkeland current filaments often seen by low-altitude spacecraft in the cusp/mantle are really associated with individual FTE events or a train of FTEs in progress. As the region 0 or cusp/mantle current represents the statistical average consistent with the large-scale flow pattern, we therefore introduce a new term – FTE currents – to denote the unique pair of Birkeland current sheets that are associated with individual meso-scale FTE flow disturbances. The poleward moving auroral forms (PMAFs), often referred to in the literature, are the optical signature of the upward FTE current. Keywords. Magnetospheric physics (Current systems; Magnetopause, cusp and boundary layers) – Ionosphere (plasma convection)


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Angiogenesis plays an essential role in tumor growth and metastasis, and is a major target in cancer therapy. VEGFR and PDGFR are key players involved in this process. The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of genetic variants in these receptors and its potential clinical implications in colorectal cancer (CRC). VEGFR2, PDGFRα and PDGFRβ mutations were evaluated by sequencing their tyrosine kinase domains in 8 CRC cell lines and in 92 samples of patients with CRC. Correlations with clinicopathological features and survival were analyzed. Four SNPs were identified, three in PDGFRα [exon 12 (A12): c.1701A>G; exon13 (A13): c.1809G>A; and exon 17 (A17): c.2439+58C>A) and one in PDGFRβ (exon19 (B19): c.2601A>G) (figure 1). SNP B19 was present in 58% of tumor samples and in 4 cell lines (LS174T, LS180, SW48, COLO205), and this was associated with higher PDGFR and pPDGFR protein levels. 5-year survival was greater for patients with PDGFR B19 wild type tumors (AA) than for those harboring the G-allele genotype (GA or GG) (51%vs17%; P=0.073). Multivariate analysis confirmed SNP B19 (P=0.029) was a significant prognostic factor for survival, independent of age (P=0.060) or TNM stage (P G SNP is commonly encountered in CRC patients and is associated with increased pathway activation and poorer survival. Implications regarding its potential influence in response to PDGFR targeted agents remain to be ellucidated.

Citation Format: Purificacion Estevez-Garcia, A Castano, Ana Martin, Fernando Lopez-Rios, J Iglesias, Sandra Munoz-Galvan, Iker Lopez-Calderero, Sonia Molina-Pinelo, Maria D. Pastor, Amancio Carnero, Luis Pa-Ares, Rocio Garcia-Carbonero. PDGFRα/β and VEGFR2 SNPs incolorectal cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4644. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4644


The paper deals with the significant results of the experimental research of current harmonic spectrum of traction drive with permanent magnet synchronous motor. The experiments were done on a special workplace with a real traction drive for wheel vehicles. Current harmonic spectrum was analyzed by a specialized device on the base of central measuring station. The knowledge of current marked subharmonic components of stator winding is the most significant finding of experiments. The frequencies of these components are given by multiples of frequency of mechanical speeds. The subharmonic components also pass to input DC current of drive. This fact is important in particular from the point of view of legislative requirements to electromagnetic compatibility of drive with railway interlocking devices.


This technical note addresses the array square-root Kalman filtering/smoothing algorithms with the conventional orthogonal and J-orthogonal transformations. In the adaptive filtering context, J-orthogonal matrices arise in computation of the square-root of the covariance (or smoothed covariance) by solving an equation of the form CCT=DDT-BBT. The latter implies an application of the QR decomposition with J-orthogonal transformations in each iteration step. In this paper, we extend functionality of array square-root Kalman filtering schemes and develop an elegant and simple method for computation of the derivatives of the filter variables to unknown system parameters required in a variety of applications. For instance, our result can be implemented for an efficient sensitivity analysis, and in gradient-search optimization algorithms for the maximum likelihood estimation of unknown system parameters. It also replaces the standard approach based on direct differentiation of the conventional Kalman filtering equations (with their inherent numerical instability) and, hence, improves the robustness of computations against roundoff errors.


Strontium isotopic and petrologic information, obtained from sediment cores collected in the Nile delta of Egypt, indicate that paleoclimatic and Nile baseflow conditions changed considerably from about 4200 to 4000 cal yr B.P. in the Nile basin. Our study records a higher proportion of White Nile sediment transported during the annual floods at ca. 6100 cal yr B.P. than towards 4200 cal yr B.P., at which time suspended sediment from the Blue Nile formed a significantly larger fraction of the total load. This resulted from a decrease in vegetative cover and an increase in erosion rate accompanying the marked decline in rainfall. These new geoscience data indicate major changes in annual flooding and baseflow of the river Nile, marked short-term paleoclimatic-related events that may in part have led to the collapse of the Old Kingdom. 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


How to cite: Rianto, H. P., Wijayanti, A. (2021). The Influence of Financial Performance and Good Corporate Governance on the Shares Price controlled by Internet Financial Reporting. International Journal of Digital Entrepreneurship and Business (IDEB), 2 (1), 11 – 25. The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of financial performance [Economic Value Added (EVA), Market Value Added (MVA)], Good Corporate Governance [Board of Commissioners (BoC), institutional ownership (IO)], and Internet Financial Reporting (IFR) on stock prices. With IFR to moderate EVA, MVA, BoC and IO on stock prices. The research samples are manufacturing companies with consumption products that listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchanges (IDX) from 2014 to 2019. The sampling technique used in this research is purposive sampling and to test the hypothesis, STАTА software is used in analyzing the data. The results show that MVA has significant influence stock prices. However, EVA, BoC, IO and IFR could not influence stock prices. For IFR could moderate EVA, and MVA to influence stock prices. Though, IFR could not moderate BoC and IO to influence stock prices. The practical implication for this study, is helping the investor for decision making by not considering only for financial performance, but also good corporate governance.


As one of the best image denoising methods, the Non-Local Means(NL-Means)algorithm[5] proposed by Buades et al. generates state-of-the-art performance. However, due to the high computational complexity, it is difficult to be directly used in practical applications. In this paper, a novel fast algorithm based on the similarity of spatially sampled pixels is introduced. Compared with other fast approaches, the result has shown that our method always uses the shortest time. Meanwhile, it keeps a similar or even better visual results. A maximum of 0.9dB improvement can be attained in comparison with the original method when the noise variance is small.


A new general approach to the formulation of a detector in non-Gaussian noise satisfying the strong mixing condition is introduced. The only statistical knowledge required for the optimal design is a set of parameters which can be estimated from data and recursively updated. This eliminates the requirement that exact distributions be known and leads naturally to efficient adaptive detectors. >


This paper presents the results of an experimental study of the spatial structure of a microwave discharge maintained in an argon flow by gyrotron radiation in a continuous mode with a frequency of 24 GHz at atmospheric pressure. In the structure of the plasma plume, stationary filamentary channels are observed, elongated along the direction of the argon flow, regardless of the orientation of the external electric field of the wave, surrounded by a diffusion halo. Measurements of the electron density, vibrational and rotational temperatures of gas molecules in plasma filaments have been carried out. The role of gas-dynamic mechanisms responsible for the formation of the inhomogeneous static structure of the plasma torch and the maintenance of a substantially nonequilibrium distribution of temperature characteristics in the discharge is discussed.


