In traditional Indian society, care of the ageing was within the extended family system and family was considered as a unit in our value systems and norms. These societal norms had been passed on from generation to generation. The elderly held an important place in our society and the youngsters sought for the benefit of their experiences. The elderly were not "charity cases". Rather it was a reciprocal relationship of give and take. Adults used to take care and support their parents. Obligation emerged from society expectations that older parents have a "right" to be taken care of and adult children have a "duty" to do so. Thus obligation toward parents seems to be an important issue for adult children as they approach middle age and anticipate or see the needs of their aging parents. In ancient times, adult children fulfill their duties as of personal choice and affection governing their family relations. But in recent years industrialization and urbanization have weakened the willingness of adult children to care for their elderly parents. Migration of the young to towns and cities for education and jobs, acceptance of small family norms, and more women working outside home has led to decline in traditional values and growing individualism among younger generation. Though adult children still value and practice obligations towards their parents in their day-to-day life, yet the way they express their cultural values has changed in the process of adapting to rapid and massive changes. This paper tries to explore the problems emerging in parent-adult child relations and further tries to extend some suggestions to cope up with such problems.


In this paper the model of signal strength prediction that seeks an optimal location of single access point in indoor environment is presented. The location of the transmitter needs to ensure maximally uniform coverage with electromagnetic signal in the given environment. The propagation predictions are obtained by the model based on neural network. The advantage of the neural network model is given by their possibility to obtain enough accurate values of field strengths inside buildings without any knowledge about building geometry and construction characteristics. The neural network needs to be trained by measured signal strengths at chosen receiving locations. The model divides coverage environment into a grid of possible receiver locations and specifies cost function as a sum of weighted signal strengths for particular receiver points. This is nonlinear programming problem for minimizing the differences between given threshold signal strength and actual signal strength at particular location. As optimization method Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique is used. The final results show good coverage with adequate signal strengths for entire given indoor environment.


Some prominent discussions of contemporary Islam focus on the tradition of Shari'a reasoning. This is not without reason. Not only is this tradition important in understanding militancy; it has re-emerged in connection with the Arab Spring. The present article, however, seeks to revive an alternative tradition—namely, Islamic humanism. The importance of distinguishing this alternative is not only a matter of clarifying the intellectual heritage of Islam. Reviving Islamic humanism has social-political consequences. It makes possible a view of the modern state that is more democratic and pluralistic than the Shari'a state envisioned by Islamists.


Knowledge has been upheld as the key resource to create sustainable advantage in the strategic management field. In quest for sustainable performance, theorists in the environmental management domain advocate taking the learning route. However, the extant studies examined only the direct effect of environmental practices on a firm's competitiveness and performance and hence ignored the intervening learning processes. Framed within the Resource-based view (RBV) of the firm, the current inquiry investigated into resource inputs as determinants accounting for a firm's environmental knowledge integration, and competitive outcomes deriving out of such integration. While the RBV shed notable insights on the main effect of resources/capabilities on competitiveness that aims to justify environmental practices and related expenses from an economic perspective, the Resource Dependence Theory (RDT) introduced the intriguing notion that organizational strategies pertaining to sustainability may be determined by power dependency rather than by profits. The current inquiry extended the RBV by examining the moderating context of top-greenbuyer initiated communications on the linkage between environmental practices (resource) and environmental knowledge integration (capability). By examining how resource-based, dynamic capabilities, and relational views work together to address the key concerns of the firm's customers as a major stakeholder and hence enhance its performance, and simultaneously studying direct, mediation and moderation effects among them, this study documents the combined effect of these factors in achieving international market performance. In short, this study makes a two-fold significant contribution to the strategic management literature by demonstrating the importance of firm-specific resources and relational capabilities in promoting firm performance.


AIMS
To determine (1) if nicotine content affects study attrition-a potential behavioral measure of acceptability-in a trial that required compliance with three levels of reduced nicotine content (RNC) cigarettes, and (2) if attrition is associated with subjective and behavioral responses to RNC cigarettes.

DESIGN
Secondary analysis of a 35-day, parallel-design, open-label, randomized controlled trial. After a 5-day baseline period, participants were randomized to smoke for three 10-day periods: their preferred brand (control group) or RNC cigarettes with three nicotine levels in a within-subject stepdown (one group: high-moderate-low) or non-stepdown (five groups: high-low-moderate, low-moderate-high, low-high-moderate, moderate-low-high, moderate-high-low) fashion.

SETTING
A single site in Philadelphia, PA, USA.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 246 non-treatment-seeking daily smokers [mean age = 39.52, cigarettes per day (CPD) = 20.95, 68.3% white] were recruited from October 2007 to June 2013.

MEASUREMENTS
The primary outcome was attrition. Key predictors were nicotine content transition and study period. Exploratory predictors were taste and strength subjective ratings, total puff volume and carbon monoxide (CO) boost. Covariates included: age, gender, race, education and nicotine dependence.

FINDINGS
Overall attrition was 31.3% (n = 77): 24.1% of the control and 25.0% of the stepdown RNC cigarette groups dropped out versus 44.6% of non-stepdown groups (P = 0.006). Compared with controls, attrition odds were 4.5 and 4.7 times greater among smokers transitioning from preferred and the highest RNC cigarettes to the lowest RNC cigarettes, respectively (P = 0.001 and 0.003). Providing more favorable initial taste ratings of study cigarettes decreased attrition odds by 2% (P = 0.012).

CONCLUSIONS
The majority of participants completed a 35-day trial of varying levels of reduced nicotine content cigarettes. Participant dropout was greater for cigarettes with lower nicotine content and less in smokers reporting more favorable subjective ratings of the cigarettes.


The effects of methionine on hepatocarcinogenesis induced by Coadministration of a choline‐deflcient L‐amino acid‐defined (CDAA) diet and ethionine were examined. F344 male rats were divided into 4 experimental groups. Groups 1 and 2 received the CDAA diet and a choline‐supplemented L‐amino acid‐defined (CSAA) diet, respectively. Group 3 received the CDAA diet containing 0.05% ethionine, and group 4 the CDAA diet containing 0.05% ethionine and 0.47% methionine. Animals were killed after 12 weeks of treatment. Histologically, the CDAA diet induced intracellular fat accumulation and foci. In contrast, ethionine caused not only foci, but also hyperplastic nodules, cholangiofibrosis and the proliferation of oval cells without such fat accumulation. Methionine abolished the development of all of the liver lesions induced by Coadministration of the CDAA diet and ethionine. To investigate the effects of methionine on induction of c‐myc and c‐Ha‐ras expression, as well as generation of 8‐hydroxyguanine (8‐OHGua) and 2‐thiobarbituric acid‐reacting substances (TBARS), by Coadministration of the CDAA diet and ethionine, subgroups of 3 to 5 animals were killed at 2, 4, 8 or 11 days after the beginning of the experiment. Coadministration of the CDAA diet and ethionine markedly enhanced the level of expression of c‐myc and c‐Ha‐ras, 8‐OHGua formation and TBARS generation as compared with the CDAA or CSAA diet within 11 days, and methionine blocked these actions. These results indicate that addition of methionine prevents the induction of c‐myc and c‐Ha‐ras expression, 8‐OHGua formation and TBARS generation, as well as hepatocellular lesions, by Coadministration of the CDAA diet and ethionine in rats, and suggest a possible involvement of oxidative stress and gene expression in hepatocarcinogenesis by these agents.


The modified Medical Research Council scale (mMRC) is a standardized
measure of the effect of dyspnea on the activities of the daily life of patients suffering from Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to determine the differences in
the quality of life, tolerance to effort and symptoms among patients with COPD with lower (mMRC
0-1) and greater symptoms (mMRC ≥2).

Cross-sectional study that included patients admitted to a pulmonary rehabilitation program
and who were classified into 2 groups: a group containing the less symptomatic patients and another
group with the more symptomatic ones. We collected these patients' sociodemographic, clinical,
anthropometric, anxiety, depression and quality of life (SGRQ) data. Likewise, the subjects performed
the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). Finally, we measured the multidimensional BODE index score.

130 subjects were included, 35 presenting an mMRC of 0 to1 and 95 having an mMRC ≥ 2,
with an age of 70.87 ± 9.45 years old. The 6MWT distance, the VO2e, the total score of SGRQ, and
its domains of activities and impact showed significant differences between the groups (p <0.05).
Significant correlations were found in the group presenting an mMRC of 0-1 between the mMRC
and the FEV1 (p = 0.028), and in the group with an mMRC ≥2 for the FVC (p = 0.031), the 6MWT
distance (p = 0.000), the VO2e (p = 0.010) and the BODE index (p = 0.000).

Patients with an mMRC of 0 to1 had better results in the 6MWT, the VO2e and the
SGRQ in comparison with the most symptomatic ones.


Every year millions of tons of fruit peels, such as that from apples, oranges and pomegranates are disposed of as juice factory wastes in our country as well as globally. As we know today special attention is given to the optimum use of plant wastes and extraction of bioactive compounds, namely, antioxidants and antimicrobials. Unfortunately, Iran with a 15.2-30% green waste production, currently holds the first place in the world fruit waste production. The current study was carried out with the goal of optimizing the ultrasound-assisted extraction of antioxidant compounds from orange pomace. In this optimization by use of the response surface method, a Box-Behnken design was evaluated for three variables consisting of ultrasonication amplitude (20, 60 and 100%), ultrasonication time (15, 35 and 55 min) and ultrasonication temperature (35, 50 and 650C). The results showed if the extraction time, extraction temperature and ultrasonication Amplitude were to be set at 26.43 min, 350C and 65.66%, respectively, the highest antimicrobial antioxidant compound extraction efficiency would be reached. Under such conditions, phenolic compounds amount of 91.96 mg of gallic acid, free radical inhibition of 57.89% and extraction efficiency of 10.62% were attained. The results demonstrated that ultrasonication could be a very effective method for continuous extraction of antioxidant compounds from fruit waste.


