The emancipation of women has become a strong critical discourse in Bengali literature since the 19 th century. Only since the second half of the 20 th century, however, have female writers markedly stepped out of the shadow of their male colleagues, and the writings o n wome n become more and more often articulated b y women themselves. In this article, I focus on particular concepts of femininity in selected texts of two outstanding writers of different generations, a prose writer, and a woman poet: Mahasweta Debi (b. 1926) and Mallika sengupta (1960–2011). Analyzing Mahasweta's female characters, I focus on the issue of the double marginalization of dalit tribal women; we can find here impacts of intersectional discrimination of class, gender and caste. Debi is very radical in her social criticism but is quite reluctant to accept the label of feminism. Mallika, on the other hand, represents a movement among the female writers of her generation that openly declares her support for feminist ideologies, which can be demonstrated on some of the examples referred to here. Another important strand of Mallika's constructions of femininity are archetypal images — mythological metaphors of femininity (in the Hindu context) which may in some cases be interpreted in accordance with difference feminism, in others as a critique of the essentialized and dichotomous concepts of masculinity and femininity. While Mahasweta's emancipation drive is more deeply grounded in her field research and journalistic activism in the tribal areas she writes about, Mallika's has been more strongly linked with the academia and has joined the theoretical feminist discourse. Through a close reading the women's emancipation discourse of these two protagonists in Bengali literature, we can speak of a shift from a practical, concrete criticism, to a theoretically founded radicalism.


A fast and sensitive method was developed for in vivo determination of histamine in the brain microdialysate by reverse ion pair chromatography with electrochemical detection. The microdialysates were derivatized with o-phthalaldehyde and sodium sulfite, and separation was achieved using isocratic elution within 10 min. The separation was performed in an Agilent Eclipse Plus C18 column (3.0 × 150 mm, particle size 3.5 μm), and the mobile phase consisted of 100 mM monosodium phosphate (pH 6.0), 500 mg L(-1) OSA and 20% methanol (v/v). The linearity (R(2)) was found to be >0.999, with a range from 2 to 50 nM and excellent repeatability (relative standard deviation, 2.29-6.04%), and the limit of detection was 0.4 nM. This method was successfully applied to analyze the extracellular concentration of histamine in the hypothalamus of rats, with probe recovery calculated in vivo.


This study investigates the impact of CEO compensation structure on post-acquisition purchase price allocation, an accounting procedure that involves fair value estimation of various assets and liabilities. We find that CEOs whose compensation packages rely more on earnings-based bonuses are more likely to overallocate the purchase price to goodwill, the largest asset recorded post-acquisition. Because goodwill is not amortized, the overallocation likely increases post-acquisition earnings and bonuses. We also find that, when the acquirer's CEO bonus plan includes performance measures that are not affected, or are less affected, by the overstatement of goodwill, such as cash flows, sales, or earnings growth, the overallocation to goodwill motivated by bonus plans diminishes.


Dichlorocarbene (CCl(2)), generated by laser flash photolysis of dichlorodiazirine, formed pi- and O-ylidic complexes with aromatic ethers such as anisole, 1,3-dimethoxybenzene, 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene, dibenzofuran, and dibenzo-18-crown-6 and with the aromatic ester phenyl acetate. These complexes were visualized by UV-vis spectroscopy, and they retarded the addition of CCl(2) to tetramethylethylene by factors of 18-152. Computational studies based on density functional theory provided structures and energetics for the transient species and rationalized their absorption spectra. Complexes were not observed between CCl(2) and simple, nonaromatic ethers such as THF, dioxane, or 18-crown-6, nor did these ethers much affect the addition rate of CCl(2) to tetramethylethylene. Computations also suggested that pi-complexes of CCl(2) and, e.g., mesitylene and durene, were energetically reasonable transients. Although these species were not detected spectroscopically, the aromatic compounds did slow the addition of CCl(2) to tetramethylethylene by factors of 15 and 31, respectively.


We herein report two patients with endometriosis in the cecum. Both patients presented with a protruding, subepithelial tumor on colonoscopy and were diagnosed with cecal endometriosis after surgical resection. It is notable that the cecal lesions were not initially identified on computed tomography (CT), while CT colonography with air/carbon dioxide insufflation resulted in the detection of the cecal tumor. These cases highlight the possibility of false-negative results on conventional CT in patients with cecal endometriosis. We consider CT colonography with air/carbon dioxide insufflation useful for detecting cecal tumors in such cases.


The electronic structure of n - i - p - i Si superlattices is investigated by the tight-binding renormalization method. Strong anisotropy of the hole masses in the in-plane direction is found and strong localization of the electron and hole wave-functions in the growth direction is reported. For the structure studied, a type-II configuration is found with nearly zero overlap between electron and hole wave-functions. The latter property is discussed in view of its possible device applications.


Tadalafil has positive effects on neurodevelopment and antioxidant defense system, but there is no information for its possible role during gestation on reflexive motor behavior in offspring. So current study determined the effect of prenatal exposure to the Tadalafil on reflexive motor behaviors and antioxidant activity in mice offspring and antidepressive behaviors in postpartum dams. Forty pregnant female NMRI mice were allocated into four groups. In control group, mice received water while in Groups 2–4, female mice orally gavage with Tadalafil (0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 mg/kg) at gestation day (GD) 5, 8, 11, 14, and 17, respectively. Following delivery, pups were selected and reflexive motor behaviors determined using ambulation, hind‐limb foot angle, surface righting, hind‐limb strength, grip strength, front‐limb suspension, and negative geotaxis tests. Also, serum malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and total antioxidant status (TAS) were determined in offspring. On Day 2 postpartum, antidepressant activity of Tadalafil was determined by open field test (OFT), rotarod, forced swimming test (FST), and tail suspension test (TST) in dams. Based on the findings, maternal exposure to Tadalafil improved ambulation score, hind‐limb suspension score, grip strength, and front‐limb suspension in offspring (P < 0.05). Prenatal exposure to Tadalafil decreased surface righting, hind‐limb foot angle, and negative geotaxis in offspring (P < 0.05). Tadalafil decreased blood MDA and increased SOD and GPx levels in offspring (P < 0.05). Tadalafil significantly decreased immobility time in FST and TST and increased number of squares crossed in OFT and spending time on rotarod on postpartum mice (P < 0.05). These results suggested that parental exposure of Tadalafil has positive effect on reflexive motor and postpartum behaviors.


Cross-sectional profiles of medieval mouldings are often considered to be a vital form of data to Art Historians. Mouldings were often used to highlight salient areas of buildings, and they provide a wealth of information. To date little use of computer technology has been made in their acquisition, storage and analysis. This paper presents a representation for such planar curves, and an algorithm for its extraction from planar curves. The representation uses geometric primitives specifically line and arc segments, which allows the curves to be represented in a compact form, approximating the circular sections more effectively than using linear segments alone. These idealised models provide templates which provide a means for the identification of specific features, within profiles, which can then serve as characteristics for use in case-based reasoning.


EPA's voluntary school siting guidelines provide recommendations for local school districts and community members on how to evaluate environmental factors to make the best possible school siting decisions.


Abstract Aging can be defined as a decline of physiological function that is more difficult to reverse, characterized by the loss of the physiological integrity of tissues, organs, and cells of an organism over time. Normal aging is associated with structural and functional changes in the brain, involving neuronal apoptosis, synaptic structure, neurotransmission, and metabolism alterations, leading to impairment in sleep, cognitive functions, memory, learning, and motor and sensory systems. Histone modification is a significant aging‐related epigenetic change that influences synaptic and mitochondrial function and immune and stress responses in the brain. This review discusses the changes in histone modifications that occur during brain aging, specifically methylation and acetylation, and the associated changes in gene transcription and protein expression. We observed that genes related to synaptic and mitochondrial function are downregulated in the aging brain, while genes related to immune response and inflammatory functions are upregulated.


Innovation is the development of a product, service, idea, process, or environment that ultimately yields value or utility. The Leading Transformative Innovation Roundtable is a gathering of intellectually curious people to explore and dialogue about ideas related to the social, scientific, environmental, economic and cultural challenges the world faces today. The roundtable is a multi-disciplinary community of remarkable experts and inquisitive amateurs welcoming all with open minds and committed hearts. Presentations will be highly interactive, featuring engaging papers, concepts, and book reviews by exceptional thinkers, entrepreneurs, activists, and scholars, at the intersection of innovation and leadership. Papers and presentations from an intentionally Biblical perspective are especially welcome. The goal is to inform and energize the conversation among those who use the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives, organizations, and ultimately, the world.


This paper presents a parallel Newton-Krylov-Schwarz method for the nu- merical simulation of unsteady flows at high Reynolds number around a high-speed train under crosswind. With a realistic train geometry, a realistic Reynolds number, and a realistic wind speed, this is a very challenging computational problem. Be- cause of the limited parallel scalability, commercial CFD software is not suitable for supercomputers with a large number of processors. We develop a Newton-Krylov- Schwarz based fully implicit method, and the corresponding parallel software, for the 3D unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations discretized with a stabilized fi- nite element method on very fine unstructured meshes. We test the algorithm and software for flows passing a train modeled after China's high-speed train CRH380B, and we also compare our results with results obtained from commercial CFD software. Our algorithm shows very good parallel scalability on a supercomputer with over one thousand processors. AMS subject classifications: 76D05, 76F65, 65M55, 65Y05


We use a chemical transport model and its adjoint to examine the sensitivity of secondary inorganic aerosol formation to emissions of precursor trace gases from Asia. Sensitivity simulations indicate that secondary inorganic aerosol mass concentrations are most sensitive to ammonia (NH3) emissions in winter and to sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions during the rest of the year. However, in the annual mean, the perturbations on Asian population‐weighted ground‐level secondary inorganic aerosol concentrations of 34% due to changing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are comparable to those from changing either SO2 (41%) or NH3 (25%) emissions. The persistent sensitivity to NOx arises from the regional abundance of NH3 over Asia that promotes ammonium nitrate formation. IASI satellite observations corroborate the NH3 abundance. Projected emissions for 2020 indicate continued sensitivity to NOx emissions. We encourage more attention to NOx controls in addition to SO2 and NH3 controls to reduce ground‐level East Asian aerosol.