Cancer growth requires angiogenesis; imaging of angiogenesis holds thus great potential for improved cancer detection and treatment. In this context, ultrasound molecular imaging permits the visualization of cancer angiogenesis by use of novel targeted contrast agents (tUCA). These consist of ligand-bearing microbubbles designed to specifically bind molecular angiogenic expressions, thus providing selective enhancement especially in the late phase after injection. Discrimination between bound and free microbubbles is crucial to assess the degree of binding and thus to quantify angiogenesis. Currently, binding is mainly assessed by the differential targeted enhancement, i.e., the difference in signal intensity in the late phase before and after the application of a high-pressure destructive pulse. However, this method is not quantitative, and it requires long acquisitions and a high-pressure pulse, which may damage the endothelial tissue. To overcome these limitations, here we propose a new method for quantification of the microbubble binding kinetics by fitting a dedicated compartmental model to the tUCA first-pass. We investigated the feasibility of the method in three prostate tumor-bearing rats. The novel information provided by the proposed method may be combined with the late enhancement analysis to gain deeper insight into tumor angionesis, and thus potentially improve cancer diagnosis and management.


Automatic sung speech recognition is a relatively understudied topic that has been held back by a lack of large and freely available datasets. This has recently changed thanks to the release of the DAMP Sing! dataset, a 1100 hour karaoke dataset originating from the social music-making company, Smule. This paper presents work undertaken to define an easily replicable, automatic speech recognition benchmark for this data. In particular, we describe how transcripts and alignments have been recovered from Karaoke prompts and timings; how suitable training, development and test sets have been defined with varying degrees of accent variability; and how language models have been developed using lyric data from the LyricWikia website. Initial recognition experiments have been performed using factored-layer TDNN acoustic models with lattice-free MMI training using Kaldi. The best WER is 19.60% – a new state-of-the-art for this type of data. The paper concludes with a discussion of the many challenging problems that remain to be solved. Dataset definitions and Kaldi scripts have been made available so that the benchmark is easily replicable.


The spectrum of frequencies and characteristic times that compose the ringdown phase of gravitational waves emitted by neutron stars carries information about the matter content (the equation of state) and the underlying theory of gravity. Typically, modified theories of gravity introduce additional degrees of freedom/fields, such as scalars, which result in new families of modes composing the ringdown spectrum. Simple but physically promising candidates are scalar-tensor theories, which effectively introduce an additional massive scalar field (i.e., an ultra-light boson) that couples non-minimally to gravity, resulting in scalarized neutron stars. Here we present the first calculation of the full ringdown spectrum in such theories. We show that the ringdown spectrum of neutron stars with ultra-light bosons is much richer and fundamentally different from the spectrum in general relativity and that it possesses propagating ultra-long-lived modes.


In this review, we describe the absorption rates (Caco-2 cell permeability) and hepatic/plasma pharmacokinetics of 53 diverse chemicals estimated by modeling virtual oral administration in rats. To ensure that a broad range of chemical structures is present among the selected substances, the properties described by 196 chemical descriptors in a chemoinformatics tool were calculated for 50,000 randomly selected molecules in the original chemical space. To allow visualization, the resulting chemical space was projected onto a two-dimensional plane using generative topographic mapping. The calculated absorbance rates of the chemicals based on cell permeability studies were found to be inversely correlated to the no-observed-effect levels for hepatoxicity after oral administration, as obtained from the Hazard Evaluation Support System Integrated Platform in Japan ( r = −0.88, p < 0.01, n = 27). The maximum plasma concentrations and the areas under the concentration-time curves (AUC) of a varied selection of chemicals were estimated using two different methods: simple one-compartment models (i.e., high-throughput toxicokinetic models) and simplified physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling consisting of chemical receptor (gut), metabolizing (liver), and central (main) compartments. The results obtained from the two methods were consistent. Although the maximum concentrations and AUC values of the 53 chemicals roughly correlated in the liver and plasma, inconsistencies were apparent between empirically measured concentrations and the PBPK-modeled levels. The lowest-observed-effect levels and the virtual hepatic AUC values obtained using PBPK models were inversely correlated ( r = −0.78, p < 0.05, n = 7). The present simplified PBPK models could estimate the relationships between hepatic/plasma concentrations and oral doses of general chemicals using both forward and reverse dosimetry. These methods are therefore valuable for estimating hepatotoxicity.


Background: Pain is the commonest reason for delayed discharge and readmission post day surgery with up to 45% of patients reported to suffer moderate-to-severe post-surgical pain 24 hours after discharge. The importance of post-surgical pain management extends beyond the acute phase when one considers that all chronic post-surgical pain was once acute. Although much focus is given to perioperative analgesia, a patient's pain management once discharged can be overlooked, whilst at this time the patient's pain management is within their own hands. Methods: We conducted this multisite observational study of adult patients undergoing day case surgery. After obtaining patient consent data was collected on the operation, intra- and postoperative analgesia administered and discharge analgesia prescribed. Patients were then contacted at home by telephone 48 hours after discharge and asked about their postoperative pain and analgesia requirements. Results: Of 150 patients consented for the enrolment, we were able to obtain postoperative analgesia data on 100. A total of 68% of patients reported pain following discharge with 26% reporting severe pain, defined as a pain score of ⩾7. A total 68% of patients were prescribed and dispensed analgesia, and of those, 83% were compliant with their analgesia. Thus, we conclude that in this patient group, the incidence of postoperative pain was not due to lack of patient compliance, but inadequate analgesia prescription. Discussion: We recognise that our data reflect a patient population in North East London but suggest that the results may still be relevant to a wider patient group across the United Kingdom as the incidence of postoperative pain in our study was similar to published figures. Better patient satisfaction with postoperative analgesia may be obtained with more patient- and surgery-specific analgesic prescription.


The Nineteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China put forward the full implementation of performance management. Thus, the importance of fiscal performance evaluation has risen to a new height. The performance evaluation index of fiscal expenditure is an important prerequisite for performance management. The performance evaluation index of fiscal expenditure policy refers to the assessment tool to measure the degree of achievement of fiscal expenditure policy performance goals. This paper study the performance evaluation indexes of fiscal expenditure policy from its basic framework and basic principles, categorization the indicators of fiscal expenditure performance evaluation system; make the evaluation of performance of fiscal expenditure more clearly. The construction of the performance evaluation index system of fiscal expenditure plays a very important role in evaluating the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of fiscal expenditure.