With increasing concern of environmental protection, renewable energy sources especially wind power are widely applied as a mean to reach emission reduction. Although wind generation does not produce harmful emissions, its effect on the generation dispatch of conventional plants can actually cause an increase of emission especially during low and middle power demand period. A multi-objective generation dispatch that considering environment and fuel cost under large penetration of wind power was proposed. An efficient encoding/decoding scheme is applied that could effectively prevent obtaining infeasible solutions through the application of stochastic search methods, thereby dramatically improving search efficiency and solution quality. The nonlinear characteristics of power generators, and their operational constraints, such as generation limitations, ramp rate limits, prohibited operating zones, and transmission loss could be considered for practical operation. The effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed approach were demonstrated by IEEE 30-bus test system study. The experiment showed encouraging results, suggesting that the proposed approach was capable of providing higher quality and wilder range of pareto-optimal solutions such that the decision makers can have a more flexible and reasonable choice.


In this letter, we investigate the robust and secure beamforming (RSBF) in an intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) aided millimeter wave (mmWave) multiple input single output (MISO) system, where multiple single antenna eavesdroppers (Eves) are arbitrarily distributed nearby the legitimate receiver (Bob). Considering the channel state information (CSI) of cascaded wiretap channels is imperfectly known at the legitimate transmitter (Alice), the RSBF design problems to maximize the worst case of achievable secrecy rate (ASR) are formulated under the total transmission power and unit-modulus constraints. Since the problems are difficult to solve optimally due to their non-convexity and coupled variables, we substitute the wiretap channels by a weighted combination of discrete samples and propose a RSBF scheme based on alternating optimization and semidefinite relaxation (SDR) techniques, for both colluding and noncolluding eavesdropping scenarios. Simulation results show that the proposed RSBF scheme can effectively improve the ASR and also outperforms other benchmark schemes.


The successful adoption of inter-organizational systems (IOS) requires the cooperation of participating firms with complex business and economic relationships. This study examines the impact of inter-organizational relationships on the adoption and diffusion of a category of IOS called Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) that supports the electronic transmission of business documents between two firms. The trade literature suggests that large customers force dependent suppliers to adopt EDI to continue to do business with them, indicating that inter-organizational relationships play a significant role in EDI adoption (Stern and Kaufmann 1985). A socio-political framework based on power dependence and inter-organizational relationship theory is used to analyze the adoption and diffusion of EDI (El-Ansary and Stern 1982). Four independent variables are used: power of the initiating firm, dependency of the adopting firm, transactional climate between the two firms, and support provided by the initiating firm. The adoption of EDI is measured on the time dimension by categorizing the sample into two groups: early and late adopters (Rogers 1983). Since the diffusion process goes through various stages ranging from the early adaptation stage to the late infusion stage (Cooper and Zmud 1990), four variables are used for measuring it: initial diffusion, internal diffusion, external diffusion, and implementation success. While the first variable measures diffusion in the adaptation stage, the other three measure diffusion in the later stages. Based on theory, the following propositions are formulated. Proposition 1: The greater the dependence of the adopting firm on the initiating firm, the greater the chances of adoption of EDI by the adopting firm. Proposition 2: The greater the power the initiating firm has over the adopting firm, the greater the chances of adoption of EDI by the adopting firm. Proposition 3: The greater the dependency of adopting firm on the initiating firm, the greater the diffusion at the adaptation stage for the adopting firm. Proposition 4: The greater the power of the initiating firm over the adopting firm, the greater the diffusion at the aclaptation stage for the adopting firm. Proposition 5: The better the marketing support provided by the initiating firm, the greater the diffusion in the adaptation stage for the adopting firm. Proposition 6: The better the transaction climate between the two firms, the greater the diffusion, both at the adaptation and infusion stage. Separate versions of a questionnaire were created for the purchase and sales functions. To reduce method bias, two


Abstract Human influence on ecological niches can drive rapid changes in the diet, behaviour and evolutionary trajectories of small mammals. Archaeological evidence from the Late Neolithic Loess Plateau of northern China suggests that the expansion of millet cultivation created new selective pressures, attracting small mammals to fields and settlements. Here, the authors present direct evidence for commensal behaviour in desert hares (Lepus capensis), dating to c. 4900 years ago. Stable isotope ratio analysis of hare bones from the Neolithic site at Yangjiesha shows a diachronic increase in a C4 (millet-based) diet, revealing, for the first time, the expansion of ancient human-hare interactions beyond the predator-prey relationship.


Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) are recruited to ischemic regions to improve neovascularization. Understanding of the molecular mechanisms of EPC homing is essential for the development of new therapeutic strategies in order to improve the efficacy of cell-based therapies in patients with ischemic disorders. We recently demonstrated a crucial role for β2-integrins for EPC homing. Chemokines (e.g. SDF1, IL-8) and their respective G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are involved in the EPC homing to ischemic tissues. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase catalytic subunit gamma (PI3Kγ) is the PI3K isoform, which selectively transduces signals from GPCRs in contrast to the other PI3K-isoforms transducing signals from receptor tyrosine kinases. Here, we investigated the role of PI3Kγ for integrin-dependent homing functions of EPC. As assessed by western blot, EPC express the catalytic subunits PI3Kα, PI3Kβ and PI3Kγ, but not the isoform PI3Kδ. We then studied the role of PI3Kγ for EPC migration. Wortmannin, an unselective PI3K-inhibitor, significantly blocked SDF1-induced migration of EPC on fibronectin. Likewise, AS-605240 (100 nM), a selective PI3Kγ-inhibitor (Camps M, Nat. Med., 2005), significantly reduced the SDF1a-induced migration (53 ± 8 % inhibition) as well as the IL-8-induced migration (47 ± 4 % inhibition). Furthermore, the PI3Kγ-inhibitor significantly blocked the SDF1-induced transendothelial migration of EPC. Adhesion is a further essential step during EPC homing to ischemic tissues. In this regard, the PI3Kγ-inhibitor significantly reduced the SDF1-induced adhesion of EPC on HUVEC monolayers by 69 ± 5 % and on ICAM-1 (a β2-integrin ligand). However, the PI3Kγ-inhibitor did not affect the SDF1-induced adhesion of EPC on fibronectin, a β1-integrin ligand, suggesting that PI3Kγ in EPC is specifically involved in the regulation of β2-, but not of β1-integrin-dependent adhesion. In conclusion, these data represent the first link between PI3Kγ and chemokine-induced integrin-dependent homing functions in EPC. Ongoing work using the PI3Kγ-deficient mice will reveal the role of PI3Kγ for EPC homing to ischemic tissues and for vasculogenesis in vivo.


The aim of the study was to evaluate the reproductive indices in cows with retained placenta and endometritis in response to D-cloprostenol or povidone iodine (PI) foam treatment, as well as bacterial clearance and histopathological changes after PI foam intrauterine administration. The examinations were performed on a total of 113 Brown Swiss dairy cows. In experiment I, cows with retained placenta (n=42) and endometritis (n=50) were administered randomly with either PI foam (2%) (20-150 ml, intrauterine) or PGF2α (150 µg, i.m.). The uterine microbial flora was also monitored in the cows before and after PI foam administration. In experiment II, 21 cows without reproductive diseases were administered with PI foam (20 ml, intrauterine) 10, 20, and 30 d before slaughtering to evaluate the histopathology of the uterine tissue. In the cows with retained placenta, there were no effects from the treatment on the number of days to 1 st service (d), days open (d), 1 st service conception rate (%), and insemination index, which averaged 100, 124, 28.6, and 2.19, respectively. In the cows with endometritis, PI foam administration decreased the number of days to 1 st service and days open - 13 and 17 d - as compared to PGF2α administration, without altering the 1 st service conception rate (26.4%) and insemination index (2.32). E. coli was the most common bacterium in these cows. On days 5 and 15, relative to PI foam administration, 56 and 100% microbial recovery were achieved. Furthermore, no degenerative changes in the laminal epithelium of uterus were detected upon PI foam administration. In conclusion, the microbial recovery and shortened days to 1 st service and days open may suggest that a low level of PI foam can be considered as a therapeutic agent against retained placenta and endometritis.


Summary
Tissue from symptom-bearing young leaves of Gynura aurantiaca plants systemically infected with citrus exocortis viroid (CEV) was investigated with the electron microscope. It was found that, in contrast to a previous report, the appearance of paramural bodies or plasmalemmasomes cannot be considered to be the primary c.p.e. in G. aurantiaca because these structures are also present at the same frequency in healthy control plants. The plasmalemmasomes in healthy tissue, characterized by vesicular or tubular internal structures, are found at different developmental stages and in the process of spreading between the plasmalemma and cell wall of developing young cells. The viroid-specific cytopathic changes are alterations of the plasmalemmasomes themselves, which may make it difficult to relate them to the corresponding normal structures. The malformed plasmalemmasomes were consistently found in association with the extremely distorted cell walls characteristic of viroid-infected tissue; spreading of plasmalemmasomes was not observed. These findings indicate an intimate functional relationship between plasmalemmasomes and cell wall formation which is disturbed as a consequence of viroid infection.