The Rock & Water Garden Expert is the essential book for anyone who wants a striking rockery or water garden, with features on: How to make and plant up a pond. Choosing and caring for fish and wildlife. Selecting the right water features and ornaments. How to build and care for a rock garden. Picking the right plants. Trouble-shooting rock garden and pond problems. Reliable, easy-to-follow advice and information from EXPERT books - the world's best-selling gardening series.


Microbial transformation studies of the antimelanoma agent betulinic acid (1) were conducted. Screening experiments showed a number of microorganisms capable of biotransforming 1. Three of these cultures, Bacillus megaterium ATCC 14581, Cunninghamella elegans ATCC 9244, and Mucor mucedo UI-4605, were selected for preparative scale transformation. Bioconversion of 1 with resting-cell suspensions of phenobarbital-induced B. megaterium ATCC 14581 resulted in the production of the known betulonic acid (2) and two new metabolites: 3beta,7beta-dihydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid (3) and 3beta,6alpha, 7beta-trihydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid (4). Biotransformation of 1 with growing cultures of C. elegans ATCC 9244 produced one new metabolite characterized as 1beta,3beta, 7beta-trihydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid (5). Incubation of 1 with growing cultures of M. mucedo UI-4605 afforded metabolite 3. Structure elucidation of all metabolites was based on NMR and HRMS analyses. In addition, the antimelanoma activity of metabolites 2-5 was evaluated against two human melanoma cell lines, Mel-1 (lymph node) and Mel-2 (pleural fluid).


Differentiation of antero-posterior (a-p) from postero-anterior (p-a) projections of chest roentgenograms is practical with ease and reliability by connecting the two outermost points of the junction of the first and second ribs on the plain film and observing its relation to the superior margin of the lung apex and inferior border of the posterior part of the second rib. Greater than 92 percent accuracy was obtained when this criterion was used to evaluate 500 p-a and 500 a-p chest roentgenogram, regarding the standard technical datas.


Rate constants for the basic methanolysis of CH3CONRAr compounds (R=H,Me,Et,Pri; Ar = p-NO2C6H4, 4-pyridyl), and derived activation parameters are reported. There is a close parallel between the effects of the nitro and aza groups on activation energies and entropies foreach R group. The order of reactivity within the R groups is H Et > Pri. From a consideration of the activation parameters it seems likely that the lower reactivity of the H-compounds is due to the energetically unfavourable breakdown of strongly hydrogen-bonded structures during methanolysis of these compounds.


A consensus has been reached in the last few years on the validity of the indication of thrombolysis in patients with pulmonary embolism and signs of shock. In this situation, the treatment must be rapid and effective and assessed on the haemodynamic results in the initial hours. A randomised, multicentre, double-blind clinical trial has clearly shown the superiority of rtPA at the dose of 100 mg given in 2 hours over high dose prolonged urokinase, the fall in total pulmonary resistances being 36 and 18% (p = 0.0009) respectively at the second hour. With respect to the secondary effects, the risk of serious haemorrhage with rtPA does not seem to be less than that of the first generation thrombolytics, and the data of 22 published studies even shows an increased risk of cerebral haemorrhage with rtPA compared with urokinase (1.6 versus 0.5%). Recent experience has shown that bolus administration of rtPA does not improve either the efficacy or safety of this drug. Therefore rtPA (100 mg in 2 hours) is the drug of choice in patients with a low risk of haemorrhage whereas the elderly patients with low body weight and hypertensives should probably be treated with low dose urokinase given in bolus administration, the efficacy/risk ratio of which seems to be satisfactory.


Over the past decade, a wealth of UK government initiatives have provided opportunities for higher education institutions to increase student numbers by engaging more with defined groups of students who do not traditionally participate in post compulsory education. Within the creative arts subjects, the success of these politically sensitive initiatives, however, also serves to highlight the growing frustrations of another group of students who show little progress in their achievement during their time at university. These students have a relatively successful school exam profile, are rarely identified as requiring any additional teaching support, maintain an excellent record of attendance and yet rarely achieve the highest assessment grades. Using data collected from a university design department over the past 5 years supported by interviews with current students, this article explores how the cultural behaviours frequently associated as advantageous to emotional welfare may become increasing problematic in an art and design education culture that celebrates creativity, risk taking and ambiguity.


Ectopic mediastinal thyroid is a rare entity. Patients are usually euthyroid and symptoms due to mediastinal compression are cautionary to investigate intratoracic mass. We represent a female patient who had undergone subtotal thyroidectomy 12 years ago and had recurrent hyperthyroidism following an euthyroid period. Antithyroid antibodies were negative. Thyroid ultrasonography showed residual thyroid tissue in both sides and multiple nodules on the right side. Thyroid scintigraphy showed a nonhomogenously increased tracer uptake on the right thyroid lobe and left lobe was rather suppressed. Additionally, a large mass of nonhomogenously increased activity located in the mediastinum which was totally seperate from the thyroid gland was detected. MRI images supported that the thoracic mass was an ectopic thyroid tissue and surgical excision confirmed benign nodulary hyperplasia. The case is intereseting in the way that the patient had a recurrent hyperthyroidism due to toxic nodular hyperplasia of the mediastinal ectopic thyroid gland and the pathology was first realised by Technetium-99m (Tc-99m) pertechnetate thyroid scan.


The particle swarm optimization method is one of the most powerful optimization methods available for solving global optimization problems. However, knowledge of autonomous and adaptive strategies for tuning the parameters of the method for application to large-scale nonlinear non-convex optimization problems is as yet limited. This paper describes an adaptive strategy for tuning the parameters of the PSO method based on some numerical analysis of the behavior of PSO. The proposed adaptive tuning strategy is based on self-tuning of the parameters of PSO, which strategy utilize the information about the frequency of an updated global best of a swarm. The feasibility and advantages of the proposed adaptive PSO algorithm are demonstrated through some numerical simulations using two typical global optimization test problems.


Ameloblastic fibrosarcoma (AFS) is a rare malignant odontogenic neoplasm of the jaw. AFS is characteristically composed of a benign odontogenic epithelium and a malignant mesenchymal component. The posterior region of the mandible is the predominantly occupied site. In the present report, a new case of AFS in a 22-year-old male that originated from ameloblastic fibroma was described. Histologically, the tumor showed biphasic components: Benign epithelium and a malignant mesenchymal component. Immunochemical findings revealed that the tumor cells were positive for cluster of differentiation (CD) 34, vimentin, Ki-67 and p53, but negative for smooth muscle actin, S-100, CD68 and desmin. The clinical presentation, radiographic appearances and treatment measures were additionally described and reviewed.


I. Anderson (see [1]) asked to study class of graphs with binding number one. We characterize bipartite graphs with binding number one and prove that graphs with binding number one cannot be characterized in terms of forbidden subgraphs by embedding an arbitrary graph G in a graph H with binding number one. We obtain bounds on the size of a graph with binding number one. I. Anderson [1] has defined any graph G to be binding minimal if bind (G− x) < bind (G) . AMS Subject Classification: 05C


Spina bifida is a common congenital abnormality, which causes significant physical and psychological morbidity in affected children and which also affects their carers. This small-scale study looked at the health problems of a child with a myelomeningocoele. It also addresses the psychosocial problems that his mother, his main carer, faced and the social networks involved in his care. The evidence supporting various aspects of spina bifida prevention and management is explored. Furthermore, a literature review is included, with regards to physical and psychological issues for child and carer. This study aims to raise awareness of the problems faced by children with myelomeningocoele and their families. In particular, we aim to educate health care professionals on the importance of perceived stress by carers of such children, and suggest ways to reduce psychosocial morbidity.


While a broad profile of the Fe K$\alpha$ emission line is frequently found in the X-ray spectra of typical Seyfert galaxies, the situation is unclear in the case of Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s)---an extreme subset which are generally thought to harbor less massive black holes with higher accretion rates. In this paper, the ensemble property of the Fe K$\alpha$ line in NLS1s is investigated by stacking the X-ray spectra of a large sample of 51 NLS1s observed with {\it XMM-Newton}. The composite X-ray spectrum reveals a prominent, broad emission feature over 4--7 keV, characteristic of the broad Fe K$\alpha$ line. In addition, there is an indication for a possible superimposing narrow (unresolved) line, either emission or absorption, corresponding to Fe XXVI or Fe XXV, respectively. The profile of the broad emission feature can well be fitted with relativistic broad-line models, with the line energy consistent either with 6.4 keV (i.e., neutral Fe) or with 6.67 keV (i.e., highly ionized Fe), in the case of the narrow line being emission and absorption, respectively. Interestingly, there are tentative indications for low or intermediate values of the average spins of the black holes ($a<0.84$), as inferred from the profile of the composite broad line. If the observed feature is indeed a broad line rather than resulting from partial covering absorption, our results suggest that a relativistic Fe line may in fact be common in NLS1s; and there are tentative indications that black holes in NLS1s may not spin very fast in general.


Memory may be broadly regarded as information gained from past experience that is available in the service of ongoing and future adaptive behavior. The biological implementation of memory shares little with memory in synthetic cognitive systems where it is typically regarded as a passive storage structure. Neurophysiological evidence indicates that memory is neither passive nor centralized. A review of the relevant literature in the biological and computer sciences is conducted and a novel methodology is applied that incorporates neuroethological approaches with general biological inspiration in the design of synthetic cognitive systems: a case study regarding episodic memory provides an illustration of the utility of this methodology. As a consequence of applying this approach to the reinterpretation of the implementation of memory in synthetic systems, four fundamental functional principles are derived that are in accordance with neuroscientific theory, and which may be applied to the design of more adaptive and robust synthetic cognitive systems: priming, cross-modal associations, cross-modal coordination without semantic information transfer, and global system behavior resulting from activation dynamics within the memory system.