Several topological and homological operads based on families of projectively weighted arcs in bounded surfaces are introduced and studied. The spaces underlying the basic operad are identied with open subsets of a combinatorial compactication due to Penner of a space closely related to Riemann's moduli space. Algebras over these operads are shown to be Batalin{Vilkovisky algebras, where the entire BV structure is realized simplicially. Furthermore, our basic operad contains the cacti operad up to homotopy. New operad structures on the circle are classied and combined with the basic operad to produce geometrically natural extensions of the algebraic structure of BV algebras, which are also computed.


Roman Ingarden (1893–1970) was a prominent Polish philosopher, phenomenologist, and student of Edmund Husserl. A characteristic feature of his works was the almost complete absence of analyzes from the history of philosophy. That is why it is so surprising that right after the end of World War II, the first text analyzed when Ingarden started working at the Jagiellonian University was Aristotle's "Poetics." Ingarden published the results of his research in Polish in 1948 in "Kwartalnik Filozoficzny" and in the early 1960s his essay was translated and published in the renowned American magazine "The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism" as "A Marginal Commentary on Aristotle's Poetics."
As far as I know today, this text does not arouse much interest among the many commentators and followers of Ingarden's philosophy. Perhaps this state of affairs is justified: Ingarden's own ideas are only repeated here, and their usefulness in the meaning of "Poetics" remains far from obvious. However, I think that this relative obscurity is worth considering now, because it shows how modern reason tries to control ancient concepts. The main purpose of this article is therefore to recon- struct the strategy by which philosophy tames the text of "Poetics," especially its concepts such as catharsis and mimesis. The discovery and presentation of these treatments would not have been possible were it not for the mimetic theory of René Girad, which provides anthropological foundations for a critique of philosophical discourse.


The symbolic elite discourse on the safety and viability of using the insecticide DDT for combating malaria in Africa is marked by extreme dissonance. While some positions within the debate on using DDT for malaria prevention are quite nuanced, others are more extreme if not one-dimensional. The ones who tend to hold more nuanced or centrist positions on using DDT for controlling malaria are often researchers who acknowledge its capacity to simultaneously prevent and cause harmful effects. Meanwhile, symbolic elites from both the anti- and pro-DDT side competing for space within the discourse have employed certain strategies in how they present their competing claims to the truth about DDT. These strategies of persuasion have been the object of scrutiny in this thesis. With a combination of systematic review and critical discourse analysis methods, this research has explored the discrepancies between the competing claims on what ought to be considered accurate or 'true' knowledge on the use of DDT in malaria control interventions. (Less)


The new model plant for temperate grasses, Brachypodium distachyon offers great potential as a tool for functional genomics. We have established a sodium azide-induced mutant collection and a TILLING platform, called "BRACHYTIL", for the inbred line Bd21-3. The TILLING collection consists of DNA isolated from 5530 different families. Phenotypes were reported and organized in a phenotypic tree that is freely available online. The tilling platform was validated by the isolation of mutants for seven genes belonging to multigene families of the lignin biosynthesis pathway. In particular, a large allelic series for BdCOMT6, a caffeic acid O-methyl transferase was identified. Some mutants show lower lignin content when compared to wild-type plants as well as a typical decrease of syringyl units, a hallmark of COMT-deficient plants. The mutation rate was estimated at one mutation per 396 kb, or an average of 680 mutations per line. The collection was also used to assess the Genetically Effective Cell Number that was shown to be at least equal to 4 cells in Brachypodium distachyon. The mutant population and the TILLING platform should greatly facilitate functional genomics approaches in this model organism.


In Bacillus subtilis the deoxyribonucleic acid content and the extent of cell division during inhibition of chromosome replication increased as a function of the average cell mass, independent of the growth rate. At each growth rate, mass, deoxyribonucleic acid, and residual division varied in different cultures. The variation is consistent with a large variability in the D period. At growth rates higher than 1.5 doublings per h at 37 degrees C, the change in D accounts for the growth rate dependence of the mass and deoxyribonucleic acid content.


The OVAL community has spent more than ten years developing and
employing the OVAL Language. During this time, the community has made
a number of design decisions and learned a number of lessons that
should be leveraged as the next-generation endpoint posture assessment
standards are formulated. There are also a number of places where
portions of the OVAL Language align with the SACM Information Model
and could serve as a starting point for related work. Another output
of the work executed under the OVAL project is a number of lessons
that are applicable to the SACM work. These lessons include a clear
separation of data collection and evaluation; a call to focus on
ensuring both primary source vendors and third party security experts
feel invited to the discussion and are empowered to leverage their
unique domain knowledge; and to strive for simplicity and flexibility,
where possible. In addition, the OVAL community has a set of clear
recommendations with respect to which parts of OVAL should be used by
SACM as a means to make best use of the efforts of those that have
worked on and supported OVAL over the past ten years. Those
recommendations are: o Use the OVAL System Characteristics Model to
inform the development of a data model for representing endpoint
posture attributes. o Use the OVAL Definitions Model to inform the
development of data models for representing evaluation and collection
guidance. o Do not use the OVAL Results Model to inform the
development of a data model for representing evaluation results.
Lastly, this document will discuss the OVAL submission, how it is
expected to be used, and how it aligns with the SACM Vulnerability
Assessment Scenario.


Heavy metal (HM) pollution has become a serious threat to coastal aquatic ecosystems. This study, therefore, aimed at assessing the spatial distribution of selected heavy metals/metalloids including Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Lead (Pb), and Mercury (Hg) in surface sediment (0–15 cm) samples collected across Kalametiya Lagoon in southern Sri Lanka. Forty-one (41) grid points of the lagoon were sampled and the sediment samples were analyzed for HM content by using ICP-MS. A questionnaire survey was carried out to investigate the possible sources for HM pollution in Kalametiya Lagoon. Water pH and salinity showed significant variation across the lagoon. Overall mean value of pH and salinity were 6.68 ± 0.17 and 2.9 ± 2.2 PSU respectively. The spatial distribution of the heavy metals was not monotonic and showed a highly spatial variation. The kernel density maps of the measured heavy metals demarcated several different areas of the lagoon. The mean contents of As, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb were lower than that of threshold effect level (TEL) however, higher for Hg at the North Inlet. Nevertheless, it was still lower than potential effect level (PEL). Socio-economic interactions have dramatically reduced during the past two decades. Industrial sewage, river suspended sediments and agrochemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides were reportedly identified as the possible sources for heavy metal loads. Accumulation of toxic heavy metals can be minimized by detouring the water inflow to the lagoon.


In safety critical systems such as brake-by-wire, fault tolerance is usually provided by virtue of having redundant sensors and processing hardware. The redundant information provided by such components should be properly fused to achieve a reliable estimate of the safety critical variable that is sensed or processed by the redundant sensors or hardware. Voting methods are well-known solutions for this category of fusion problems. In this paper, a new voting method, using a fuzzy system for decision-making, is presented. The voted output of the proposed scheme is a weighted average of the sensors signals where the weights are calculated based on the antecedents and consequences of some fuzzy rules in a rulebase. In a case study, we have tested the fuzzy voter along with the well-known majority voting method for a by-wire brake pedal that is equipped with a displacement sensor and two force sensors. Our experimental results show that the performance of the proposed voting method is desirable in the presence of short circuits to ground or supply, excessive noise and sensor drifts. Voting error (in terms of mean square error) is reduced by 82% by the proposed fuzzy voting method, compared to majority voting.