Despite that L1 and L2 loss functions do not represent any perceptually-related information besides waveform-matching, these achieve remarkable results when used to train music source separation models. Our work contributes in extending the existing literature on loss functions for training deep learning audio models — to keep understanding of the pros and cons of several loss functions (including: L1, L2 and perceptually motivated losses) in a standardized evaluation framework. In this work we focus on defining an evaluation framework for a fair comparison among losses — because we found difficult to extract conclusions out of the existing body of literature. Generally, loss improvements are presented along with additional model modifications (e.g. different data augmentation, or different model topology), making it difficult to assess the loss contribution to the results. This study focus on standardizing the evaluation process via employing the same dataset, the same data augmentation strategy and the same model topology — while varying its loss. The alternative losses we consider are based on cross-entropy, scale invariant SDR, multi-resolution STFT, and phase sensitive losses among others.


Natural products, produced as secondary metabolites by plants and microbes, have been used for thousands of years to treat human ailments and still form the basis of drug discovery efforts. Terpenes form the largest category of natural products. Terpenes such as the antimalarial compound artemisinin and the anticancer compound taxol are potent medicines. Furthermore, terpenes are active ingredients in perfumes, nutraceuticals and biofuels. The fact that these products are produced in very small quantities in their natural host, from sources that are potentially exhaustible and prone to environmental fluctuations, have fuelled interest in sustainable, affordable and environmentally friendly means of production. Genetic engineering has proved an invaluable tool in producing considerable amounts of terpenes in heterologous hosts such as Escherichia coli and yeast. In this thesis, genetic/metabolic engineering and –omics strategies have been applied for the more efficient production of the anti-tumour compound β-elemene. Heterologous expression of sesquiterpene synthase from Nostoc sp. PCC 7120 in E. coli resulted in the successful production of β-elemene. Final β-elemene titres of up to 178 mg/L were quantified using targeted metabolomics strategies. Simultaneous monitoring of regulation of metabolic flux in recombinant E. coli producing β-elemene was carried out by applying isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ), a proteomics tool for relative quantification. A systematic evaluation of recombinant E. coli strains identified pathways that can be further optimised using metabolic engineering for commercially viable synthesis of β-elemene. This is the first report of an iTRAQ aided metabolic engineering study of terpene production in E. coli. This study demonstrates the importance of systems level –omic analyses in shedding light on bottlenecks that prevent commercially viable synthesis of highly beneficial natural products like terpene with E. coli as a biological chassis.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the commonest and the most fatal histological subtype of lung cancer. About 10-30% of patients diagnosed as stage IA (the earliest stage of a lung tumor, smaller than three centimeters in diameter with no evidence of regional lymph node and/or regional metastasis) and submitted to surgery die due to recurrence. Therefore, the identification of prognostic biomarkers for stage IA lung adenocarcinoma with poor prognosis is of great importance to select patients who will be benefited by adjuvant therapy. To the best of our knowledge, there is not a set of genes that identifies these patients. It is known that epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling pathway is closely related to aggressive phenotypes of lung and other cancers. EGFR tyrosine kinase-specific inhibitor, namely gefitinib is expected to alter the gene expression patterns caused by EGFR tyrosine kinase activity. We performed microarray assays in order to obtain the entire gene expression time course profile of human primary lung epithelial cells that were stimulated with EGF in both the presence and absence of gefitinib. The time courses are composed of 19 time points along 48 hours. The data were subjected to a mathematical analysis, namely the State Space Model (SSM) in order to select genes with gene expressions altered by gefitinib. One hundred thirty nine genes were identified. These genes were used as expression signatures to train a risk scoring model that classifies patients in high- or low-risk (risk of dying in five years). This model was trained by using a data set composed of 253 North American patients with lung adenocarcinomas. Then, the predictive ability of the risk scoring model was examined in two independent cohorts composed of North American and Japanese patients. The model enabled the statistically significant identification of high-risk stage IA lung adenocarcinoma in both cohorts, with hazard ratios (HRs) for death of 7.16 (P=0.029) for North American and 10.98 (P=0.008) for Japanese. The set of 139 genes altered by gefitinib includes several ones that are involved in biological aspects of cancer phenotypes but are yet unknown to be involved in EGF signaling. This result strongly re-emphasizes that EGF signaling status underlies aggressive phenotype of cancer cells, and also suggests the first set of genes that are useful for the identification of stage IA lung adenocarcinoma patients with poor prognosis.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-99. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-LB-99


Various voltage levels are required in the vehicle mounted power system. A conventional solution is to utilize an independent multiple output DC-DC converter whose cost is high and control scheme is complicated. In this paper, we design a novel SIMO DC-DC converter with sliding mode controller. The proposed converter can boost the voltage of a low-voltage input power source to a controllable high-voltage DC bus and middle-voltage output terminals, which endow the converter with characteristics of simple structure, low cost, and convenient control. In addition, the sliding mode control (SMC) technique applied in our converter can enhance the performances of a certain SIMO DC-DC converter topology. The high-voltage DC bus can be regarded as the main power source to the high-voltage facility of the vehicle mounted power system, and the middle-voltage output terminals can supply power to the low-voltage equipment on an automobile. In the respect of control algorithm, it is the first time to propose the SMC-PID (Proportion Integration Differentiation) control algorithm, in which the SMC algorithm is utilized and the PID control is attended to the conventional SMC algorithm. The PID control increases the dynamic ability of the SMC algorithm by establishing the corresponding SMC surface and introducing the attached integral of voltage error, which endow the sliding-control system with excellent dynamic performance. At last, we established the MATLAB/SIMULINK simulation model, tested performance of the system, and built the hardware prototype based on Digital Signal Processor (DSP). Results show that the sliding mode control is able to track a required trajectory, which has robustness against the uncertainties and disturbances.


A major challenge in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is how to transfer T-cell immunity without causing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Effector memory T cells (CD62L(-)) are a cell subset that can potentially address this challenge because they do not induce GVHD. Here, we investigated how CD62L(-) T cells contributed to phenotypic and functional T-cell reconstitution after transplantation. On transfer into allogeneic recipients, CD62L(-) T cells were activated and expressed multiple cytokines and cytotoxic molecules. CD62L(-) T cells were able to deplete host radioresistant T cells and facilitate hematopoietic engraftment, resulting in enhanced de novo T-cell regeneration. Enhanced functional immune reconstitution was demonstrated in CD62L(-) T-cell recipients using a tumor and an influenza virus challenge model. Even though CD62L(-) T cells are able to respond to alloantigens and deplete host radioresistant immune cells in GVHD recipients, alloreactive CD62L(-) T cells lost the reactivity over time and were eventually tolerant to alloantigens as a result of prolonged antigen exposure, suggesting a mechanism by which CD62L(-) T cells were able to eliminate host resistance without causing GVHD. These data further highlight the unique characteristics of CD62L(-) T cells and their potential applications in clinical hematopoietic cell transplantation.


Dear Sir, We appreciated thoughtful commentaries on our case.[1] Nerve conduction studies (NCS) were carried out on 10th day of illness. There was no edema during the NCS. Needle electromyography (EMG) was not performed because the patient was not willing for the same. In our patient, the roots of the brachial plexus (anterior primary rami) were affected; not preganglionic root as indicated by the absence of the sensory nerve action potential (The lateral ante brachial cutaneous nerve, medial ante brachial cutaneous nerve; median recording from the thumb and index fingers; superficial radial; and ulnar, recording from the little finger). The brachial plexus is the most complex structure in the peripheral nervous system and its anatomy and electrophysiology have been described elsewhere. It is difficult to characterize the exact site of lesion in extensive brachial plexitis without EMG. We used contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to delineate plexus. The brachial plexus MRI can be normal even if the contrast is used. Reported MRI findings range from normal[2] to diffusely enlarged and hyper intense nerves of the plexus on T2-weighted images, hypothesized to represent intra-neural inflammation and edema.[3]


Abstract The prenatal environment has been shown to have significant effects on the lifelong health of offspring in humans and other species. Such effects have not been studied extensively in avian species but could prove important, especially in the case of severe feed restriction imposed on broiler breeder hens to prevent obesity and reduce rate of lay. Feed restriction can potentially affect not only nutrient supply to the embryo but stress hormone levels within the hen. This study investigated the impact of nutrient restriction of the breeder hen on growth rate and immune responses in the progeny with the objective to measure the impact of feed restriction of broiler breeder hens on growth and immune response of the progeny. Broiler breeder hens were feed restricted from 24 wk of age and maintained at three bodyweights; 3.4, 3.6, and 4.0 kg until 43 wk of age and behavioral and physiological measures of stress recorded. Chicks were hatched from each hen treatment and at day 7 vaccinated for infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and at 16, 18, and 20 d old given an immune challenge of lipopolysaccharide. Growth and immune responses of these birds were then recorded. Sex ratio was affected by hen bodyweight, with a significantly increased proportion of males hatched from heavy hens. Growth rate from 35 to 42 d of age was reduced in male progeny from low bodyweight hens. Female progeny from heavy hens responded to an immune challenge by reduced live weight and increased heterophil: lymphocyte ratio, suggesting a more robust immune response in these birds than in the progeny from lower bodyweight hens. Overall, progeny from heavy hens had increased antibodies at day 35 to the vaccination of IBV compared with progeny of low bodyweight hens, also suggesting an improved immune response in these birds. Breeder hens restricted to the lowest feed level showed behaviors indicative of increased stress (object pecking) and an increased heterophil: lymphocyte ratio. Feed restriction of broiler breeder hens increased indices of stress in hens and resulted in offspring that have reduced growth rate and immune response in a sex-dependent way.


We introduce a property of Boolean functions, called transitivity which consists of integer, polynomial, and matrix products as well as of many interesting related computational problems. We show that the area of any circuit computing a transitive function grows quadratically with the circuit's maximum data rate, expressed in bits/S. This result provides a precise analytic expression of an area-time tradeoff for a wide class of VLSI circuits. Furthermore (as shown elsewhere), this tradeoff is achievable. We have thus matching (to within a constant multiplicative factor) upper and lower complexity bounds for the three above products, in the VLSI circuits computational model.