Schistosoma mansoni adult worms obtained from human patients and mice infected with cercariae were compared in lipid composition. Both worms possessed cholesterol ester, free fatty acid and cholesterol as neutral lipids, but the latter worms possessed triacylglyceride as another component. Phospholipid compositions of both worms were similar. Larger amounts of phosphatidyl choline diacylglyceride and smaller amounts of phosphatidyl ethanolamine diacylglyceride were detected. Adult worms from infected mice were surface-labeled by galactose oxidase treatment followed by sodium borohydride reduction after or before trypsin treatment. Trypsin treatment was approximately 10 times more effective to label glycolipids than non-treatment. Mono-, di-, triand tetra-glycolyl components are really exposed on the surface of the tegumental membrane. But no antigenicity was detected in the purified neutral and acidic glycolipid fractions by the Ouchterlony's double diffusion test using rabbit anti-S. mansoni sera or those obtained from patients with S. mansoni infection, though these sera, each gave two different precipitin lines against homogenate of the adult worms.


BACKGROUND
Novel mass spectrometric techniques such as atmospheric pressure ionization and tandem mass spectrometry have substantially extended the spectrum of clinical chemistry methods during the past decade. In particular, liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has become a standard tool in research laboratories as well as in many clinical laboratories. Although LC-MS/MS has features that suggest it has a very high analytical accuracy, potential sources of inaccuracy have recently been identified.

CONTENT
The sources of inaccuracy in LC-MS/MS methods used in the routine quantification of small molecules are described and discussed. Inaccuracy of LC-MS/MS methods can be related to the process of ionization through the insource transformation of conjugate metabolites or target analytes and may also be attributable to ionization matrix effects that have a differential impact on target analytes and internal-standard compounds. Inaccuracy can also be associated with the process of ion selection, which mainly occurs when compounds from the sample matrix share mass transitions with a target analyte. In individual assays, most potential sources of inaccuracy can be controlled by sufficient LC separation-based sample workup before MS analysis.

SUMMARY
LC-MS/MS methods should undergo rigorous and systematic validation before introduction into patient care.


The shift in the new members of the World Trade Organization from developed countries to underdeveloped countries has resulted in vastly increased access to new export markets for these underdeveloped countries. As such, the process of accession into the WTO has been increasingly coveted by underdeveloped countries, and numerous studies highlighted increased trade in the years after WTO accession for a new member. Underdeveloped WTO member countries, in particular China, have received a unprecedented scrutiny in international trade, as their overall economies have greatly benefited, prompting anti-dumping grievances from developed countries due to their massive success in the export of manufactured goods. This has changed the purview of the WTO from trade dispute resolution to trade protection. Nevertheless, the economic success accruing in China after WTO membership in 2001 has been so substantial that other countries are devoting vast resources to seeking and navigating through the accession process, provoking coinciding outcries from developed countries for a more stringent WTO accession process because of protectionist concerns about the dumping of products from underdeveloped countries into their domestic markets. This study will assess manufacturing-related GDP in developing countries after WTO accession in order to determine the validity of these recent complaints directed at the WTO.


We investigated the cloud liquid water (CLW) and rain liquid water (RLW) during weak precipitations (rain rate below 12 mm/h) using microwave radiometer and microrain radar measurements collected by the Integrative Monsoon Frontal Rainfall Experiment over central China in 2018. The CLW path increased sharply from 0.6 to 4.1 mm for precipitation clouds. RLW path presented a similar trend, although it had a larger correlation coefficient with rain rate. Precipitation efficiency reached up to ~50% and then clearly decreased as precipitation weakened. Because weak precipitation is mostly formed in stable nimbostratus, CLW content (CLWC) during precipitation tends to has a quasi‐normal distribution with mode at 0.38 g/m3, whereas RLW content (RLWC) shows a positively skewed distribution with mode at 0.06 g/m3. Normalized CLWC initially increases then decreases with height in nonprecipitation clouds but varies slightly in precipitation clouds due to relatively monodispersed droplets in the weaker convective motion. CLWC derived from millimeter‐wave cloud radar (MMCR) shows similar vertical distribution but with larger values. The mean normalized CLWCs are 0.06 and 0.38 g/m3 for nonprecipitation and precipitation clouds, respectively. RLWC varies slightly with height with a mean of 0.22 g/m3 because both the collision and breakup of raindrops are weak. A case study showed different distributions and vertical structures of CLWC and RLWC in various stages of precipitation. Thicker clouds result in larger CLWC and RLWC, which will cause greater rain rate. This qualitatively explains relationships among cloud thickness, CLW, RLW, and rain rate in precipitation during the monsoon.


Mango seed kernels (MSK), which are waste streams in mango processing industry, are good sources of phenolic compounds with high anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties. These phenolic compounds are reported to have an increasing demand over the years in the quest for healthy ready-to-eat food and nutraceuticals. To recover these compounds from MSK, solid-liquid extraction (SLE) can simply be applied, although there is a knowledge gap in in the systematic exploration of this process for mango-based phenolic compounds. In this work, phenolic compounds were extracted from MSK through SLE using ethanol-water solvent system. A statistical-based approach was used to evaluate and optimize the extraction conditions in relation to yield of phenolic compounds from MSK. The central composite design together with response surface methodology was adopted to assess the effect of extraction temperature (30oC, 45oC, and 60oC) and ethanol concentration (25% – 75%) under fixed extraction time (105 min) and solid-to-solvent ratio (1:10) on the extraction yield. Both temperature and ethanol concentration provided positive effects on the yield and the following optimum conditions of temperature and ethanol concentration were obtained at 63.21oC and 53.21% ethanol, respectively. A second-order polynomial equation was obtained describing the extraction process, and a validation test of this response model showed that it sufficiently described the process. Furthermore, the extracts obtained at optimal conditions possess a potential antioxidant activity at IC50 = 45 ± 0.002 µg GAE mL-1 extract. The results indicated that phenolic compounds in MSK can be recovered through extraction using aqueous ethanol. This study also promotes value-addition of a seemingly useless waste material while reducing its health and environmental impact.


In our companion paper \cite{Stojnicclupint19} we introduced a powerful mechanism that we referred to as the Controlled Loosening-up (CLuP) for handling MIMO ML-detection problems. It turned out that the algorithm has many remarkable features and one of them, the \emph{computational complexity}, we discuss in more details in this paper. As was explained in \cite{Stojnicclupint19}, the CLuP is an iterative procedure where each iteration amounts to solving a simple quadratic program. This clearly implies that the key contributing factor to its overall computational complexity is the number of iterations needed to achieve a required precision. As was also hinted in \cite{Stojnicclupint19}, that number seems to be fairly low and in some of the most interesting scenarios often not even larger than $10$. Here we provide a Random Duality Theory based careful analysis that indeed indicates that a very small number of iterations is sufficient to achieve an excellent performance. A solid set of results obtained through numerical experiments is presented as well and shown to be in a nice agreement with what the theoretical analysis predicts. Also, as was the case in \cite{Stojnicclupint19}, we again focus only on the core CLuP algorithm but do mention on several occasions that the concepts that we introduce here are as remarkably general as those that we introduced in \cite{Stojnicclupint19} and can be utilized in the analysis of a large number of classes of algorithms applicable in the most diverse of scientific fields. Many results in these directions we will present in several of our companion papers.


Human Mpv17-like protein (M-LPH) has been suggested to participate in prevention of mitochondrial dysfunction caused by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage. To clarify the molecular mechanism of M-LPH function, we knocked out M-LPH in human hepatoma HepG2 using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. An increase in mtDNA damage in M-LPH-KO HepG2 cells was demonstrated by PCR-based quantitation and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) measurement. Furthermore, confocal immunofluorescence analysis and Western blot analysis of mitochondrial extracts demonstrated that M-LPH-KO caused reductions in the protein levels of mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM), an essential factor for transcription and maintenance of mtDNA, and two DNA repair enzymes, 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1) and DNA ligase 3 (LIG3), both involved in mitochondrial base excision repair (BER). Accordingly, it was suggested that the increase in mtDNA damage was due to a cumulative effect of mtDNA instability resulting from deficiencies of TFAM and diminished ability for BER arising from deficiencies in BER-related enzymes. These findings suggest that M-LPH could be involved in the maintenance of mtDNA, and therefore mitochondrial function, by protecting proteins essential for mtDNA stability and maintenance, in an integrated manner.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common causes of nontraumatic neurologic disability in young adults in the United States. Historically, MS care focused on rehabilitation and symptomatic management; however, this focus broadened with the development of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), resulting in pharmacologic treatments that effectively reduce relapses and potentially slow the progression of disability. Consequently, DMTs often dominate many discussions regarding MS care, regardless of the fact that they do not reverse disability or restore function, arguably the primary goal of those with MS. Comprehensive, multidisciplinary care goes beyond the management of DMTs in MS treatment plans and strives to improve patient outcomes, functionality, and quality of life, goals that will likely prove to hold considerable importance as health care reimbursement transitions from a fee-for-service to a value-based paradigm. It is therefore likely that achieving improvement in some of the outcomes delineated in the American Academy of Neurology's (AAN) quality measures for MS will necessitate involvement of rehabilitation specialists.1


This study explores the role of peer communication in normative social influences on risk behavior. We use the theory of normative social behavior (TNSB) as a guiding framework for developing a communication perspective on normative social influences. Peer communication is conceptualized as a norm-building factor and its concrete role is specified as a function of its content. The hypotheses on peer communication's impact on norms in normative social influences are tested for the case of speeding in road traffic. The analyses are based on representative survey data of 1,138 German young car drivers. Findings from mediational analyses indicate that peer communication plays a crucial role in the formation of social norms which, in turn, affect risk behavior, and that the communication's health-promoting potential depends on its content. Implications for further norm-based theory development and strategic risk communication are discussed.