Abstract Late/Terminal Classic Maya ballcourts from the upper Grijalva Basin (Chiapas, Mexico) are described and analyzed in a regional settlement and political context. The upper Grijalva Basin is found to have large numbers of ballcourts compared with other parts of the Maya area. The spatial distribution of ballcourts in the basin matches the distribution of civic-ceremonial centers, reflecting the key ritual and political roles of the ballcourt. Absence of a clear hierarchy in size or elaboration among the ballcourts reflects political decentralization. Ballcourt sizes, forms, alignments, and placements indicate their use for either Maya or Mexican hip ball games or more likely some combination of the two game types. Finally, three models that focus on elite factions, elite wealth building, and ritualized conflict are used to explore why the upper Grijalva Basin has so many more ballcourts compared with neighboring parts of the Maya area. An elite-factions model, incorporating a high degree of decentralization across the political landscape, is selected as most plausible for understanding the basin's proliferation of ballcourts.


Sequence models assign probabilities to variable-length sequences such as natural language texts. The ability of sequence models to capture temporal dependence can be characterized by the temporal scaling of correlation and mutual information. In this paper, we study the mutual information of recurrent neural networks (RNNs) including long short-term memories and self-attention networks such as Transformers. Through a combination of theoretical study of linear RNNs and empirical study of nonlinear RNNs, we find their mutual information decays exponentially in temporal distance. On the other hand, Transformers can capture long-range mutual information more efficiently, making them preferable in modeling sequences with slow power-law mutual information, such as natural languages and stock prices. We discuss the connection of these results with statistical mechanics. We also point out the non-uniformity problem in many natural language datasets. We hope this work provides a new perspective in understanding the expressive power of sequence models and shed new light on improving the architecture of them.


Yellow-fleshed sweetpotato cultivars were included in a series of trials conducted at the Isabela and the Fortuna Agricultural Substations from 1966-67 to 1972-73. At Isabela the soil is a Coto clay (Oxisol) and at Fortuna it is a San Anton silty clay (Mollisol). The cultivars were obtaine.d from introductions,. hybridization, and local collections. The experimental plots generally consisted of four rows 5.45.m (18.0 ft) long and 1.07 m (3.5 ft) apart. Cultivars Gem and R 59-36 yielded better at Isabela than at Fortuna. Cultivar L 963-3 was a heavy yielder at both locations. In general, Cobre yielded better at Isabela than at Fortuna. At Isabela Gem yielded 34.4, 34.1, 36.6, 36.2 and 37.3 tons/ha during 1966-67, 1967-68, 1970-71, 1971-72 and 1972-73, respectively. Gem is a consistently high yielder; however, better yields (45.4 tons/ha) were obtained during 1971-72 at Fortuna. Cobre's best yield (32.7 tons/ha) was obtained at Fortuna in 1971-72. Cultivar L 963-3 yielded 29.4, 30.4, 37.9, and 24.9 tons/ha during 1967-68, 1970-71, 1971-72, and 1972-73, respectively, at Isabela. The best yields from cultivar R 59-36 (36.2 tons/ha) were obtained at Isabela during 1971-72. Cultivars Gem, Cobre, and R 59-36 produced a sizable proportion of roots suitable for canning. A panel of experts concluded that cultivars Gem, Cobre, and R 59-36 peeled easily in a 10% NaOH solution at 214° to 216° F, that boiled sweetpotatoes were of acceptable quality, and that appearance and quality of the canned product was acceptable. Cultivar L 963-3 is more suitable for the fresh market than for canning. Gem had a high carotene content (13.20 mg/100 g).


Based on current literature wound healing and repair have been analyzed. Basic types of dressing materials used in wound repair as well as the use of skin grafts for covering skin lesions have been discussed. Taking into account the results of research in the fields of molecular biology and tissue engineering the authors describe the possibilities of producing skin substitutes, transplanting in vitro-cultured epithelial cells and gene therapy of various skin diseases and systemic diseases.


Abstract Timber building structures are seldom considered because of a lack of timber construction knowledge among many clients and professionals. 3D computer visualization (3D VIZ) is a possible way of communicating the aesthetics of a visible timber structure and visualizing complex timber connections. This paper investigates the potential for 3D VIZ to communicate visible timber structures during the different phases of the construction process. Furthermore, important parameters (controllable in 3D VIZ) for communicating a timber structure are identified. Through an Internet-based Delphi study, the usefulness of 3D VIZ for timber structures has been evaluated by professionals representing different competencies in the construction process. The results show that structural complexity, intended beholder (professional or non-professional) and current construction phase influence the benefit of 3D VIZ. The level of detail in the visualization is heavily dependent on whether the communication is internal (between professionals) or external (between professionals and clients/users). The impact of parameters needed, such as textures, surface structures and realistic lighting, have been described.


The theme of youth has been built as a sociological category and it opens the debate on the need for the creation of social policies which would drive access to child, teenagers and youth rights, mainly those who come from popular groups. Social policies, understood as "human needs", make interventions which are accorded to or different from the ideas previously set. The proposal is to analyze one of the programs from the City Plan for Childhood and Youth, implemented in Campinas, SP during 2001-2004 term. The Plan was composed of ten thematic programs, from which it was analyzed "Criando Rede de Esperaça" ("Creating Hope Network"), whose target population was boys and girls who live in streets. The program's services network is analyzed from 2001 to 2006, and it is held a discussion on whether there was social-political innovations and changing in life of its users. The investigation procedures were the following: semi-driven interviews with managers from different secretaries which compose the network, with coordinators and technicians, and also with the girls and boys; activity groups with teenagers inside the institutions; and participating observation on Health system facility. Besides that, some teenagers were accompanied in the streets. Life stories from five youths were taken to present both the services and the themes regarding them. It was noticed that the dynamic among actors was set under a tension with understandings not always congruent between institutional objectives and their users' objectives, what has generated little advance on the promotion of rights to this population group. It was pointed out that social policies focus borders on developed actions, marked by the capitalist democratic State's neoliberal political structure, as it was evidenced by the execution of actions which point to individualization of the problems and little advance on the collective understanding and facing. Nevertheless, they also produce a level of caring and attention which constitutes itself as support points to this population. The social policies keep the possibilities of effectively consolidating social-political innovations and they walk to the promotion for rights of youth Brazilians from popular groups. To do so, it was emphasized as the challenge for social actions, among which those on public health, to set innovative and effective practices to the promotion of rights.