Translation of messenger RNA by a ribosome occurs three nucleotides at a time from start signal to stop. However, a frameshift means that some nucleotides are read twice or some are skipped, and the following sequence of amino acids is completely different from the sequence in the original frame. In some messenger RNAs, including viral RNAs, frameshifting is programmed with RNA signals to produce specific ratios of proteins vital to the replication of the organism. The mechanisms that cause frameshifting have been studied for many years, but there are no definitive conclusions. We review ribosome structure and dynamics in relation to frameshifting dynamics provided by classical ensemble studies, and by new single-molecule methods using optical tweezers and FRET.


This article analyses the pitfalls that characterised the emergence and eventual demise of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tanzania's semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar. Drawn from continuous political and electoral observations in Zanzibar, the article analyses how the 2015 general elections contributed to the eventual dissolution of the GNU. The GNU in Zanzibar was a negotiated political settlement between two parties – the incumbent Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and the Civic United Front (CUF). In particular, this article looks at how the start of the constitutional review process in Tanzania contributed to the withering of the GNU. Despite its undeniably noble agenda, the constitutional review process resuscitated old enmities between CCM and the CUF. The two parties' divergent stances on the structure of the Union revived the rifts that characterised their relationship before the GNU. We analyse the election cycle rhetoric following the run-up to the elections and how this widened the GNU fissures leading to its eventual demise after the re-election in March 2016. After the 2015 elections were nullified, the CUF, which had claimed victory, boycotted the re-election. As a result, the CCM won an overwhelming electoral victory.


In order to measure beta1-SP1-glycoprotein (SP1), on RIA system by the 2-antibody method was established as a measuring method of the low concentration range. SP1 concentrations were measured by this method in the sera of women in early pregnancy, in the amniotic fluids of late pregnancy, in the sera of malignant tumour patients. Furthermore, SP1 concentrations in the sera of women in early pregnancy as well as E2, E3, progesterone and HCG concentrations in the same samples were measured, and correlations between them were examined. 1) The minimum sensitivity of this measuring system was 3ng/ml. The optimum concentration of samples was between 10 approximately 660ng/ml. 2) The correlation between the data obtained by this RIA method and the SRID method was as close as r = 0.9287. 3) SP1 concentrations in the sera of women in early pregnancy were 0.17 +/- 0.12 microgram/ml in the fifth week of pregnancy, showing an almost straight increase during the course of pregnancy, and were 31.62 +/- 3.20 microgram/ml in the 13th week of pregnancy. 4) SP1 concentrations in amniotic fluids were 1.09 approximately 2.20 microgram/ml and were equal to about 1% of SP1 concentrations in the sera of women in late pregnancy. SP1 concentrations in the sera of umbilical cord blood were 0.13 approximately microgram/ml, which were equal to about 0.1% of SP1 concentrations in the sera of women in late pregnancy. 5) SP1 was detected in all four samples of the choriocarcinoma patients' sera, and the concentrations were 25 approximately 2,600ng/ml. Sp1 was detected in 6 of the 15 samples of the cervical carcinoma patients' sera, and the detection rate was 40%. SP1 was detected in 3 of the 6 samples of the leukemia patients' sera and 1 of the 4 samples of the prostatic cancer patients' sera. SP1 detection rates and concentrations appeared to increase in the sera of cervical carcinoma and leukemia patients in accordance with the progress of the diseases. SP1 concentrations in the sera of women in early pregnancy were not correlative to measured E2 and E3 concentrations in the same samples, but there was a significant correlation with progesterone and HCG concentrations. The RIA method for measuring SP1, which we have established, is available for measuring SP1 in the low concentration range. The method is expected to be applied clinically, such as in examinations in early pregnancy, and will be available in fundamental studies such as attempts to measure the SP1 movement in malignant tumour patients, in cooperation with studies of the meaning of SP1 production at pregnancy.


During the past four years a study has been made by us of the seasonal variation in the antirachitic effect of sunshine. From the results reported 1 it was concluded that the sun's rays during the latter part of October, all of November, December and January and the first part of February in the latitude of Toronto produced a slight but definite antirachitic effect, which sharply increased about February 15 and continued throughout the summer at approximately eight times the winter level. A marked decrease in the antirachitic effect occurred about October 15. It was further found 2 that this change in antirachitic effect is apparently largely dependent on the altitude of the sun above the horizon. When the sun is low in the sky the rays necessarily pass through a greater amount of the earth's atmosphere, and the short, biologically active ultraviolet rays are markedly diminished. A critical altitude


Background Isoflurane (ISO) has been extensively uses in general anesthesia and reported to cause deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage in prolonged surgical procedures. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is an adrenergic agonist and having antioxidant activity that may reduce the genotoxic potential (DNA damage) and oxidative stress induced by ISO in patients undergoing major neurosurgical procedures. Methods and Findings. Twenty-four patients of ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) classes I and II were randomly divided into two groups (n = 12). Group A patients received ISO, while group B patients received DEX infusion for maintenance of anesthesia. Venous blood samples were collected at different time intervals and used to evaluate the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde (MDA) and endogenous antioxidants superoxide dismutases (SOD) and catalases (CAT). A single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE)-comet assay was used to investigate the genotoxic potential of ISO. Conclusion Increased level of antioxidants and decreased value of MDA and genetic damage index were seen in group B (P < 0.001) in a time-dependent manner. Genetic damage was highest at point T2 (0.77 vs. 1.37), and continued to decrease till T3 (0.42 vs. 1.19), with respect to negative controls or baseline values following DEX infusion. Significantly, higher level of MDA was recorded in serum of group A (P < 0.001) as compared to group B (1.60 ± 0.33 vs. 0.03 ± 0.001). Enzymatic activities of CAT and SOD were significantly higher in group B than group A (10.11 ± 2.18 vs. 5.71 ± 0.33), (1.04 ± 0.05 vs. 0.95 ± 0.01), respectively. It may play a contributing role in daily anesthesia practice and improve the toxic effects on patients as well as anesthesia personnel. Trial Registration. Ethical Committee of Post Graduate Medical Institute (PGMI), Lahore General Hospital approved the use of humans in this study vide human subject application number ANS-6466 dated February 04, 2019. Furthermore, as the clinical trials required registration from an appropriate registry approved by World Health Organization (WHO), this trail also retrospectively registered at Thai Clinical Trials Registry (an approved WHO registry for clinical trials registration) under reference ID TCTR20211230001 on December 30, 2021.


Cite this article: Adriano S. The Relevance of Personality Disorders in Addiction Treatment. J Add Thpy. 2014, Volume 1, Issue 1: 001 Comorbid substance addiction and mental illness is highly prevalent and often results in negative treatment outcomes. For example, it is quite common for patients with dual diagnosis to drop-out of treatment. Identifying the origins of this and other possible negative outcomes can be crucial for treating addictive disorders.


Objective This study aimed to determine the availability of community health management services and the relevant social determinants for elderly patients with chronic diseases. Methods All data were obtained from the 2013 random sampling household survey on an elderly population conducted by the School of Public Health of Peking University in an eastern metropolis in China. Information from the database of the above survey involving 1495 hypertensive or diabetic patients ≥60 years of age, as representatives of the city, were included. The study described the availability of follow-up services by community doctors among elderly hypertensive and diabetic patients during the 12 months before the survey. An ordinal multinomial logistic regression model was used to conduct the analysis on the influence of socio-economic background upon such availability. Results Eighty-one percent of hypertensive patients and 84.7% of diabetic patients had not received any follow-up service from community doctors within 12 months prior to the survey. Among elderly hypertensive patients, those registered as non-agricultural household members, those with high and above-average income, as well as management personnel of government agencies, enterprises, and social programs have a greater chance of accepting follow-up service by community doctors because of their relatively higher socio-economic rankings. Among elderly diabetic patients, such socio-economic factors had no significant influence on the availability of the follow-up service for chronic diseases. Conclusion The coverage of community health management services for elderly hypertensive and diabetic patients needs improvement. More effort should focus on promoting the availability of community health management services for elderly hypertensive patients, especially those with lower socio-economic status.


Abstract Starting from current views on pre-service teacher education, this article presents the findings of an inquiry into new teachers' perceptions of their university education. The authors argue for a specific view of pre-service teacher education, in which students are given the opportunity to seriously study the content of the subjects they will be teaching, while learning some skills to deliver the school curriculum and to begin to understand, and deal with, learners' sociological and psychological dispositions. They also argue that the expectation that universities should prepare teachers fully for practice is not feasible, as the school itself as a place of work is the optimal setting for getting to know – in an authentic and non-trivialising way – the hardships and challenges of what constitutes teaching in a country like South Africa. The findings of the study show that teachers are confident about their preparation in content knowledge. They are also comfortable with some aspects of pedagogy,...