The Chi-Chi earthquake in 1999 caused disastrous landslides, which triggered numerous debris flows and killed hundreds of people. A critical rainfall intensity line for each debris-flow stream is studied to prevent such a disaster. However, setting rainfall lines from incomplete data is difficult, so this study considered eight critical factors to group streams, such that streams within a cluster have similar rainfall lines. A genetic algorithm is applied to group 377 debris-flow streams selected from the center of an area affected by the Chi-Chi earthquake. These streams are grouped into seven clusters with different characteristics. The results reveal that the proposed method effectively groups debris-flow streams.


This study was done to identify and characterize specific cellular genes expression during infection of host with HSV-1 and treatment with styrylpyrone derivative (SPD). SPD showed antiviral activity with different modes of action against HSV-1. SPD was effective in inhibiting cell death when the substance was added at 2 hours to 4 hours post infection. Cell death was only observed when treatment was delayed to 5 and 6 hours post infection. Positive effect to this mode of action suggests that SPD were able to treat HSV-1 infected cells at two effective concentration of 1.563x10-7µM and 7.813x10-8µM in treatment mode [S+V]+SPD. Differential gene expression (DEG)method was used to determine and isolate the genes that are differentially expressed in HSV-1 infected Vero cells with and without treatment with SPD. Results from DEG analysis showed that a total of 177 genes were expressed differentially with 89 cDNAs candidates were induced and 88 cDNAs candidates were repressed. All the genes were determined by their nucleotide sequences that were compared with the database from Genbank via bioinformatic analysis. Eight markers from DEG analysis were chosen and their expressions were confirmed by using Real- Time PCR. Results from Real-Time PCR showed 100% correlation in the markersÂ' expression profile showed by DEG method. The cDNA markers that were induced in their expression include mitogen-activated protein kinase, tapasin, carboxypeptidase M, RAB member RAS oncogen family, p53 and G protein-coupled receptor.We found that SPD induced apoptosis, as measured by oncogene family gene expression and caspase activation. The apoptosis mediated by SPD in infected cells was associated with the activation of p53 and Bcl-2 protein via intrinsic pathway. SPD also exerts its anti-HSV-1 properties by activating an extrinsic pathway via caspase-8 activation in infected cells. From this study, the understanding on how SPD acted upon HSV-1 infected host cells during the infection process was proposed. In this study it was shown that SPD has a potential in controlling HSV-1 infection selectively without disturbing non-infected cells.


In the current environment of flash semiconductor market, competitive cycle times are the key to success. Cycle time (CT) reduction can be achieved by process time elimination and equipment performance improvement, but also by optimized WIP management policy. In this paper, we discuss how significant CT reductions are attained via the effective change of parameter values of the governing WIP management policy of a semiconductor factory. A full factorial design of experiments (DOE) was performed, and several parameters were examined. The impact on the coefficient of variability of departure rate (CDR) and CT was evaluated. Results have clearly shown that by changing the values of these parameters, significant cycle time reductions of up to 13% can be achieved


Porphyrins, with or without metal ions (MPs), have been explored and applied in optical and electrochemical sensor fields owing to their special physicochemical properties. The presence of four nitrogen atoms at the centers of porphyrins means that porphyrins chelate most metal ions, which changes the binding ability of MPs with gas molecules via non-specific binding. In this article, we report hybrid chemiresistor sensor arrays based on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) non-covalently functionalized with six different MPs using the solvent casting technique. The characteristics of MP-SWNTs were investigated through various optical and electrochemical methods, including UV spectroscopy, Raman, atomic force microscopy, current-voltage (I-V), and field-effect transistor (FET) measurement. The proposed sensor arrays were employed to monitor the four VOCs (tetradecene, linalool, phenylacetaldehyde, and ethylhexanol) emitted by citrus trees infected with Huanglongbing (HLB), of which the contents changed dramatically at the asymptomatic stage. The sensitivity to VOCs could change significantly, exceeding the lower limits of the SWNT-based sensors. For qualitative and quantitative analysis of the four VOCs, the data collected by the sensor arrays were processed using different regression models including partial least squares (PLS) and an artificial neural network (ANN), which further offered a diagnostic basis for Huanglongbing disease at the asymptomatic stage.


The paragrassmann differential calculus is briefly reviewed. Algebras of the transformations of the para-superplane preserving the form of the para-superderivative are constructed and their geometric meaning is discussed. A new feature of these algebras is that they contain generators of the automorphisms of the paragrassmann algebra (in addition to Ramond-Neveu-Schwarz - like conformal generators). As a first step in analyzing these algebras we introduce more tractable multilinear algebras not including the new generators. In these algebras there exists a set of multilinear identities based on the cyclic polycommutators. Different possibilities of the closure are therefore admissible. The central extensions of the algebras are given. Their number varies from 1 to [ p +12 ] depending on the form of the closure chosen. Finally, simple explicit examples of the paraconformal transformations are given.


In the present study, Trichoderma atroviride TRS25 is presented as a biological control agent, which significantly limits the development of infection and reduces the disease caused by the pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani in cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L.). The systemic disease suppression is related to oxidative, signaling, and biochemical changes, that are triggered in response to a pathogen. Induction of systemic defense in cucumber by TRS25 greatly depends on the accumulation of signaling molecules including hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitric oxide (NO) as well as salicylic acid (SA) and its derivatives including methyl salicylate (MeSA) and octyl salicylate (OSA). The study established that NO was accumulated in leaves and shoots of the cucumber plants, especially those pretreated with Trichoderma and inoculated with R. solani, where the compound was accumulated mainly in the cells localized in the vascular bundles and in epidermal tissues. We suggest, for the first time, that in the plants pretreated with TRS25, the accumulation of H2O2 and NO may be related to catalase (CAT) and S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) activity decrease. On the other hand, excessive accumulation of NO and SA may be controlled by forming their inactive forms, S-nitrosothiols (SNO) and salicylic acid glucosylated conjugates (SAGC), respectively. The obtained results suggest that the mentioned molecules may be an important component of the complex signaling network activated by TRS25, which is positively involved in systemic defense responses of cucumber plants against R. solani.


We study the utility of social learning in a distributed detection model with agents sharing the same goal: a collective decision that optimizes an agreed upon criterion. We show that social learning is helpful in some cases but is provably futile (and thus essentially a distraction) in other cases. Specifically, we consider Bayesian binary hypothesis testing performed by a distributed detection and fusion system, where all decision-making agents have binary votes that carry equal weight. Decision-making agents in the team sequentially make local decisions based on their own private signals and all precedent local decisions. It is shown that the optimal decision rule is not affected by precedent local decisions when all agents observe conditionally independent and identically distributed private signals. Perfect Bayesian reasoning will cancel out all effects of social learning. When the agents observe private signals with different signal-to-noise ratios, social learning is again futile if the team decision is only approved by unanimity. Otherwise, social learning can strictly improve the team performance. Furthermore, the order in which agents make their decisions affects the team decision.


This paper proposed a novel approach for the Power Quality (PQ) disturbances classification based on the wavelet transform and self organizing learning array (SOLAR) system. Wavelet transform is utilized to extract feature vectors for various PQ disturbances based on the multiresolution analysis (MRA). These feature vectors then are applied to a SOLAR system for training and testing. SOLAR has three advantageous over a typical neural network: data driven learning, local interconnections and entropy based self-organization. Several typical PQ disturbances are taken into consideration in this paper. Comparison research between the proposed method, the support vector machine (SVM) method and existing literature reports show that the proposed method can provide accurate classification results. By the hypothesis test of the averages, it is shown that there is no statistically significant difference in performance of the proposed method for PQ classification when different wavelets are chosen. This means one can choose the wavelet with short wavelet filter length to achieve good classification results as well as small computational cost. Gaussian white noise is considered and the Monte Carlo method is used to simulate the performance of the proposed method in different noise conditions.


Anisotropic damage mechanics is derived by redefining its fourth‐ranked damage tensor, D$$ \mathbf{\mathsf{D}} $$ , not by its effect on stiffness reduction, but as a tensor that partitions total strain into bulk material strain and an cracking strain associated with crack‐opening displacement. This recharacterization of D$$ \mathbf{\mathsf{D}} $$ is irrelevant for 1D modeling, but significantly clarifies 3D algorithms. The new 3D derivation starts with three damage parameters associated with three independent strength models for three components of crack traction. By postulating a traction failure surface dependent on current damage state and requiring that all traction components simultaneously decay to zero at failure, the three damage parameters naturally couple to a single parameter. Many prior methods assume evolving strength depends only on damage. In real materials, strength often depends on other variables such as temperature, pressure, strain rate, and so forth. This article proposes a new general theory that extends prior methods to properly account for such external variables. The general damage mechanics methods must account for extra variables during damage initiation, damage evolution, and elastic loading and unloading. Several examples focus on the new concepts for coupling damage parameters and for using general methods to model materials with pressure‐dependent strength properties.


A common application for SEM is particle characterization of powders. The question that always arises is how can you mount particles on a stub and get a well distributed mono layer of particles? This is important when performing x-ray analysis on individual particles. Good separation of particles becomes critical if you are using image analysis software to identify individual particles and measure their size. Most image analysis software identifies particles based on gray level separation from their surrounding area. This usually leads to errors measuring particles that are touching or nearly touching each other. Subsequent automated x-ray analysis of the identified particles also relies on separation and will also surfer from errors when trying to analyze particles that are touching. Anyone who has tried mounting a powder sample to achieve separation knows it can be very frustrating. I would like to suggest a simple technique which works amazingly well. All you need is your normal stub, some double sided carbon smooth sticky dots (available from most microscopy supply companies), a sheet of paper, and a source of compressed air. Attach the sticky dot to the stub. If you do not have these sticky dots, double-sided tape will do, but it will be very nonconductive and must be coated after the powder is put down. Next, place a small amount of the powder sample at one end of a sheet of paper. Gently roll up the paper and hold the stub at the end opposite end the powder. You will have something like a paper tube with powder at one end and a stub, with the sticky side facing into the tube, at the other end. A quick blast of compressed air at the powder end will send the particles airborne and they will attach themselves to the stub in a well dispersed pattern. It may take a little practice to get it right but it is the best method I have seen for getting a good dispersion of fine particles onto a stub.