Four to ten years after partial or total resections of the pancreas calcium and bone metabolism was investigated. A high-turnover osteoporosis is proved by bone histomorphometry. There were no signs of osteomalacia or secondary hyperparathyroidism. Radiocalciumkinetics in all cases showed an increase endogenous fecal loss of calcium. Both, intestinal absorption and renal excretion of calcium were normal. Pathophysiologic relationship between resections of the pancreas and their influence on calcium and bone metabolism has not been sufficiently explained until now. Further investigation will be necessary.


The present study aimed to investigate the morphological changes in the testis of brown-banded bamboo shark using routine histological and PCNA immunohistochemical techniques in order to describe the role of cell division versus cell death in germ cells and Sertoli cells during summer and winter seasons. Four mature brown-banded bamboo male sharks testes were used in this study; the first two were collected during winter season and the other was collected during summer season. Testicular specimens were used for histological and PCNA immunohistochemistry. The obtained results revealed that the testis of brown-banded bamboo shark showed a diametric pattern of development in which the testis was divided into several zones including germinal, spermatogonial, primary spermatocyte, secondary spermatocyte, spermatid, spermatozoal and degenerative zones. Noteworthy, PCNA expression was restricted to nucleus of spermatogonia, spermatocytes and Sertoli cells in both mitotic and pre-meiotic zones only while it was absent in the post-meiotic zone. Moreover, the intensity of expression was different among the various zones as its expression was prominent in the nucleus of spermatogonia in the germinal zone compared with spermatogonial zone. The intensity of PCNA expression in the testis of shark was different either during summer or winter season. In conclusion, the testis of brown-banded bamboo Shark have a diametric pattern of development starting from the dorsal part of the testis wherein, the germinal zone toward the epigonal organ ventrally wherein, the spermatozoal and degenerative zone. This diametric pattern of development is the best model to track the cascade of the process of spermatogenesis where each zone represent only one type of cells in addition to Sertoli cells which is not found in the mammalian testes. The season has non-significant effect on the PCNA expression on the testis of brown-banded bamboo Shark.


This paper is a review of authors'research results on genetic improvement ofpulp
wood of masson pine. At fist the breeding objectives for pulp production of masson pineare
defined,then the genetic variation,genetics,genetic correlation and stability of woodyield,wood
quality and paper/pulp-making properties are discussed systematically,the opti-mum
provenance zones and seed sources for pulp wood through comprehensive evaluation onwood
yield,wood quality and paper/pulp-making properties were determined,finally a lot offamilies
and individuals with high growth rate and good wood quality were selected.The se-lection
strategy and future research emphasis of pulp wood breeding of masson pine is
alsodiscussed.


Background: A job is undertaken for a particular period of an individual's life and with chances for progress. The constructive way to know about the individual's inner strength. Career ability for high school students is essential to identify their capabilities in different career choices and choose the appropriate one, which helps in reaching great heights. Career ability placement survey helps in identifying the propensity of the students using seven different potentialities which would help in performing better based on their abilities, which would minimise the failures.Aim: The present study aimed is to find out career abilities among the high school students and plan for their future. Methods: Career ability placement survey was developed by Lila Knapp, Robert R Knapp, and Lisa Knapp –Lee. This questionnaire is used to assess the career abilities of individuals using seven different dimensions. The scale was administered to 55 high school students based on stratified random sampling. Results: No significant difference between the career abilities among males and females. Conclusion: Both males and females have the expertise in spatial relations were they can visualise in three dimensions and can perform well in jobs related in spatial intelligence, and both have the least capacity in language usage where they cannot deliver well in careers related to oral and written communication.


Objectives : On account of increasing awareness of the need for Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and availability of requisite drugs, victims of rape are now presenting at health facilities including ours to access PEP for HIV. This study set to document the socio-demographic features of these victims and the event characteristic of the rape act. Methods : The medical records of patients who presented between January 2009 and December 2013 to the Paediatric infectious diseases clinic of Federal medical Owerri for PEP were reviewed. Results : One hundred and fifty three patients presented over reviewed period. 148(96.7%) presented for PEP on account of rape. They consisted of 147 females and 1male.61 (41.2%) of victims previously knew and could identify their assailants while 19(12.8%) of the victims had been previously raped. 32 (21.6%) victims presented on the day of the rape and weapons were used in 27% of the cases to ensure the victims cooperation. The most common place for the rape act was the assailant's home.None of the victims completed the schedule of follow up visits. Conclusion : Rape remains the commonest reason for presentation at our centre for PEP. Most victims still present late and are nearly always lost to follow-up after the initiation of PEP. Keywords : HIV, Rape, Post exposure prophylaxis, Criminal code.


The proportions and absolute numbers of helper and suppressor T-cells in 40 patients with inflammatory bowel disease and 22 control subjects were determined, using the monoclonal antibodies OKT 4 and OKT 8. There were no significant differences in helper or suppressor cell proportions among 15 steroid treated patients with active inflammatory bowel disease, 10 patients with inactive inflammatory bowel disease, 10 patients with other gastrointestinal diseases, or 12 normal control subjects. In contrast, 15 patients with active inflammatory bowel disease not treated with corticosteroids manifested increased proportions of helper cells and decreased proportions of suppressor cells (p less than 0.001), compared with all other patient groups and to normal controls. When absolute numbers of helper and suppressor subsets were measured, these alterations in proportions of helper and suppressor cells were primarily attributable to decreased counts of suppressor T-cells both in patients with active Crohn's disease and in those with ulcerative colitis (p less than 0.01). In four patients undergoing serial study, the helper/suppressor ratios appeared to rise and fall respectively with clinical exacerbations and remissions of disease. These data provide additional evidence for the involvement of cellular immune systems in these disease processes.


Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) is a useful method to extract features from multivariate data, but an important and sometimes neglected concern is that NMF can result in non-unique solutions. Often, there exist a Set of Feasible Solutions (SFS), which makes it more difficult to interpret the factorization. This problem is especially ignored in cancer genomics, where NMF is used to infer information about the mutational processes present in the evolution of cancer. In this paper the extent of non-uniqueness is investigated for two mutational counts data, and a new sampling algorithm, that can find the SFS, is introduced. Our sampling algorithm is easy to implement and applies to an arbitrary rank of NMF. This is in contrast to state of the art, where the NMF rank must be smaller than or equal to four. For lower ranks we show that our algorithm performs similarly to the polygon inflation algorithm that is developed in relations to chemometrics. Furthermore, we show how the size of the SFS can have a high influence on the appearing variability of a solution. Our sampling algorithm is implemented in an R package SFS (https://github. com/ragnhildlaursen/SFS).