Protein structure prediction and evaluation is one of the major fields of computational biology. Estimation of dihedral angle can provide information about the acceptability of both theoretically predicted and experimentally determined structures. Here we report on the sequence specific dihedral angle distribution of high resolution protein structures available in PDB and have developed Sasichandran, a tool for sequence specific dihedral angle prediction and structure evaluation. This tool will allow evaluation of a protein structure in pdb format from the sequence specific distribution of Ramachandran angles. Additionally, it will allow retrieval of the most probable Ramachandran angles for a given sequence along with the sequence specific data. Key words: Torsion angle, φ-ψ distribution, s equence specific ramachandran plot, Ramasekharan, p rotein structure appraisal D.O.I. 10.3329/ptcb.v19i2.5439 Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 19 (2): 217-226, 2009 (December)


Capecitabine (CAP), an anticancer agent used for breast and colorectal cancer has high and variable dosage regimen based on body surface area. Due to high dose, around 3 to 7 tablets are swallowed each time. Dysphagic patients experience difficulty in swallowing the conventional tablets and consequently do not take medications as prescribed. Hence the aim of the present research was to overcome the swallowing problem by developing fast disintegrating tablet (FDT) which disintegrates rapidly when placed on the tongue. FDT was prepared and optimized by wet granulation technique incorporating various superdisintegrants and other excipients. The granules prepared showed good flow and compressible property; hence tablets produced were of uniform weight with acceptable weight variation. Drug-excipient compatibility was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) studies. FDT retained its crystalline nature after tableting which was revealed by X-ray Diffraction studies. The disintegration time (DT) of the optimized formulation F1 (150 mg strength) and F2 (500 mg) showed rapid DT of 9 and 14 s when carried out using 1 mL purified water. FDTs demonstrated excellent in vitro dissolution results. Stability studies results were also found satisfactory when stored at 25 ± 2 ° C / 60 ± 5% RH. Hence it can be concluded that CAP FDT disintegrates rapidly in seconds with excellent dissolution profile, thus providing convenience of administration, patient compliance and safety to overcome swallowing problem for dysphagia patients.


The clinical application of disulfiram (DSF) in cancer treatments is hindered by its rapid degradation in the blood circulation. In this study, methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)- b-poly(lactide- co-glycolide)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (mPEG5k- b-PLGA2k/PCL3.4k) micelles were developed for encapsulation of DSF by using the emulsification-solvent diffusion method. Medium chain triglyceride (MCT) was incorporated into the mixed polymeric micelles to improve drug loading by reducing the core crystallinity. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results implied that DSF is likely present in an amorphous form within the micelles, and is well dispersed. DSF is encapsulated within the core and the reservoir is stabilized by the hydrophilic shell to prevent rapid diffusion of DSF from the core. The DSF mixed micelles (DSF-MMs) showed good drug loading (5.90%) and a well-controlled particle size (86.4 ± 13.2 nm). The mixed micelles efficiently protected DSF from degradation in plasma, with 58% remaining after 48 h, while almost 90% of DSF was degraded after the same period for the DSF solution (DSF-sol), which was used as a control. The pharmacokinetics study showed that the maximum plasma concentration and bioavailability of DSF were improved by using the DSF-MMs (2 and 2.5 times that of the DSF-sol). The TIRs (tumor inhibition rates) of 5-FU, DSF-sol, and DSF-MMs were 63.46, 19.57, and 69.98%, respectively, implying that DSF-MMs slowed the growth of a H22 xenograft tumor model effectively.


Treponemes were isolated from ligature induced periodontal pockets of non-human primates, and from humans with periodontitis. Approximately 39% of the microscopic count were spirochetes from humans, while 65% of the microscopic microbiota was accounted for by spirochetes from non-human primates. Metabolically, the human treponemal isolates grew on trypticase-yeast extract based media while the non-human primate isolates grew only on pectin, glucuronic or galacturonic acids. The end-products of glucose fermentation by the human treponemes were acetate and propionate, while acetate was produced by the non-human primate treponemes from pectin. All of the human isolates were indole positive, hemolyzed blood, required serum for growth, but did not require thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP). The non-human primate treponemes were indole negative, were inhibited in their growth by blood, grew in the absence of serum, and required TPP for growth. PAGE analysis of whole cell proteins revealed three categories of treponemal isolates: (i) human isolates similar to Treponema denticola; (ii) human isolates of small size; and (iii) non-human primate isolates similar to the pectinolytic treponemes. Serologically, the human treponemal isolates were similar to T. denticola, while the non-human primate isolates were similar to the pectinolytic treponemes. Four human, 4 non-human primate, and 4 reference treponemes exhibited a Mol% G + C of their DNA of 40.0-43.1. The metabolic differences between the human and non-human primate treponemal isolates may be a reflection of ecological differences in the periodontium of the pathological entities which exist in human and non-human primates.


In the charged religious context of post-Reformation Germany, debate ensued about the power of weather bells to disperse the thunderstorms traditionally thought to be the work of demons and witches . Catholics and Protestants alike inherited medieval notions of demonic agency in the atmosphere, but they differed on the appropriate remedy . Protestant critics ridiculed the consecration of bells as a corruption of baptism and rejected their sonic agency as a violation of God's providence, retaining weather bells as a compulsion to the collective prayer that alone could assuage God's wrath . Defenders of Catholic practice, however, rehearsed medieval arguments for bell apotropaism and insisted on their efficacy against storms, appealing variously to their consecration or to the prayer they compelled . If published Catholic opinion shifted markedly against apotropaic sound in the Enlightenment, local populations continued to hear weather bells in traditional ways, and to posit bells as powerful deterrents against demonic listeners .


A series of dipeptides with N3-(4-methoxyfumaroyl)-L-2,3-diaminopropanoic acid (FMDP), the irreversible inhibitor of glucosamine-6-phosphate synthetase from bacteria and fungi, have been synthesized and their antibacterial and antifungal properties in vitro evaluated. The results demonstrate that these peptides inhibit the growth of a number of the tested microorganisms, especially pathogenic fungus Candida albicans. The results of competitive antagonism studies indicate specific peptide transport of the peptides via peptide permeases as drug delivery system and gives evidence for the high selectivity of the action upon the cells, as a result of the inhibition of generation of glucosamine.


Mono-, pseudo-gem, and pseudo-para ethynylcyclophanes and bis(azides) have been employed as addition partners in CuAAC reactions to design and build complex extended molecular scaffolds. The reactivity of the resulting triazoles was investigated under photochemical conditions. A variety of newly substituted [2.2]paracyclophanes were identified; deazotization of pseudo-gem and pseudo-para adducts provided indolophane derivatives. An intramolecular stabilization effect was observed in the case of pseudo-gem derivatives. A photochemical rearrangement from a pseudo-para adduct to a pseudo-ortho product was identified.


This paper examines the conditions that make reference price manipulation beneficial to retailers. The paper offers a modelling approach that is based on two distinct dimensions: product category, and degree of market competition. The model shows that reference price manipulation in a competitive market is less beneficial to retailers than it is in a monopolistic market. Reference price manipulation of a specific product is most advantageous to retailers when it is a frequently purchased, low-priced product in a monopolistic market. For an infrequently purchased, high-priced product in a competitive market, reference price manipulation is less beneficial. The analysis gives rise to policy implications that could potentially improve consumer welfare.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the current situation of access to information by health staff at selected central, provincial, district hospitals and health centres in Zambia.

METHODS
Government and non-governmental institutions were visited in the Lusaka Urban District and nine rural districts in the North-Western, Western and Central Provinces of Zambia in 2001. Thirty interviews were held with provincial and district health directors, medical doctors, nurses and clinical officers in district hospitals and rural and urban health centres. In 2006, a follow-up visit was undertaken to the health centres in the Lusaka Urban District in Lusaka Province and the Sesheke District in the Western Province.

RESULTS
There is limited access to health information for health workers in Zambia. In hospitals and health centres, where there is access, it is usually provided in an ad hoc manner without a central policy from the government. In all the places visited, there was also an overwhelming expressed need for different types of information relating to the professional or personal needs of health care workers.

CONCLUSIONS
The study found that access to information was very poor. There were some excellent examples of local initiatives showing that, even under difficult financial and infrastructural circumstances, it was feasible to improve health workers' access to information by using low technology, information access initiatives. These existing local initiatives deserve to be scaled up, while new initiatives should be adopted to improve access to information in a much more structured way. Of paramount importance is the formulation and implementation of an information policy that will guarantee the provision of health information to Zambian health workers.


An increasing amount of literature shows solid evidence that the depth of invasion (DOI) of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma is an independent predictor for occult metastasis, recurrence, and survival (1-3). Furthermore, the DOI of the primary tumor has been a major criterion when deciding to perform elective neck dissection on oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma patients since as early as the mid-1990s (4). A cut-off value of 4 mm has conventionally been used when determining the need for elective neck dissection, based on a study by Kligerman et al . (4). Thereafter, several reports have proposed a range of cut-off points for improving survival, detection of occult nodal metastases, and decreasing risk of locoregional recurrence (5,6).


BACKGROUND
Lumbosacral radicular pain is a common clinical finding with a statistical prevalence ranging from 9.9% to 25% in the general population.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effectiveness of dorsal root ganglion pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) in patients with chronic lumbosacral radicular pain and neuropathic features.

STUDY DESIGN
Prospective case series clinical outcome study.

METHODS
We evaluated 34 patients with lumbosacral neuropathic pain who underwent PRF at the corresponding level of radicular symptoms distribution (ranging from L3 to S1). Each patient suffered a single leg-radiating pain with probable neuropathic features (assessed with clinical grading) lasting for > 6 months and unresponsive to previous treatments. A multifunctional PASHA-electrode® was introduced with trans-sacral access through a hollow needle, placed under fluoroscopic guidance into the lumbosacral epidural space and its active tip moved close to the dorsal root ganglion responsible of the clinical symptoms. After connecting the electrode to a generator, stimulation tests were performed and PRF was started and applied for 240 seconds at a frequency of 2Hz, amplitude of 45 V and a tip temperature between 40 - 42°C. If the pain involved more than a single nerve root, the electrode was placed at a different segment and the procedure repeated. Outcome measures included the pain intensity score on a 0 - 10 numeric rating scale (NRS) and the Italian Pain Questionnaire (QUID) at pre-treatment, one and 6 months post-treatment. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS
In comparison with pre-treatment, a significant reduction in pain score was observed in mean NRS either at one and 6 months (P < 0.001). The QUID - Pain Rating Index rank displayed a parallel trend at the first (P < 0.001) and last follow-up (P = 0.01). Moreover, a direct correlation between the 2 scales occurred, showing a parallel score decreasing (P < 0.001). Eighteen (52.9%) and 17 (50%) of 34 patients showed pain reduction in NRS > 2 points and > 30%, at one and 6 months, respectively.