INTRODUCTION
Stem cells are cells with the ability to grow and differentiate into more than 200 cell types.

SOURCES OF DATA
We review here the characteristics and potential of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and adult stem cells (ASCs).

AREAS OF AGREEMENT
The differentiation ability of all stem cell types could be stimulated to obtain specialized cells that represent renewable sources of functional cells useful for cell-based therapy.

AREAS OF CONTROVERSY
The proof of functional differentiated cells needs to be investigated in more detail using both in vitro and in vivo assays including animal disease models and clinical studies.

GROWING POINTS
Much progress has been made in the ASCs-based therapies. Meanwhile hESCs and iPSCs have dramatically emerged as novel approaches to understand pathogenesis of different diseases.

AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH
A number of new strategies become very important in regenerative medicine. However, we discuss the limitations of stem cells and latest development in the reprogramming research.


Syntax-based models can significantly improve the translation performance due to their grammatical modeling on one or both language side(s). However, the translation rules such as the non-lexical rule " VP→(x0x1,VP:x1PP:x0)" in string-to-tree models do not consider any lexicalized information on the source or target side. The rule is so generalized that any subtree rooted at VP can substitute for the nonterminal VP:x1. Because rules containing nonterminals are frequently used when generating the target-side tree structures, there is a risk that rules of this type will potentially be severely misused in decoding due to a lack of lexicalization guidance. In this article, inspired by lexicalized PCFG, which is widely used in monolingual parsing, we propose to upgrade the STSG (synchronous tree substitution grammars)-based syntax translation model with bilingually lexicalized STSG. Using the string-to-tree translation model as a case study, we present generative and discriminative models to integrate lexicalized STSG into the translation model. Both small- and large-scale experiments on Chinese-to-English translation demonstrate that the proposed lexicalized STSG can provide superior rule selection in decoding and substantially improve the translation quality.


The article proposes a methodology for estimating the expected cost of technical and technological innovations. The evaluation is performed in the pre-design phase of the innovation (project initiation phase). It relies on the method of analogy and is implemented based on the principle of "so was - so will be." At the same time, the available analogues provide objective information about "how it was." Extending this data into the future to estimate the cost of design relies on probabilistic interpretation of the available uncertainty. Uncertainty removal is accomplished using the principle of maximum entropy. This ensures the most complete consideration of the available objective information and minimizes speculation in assessing the cost of designing innovative objects. In general, the methodology proposed in the article allows obtaining objective estimates of the expected cost of designing technical and technological innovations in the standard information situation for the initiation stage of the project.


BACKGROUND
There is a controversy about the development of acute opioid tolerance during remifentanil infusion for postoperative pain. We investigated whether intraoperative remifentanil infusion leads to rapid development of tolerance. We also investigated whether adjuvant analgesic is effective or not.

METHODS
One hundred and thirty patients scheduled for TKA were divided into 4 groups; Non-remifentanil infusion group (30 patients; group A). This group was given a bolus of fentanyl 0.2 mg at the induction of anesthesia. In remifentanil anesthesia group (100 patients), remifentanil was given 0.2-0.3 microg x kg(-1) min(-1) and divided into three groups; 23 patients group B given a bolus of 0.2 mg fentanyl at induction of anesthesia, 38 patients group C given a bolus of fentanyl 0.2 mg at skin closure, and 39 patients group D given a bolus of fentanyl 0.2 mg at skin closure and administrated diclofenac sodium suppository rectally at induction of anesthesia. Intravenous patient controlled analgesia (PCA) of fentanyl was commenced before skin incision for all patients. Pain was scored at rest and during movement for 24 postoperative hours.

RESULTS
Numerical rating scale (NRS) scores during movement after 24 hours in group B were significantly higher than in group A. And, the NRS scores in group D tended to be lower than the other groups, but there were no significant differences.

CONCLUSIONS
Intraoperative remifentanil increased postoperative pain during movement. Remifentanil seems to cause acute torelance. NSAIDs given before operation may be useful for postoperative analgesia.


Background/Aims Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is intimately related to insulin resistance and ranges from a benign course to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. NAFLD management mainly involves dietary modification and weight loss. Although no fully successful pharmacological intervention is available, alternative therapies to treat NAFLD have shown promising results. Experimental studies have shown that D-002, a mixture of beeswax alcohols with antioxidant effects, is hepatoprotective. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of D-002 in patients with NALFD. Methods Fifty patients with NAFLD were randomized to receive a placebo or D-002 (100 mg/day) for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was a significant ultrasonography-detected reduction of liver fat infiltration versus a placebo. Secondary endpoints were decreases in the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) index, insulin levels, serum liver enzymes, increases in plasma total antioxidant status (TAS) and improved clinical symptoms versus the placebo recipients. Results At randomization, all indicators were comparable in both groups. At study completion, seven (28.0%) D-002-patients, but none of the placebo recipients, exhibited a normal liver echo pattern on ultrasonography (p < 0.01). Also, D-002 significantly reduced (p < 0.01 vs. baseline and placebo) the HOMA index and insulin levels and increased the TAS, but did not affect other parameters. The proportion of D-002-patients (12/25, 48.0%) showing symptom improvement was higher (p < 0.001) than that of the placebo group (1/25, 4.0%). The treatment was safe and well tolerated. Three patients in each group withdrew from the study. Conclusions D-002 (100 mg/day) improved ultrasonographic findings, indicators of insulin resistance, plasma TAS and clinical evolution on NAFLD patients. Further studies, however, are needed to confirm these results.


Academic librarians looking for new and different ways to bring students into the library have joined a recent trend by hosting game nights in the library. Game nights are a nontraditional way to market the library as a student-friendly location on campus, bringing in students who wouldn't necessarily enter the library under other circumstances.


The macroeconomic framework and the policy recommendations for the financial sector in the draft report of the Raghuram Rajan Committee make a case for further capital account liberalisation not because it leads to growth but because of its likely beneficial impact on financial sector development and efficiency gains. There is no evidence that this reverse sequencing works. The draft report also neglects the evidence on market failures, important among them being the pro-cyclicality of capital flows. It recommends using only the interest rate instrument for inflation targeting. This is likely to result in prohibitive interest rates. It also recommends that India follow a non-interventionist exchange rate policy instead of a managed float. This may have been a possibility if there was system-wide coherence in the international exchange rate system, but we know that is not the case.


This paper presents the characterization of the new n-on-p SiPM technology developed at Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK, Trento-Italy). Several device aspects such as dark count rate, photo detection efficiency, breakdown voltage uniformity, and temperature stability have been significantly improved with respect to the original FBK SiPM technology. The modifications introduced involve the internal device structure and are based on an electric-field engineering approach. We report on the dark characterization, the visible light detection efficiency and 511 keV gamma ray energy resolution, when reading out small LYSO or Ce:GAGG crystals, of the new devices. In parallel, a comparison to the original SiPMs is done in order to underline the main advancements that have been obtained. We refer this new technology to as RGB-SiPMs because of the high detection efficiency for the whole red, green, and blue part of the spectrum.


Let D = {D_{1},...,D_{l}} be an arrangement of smooth hypersurfaces with normal crossings on the complex projective space P^n and let \Omega^{1}_{P^n}(log D) be the logarithmic bundle attached to it. Following [1], we show that \Omega^{1}_{P^n}(log D) admits a resolution of lenght 1 which explicitly depends on the degrees and on the equations of D_{1},...,D_{l}. Then we prove a Torelli type theorem when all the D_{i}'s have the same degree d and l >= {{n+d} \choose {d}}+3: indeed, we recover the components of D as unstable smooth hypersurfaces of \Omega^{1}_{P^n}(log D). Finally we analyze the cases of one quadric and a pair of quadrics, which yield examples of non-Torelli arrangements. In particular, through a duality argument, we prove that two pairs of quadrics have isomorphic logarithmic bundles if and only if they have the same tangent hyperplanes.


Abstract Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) are an important prey species and a dominant herbivore across much of their North American range, and researchers have questioned the influences of forestry practices that alter habitat for hares and the potential community-level effects on carnivores. We examined the effects of precommercial thinning (PCT) from 1 to 11 years posttreatment on snowshoe hares. In the commercial forests of northern Maine, USA, we counted and cleared hare pellets twice a year during 2001 and 2002 on >46 km of pellet transects across 30 regenerating conifer stands (17 treated with PCT) previously treated with an aerial application of herbicide. We compared densities of snowshoe hare pellets among 3 development classes with (1 yr after thinning, 6 yr after thinning, and 11 yr after thinning) and without thinning (stands with a similar history of clearcut and herbicide treatment but no thinning). During both years, densities of hares were lower in stands treated with PCT than in similar unthinned stands across the 3 development classes and during both leaf-off and leaf-on seasons (P < 0.001). Within both thinned and unthinned stands, hare density was greatest in stands in the 1-year development class when compared to the 6-year and 11-year development classes, but a statistical difference (P = 0.048) among classes was evident only during leaf-off seasons. Precommercial thinning was associated with densities of snowshoe hares that were approximately half of those in similar unthinned stands up to at least 11 years posttreatment; however, thinned stands may retain densities of hares greater than stands managed using other forest harvesting regimes. Our results apply to core portions of stands with crop trees spaced at 1.8–2.4-m intervals following complete overstory removal and herbicide treatment. We advocate caution when applying our results to other thinning regimes or across broader spatial scales.