Background: Nature images are frequently used for therapeutic purposes in hospital settings. Nature images may distract people from pain and promote psychological and physiological well-being, yet limited research is available to guide the selection process of nature images. Objective: The hypothesis is that higher degrees of presence and/or influence in the still photograph make it more effective at holding the viewer's attention, which therefore may distract the viewer from pain, and therefore be considered therapeutic. Research questions include: (1) Is there a significant difference in the level of perceived presence among the selected images? (2) Is there a significant difference in the level of perceived influence among the selected images? (3) Is there a correlation between levels of presence and levels of influence? Methods: 109 college students were randomly assigned to one of four different image categories defined by Appleton's prospect refuge theory of landscape preference. Categories included prospect, refuge, hazard, and mixed prospect and refuge. A control group was also included. Each investigation was divided into five periods: prereporting, rest, a pain stressor (hand in ice water for up to 120 seconds), recovery, and postreporting. Physiological readings (vital signs) were measured repeatedly using a Dinamap automatic vital sign tracking machine. Psychological responses (mood) to the image were collected using a reliable instrument, the Profile of Mood States. Results: No significant statistical difference in levels of presence was found among the four image categories. However, levels of influence differed and the hazard nature image category had significantly higher influence ratings and lower diastolic blood pressure readings during the pain treatment. A correlation (r = .62) between presence and influence was identified; as one rose, so did the other. Mood state was significantly low for the hazard nature image after the pain stressor experience. Conclusions: Though the hazard image caused distraction from pain, it is nontherapeutic because of the low mood ratings it received. These preliminary findings contribute methodology to the research field and stimulate interest for additional research into the visual effects of nature images on pain.


The effects of cutting conditions and tool wear on chip morphology and surface integrity during high speed machining of D2 tool steel (60-62 Hrc) are investigated experimentally and analytically in this paper. Polycrystalline Cubic Boron Nitride (PCBN) tools are used in this investigation. The chips and the subsurface of the workpiece are examined using optical and scanning electron microscopy. Microhardness measurements are performed on the surface and subsurface of the workpiece. The X-ray diffraction technique is used to measure the residual stresses induced in the machined surface. The paper is divided into two parts. Part 1 presents the results obtained from the micrographical analysis of the chips and the surfaces produced. Part 2 deals with microhardness and residual stresses of the machined surface. The micrographical analysis of the chips produced shows that different mechanisms of chip formation exist depending on the magnitude of the cutting pressure and tool wear. Saw toothed chips are produced during the machining of D2 tool steel if the cutting pressure exceeds approximately 4000 MPa. The metallographic analysis of the surface produced illustrates the damaged surface region that contains geometrical defects and changes in the subsurface metallurgical structure. The types of surface damage are dependent on the cutting conditions, tool geometry and the magnitude of the wear lands.


It is often argued that policymakers, lenders and borrowers regularly face the challenge of determining the optimal level of indebtedness of a given economy. Determining the sustainability of budget is equally challenging. The purpose of this study is to assess the sustainability of public debt and budget deficit in South Africa. In doing so, it aims to provide a deeper understanding of and insight into the fiscal outlook in the medium- to long run. Descriptive statistics, including the mean and standard deviation, were used to assess the sustainability of public debt and budget deficit in South Africa. In addition, stationarity test, Johansen cointegration, vector error correction model (VECM) and Granger non-causality test are utilised to determine whether the current trajectory of public debt and budget deficit is sustainable. The results of the study reveal that the sustainability of public debt and budget deficit is not guaranteed (not sustainable). These challenges become untenable especially within the context of South Africa's very low level of economic growth projection in the shortto medium term. It is recommended that major fiscal adjustment measures are introduced in the near future in order to avoid major fiscal crises in the future. For example, South Africa may need to relax its business laws, which businesses and investors often criticise for inhibiting South Africa's full potential.


OBJECTIVE
Adnexal torsion is most commonly a clinical diagnosis, often aided by sonographic findings. At times, the clinical presentation can mimic nongynecologic causes of acute lower abdominal pain. In these cases, CT may be the initial imaging study. The purpose of this study was to define the CT features associated with adnexal torsion.

CONCLUSION
On CT, a well-defined adnexal mass abnormally located in the pelvis with ipsilateral deviation of the uterus in a woman or girl with lower abdominal pain should raise the suspicion of adnexal torsion. Inflammatory signs on CT suggest the presence of necrosis.


To focus on developing white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) for lightings with high color rendering index (CRI), low correlated color temperature (CCT), and the displays with wide color gamut, inorganic perovskite quantum dots (QDs) such as CsPbX3 (X = C1, Br, I) were the promising candidate owing to the excellent optoelectronic properties such as high quantum efficiency, narrow emission wavelengths, and tunable emission spectrum. Nevertheless, the CsPbBr3QDs in the form of powders or films had a poor air stability and severe decline of quantum efficiency. Therefore, in this article, a new idea was proposed that 0-D green–red perovskite QDs powders such as Cs4PbBr6 and Cs4Pb(Br0.4I0.6)6 with improved quantum efficiency and long lifetime were first developed by silica-coated method and crystal phase transition in low-temperature synthesis. The quantum efficiency in green Cs4PbBr6 powders could be significantly enhanced from 31.41% to 45.87% and red Cs4Pb(Br0.4I0.6)6 powders was 22.79%. Moreover, the as-prepared perovskite QD powders and commercial YAG phosphors combined with blue chips were applied to high-quality WLEDs for lightings and displays. More importantly, the as-fabricated wide Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) color gamut WLEDs for displays possessed 115% National Television System Committee (NTSC) coverage rate and luminous efficiency of 51 lm/W under 20-mA driving current. On the other hand, the constructed WLEDs for high-power lightings would generate a warm white light with a luminous efficiency of 38 lm/W, extremely high CRI of 92.8, and low CCT of 3828 K under 350 mA. Hence, the proposed green–red perovskite QD powders had outstanding potential applications in WLEDs.


Young crossbred sheep grazed dual-purpose wheat crops in three experiments evaluating the factors affecting variability in liveweight gain. All crops had high crude protein contents [22–33% dry matter (DM)] and in vitro DM digestibilities (0.754–0.876), which would not have limited liveweight gains. Digestibilities measured in vivo in grazing animals were even higher (0.839–0.854). No significant differences were found in preference of sheep for six different wheat cultivars. The diet composition and herbage intake of the sheep were measured in all experiments using plant wax marker profiles. Wheat forage made up 0.88–0.98 of the diet in sheep supplemented with unchopped oaten hay and 0.97–0.99 of the diet in unsupplemented sheep. Total intakes in the first two experiments were ~1380 g DM/day (3.7–4.0% of liveweight). Intakes in Experiment 3 were lower (960–1180 g DM/day; 2.6–3.1% of liveweight) because drought conditions reduced the amount of forage available. There were marked liveweight gain responses (30–50%) to mineral supplements based on NaCl, CaCO3 and MgO. Evidence is presented that these were mainly due to the Na and Mg, since the consumed diet was more than adequate for Ca. Relative to the requirements of young sheep for growth, wheat forage had high K levels (6–8 times requirement) and very low Na levels (as low as 0.02–0.03 of requirement) and thus very high K : Na ratios. Since high dietary K : Na ratios can greatly reduce Mg absorption from the rumen, the response to Na may have been partly mediated through improved Mg absorption. The liveweight gain responses to Na/Mg were large and economic, so it is recommended that young sheep grazing dual-purpose wheat be routinely supplemented with a 1 : 1 mix of NaCl : MgO.