LIMITATIONS
The non-controlled design of the study, the patients were heterogeneous, the small number of patients, and the duration of follow-up was limited to 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS
PRF of dorsal root ganglion performed with a multifunctional electrode for > 240 seconds appears to be safe and might be more effective than the classic 120 seconds needle-mediated approach. Therefore, it may be considered as a valuable tool for the treatment of lumbosacral radicular pain with neuropathic features.


This is the second part of an article that draws a portrait of Mark Zborowski, Stalin's master spy in the Left Opposition, revealing his activities and analysing the damage he caused from Paris to the US. Known as Etienne in the Trotskyist movement, Zborowski was smart, inconspicuous and dangerous, and became one of a handful of leading operatives in the network of secret spies charged by Stalin with rooting out his political and intellectual opponents in the West. Part One showed how Zborowski sowed suspicion and deepened divisions within the international Left Opposition, enabled assassinations and played a role in the death of Trotsky's son, Lev Sedov. Zborowski was so successful in penetrating Sedov's inner circle that he became the Editor of the Bulletin of the Left Opposition after Sedov's death, thereby positioning himself to alter Trotsky's articles in subtle, undetectable but politically damaging ways. Zborowski's life was marked by deception, intrigue and luck: he survived and flourished when millions perished. In this second part, we take up his trajectory in the US, where he continued his work for Stalin's 'organs'. Zborowski was eventually unmasked as a spy, but he nonetheless managed to pursue two successful careers and achieve enormous influence in the areas he worked in—first as a cultural anthropologist and then as a medical anthropologist. In both fields he published texts that established him as a leading figure—in Jewish studies with the influential Life is With People, and in medical anthropology with the publication of People in Pain.


Data Mining simply refers to the extraction of very interesting patterns of the data from the massive data sets. Outlier detection is one of the important aspects of data mining which actually finds out the observations that are deviating from the common expected behavior. Outlier detection and analysis is sometimes known as outlier mining. In this paper, we have tried to provide the broad and a comprehensive literature survey of outliers and outlier detection techniques under one roof, so as to explain the richness and complexity associated with each outlier detection technique. Moreover, we have also given a broad comparison of the various methods of the different outlier techniques.


Cultural norms, collective decisions, reproductive behaviour, and pathogen transmission all emerge from interaction patterns within animal social groups. These patterns of interaction support group-level phenomena that can influence an individual's fitness. The aim of this study is to understand the evolution of social organization in Drosophila. Using a comparative ecological, phylogenetic and behavioural approach, we studied the different properties of social interaction networks (SINs) formed by 20 drosophilids and the different ways these species interact. We investigate whether animal network structures arise from common ancestry, a response to the species' past ecological environment, other social behaviours, or a combination of these factors. We demonstrate that differences in past climate predicted the species' current SIN properties. The drosophilid phylogeny offered no value to predicting species' differences in SINs through phylogenetic signal tests. This suggests group-level social behaviours in drosophilid species are shaped by divergent climates. However, we find that the distance at which flies interact correlated with the drosophilid phylogeny, indicating that behavioural elements that comprise SINs have remained largely unchanged in their recent evolutionary history. We find a significant correlation of leg length to social distance, outlining the interdependence of anatomy and complex social structures. Although SINs display a complex evolutionary relationship across drosophilids, this study provides evidence of selective pressures acting on social behaviour in Drosophila. We speculate that conserved molecular mechanisms may be shared across drosophilids deep in their evolutionary history, similar to other pervasive mechanisms, like biological clocks.


We present a novel fruit counting pipeline that combines deep segmentation, frame to frame tracking, and 3D localization to accurately count visible fruits across a sequence of images. Our pipeline works on image streams from a monocular camera, both in natural light, as well as with controlled illumination at night. We first train a Fully Convolutional Network (FCN) and segment video frame images into fruit and non-fruit pixels. We then track fruits across frames using the Hungarian Algorithm where the objective cost is determined from a Kalman Filter corrected Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi (KLT) Tracker. In order to correct the estimated count from tracking process, we combine tracking results with a Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithm to calculate relative 3D locations and size estimates to reject outliers and double counted fruit tracks. We evaluate our algorithm by comparing with ground-truth human-annotated visual counts. Our results demonstrate that our pipeline is able to accurately and reliably count fruits across image sequences, and the correction step can significantly improve the counting accuracy and robustness. Although discussed in the context of fruit counting, our work can extend to detection, tracking, and counting of a variety of other stationary features of interest such as leaf-spots, wilt, and blossom.


This series of papers will describe the chemistry, electrochemistry and performance of a flow battery with no separator and a single electrolyte, lead(II) in methanesulfonic acid. Voltammetry at rotating disc electrodes is used to define the conditions for the high rate deposition and dissolution of lead and lead dioxide in aqueous methanesulfonic acid. The determination of lead methanesulfonate solubility and solution conductivity as a function of lead methanesulfonate and methanesulfonic acid concentrations was carried out in order to aid the selection of the electrolyte for the battery.


This is a study of the mutual intelligibility between speakers of North and West Frisian: two minority languages with a mutual ancestor language. The study looks at the intelligibility of auditory and written material and concludes that the mean degree of intelligibility between speakers of the two languages is 38%, which might be enough for basic communication, but is rather low compared to intelligibility levels between other pairs of closely related languages. Our study thus indicates that a close genetic relationship between languages does not necessarily predict levels of mutual intelligibility.


It remains unproven that scheduled follow-up after repair of acyanotic heart defects actually prolongs life or improves its quality. However, postoperative patients do occasionally encounter late complications that, when recognized, can be treated effectively. Scheduled follow-up probably maximizes the early recognition and treatment of late postoperative problems. Each repaired defect has a best-case scenario for long-term course, in which late complications are relatively unlikely. The best cases after repair of certain lesions, for example patent ductus arteriosus, carry negligible potential for deterioration and so benefit less from frequent technologically intensive follow-up than others, such as aortic stenosis, that have greater potential for deterioration.Residual hemodynamic or electrophysiologic problems (including pulmonary or systemic hypertension, residual valvular insufficiency or stenosis, heart failure, atrioventricular block, or tachyarrhythmias) identify some patients as special cases who deviate from the best-case scenario in ways that make deterioration more likely. Although best cases can usually be followed infrequently with minimal technologic support, special cases require more active management to optimize their outcome, so they should benefit from more frequent and extensive scheduled follow-up. Failure to appreciate the heterogeneity of follow-up needs among patients who share the same preoperative diagnosis can lead to inappropriately standardized levels of postoperative surveillance, providing too much for some and not enough for others.


The purpose of this study is to identify how to use systematic observation as an important way of analyzing interactive behaviors between the teacher and the student. Moreover, it tries to reveal the approved teaching method (direct and indirect) and the ratio of each to the other, and the role of each in enhancing the educational process. It is applied to a group of teachers Physical education for study Q in the city of Samarra and their number (NO: 12 80%) teachers, using (A. mae Timer) system for organized objective observation program. The study concluded to adopt direct teaching in teaching skills and the rules of games and the following roles regularly, in addition to being an honest tool for analyzing the teaching process and discovering its strengths and weaknesses. objective observation must be adopted as a tool to analyze the teaching process, and objective observation should be adopted in different studies to arrive at strength points. The weakness in the teaching process, and also that the objective analysis of teaching gives a clear picture of the teaching behavior.


ABSTRACT Emergency physicians (EPs) are faced with significant challenges regarding pain management, while preventing abuse of prescription opioids. Prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) are increasingly used to help allay the abuse of controlled substances. The objective of this study was to determine EPs' intention to use the Texas PMP within the framework of the Technology Acceptance Model. A cross-sectional, 24-item survey instrument was developed and distributed to EPs attending an emergency medicine conference. PMP nonusers reported a positive intention to use the PMP in the future, with attitude (β = 0.61, p < 0.01) as the only statistically significant predictor of intention. PMP users reported a positive intention to use the PMP, with perceived usefulness (β = 0.62, p < 0.01) as the only statistically significant predictor of intention for PMP users. This exploratory study provides a basis for understanding EPs' intention to use a PMP. The use of PMPs by EPs may lead to a decrease in prescription opioid abuse and improve patient safety related to opioid prescribing in the emergency department setting.


Queue overflow of a dynamic queue system gives rise to the information loss (or packet loss) in the communication buffer or the decrease of throughput in the transportation network. This paper investigates a stochastic optimal control problem for dynamic queue systems when imposing probability constraints on queue overflows. We reformulate this problem as a Markov decision process (MDP) with safety constraints. We prove that both finite-horizon and infinite-horizon stochastic optimal control for MDP with such constraints can be transformed as a linear program (LP), respectively. Feasibility conditions are provided for the finite-horizon constrained control problem. Two implementation algorithms are designed under the assumption that only the state (not the state distribution) can be observed at each time instant. Simulation results compare optimal cost and state distribution among different scenarios, and show the probability constraint satisfaction by the proposed algorithms.


This is an exploratory-descriptive-qualitative study, with the purpose of identifying the defensive strategies used by the nurse to face suffering in the work environment. The period of data gathering was between December 2006 and February 2007. The sample consisted of eight nurses of all shifts who worked in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) I and II of the Regional University Hospital of Northern Paraná, who answered to a semi-structured interview. As for the analysis of the collected material, the content analysis method in the thematic and a theoretical basis concerning the Psychodynamics of the work in the Dejourian view were used. Out of the thematic analysis, the following category emerged: defensive strategy adopted by the ICU nurse, which was revealed based on the subcategories: searching for support in the religious practice; promoting the interrelationship among the members of the health team; performing physical activities; moving away from the patient and his/her family members, and making use of tobacco. Results showed that the nurses use individual defensive strategies more often than collective ones.