We describe the evolution of public investment and public capital stocks in Europe over the past three decades. Against this background, we analyse the macroeconomic determinants of public investment, with a special focus on its long-term trend. We find that public investment has been determined by national income, the stance of budgetary policies and fiscal sustainability considerations. Neither the cost of financing nor the fiscal rules embodied in EMU have had a systemic impact on public investment. The significant downtrend that characterises the evolution of public investment in non-cohesion countries is chiefly determined by drawn-out episodes of fiscal consolidation, unrelated to EMU. Copyright Institute for Fiscal Studies, 2006.


Background: The emerging role of precision medicine among in oncologic science is a potentially explorable area to solve long-standing implication of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)'s management, especially by identifying programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) in its population. Objective: To describe the PD-L1's expression among TNBC populations in our Indonesia-based centers. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in the teaching hospitals of Universitas Sumatera Utara ranging from April 2019 to July 2020. Our investigation encompassed female individuals with histopathologically confirmed TNBC and complete medical record data, especially the status of PD-L1 expression to be reported in this study. We use Daco 22C3 antibodies to confirm the latter protein immunohistochemical positivity after thorough specimen preparation and staining. Results: This study included 60 females with TNBC of which 40 participants were issued in the final report. Our populations were dominated by middle-aged individuals (41-50 years old; 45%), and remarkable presentation of LVSI, angioinvasion, or lymph-node metastatic status. In PD-L1 expression status, our study reported that 45.0% patients were confirmed with confirmed PD-L1 positivity. Conclusion: PD-L1 expression among TNBC patients is concordant with the global report hence anti-PD-1-based treatment trial in Asia or even Indonesia region should be considered.


The new, structurally characterized hydrido carbonyl tetrahydridoborate iron pincer complex [(iPr-PNP)Fe(H)(CO)(η(1)-BH(4))] (1) catalyzes the base-free hydrogenation of ketones to their corresponding alcohols employing only 4.1 atm hydrogen pressure. Turnover numbers up to 1980 at complete conversion of ketone were reached with this system. Treatment of 1 with aniline (as a BH(3) scavenger) resulted in a mixture of trans-[(iPr-PNP)Fe(H)(2)(CO)] (4a) and cis-[(iPr-PNP)Fe(H)(2)(CO)] (4b). The dihydrido complexes 4a and 4b do not react with acetophenone or benzaldehyde, indicating that these complexes are not intermediates in the catalytic reduction of ketones. NMR studies indicate that the tetrahydridoborate ligand in 1 dissociates prior to ketone reduction. DFT calculations show that the mechanism of the iron-catalyzed hydrogenation of ketones involves alcohol-assisted aromatization of the dearomatized complex [(iPr-PNP*)Fe(H)(CO)] (7) to initially give the Fe(0) complex [(iPr-PNP)Fe(CO)] (21) and subsequently [(iPr-PNP)Fe(CO)(EtOH)] (38). Concerted coordination of acetophenone and dual hydrogen-atom transfer from the PNP arm and the coordinated ethanol to, respectively, the carbonyl carbon and oxygen atoms, leads to the dearomatized complex [(iPr-PNP*)Fe(CO)(EtO)(MeCH(OH)Ph)] (32). The catalyst is regenerated by release of 1-phenylethanol, followed by dihydrogen coordination and proton transfer to the coordinated ethoxide ligand.


The violation of parity by the weak interactions ensures that enantiomeric chiral molecules have inequivalent energies. These parity violating energy differences have been calculated, using ab initio methods, for the biologically important sugars deoxyribose, ribose, arabinose, xylose and lyxose. It is found that in each case the choice of which enantiomer is of lower energy is dependent on the molecular conformation adopted, particularly the type of furanose ring pucker. In general the D-enantiomers are favoured for molecules having a C2-endo pucker, whereas the L-series are preferred for C3-endo puckers. The significance of these energy differences for the transition from a prebiotic racemic geochemistry to a homochiral biochemistry in terrestrial evolution is discussed.


Two distinct cellular patterns of necrotizing angiitis involving venules in skin of patients with clinically identical cutaneous lesions were appreciated by the 1 -mum-thick section technique. In those individuals with serum hypocomplementemia, there was a perivenular inflitrate composed predominantly of neutrophils with fibrin deposition and nuclear debris. In patients with normal serum complement levels, in addition to an infiltrate of neutrophils and fibrin deposition, perivenular lymphocytes in various stages of activation were prominent. In both patterns the venules and not the arterioles were affected, mast cells exhibited various degrees of hypogranulation, and basophils and eosinophils were recognized only rarely. Lesions of different clinical age obtained from one hypocomplelmentemic patient and one normocomplementemic patient exhibited consistent cellular patterns, as did a single crop of lesions biopsied twice, 24 hr apart, in a patient with hypocomplementemia. No patient with hypocomplementemia became normocomplementemic or vice versa with persistence of lesions.


Introduction:Initial treatment patterns in the newly diagnosed COPD patient usually don´t follow current clinical guidelines.

Methods:Epidemiological study with data obtained from the Information System for Development in Research in Primary Care (SIDIAP), a population database that contains information of 5.8 million of habitants (80% of Catalonia´s population). Newly diagnosed COPD patients in 2007-2012 were identified through a diagnostic algorithm and information about the initial treatment patterns was collected.

Results:During the study period, 40863 patients were diagnosed of COPD with an incidence rate of 18 cases per 10000 person/year.32606 were men(79.8%) with a mean age of 66.05 years(SD 11.49).44% had spirometric confirmation. As a first treatment, 18575 (45.5%) were prescribed inhaled corticosteroids ICs, 17626 (42.1%) were on long acting b-adrenergic agonists (LABA), 11519 (28.2%) short acting b-adrenergic agonists (SABA), 10008 (24.5%) short acting muscarinic antagonists (SAMA), 9758 (23.9%) patients were treated with long acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA), and. 7353 patients (18%) received no treatment after diagnosis.

Between 2007 and 2012 the use of bronchodilators (LAMA, LABA and LABA/LAMA) doubled (from 6% to 11.4%, 4.6% to 8.87% and from 1.06% to 3.73% respectively). There were little or no changes in the use of LABA + ICS (24.6% to 21.7%) and triple therapy (11.3% to 12%). Patients receiving no treatment decreased from 20.6% to 13.4%.

Conclusions:ICs are frequently prescribed as a first treatment for newly diagnosed COPD patients. The use of bronchodilators alone has increased but still represents a small part of initial treatments.

Study funded by Novartis Spain.


As the number of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) increases, the need for performing on-premises tasks within hospitals or medical centers also increases. Many healthcare organizations are progressively embracing or adopting an edge computing paradigm such that computationally intensive tasks can be processed at the edge of the network in order to avoid latency and network reliability issues associated with offloading tasks to the cloud. The problem, however, hospitals or medical centers may not be equipped with sufficient computing resources that can process advanced ML or AI tasks efficiently. In addition, some tasks may not be easily offloadable or contain sensitive patient healthcare data which increases the risks of having malicious attacks. In this paper, we extend our Edgify resource provisioning framework to consider the task offloading of healthcare applications' involving patients' data as a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) process that often involves multiple conflicting criteria (e.g. data privacy risks, costs, latency, network reliability, among others). We evaluate our proposed framework through a number of experiments which demonstrate the usefulness and effectiveness of employing our optimization approach within hospitals or medical centers.


The problem of reasoning about recursive programs is considered. Utilizing a simple analogy between iterative and recursive programs viewed as unfinite unions of finite terms, we carry out an investigation analogous to that carried out recently for iterative programs. The main results are the arithmetical completeness of axiom systems for (1) context-free dynamic logic and (2) its extension for dealing with infinite computations. Having the power of expression of these logics in mind, these results can be seen to supply (as corollaries) complete proof methods for the various kinds of correctness of recursive programs.


The reaction of the in situ generated cyclooctene iridium(I) derivative trans-[IrCl(C8H14)(PiPr3)2] with benzene at 80 degrees C gave a mixture of the five-coordinate dihydrido and hydrido(phenyl) iridium(III) complexes [IrH2(Cl)(PiPr3)2] 2 and [IrH(C6H5)(Cl)(PiPr3)2] 3 in the ratio of about 1 : 2. The chloro- and fluoro-substituted arenes C6H5X (X = Cl, F), C6H4F2 and C6H4F(CH3) reacted also by C-H activation to afford the corresponding aryl(hydrido) iridium(III) derivatives [IrH(C6H4X)(Cl)(PiPr3)2] 7, 8, [IrH(C6H3F2)(Cl)(PiPr3)2] 9-11 and [IrH[C6H3F(CH3)](Cl)(PiPr3)2] 12, 13, respectively. The formation of isomeric mixtures had been detected by 1H, 13C, 19F and 31P NMR spectroscopy. Treatment of 3 and 7-13 with CO gave the octahedral carbonyl iridium(III) complexes [IrH(C6H3XX')(Cl)(CO)(PiPr3)2] 5, 14-20 without the elimination of the arene. The reactions of trans-[IrCl(C8H14)(PiPr3)2] with aryl ketones C6H5C(O)R (R = Me, Ph), aryl ketoximes C6H5C(NOH)R (R = Me, Ph) and benzaloxime C6H5C(NOH)H resulted in the formation of six-coordinate aryl(hydrido) iridium(III) compounds 21-25 with the aryl ligand coordinated in a bidentate kappa2-C,O or kappa2-C,N fashion. With C6H5C(O)NH2 as the substrate, the two isomers [IrH[kappa2-N,O-NHC(O)C6H5](Cl)(PiPr3)2] 26 and [IrH[kappa2-C,O-C6H4C(O)NH2](Cl)(PiPr3)2] 27 were prepared stepwise. Treatment of trans-[IrCl(C8H14)(PiPr3)2] with benzoic acid gave the benzoato(hydrido) complex [IrH[kappa2-O,O-O2CC6H5](Cl)(PiPr3)2] 29 which did not rearrange to the kappa2-C,O isomer.