The phenomenon of coastal community life is always characterized by poverty and helplessness. The fishing community as a relatively dominant feature of the coastal community is often overwhelmed by unstable economic problems. This situation is very fantastic and contradictory, because the natural conditions that have the potential and abundant natural resources. The focus of this research is on the role of women who have a role as housewife and also as manager and marketing of catch fish from men. This study uses qualitative analysis which aims to reveal the problems that exist as detailed as possible on the condition of young coastal women with data collection techniques using observation, interview and documentation. The result of this research is the ability and role of young woman is still low, just as fish seller only without doing any recondition again also not accommodate potential area that can be cultivated become income source, impressed not creative managing potency, have pragmatic thinking and minimal skill and leads to consumptive behavior. Cultures and values built across generations of women emphasize the role of women in support of husbands but have not developed logical mechanization that creativity, knowledge and expertise are essential to building a prosperous family. The systems and networks of existing programs related to the development of women are numerous but have no coherence to the development goals and their usefulness. Here it is necessary to sharpen all systems and values so that dynamic changes are needed to change the existing conditions.
Keywords: culture, poverty, young women, value system.


A fast, simple, and efficient approach, termed consensus multiplex PCR–RFLP, was developed and employed to detect mitochondrial (mt)DNA variation in three orchid species, Spiranthes hongkongensis, S. sinensis, and S. spiralis. Using multiplex PCR, three pairs of consensus mitchondrial primers were added simultaneously into each reaction tube to amplify three nonoverlapping introns located in the NADH dehydrogenase genes. Fragment length differences in the multiplex PCR amplicons were directly detectable between S. spiralis and the other two species. Further restriction analysis of the multiplex PCR amplicons revealed sufficient mtDNA polymorphism, suitable for phylogenetic studies at the interspecific level. This approach is well suited for large‐scale population surveys of mitochondrial genome diversity in plants. Additionally, the maternal mode of inheritance of organelle genomes renders this approach valuable for rapid identification of the origin and specific parentage of hybrid or allopolyploid species.


In this paper, we develop semi-external and external memory algorithms for graph partitioning and clustering problems. Graph partitioning and clustering are key tools for processing and analyzing large complex networks. We address both problems in the (semi-)external model by adapting the size-constrained label propagation technique. Our (semi-)external size-constrained label propagation algorithm can be used to compute graph clusterings and is a prerequisite for the (semi-)external graph partitioning algorithm. The algorithm is then used for both the coarsening and the refinement phase of a multilevel algorithm to compute graph partitions. Our algorithm is able to partition and cluster huge complex networks with billions of edges on cheap commodity machines. Experiments demonstrate that the semi-external graph partitioning algorithm is scalable and can compute high quality partitions in time that is comparable to the running time of an efficient internal memory implementation. A parallelization of the algorithm in the semi-external model further reduces running time.


Difatty acyl thiourea (DFAT), which has biological activities as antibiotics and antifungal, has been synthesized from palm oil and thiourea using sodium ethoxide as catalyst. Ethyl fatty ester (EFE) and glycerol were produced as by-products. The synthesis was carried out by reflux palm oil with thiourea in ethanol. In this process, palm oil converted to about 81% pure DFAT after 11 hour and molar ratio of thiourea to palm oil was 6.0: 1 at 78 degrees C. Elemental analysis, Fourier transform iInfrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique were used to characterize both DFAT and EFE.


Due to the scarce amount of research and prior literature regarding community college student athletes, the experiences regarding this group's athletics, academics, and social realms was investigated. This unique group is constantly forced to balance the time demands of academics and athletics, among other areas, at a level much more different than Division I student athletes. The results of the present study indicated that although community college student athletes may not compete at the same level as student athletes at the Division I level, the time demands, levels of support received, and academic behaviors are all similar in many ways. The majority of community college student athletes also viewed themselves as more of an athlete than a student. However, academics are by no means taken lightly by the majority of these individuals, as most student athletes chose their major for a non-athletics related reason.


Bulk sweetener maltitol belongs to the polyols family and there have been several dietary applications in the past few years, during which the food industry has used it in many food products: bakery and dairy products, chocolate, sweets. This review paper addresses and discusses in detail the most relevant aspects concerning the analytical methods employed to determine maltitol's food safety and industry applications, its metabolism and its impacts on human health. According to our main research outcome, we can assume that maltitol at lower doses poses little risk to humans and is a good alternative to using sucrose. However, it causes diarrhoea and foetus complications at high doses. Regarding its determination, high-performance liquid chromatography proved the primary method in various food matrices. The future role of maltitol in the food industry is likely to become more relevant as processors seek alternative sweeteners in product formulation without compromising health.


In this study, we propose a wide area exploration system that consists on passive wheeled robots equipped with exploration sensors that are pulled from a high position with wires fed out from two winches. The robots are driven by the pulling force from the winches and they are able to steer by controlling brakes attached to their wheels. By adjusting the wire length, the passive-follower robot is pulled within the exploration area and it controls the braking torque of the wheels to follow a desired trajectory based on its current position. This system has the advantage that it is effective for ground exploration, does not require advanced calibration, and can be installed quickly. In this letter, we first explain the outline of the proposed system. Then, we introduce the hardware design of the developed winches and passive-follower robot. Next, the control method of the winch unit and the passive-follower robots are described. Here, we introduce the feasible braking control region for motion analysis and control of the passive-follower robot. Finally, we apply these control methods to the proposed system and report the results of verification experiments. We describe the feasible range of a follower robot, which changes depending on the position of the winches. We conducted an outdoor experiment, and confirmed the effectiveness of this system by evaluating the trajectories of the passive-follower robot.


The purpose of this paper is to examine production decisions under output price uncertainty. Using a nonparametric estimation technique to estimate the first four moments of the unknown price distribution and applying duality, we provide a simple empirical framework for the analysis of supply and demand decisions under price uncertainty. The model is used to examine the importance of higher moments in the firm's production decisions and to investigate underlying attitudes toward risk.