The durations and average speeds of ultrashort optical pulses transmitted through chiral sculptured thin films (STFs) were calculated using a finite-difference time-domain algorithm. Chiral STFs are a class of nanoengineered materials whose microstructure comprises parallel helicoidal nanowires grown normal to a substrate. The nanowires are ∼10–300 nm in diameter and ∼1–10 µm in length. Durations of transmitted pulses tend to increase with decreasing (free-space) wavelength of the carrier plane wave, while average speeds tend to increase with increasing wavelength. An increase in nonlinearity, as manifested by an intensity-dependent refractive index in the frequency domain, tends to increase durations of transmitted pulses and decrease average speeds. The circular Bragg phenomenon exhibited by a chiral STF manifests itself in the frequency domain as high reflectivity for normally incident carrier plane waves whose circular polarization state is matched to the structural handedness of the film and whose wavelength falls in a range known as the Bragg regime; films of the opposite structural handedness reflect such plane waves little. This effect tends to distort the shapes of transmitted pulses with respect to the incident pulses, and such shaping can cause sharp changes in some measures of average speed with respect to carrier wavelength. A local maximum in the variation of one measure of the pulse duration with respect to wavelength is noted and attributed to the circular Bragg phenomenon. Several of these effects are explained via frequency-domain arguments. The presented results serve as a foundation for future theoretical and experimental studies of optical pulse propagation through causal, nonlinear, nonhomogeneous, and anisotropic materials.


A Latent Class model is utilized to examine vegetable and livestock producers' preferences for a number of different features offered by food exchange websites. The results indicate that growers are willing to pay on average $55.69 per month if an online marketplace is offered. Additionally, the WTP for advertising on FacebookSocial media is on average $20.43 per month. Lastly, the producers are willing to pay $31.37 per month more for the service if it is provided by a private for profit company.


Livestock grazing is a widespread source of habitat modification, and may affect populations of ground-nesting grassland birds by influencing rates of nest failure. Nesting attempts can fail for various reasons, and determining risk of failure from specific causes associated with livestock grazing would enhance development of range management practices in areas managed for threatened grassland bird populations. Domestic livestock may influence nest failure by affecting vegetation structure, numerical or functional responses of predators, or directly by trampling nests. We hypothesized stocking rate may influence nest fate because it affects the amount and distribution of remaining vegetation, and the number of large herbivores to which nests are exposed. In 2007 and 2008, we evaluated nest fates for savannah sparrows and horned larks under 4 stocking rates experimentally applied in 40-ha paddocks in northeastern Oregon, USA. In addition to stocking rate, we evaluated variables such as vegetation structure and predator abundance and activity to help clarify mechanisms responsible for nest failure. We used a discrete competing risks framework to estimate daily probability of nest survival and failure from specific causes. These algorithms, implemented in a stand-alone graphical user interface-driven model, allow incorporation of covariates within an information theoretic approach to model inference. Although stocking rate influenced vegetation structure, the only nest failures related to stocking rate were from trampling. Trampling events were too infrequent to test for treatment effects (only 1 nest of each species), but occurred in the moderate and high stocking treatments. Additional variables were related to variation in nest failure from predation, but we found no support for the hypothesis that these causes of failure were affected by stocking rate. For savannah sparrows, daily probability of nest success (95% CI) ¼ 0.97 (0.96-0.98); predation ¼ 0.018 (0.008-0.028); and trampling ¼ 0.001 (0.000-0.004). For horned larks, daily probability of nest success ¼ 0.96 (0.95-0.98); predation ¼ 0.029 (0.012-0.045); and trampling ¼ 0.003 (0.000-0.007). Our results suggest grasslands managed for livestock may generally be compatible with grassland songbird conservation, at least for the species and stocking rates examined here. The most effective conservation strategies for improving nest success will involve decreasing risk of nest predation. However, we found no evidence that management of stocking rate is an effective method for doing so. 2012 The Wildlife Society.


The aminofluorination of alkenes has become an attractive platform for the synthesis of β-amino-fluorinated compounds, valuable building blocks in medicinal and agricultural chemistry. The novel methodologies disclosed in recent years have unraveled a broad array of reaction mechanisms, so that the interest in these transformations transcends the mere synthetic aspects. This review aims to summarize the most relevant findings in this area attending at the nature of the fluorine source, and thus the specific mechanism operating in each of these transformations, namely electrophilic, nucleophilic, radical, and late transition metal-catalyzed reactions.


A total of 10 groundwater samples were obtained from groundwater wells with depths of around 8-10 meters distributed around Yogyakarta International Airport, Indonesia to test the geochemical of groundwater for assessing the seawater intrusion. Samples were taken into polyethylene bottles with a volume of 1000 ml. These bottles were rinsed to reduce the risk of any contamination prior to their filing with sampled water. Piper Diagram is used to evaluate seawater intrusion by plotting the percentages of cations and anions (in mEq/L) as a single point on the triangle. The groundwater facies' in the study area are CaHCO3 and CaNaHCO3. It suggests that the origins of the elements Ca and Na were estimated to derive from the dissolution of the plagioclase, hornblende, and pyroxene minerals found in the sand sediment, while the elements of HCO3 were estimated from the dissolution of carbonate minerals or the decomposition of organic matter and root respiration in the soil zone may enrich their concentration. The wells affected by slightly freshening were ZAM-04, ZAM-05, ZAM-06, ZAM-08, and ZAM-10. While the wells that are not affected by the intrusion or fresh were ZAM-01, ZAM-03, ZAM-07, and ZAM-09. However, ZAM-02 well which is close to the coastline and the closest to the airport development area was the only well that affected significantly by freshening, comparing with other wells. Another expected controlling factor was the fault in the northern part which continuously leads that location. By supported a flow pattern or large river, it was concluded the alluvial deposits buried the fault, and it was estimated to continue to that location.


Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a muscle degenerative disease that disproportionally affects the muscles of the face, shoulder girdle and upper arms. FSHD is caused by the misexpression of Double Homeobox 4 (DUX4), a transcription factor that is normally expressed during early embryonic development. Ectopic expression of DUX4 in somatic cells is cytotoxic and leads to rapid apoptosis. To elucidate the mechanism by which DUX4 induces apoptosis, we determined the temporal transcriptional changes induced by Dux4 at the single-cell level. We observed that induction of DUX4 expression induces a non-random, consecutive sequence of transcriptional changes. DUX4 homogenously induces the activation of a stem cell signature and activates a network of transcription factors that is typically expressed during early embryogenesis and in pluripotent stem cells. Ultimately, these transcriptional changes trigger the induction of apoptosis, suggesting that the induction of this early stemness program is incompatible with a somatic cell program. Our findings shed new light on the timing and dynamic of DUX4-mediated transcriptional reprogramming and may help elucidate why the DUX4 stemness program is required during early embryogenesis, but incompatible with somatic cell viability.


In this paper, we describe a new method to obtain D2O/H2O exchange in photosynthetic reaction centres from Rhodobacter sphaeroides. The method is characterized by: (i) a very high efficiency of the isotopic replacement; (ii) an extremely low amount of D2O needed; (iii) the short time required for dehydration and D2O rehydration; (iv) the possibility of controlling concomitantly the hydration state of the sample. The proposed method can be applied to other proteins.


Purpose: To report a case of peripheral ulcerative keratitis and necrotizing scleritis precipitated by trauma in a patient with mixed cryoglobulinemia due to hepatitis C viral infection. Methods: Case report and literature review. Results: A 62-year-old man with a history of mixed cryoglobulinemia developed an episode of necrotizing scleritis and peripheral ulcerative keratitis one month after repair of a traumatic scleral defect with patch grafting. This episode resolved following treatment with high-dose corticosteroids and the patient underwent successful repeat patch grafting along with a free conjunctival autograft. This is the second reported case of necrotizing scleritis and peripheral ulcerative keratitis associated with mixed cryoglobulinemia. Conclusion: Ophthalmologists should be aware of the association between mixed cryoglobulinemia and necrotizing scleritis/peripheral ulcerative keratitis. Patients with this condition experiencing ocular trauma or undergoing ocular surgery should be monitored closely.


A complete text on the law of collision reflecting the adoption of the 1972 International Regulations for Avoiding Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), which became effective in 1977the first complete revision of the International Rules since 1889. Text also includes changes in the U.S. Inland Rules for the former Inland, Great Lakes, and Western Rivers Rules, adoption of the proportional fault rule by the U.S. Supreme Court in Reliable Transfer Co. v. United States, and the widespread use of radar and Automatic Radar Plotting in marine navigation. In addition to the rules, the book covers damages, both-to-blame collisions, and official investigations. It also includes chapters on pilotage, towage, marine pollution, limitation of liability, marine insurance, salvage, and general average, all in relation to collisions.