Abstract Theories in "soft" areas of psychology lack the cumulative character of scientific knowledge. They tend neither to be refuted nor corroborated, but instead merely fade away as people lose interest. Even though intrinsic subject matter difficulties (20 listed) contribute to this, the excessive reliance on significance testing is partly responsible, being a poor way of doing science. Karl Popper's approach, with modifications, would be prophylactic. Since the null hypothesis is quasi-always false, tables summarizing research in terms of patterns of "significant differences" are little more than complex, causally uninterpretable outcomes of statistical power functions. Multiple paths to estimating numerical point values ("consistency tests") are better, even if approximate with rough tolerances; and lacking this, ranges, orderings, second-order differences, curve peaks and valleys, and function forms should be used. Such methods are usual in developed sciences that seldom report statistical significance. Consistency tests of a conjectural taxometric model yielded 94% success with zero false negatives.


Abstract Background Previous studies suggested that exposure to traumatic events during childhood and adulthood and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are associated with a dysregulation of different neuroendocrine systems. However, the activity of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone-system (RAAS) in relation to trauma/PTSD has been largely neglected. Methods Traumatization, PTSD, and plasma concentrations of renin and aldosterone were measured in 3092 individuals from the general population. Subgroups according to the status of traumatization ('without trauma'; 'trauma, without PTSD', 'PTSD') were formed and compared regarding renin and aldosterone concentrations. Additionally, we calculated the associations between the number of traumata, renin, and aldosterone concentrations. Finally, associations of PTSD with renin/aldosterone levels were controlled for the number of traumata ('trauma load'). Results Levels of renin, but not aldosterone, were increased in traumatized persons without PTSD (p = 0.02) and, even stronger, with PTSD (p < 0.01). Moreover, we found a dose–response relation between the number of traumata and renin levels (β = 0.065; p < 0.001). Regression analyses showed PTSD as a significant predictor of renin (β = 0.38; p < 0.01). This effect was only slightly attenuated when controlled for trauma load (β = 0.32; p < 0.01). Conclusions Our results suggest that traumatization has lasting and cumulative effects on RAAS activity. Finding elevated renin levels in PTSD independent from trauma load supports the concept of PTSD as a disorder with specific neuroendocrine characteristics. Alternatively, elevated renin levels in traumatized persons may increase the risk for developing PTSD. Our findings contribute to explain the relationship between traumatic stress/PTSD and physical disorders.


Objectives Conjoined twins are rare. High-quality imaging techniques are essential for proper first-trimester diagnosis. Technological development leads to new imaging techniques such as 3-dimensional virtual embryoscopy. The aim of this review was to explore imaging techniques used in the first-trimester diagnosis of conjoined twins and provide a systematic diagnostic table for making this diagnosis. Design A PubMed literature search was performed using the terms ultrasound, Doppler, MRI, and CT combined with first-trimester and conjoined twins. Three recent cases at our department are reviewed and examined additionally using 3-dimensional virtual embryoscopy. Results The different types of conjoined twins are summarized in a table for practical use during ultrasound examination. In evaluating conjoined twins, 2-dimensional ultrasound is the criterion standard. Three-dimensional and Doppler ultrasounds add anatomical and prognostic information. Virtual embryoscopy imaging reveals additional findings in our 3 cases not seen with routine 2-dimensionalultrasound examination. Conclusions Each case of conjoined twins is unique and should be evaluated with the best possible imaging techniques. Three-dimensional and Doppler ultrasound should be added to the systematic diagnostic evaluation of conjoined twins. Virtual embryoscopy imaging may contribute to earlier, more appropriate counseling and management of these pregnancies. Target Audience: Obstetricians and gynecologists, family physicians Learning Objectives: After completing this CME activity, physicians should be better able to differentiate between the different types of conjoined twins and their prognosis, compare the different imaging techniques used for the evaluation of conjoined twins to decide whether additional diagnostic imaging techniques are useful in an individual case, and evaluate complex cases, such as conjoined twins, using new imaging techniques.


This paper describes a direct time domain modeling procedure for suction pile lowering through the splash zone. The paper specifically addresses pile lowering from a relatively small installation vessel with the pile oriented with its long axis nearly parallel to the water surface. The model consists of time domain simulation of the crane/wire/sling/pile system. This system is subjected to vessel motions at the crane tip, hydrodynamic loading on the pile, and pile flooding.The paper also describes the sensitivity of winch wire tension to seastate, lowering velocity and hydrodynamic model coefficients, and suction pile characteristics.Finally, a brief comparison is made between this model and others that have been proposed within the industry, some of which have been incorporated in design standards and guidelines such as DNV-RP-H103.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


It has been my good fortune to know a large number of distinguished physicians and a few outstanding medical scientists. As regards most of them, only time can reveal which ones will ultimately be smiled upon by Clio, that capricious Muse, and so be designated as immortals in her records of medical history. This uncertainty does not apply to Dr. Herrick. There can be no doubt that his name will remain permanently engraved and proudly displayed on the same scrolls which also bear the names of Heberden, Charcot, Mackenzie, Osler, Volhardt, and many others who, like Dr. Herrick, played a significant role in the metamorphosis of clinical medicine from sterile scholastic disputation to a humanitarian art and an intellectually respectable area of biologic science. As the first person to offer a clear clinical description of two important diseases, Dr. Herrick's place as a medical immortal is secure. The student of


The real (ε1) and imaginary (ε2) parts of the dielectric function, ε(E)=ε1(E)+ iε2(E), of PbTe have been measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) in the 1.15–5.4 eV photon-energy range at room temperature. The measured SE spectra reveal distinct structures at energies of E1, E2 and E3 critical points. These data are analyzed using two theoretical models, namely, the model dielectric function (MDF) and standard critical-point (SCP) model. It is found that the SCP model can provide a satisfactory fit to the second derivatives of ε(E) spectra [ d2ε(E)/ dE2], but does not yield good fits to ε(E) spectra. The MDF, on the other hand, results in excellent agreement with the experimental data for both ε(E) spectra and their derivatives. Dielectric-related optical constants, such as the complex refractive index (n*=n+ ik), absorption coefficient (α) and normal-incidence reflectivity (R), of PbTe are also presented.


Objectives: Fetal macrosomia is a perennial obstetric management problem. Macrosomia assessment is based mostly on clinically or sonographically EFW. We explored the impact of head circumference (HC) on obstetric outcomes including delivery mode and maternal and neonatal complications, as compared to birth weight, in order to improve the management of ''big babies.'' Methods: In several parallel cohort studies based on over 120,000 term singleton deliveries we analysed the association of HC with unplanned Caesarean delivery [UCD] and vacuum extraction (VE), failed vacuum, prolonged second stage of labour (PSSL), persistent occiput posterior (OP) position at delivery, levator ani avulsion, and neonatal outcomes including Apgar<7, umbilical artery pH≤7.1, and NICU admission. Results: When HC≥95th centile, the risks of PSSL, UCD, VE, failed vacuum, and neonatal complications, are significantly increased. Risk of levator ani avulsion is increased when HC≥90th centile. Results (OR and 95% CI) as compared with high birthweight are summarised in table 1. Conclusions: In several studies we have observed that large HC (≥90th or 95th centile) impacts on length of second stage, delivery mode, maternal pelvic floor trauma, and neonatal complications. OP position at delivery intensifies the effect of large HC. We propose that prelabour counselling and obstetric management take into account head circumference, along with other fetal and maternal parameters.


Macrophages play an important role in the adaptive immune system. Their ability to neutralize cellular targets through Fc receptor‐mediated phagocytosis has relied upon immunotherapy that has become of particular interest for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. A detailed investigation of phagocytosis is the key to the improvement of the therapeutic efficiency of existing medications and the creation of new ones. A promising method for studying the process is imaging flow cytometry (IFC) that acquires thousands of cell images per second in up to 12 optical channels and allows multiparametric fluorescent and morphological analysis of samples in the flow. However, conventional IFC data analysis approaches are based on a highly subjective manual choice of masks and other processing parameters that can lead to the loss of valuable information embedded in the original image. Here, we show the application of a Faster region‐based convolutional neural network (CNN) for accurate quantitative analysis of phagocytosis using imaging flow cytometry data. Phagocytosis of erythrocytes by peritoneal macrophages was chosen as a model system. CNN performed automatic high‐throughput processing of datasets and demonstrated impressive results in the identification and classification of macrophages and erythrocytes, despite the variety of shapes, sizes, intensities, and textures of cells in images. The developed procedure allows determining the number of phagocytosed cells, disregarding cases with a low probability of correct classification. We believe that CNN‐based approaches will enable powerful in‐depth investigation of a wide range of biological processes and will reveal the intricate nature of heterogeneous objects in images, leading to completely new capabilities in diagnostics and therapy.


[1] Measurements of CFC-12 were made by the Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer (ILAS) between 57°N and 72°N in the Northern Hemisphere and between 64°S and 89°S in the Southern Hemisphere. ILAS was launched on 17 August 1996 on board the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS). The ILAS validation balloon campaigns were carried out from Kiruna, Sweden (68°N, 21°E), in February and March 1997 and from Fairbanks, Alaska (65°N, 148°W), in April and May 1997. During these validation balloon campaigns, CFC-12 was measured with the in situ instruments ASTRID, BONBON, and SAKURA and the remote sensing spectrometers MIPAS-B, FIRS-2, and MkIV. ILAS version 6.0 CFC-12 profiles obtained at the nearest location to the validation balloon measurement are compared with these validation balloon measurements. The quality of ILAS CFC-12 data processed with the version 6.0 algorithm improved significantly compared to previous versions. Low relative differences between ILAS CFC-12 and the correlative measurements of about 10% were found between 13 and 20 km. The comparison of vertical profiles shows that ILAS CFC-12 data are useful below about 20–22 km inside the vortex and below about 25 km outside the vortex. However, at greater altitudes the relative percentage difference increases very strongly with increasing altitude. Further, correlations of CFC-12 with N2O show a good agreement with the correlative measurements for N2O values of N2O > 150 ppbv. In summary, ILAS CFC-12 data are now suitable for scientific studies in the lower stratosphere.