3144 The topoisomerase (topo) II α and β isozymes catalyze topological changes in DNA by creating transient double-stranded breaks. Although the topo IIα and topo IIβ isozymes are homologous they exhibit distinct patterns of expression and cellular distribution, suggesting that these enzymes are involved in different cellular functions. Several studies have implicated that the functional activity of topo II α and β is regulated by post-translational modification, in particular protein phosphorylation. While both isozymes are phosphorylated, most studies have focused on site-specific phosphorylation of topo IIα. To determine the role of site-specific phosphorylation of topo IIβ, in the present study we evaluated in vivo phosphorylation sites of topo IIβ in human leukemia HL-60 and colorectal carcinoma HCT-116 cells. Topo IIβ from these cells was immunoprecipitated and purified by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Phosphorylation sites were then identified by LC-MS/MS following tryptic digestion of the purified protein or cyanogen bromide (CNBr) fragments. Using this procedure we were able to identify four phosphopeptides, tyrosine (Y) 656, serine (S) 1395, threonine (T) 1426 and S1545. With the exception of Y656, which was identified in tryptic digests of the CNBr fragment containing this residue, all other phosphopeptides were identified in tryptic digests of the full length protein. The functional significance of Y656, T1426 and S1545 was determined by mutating the tyrosine residue to phenylalanine (F) or the serine/threonine residue to alanine (A) and comparing the enzymatic activity of purified mutant recombinant β to purified wild type (WT) recombinant topo IIβ expressed in the S. cerevesiae strain BJ201. Our results demonstrated that mutant Y656F topo IIβ was >4-fold less active in decatenating kinetoplast (k) DNA compared to the WT protein. In contrast the decatenating activity of mutant T1426A, S1545A or double mutant T1426A plus S1545A topo IIβ did not significantly differ from that of WT topo IIβ. Comparison of Y656F mutant topo IIβ and WT topo IIβ for drug (amsacrine or etoposide) stabilized topo IIβ-DNA-cleavable complex formation in vitro revealed that Y656F topo IIβ was >3-fold less effective in forming a stable complex. Similarly, differences in in vivo drug sensitivity were observed when topo IIβ-deficient HL-60 cells, that are normally resistant to the topo IIβ-targeting drug mitoxantrone, were transfected with WT or mutant Y656F topo IIβ. Treatment of WT topo IIβ expressing cells with mitoxantrone led to >80 apoptosis, whereas treatment of mutant Y656F topo IIβ expressing cells resulted in


The avoidance of inappropriate shock therapy is an important clinical issue in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) patients. We retrospectively analyzed therapeutic events in ICD patients, and the effect of tachycardia detection interval (TDI) and tachycardia cycle length (TCL) guided reprograming on the reduction of inappropriate ICD therapy. The clinical determinants of after reprogramming were also evaluated.A total of 254 consecutive ICD patients were included in the study, and the incidence of antitachycardia therapy was evaluated during the follow-up period of 27.3 ± 18.7 months. When inappropriate antitachycardia therapy appeared, TDI was reprogrammed not to exceed the detected TCL and the patients continued to be followed-up. Various clinical parameters were compared between patients with and without inappropriate ICD therapy. During the initial follow-up period of 18.6 ± 15.6 months, ICD therapy occurred in 127/254 patients (50%) including inappropriate antitachycardia pacing (ATP) (12.9%) and shock (44.35%). Determinants of initial inappropriate therapy were dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), history of therapeutic hypothermia, and QRS duration. Of the 61 patients with inappropriate therapy, 24 received TCL guided reprogramming. During the additional observation period of 17.0 ± 16.8 months, inappropriate therapy recurred in 5/24 patients (2 ATP, 3 shocks). The determinant of these inappropriate therapy events after reprogramming was the presence of supraventricular tachycardia.By applying simple TCL and TDI guided reprogramming, inappropriate therapy was reduced by 79%. The determinant of inappropriate therapy after reprogramming was the presence of supraventricular tachycardia.


Everything is bigger in Texas. The chili is hotter, the beer is colder, and the stars are brighter. In fact, as a travel ad campaign informed us a few years back. Texas is really like 'a whole other country'. President George W. Bush not only proudly hails from Texas, his 'western Whitehouse' is located in Crawford, Texas, just a stone's throw from Waco, once the home of the Branch Davidians cult. As 'Dubya' clears brush and consolidates power all eyes, national and international, are often on Texas. Yes, things do seem to be bigger there. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Seven Years in East Jesus, a recent video by filmmaker and university professor Mary Slaughter, casts an outsider's gaze on Waco, Texas. A transplanted Californian, Slaughter spent seven years in Waco while teaching at Baylor University, and her subtle but critical eye has resulted in a piece that attempts to delve beneath the easy stereotypes that TV news soundbytes often relay of Texans. However, what is ultimately revealed does not comfort the viewer. Behind shirtsleeve patriotism and "howdy ma'am" vernacular Slaughter reveals an uncomfortable and sometimes frightening relationship between religion, violence, and intolerance. Seven Years in East Jesus is structured as a trilogy with each of the three sections delineated by a title. Beginning in an impressionistic space, each succeeding section becomes more visually and philosophically concrete as the filmmaker moves through space, place, and ideology in an attempt to 'understand' this 'foreign country' she has landed in. Slaughter uses the elements of air, earth, water, and fire as organizing devices within and between the three sections. Section one, "Where Grackles Swarm" is an impressionistic rendering of the Texas landscape. As flocks of black birds swoop and converge, a parade of Texas icons marches across the screen. Manipulated shots of rodeo events, cowgirls, and midway rides depict an unsettling celebration in the making. A cryptic chorus of sound accompanies these series of visions while a swirling and undulating hot air balloon figure slowly inflates under the night sky. As in a waking dream, the viewer is initiated into a nocturnal world where once familiar things induce apprehension in the viewer, offering a premonition of the unsettling events to come. The title "East Jesus" appears signaling the start of section 2 of the trilogy as the night visions give way to daylight. East Jesus is a local nickname for Waco and a Christian-themed message seems to meet inhabitants at every turn in the form of billboards, church signs, and media communications. The earth/air dichotomy is more concretely developed here as earth bound humans struggle to be worthy of a heaven bound Christ figure depicted as an enormous hot air balloon. …


Decomposition of an image into multiple semantic components has been an effective research topic for various image processing applications such as image denoising, enhancement, and inpainting. In this paper, we present a novel self-learning based image decomposition framework. Based on the recent success of sparse representation, the proposed framework first learns an over-complete dictionary from the high spatial frequency parts of the input image for reconstruction purposes. We perform unsupervised clustering on the observed dictionary atoms (and their corresponding reconstructed image versions) via affinity propagation, which allows us to identify image-dependent components with similar context information. While applying the proposed method for the applications of image denoising, we are able to automatically determine the undesirable patterns (e.g., rain streaks or Gaussian noise) from the derived image components directly from the input image, so that the task of single-image denoising can be addressed. Different from prior image processing works with sparse representation, our method does not need to collect training image data in advance, nor do we assume image priors such as the relationship between input and output image dictionaries. We conduct experiments on two denoising problems: single-image denoising with Gaussian noise and rain removal. Our empirical results confirm the effectiveness and robustness of our approach, which is shown to outperform state-of-the-art image denoising algorithms.