Design research is an academic issue and increasingly an essential success factor for industrial, organizational and social innovation. The fierce rejection of 1st generation design methods in the early 1970s resulted in the postmodernist attitude of "no methods", and subsequently, after more than a decade, in the strong adoption of scientific methods, or "the" scientific method, for design research. The current situation regarding methodology is characterized by unproductive dualisms such as scientific methods vs. designerly methods, normative methods vs. descriptive methods, research vs. design. The potential of the early (1st generation) methods is neglected and the practical usefulness of design research is impeded. The suggestion for 2nd generation methods as discussed by Rittel and others has hardly been taken up in design. The development of a methodological tool / medium for research through design – MAPS – (which is the central part of the paper) presents the cause and catalyst for some reflections about the usability / desirability / usefulness of methodical support for the design (research) process.
 Keywords:
Integrative Design Research Medium, Research Through Design, MAPS, Methodology


Fifth Generation of cellular networks is coming in the next few years and we think that it will not be predicted as a development version of the existing one. The wireless research community aspires to visualize full duplex operation by supporting concurrent transmission and reception in a single time/frequency channel for the sake of improving the attainable spectral efficiency by a Factor of two as compared to the family of conventional half duplex wireless systems. The main challenge encountered in implementing full duplex wireless devices is that of finding techniques for mitigating the performance degradation caused by self-interference. Self-interference suppression will represent one of the main merits that offered by the Fifth Generation Networks. While in the existing version of mobile networks the available spectrum is not sufficiently used, the predicted version will use that spectrum in more efficient manner in such a way that it will be approximately full all the operating time. The object of this paper is to scan the existing techniques that are concerned with Self Interference cancellation on the level of antenna and system design to allow us to suggest some solutions for that problem in the future.


This article reviews current knowledge about somatoform disorders in children and adolescents. Somatoform disorders are likely to occur more frequently in children and adolescents who have been severely maltreated than in others. The symptoms of somatoform disorders are reviewed, strategies for distinguishing somatoform disorders from other disorders are examined, and treatment strategies are explored.


Morphosyntactic lexicons and word vector representations have both proven useful for improving the accuracy of statistical part-of-speech taggers. Here we compare the performances of four systems on datasets covering 16 languages, two of these systems being feature-based (MEMMs and CRFs) and two of them being neural-based (bi-LSTMs). We show that, on average, all four approaches perform similarly and reach state-of-the-art results. Yet better performances are obtained with our feature-based models on lexically richer datasets (e.g. for morphologically rich languages), whereas neural-based results are higher on datasets with less lexical variability (e.g. for English). These conclusions hold in particular for the MEMM models relying on our system MElt, which benefited from newly designed features. This shows that, under certain conditions, feature-based approaches enriched with morphosyntactic lexicons are competitive with respect to neural methods.


S-Adenosylmethionine:nocardicin 3-amino-3-carboxypropyltransferase catalyzes the biosynthetically rare transfer of the 3-amino-3-carboxypropyl moiety fromS-adenosylmethionine to a phenolic site in the β-lactam substrates nocardicin E, F, and G, a late step of the biosynthesis of the monocyclic β-lactam antibiotic nocardicin A. Whereas a number of conventional methods were ineffective in purifying the transferase, it was successfully obtained by two complementary affinity chromatography steps that took advantage of the two substrate-two product reaction scheme. S-Adenosylhomocysteine-agarose selected enzymes that utilize S-adenosylmethionine, and a second column, nocardicin A-agarose, specifically bound the desired transferase to yield the enzyme as a single band of 38 kDa on a silver-stained SDS-polyacrylamide gel. The transferase is active as a monomer and exhibits sequential kinetics. Further kinetic characterization of this protein is described and its role in the biosynthesis of nocardicin A discussed. The gene encoding this transferase was cloned from a sublibrary of Nocardia uniformis DNA. Translation gave a protein of deduced mass 32,386 Da which showed weak homology to small molecule methyltransferases. However, three correctly disposed signature motifs characteristic of these enzymes were observed.


The #MeToo movement is an ongoing prevalent phenomenon on social media aiming to demonstrate the frequency and widespread of sexual harassment by providing a platform to speak narrate personal experiences of such harassment. The aggregation and analysis of such disclosures pave the way to development of technology-based prevention of sexual harassment. We contend that the lack of specificity in generic sentence classification models may not be the best way to tackle text subtleties that intrinsically prevail in a classification task as complex as identifying disclosures of sexual harassment. We propose the Disclosure Language Model, a three part ULMFiT architecture, consisting of a Language model, a Medium-Specific (Twitter) model and a Task-Specific classifier to tackle this problem and create a manually annotated real-world dataset to test our technique on this, to show that using a Discourse Language Model often yields better classification performance over (i) Generic deep learning based sentence classification models (ii) existing models that rely on handcrafted stylistic features. An extensive comparison with state-of-the-art generic and specific models along with a detailed error analysis presents the case for our proposed methodology.


Mechanisms underlying adaptive evolution can best be explored using paired populations displaying similar phenotypic divergence, illuminating the genomic changes associated with specific life history traits. Here we used paired migratory [anadromous vs. resident (kokanee)] and reproductive [shore- vs. stream-spawning] ecotypes of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) sampled from seven lakes and two rivers spanning three catchments (Columbia, Fraser, and Skeena) in British Columbia, Canada to investigate the patterns and processes underlying their divergence. Restriction-site associated DNA sequencing was used to genotype this sampling at 7,347 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 334 of which were identified as outlier loci and candidates for divergent selection within at least one ecotype comparison. Eighty-six of these outliers were present in multiple comparisons, with thirty-three detected across multiple catchments. Of particular note, one locus was detected as the most significant outlier between shore and stream-spawning ecotypes in multiple comparisons and across catchments (Columbia, Fraser and Snake). We also detected several islands of divergence, some shared among comparisons, potentially showing linked signals of differential selection. The SNPs and genomic regions identified in our study offer a range of mechanistic hypotheses associated with the genetic basis of O. nerka life history variation and provide novel tools for informing fisheries management.


Experimental results concerning the determination of the time profile of femtosecond laser pulses are presented. The method is based on the analysis of the changes of the laser spectrum induced at different delays by cross-phase modulation. Pulses from a 30-fs Ti:sapphire laser at 800 nm are characterized over a high dynamic range. Second-harmonic pulses at 400 nm from the same laser are also characterized, exhibiting the expected improvement in contrast ratio.


The wireless communications channel constitutes the basic physical link between the transmitter and the receiver antennas. Its modelling has been and continues to be a tantalizing issue, while being one of the most fundamental components based on which transmitters and receivers are designed and optimized. The ultimate performance limits of any communication system are determined by the channel and their operating environment like fading, multipath propagation, type of terrains, and mobility (Doppler shift). Realistic channel models are thus of utmost importance for system design and testing. In this paper an effort has been made to evaluate the performance of mobile wireless communication channel in terms of number of taps mobile Velocity and Doppler Spectrum.


Background: Musculoskeletal disorders are defined as complaints or disorders that cause discomfort to the musculoskeletal system. During lecture activities, students are mostly in a static posture. Static and repetitive muscle loading when sitting for a long period can cause muscle fatigue due to the accumulation of lactic acid. Besides, it produces discomfort or pain in the musculoskeletal system. The purpose of the research is to describe an overview of musculoskeletal disorders in undergraduate students of the Bachelor and Professional Program of Physical Therapy Faculty of Medicine Udayana University during the lecture.
Methods: The method of this research is descriptive-analytic with a cross-sectional, which has been carried out from October to November 2021. This research used a total sampling technique. The participants were undergraduate students of the Bachelor and Professional of Physical Therapy Program, College of Medicine, Universitas Udayana, with a total of 196 participants who met the established criteria. Researchers measured musculoskeletal disorders using a Nordic Body Map (NBM) questionnaire. Analysis of research data using univariate analysis, namely age, gender, body mass index, study period, duration of the study, and musculoskeletal disorders.
Results: The results showed that musculoskeletal disorders were mostly complained of by students, namely the waist 61.7%, then the back 59%, followed by complaints in the lower neck 53.6% and upper neck 47.4% while the lowest complaints occurred in the left leg with a percentage of 5.6%.
Conclusion: A total of 177 (90.3%) students had musculoskeletal disorders during lectures and 19 (9.7%) did not experience musculoskeletal disorders during lectures, and 94.4% had a low risk of musculoskeletal disorders. The risk of low musculoskeletal disorders can be interpreted as not requiring improvement.


Steel shear wall is one of the types of resistant shear walls against lateral loads of the structure which is considered due to many reasons such as reducing the weight of the steel in the structure and increased speed of construction etc. In order to prevent out-of-plan buckling of steel plate, stiffeners are applied horizontally, vertically or diagonally. A new method used in the recent years is the use of a corrugated plate in various shapes, such as a sine, a trapezoid, a triangular, etc., in the construction of a steel shear wall. The aim of this research is to replace the local corrugated (press) plate with corrugated steel plates. After investigating the force-displacement diagrams in monotonic and cyclic loading, it was obtained that the local vertical trapezoidal presses had better resistance and ductility compared to the local cylindric presses for replacing corrugated and steel shear wall. The results of this research showed that the resistance of the local shear steel wall has a direct relation with the thickness of the plate and a reverse relation with the out of plan dimension of trapezoidal corrugate. Though, in all the tests of the local corrugated steel sheer walls, there is an approximate range in which beyond that range, the above results are not valid. As an example, a thickness increases of up to 9mm from the plate is effective, since in higher thicknesses, simple steel sheer wall exhibits adequate buckling resistance. It was found that in high thicknesses with increasing the trapezoidal corrugate section, the behavior of the steel shear wall improves, while such behavior is not displayed in lower thicknesses. The results of this research can be applied for designing without stiffeners, reducing welding area and increasing ductility in steel structures.


The spectral functions rho (k2) to order e2 in quantum electrodynamics (QED) for an arbitrary space of dimension 2L are derived and are used to calculate the vacuum expectation value (VEV) of the vector current commutators in a closed form for intermediate fermion states of arbitrary mass. A particularly difficult integral in the VEV including the mass term is evaluated as a Meijer G function. Using these results the problem of equal-time current-current commutators (Schwinger terms) is approached covariantly, thereby resolving some renormalisation ambiguities, and also the well known ambiguities attendant on any naive use of the T product at equal times.