Hearing Impairment in Children represents the proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Childhood Deafness. The symposium, which was held in Nashville, Tenn, in July 1986, was designed to bring together recognized authorities in a wide variety of disciplines and to update our understanding of the issues related to childhood hearing impairment. While the book comes out nearly two years after the symposium was held, the time was well spent. The editing of the book is superb, and the long interval has not diminished the importance of the material. The number and complexity of issues that either touch on or are touched by childhood hearing impairment are striking. There seems to be no area of human science or medicine that does not in some way play a role in the cause, diagnosis, or treatment of hearing impairment. The book is divided into three sections: (1) "Issues on Etiology/Auditory Disorders," (2)


We propose a passive all optical device capable of transforming the orbital angular momentum (OAM) state of light conditioned over the polarization states. The efficiency of this device is ensured due to its linear optical nature. As applications of this device, we show CNOT and SWAP operations between polarization and OAM qubits, non-interferometric OAM mode sorter and generalized Pauli X operation on a four-dimensional subspace of OAM.


Genetic diversity is a ubiquitous feature of all species in nature. Narrow genetic base in ginger cultivars continues to limit the productivity. Breeding of ginger is handicapped by lack of variability, absence of natural seed set and exclusive vegetative propagation. As natural variability stands limited, broadening the genetic base through mutagenesis or tissue culture techniques pave way for exploitation of induced variability for isolation of plant types with desirable traits. Classical approaches for the identification of ginger genotypes are based on morphological traits. But the assessment of these traits is difficult and their evaluation can be subjective considering that most of these cultivars are related. Molecular marker technology is the powerful tool for determining genetic variation in ginger genotypes as they can reveal abundant difference among genotypes at the DNA level, providing a more direct, reliable and efficient tool for germplasm characterization, conservation, management and untouched by environmental influence. So, in the present study, a combination of morphological and molecular techniques were used to characterize ginger genotypes.


Wildlife conservation faces new and extreme challenges in adapting to the accelerating dynamics of a world responding to global change. The Quaternary record shows that migration has been the usual response of organisms to environmental change. This record also reveals that forecast future climate changes are of a magnitude and in a direction unprecedented in recent earth history: the rate of these changes is likely also to surpass that of any comparable change during the last 2.4 million years.

The relationship between a species' geographical distribution and present climate may be modelled by a surface representing the probability of encountering that species under given combinations of climate conditions. This 'climate response surface' then may be used to simulate potential future distributions of the species in response to forecast climate scenarios. Such simulations reveal the magnitude of the impacts of these forecast climate changes. Although to date this approach has been applied in Europe only to plants, it promises to be valuable also for other groups of organisms, including birds. Some bird species, however, may respond more directly to either habitat structure or presence of specific food plants; such factors may be incorporated into the models when required.

The magnitude of likely vegetation changes necessitates a global approach to conservation if there is to be any hope of long-term success. Successful conservation of global biodiversity will depend upon conservation of the global environment and limitation of the human population much more than upon parochial efforts to conserve locally rare organisms or habitats.


The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a key regulator of cellular energy homeostasis, is present in Sertoli cells and whether its activation by 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-b-d-ribonucleoside (AICAR) results in the regulation of cell metabolism to ensure lactate supply for germ cell development. Sertoli cell cultures from 20-day-old rats were used. Western blot analysis for the alpha-subunit of AMPK showed that high levels of AMPK are present in Sertoli cells. Treatment of the cultures with AICAR resulted in a dose- and time-dependent increase of P-AMPK levels indicating activation of the enzyme. A possible effect of AICAR on Sertoli cell lactate production was then analyzed. A dose- and time-dependent increment in lactate secretion was observed. The participation of AMPK activation in different biochemical processes that may be implicated in the regulation of lactate production was also analyzed. AICAR stimulated glucose uptake in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Additionally, AICAR increased the glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) and decreased the glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3) mRNA levels. As for the role of AMPK in the regulation of the monocarboxylate transporters 1 and 4 (MCT1 and MCT4), it has been observed that AICAR treatment decreased MCT1 and increased MCT4 mRNA levels. In summary, the results presented herein show that AMPK is present in Sertoli cells and that its activation by AICAR increases lactate production as a result, at least in part, of a) an increase in glucose uptake, b) an increase in GLUT1 expression, and c) a decrease in MCT1 and an increase in MCT4 levels. Altogether, these results suggest an important role of AMPK in modulating the nutritional function of Sertoli cells.


Tourism generation is one of the most important aspects but it remains as an under-researched area in tourism demand forecasting and relevant behavior analysis. This study analyzes individual's decision on whether to go on vacation or not. First, a number of constraints that prohibit tourism participation are explored. Second, individual's choice of tourism participation is studied based on a Scobit model, which includes a skewness parameter to relax the assumption made in a binary logit model that the sensitivity of individuals to changes in explanatory variables is highest for those who have indifferent preferences over participation and non-participation. The authors also introduce the tourism constraint components into the model based on the theoretical consideration in the existing literature. The empirical application is conducted using the data stemmed from a web survey conducted in Japan in 2010. Using this data the impacts of several attributes on participation decisions in tourism are investigated.


ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) as part of the treatment of a patient with anorexia nervosa (AN) from Mexico. The participant was a 21-year-old woman with a body mass index (BMI) of 14.7, who had suffered from the disorder for 10 years. Using a pre-post treatment design, changes were evaluated using four neuropsychological tests, two tests to measure the AN symptoms and two to measure psychological distress (depression and anxiety). BMI was also evaluated before and after the intervention. The results of the present study were similar to those reported for patients from English-speaking countries. The average percentage of favorable change in the different measures was higher than 30%, except for BMI, which increased by only 21%. The results suggest that the inclusion of CRT in AN treatment programs in Mexico is a potentially viable option.


The purposes of this study were to segment female consumers on the basis of their clothing image preference, and to investigate the clothing purchasing behaviors of each segmented market. The research method was a questionnaire survey and participants were 700 women aged from 20`s to 60`s in Daejeon and Chungnam province. The questionnaire consisted of items for clothing image preference, clothing purchasing behaviors and the participants` demographic characteristics. The data were analyzed by Cronbach`s α, factor analysis, cluster analysis, χ2 test, ANOVA and the Scheffe test. The results were as follows. Female consumers were divided into 7 types(sophisticated, natural, characteristic, elegant, active, feminine, and neat type) by clothing image preference. The 7 segmented market groups differed in many ways in terms of demographic characteristics and various clothing purchasing behaviors(clothing selection criteria, purchasing motives, fashion information sources, places of purchase, shopping frequency, and quantity and cost of purchases). The results of this study supported the view that clothing image preference can be a useful and effective variable for female market segmentation.


In this paper we study the pickup and delivery problem with multiple transportation modalities, and address the challenge of efficiently allocating transportation resources while price matching users with their desired delivery modes. Precisely, we consider that orders are demanded by a heterogeneous population of users with varying trade-offs between price and latency. To capture how prices affect the behavior of heterogeneous selfish users choosing between multiple delivery modes, we construct a congestion game taking place over a star network with independent sub-networks composed of parallel links connecting users with their preferred delivery method. Using the unique geometry of this network we prove that one can define prices explicitly to induce any desired network flow, i.e, given a desired allocation strategy we have a closed-form solution for the delivery prices. In connection with prior works that consider non-atomic congestion games, our result shows that one can simplify the Linear Program formulations used to solve for edge prices by first finding the path prices combinatorially. We conclude by performing a case study on a meal delivery problem with multiple courier modalities using data from real world instances.


Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), treatment of severe male infertility allows an accurate evaluation of oocyte maturity at recovery after corona-cell removal. In cycles comprising a GnRH analog desensitization and a stimulation by hMG or FSH, 12% of oocytes aspirated from follicles (> 14 mm), 34 hours post-hCG are still immature, in prophase or metaphase 1. They are able to achieve meiosis in vitro in 66% of the cases and will be fertilized (2 PN) by ICSI in 51% of the cases as the in vivo mature oocytes of the same cohort. Nevertheless, the quality of cytoplasmic maturation and consequently of embryonic viability remains to be assessed as there still are few pregnancies arising from in vitro matured oocytes. ICSI also represents the only way to obtain normal fertilization in some exceptional but observed anomalies of oocyte maturation, particularly when there is a lack of zona reaction leading to repetitive polyspermy in conventional IVF.


According to the dichotomy popularized by Levy (1995, 1997), computers may be used in language learning in either tutor or tool roles. Recently there has been a waning of interest in tutorial software for language learning in favor of tool-oriented applications. While we do not dispute the value of the computer as a tool, we argue that it is in the best interest of CALL practitioners and language teachers in general to be better informed about the realities of tutorial software so that the field can continue to grow and mature along multiple paths. In support of this position, we present a case for placing tutorial CALL back into the mainstream of the field. After a discussion of several common myths about tutorial CALL, we offer six reasons as to why tutorial CALL has been marginalized. We follow with some evidence that, despite the presence of these myths and this marginalization, CALL practitioners around the world continue to find tutorial CALL appealing for research and development. Specifically, we review the presentations at four major CALL Conferences in 2002 and classify them as primarily focused on tutor or tool uses. Although tool-oriented applications dominate overall, the results show a strong continuing interest in tutorial applications as well. We conclude with proposals for (1) reconsidering the dichotomous nature of the tutor-tool distinction, (2) changing the defining characteristic of tutorial CALL from evaluation to teaching presence, and (3) suggesting several aspects of language learning that tutorial CALL is best suited to support, given the present state of technology.