This paper describes a new automated simulation system for micromachines whose size range 10 -6 to 10 -3 m. An automatic finite element (FE) mesh generation technique, which is based on the fuzzy knowledge processing and computational geometry technique, is incorporated into the system, together with one of commercial FE analysis codes, MARC, and one of commercial solid modelers, Designbase. The system allows a geometry model of concern to be automatically converted to different FE models, depending on physical phenomena of micromachines to be analyzed, i.e. electrostatic analysis, stress analysis, modal analysis and so on. The FE models are then automatically analyzed using the FE analysis code. Among a whole process of analysis, the definition of a geometry model, the designation of local node patterns and the assignment of material properties and boundary conditions onto the geometry model are only the interactive processes to be done by a user. The interactive operations can be processed in a few minutes. The other processes which are time consuming and labour-intensive in conventional CAE systems are fully automatically performed in a popular engineering workstation environment. This automated simulation system is successfully applied to evaluate an electrostatic micro wobble actuator.


Stem cells are undifferentiated cells which are maintained within a specific niche. A stem cell niche is a microenvironment of cells that maintain stem cell functionality, and one example is the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche. This niche provides support for HSCs, which give rise to hematopoietic cells such as erythrocytes and leukocytes. β-catenin is one of several proteins involved in the functioning and maintenance of the HSC niche. This protein is an intrinsic factor of HSCs and a component of the Wnt signalling pathway, which is integral to differentiation and proliferation. Experiments investigating overactive β-catenin have shown expansion of the HSC niche, while other experiments blocking β-catenin activity have shown attenuated HSC niche capacity. The results suggest that β-catenin plays a crucial role in HSC proliferation and differentiation within the niche. In agreement with these results, improper regulation of β-catenin has been implicated in the development of leukemia.


Pure ethyl acetate was subjected to electron pulse radiolysis in the liquid state and the absorption spectrum of the transient species produced was obtained between 280 and 650 nm. Two different species were produced, one with a short life of about 150 ns absorbing at longer wavelengths attributed to the solvated electron and a much longer lived radical absorbing at wavelengths less than 400 nm. The solute triplet yields were followed using anthracene and biphenyl at different concentrations. An upper limit for the yield of excited singlet anthracene was estimated from the study of fluorescence to be G approximately equal 0.1. Anthracene singlet yields in the presence of benzene at different concentrations were measured and the contribution of ethyl acetate positive ions in forming the additional excited singlets are discussed. The free ion yield is G = 0.25. Yield of ethyl acetate positive ions scavengeable at high benzene concentrations is G = 0.63.


Cholesterol was assayed on the Greiner GSA II and the Technicon SMA 12/60 and SMA II autoanalyzers, with Allain's entirely enzymic method (Allain et al. (1974), Clin. Chem. 20, 470--475). The coefficients of variation in the results over a period of one month were less than 6% with the GSA II and the SMA II, but up to 9% on the SMA 12/60. Although the accuracy of the enzymic method depends on the specificity of the cholesterol oxidase and cholesterol esterase, the results were in good agreement with those obtained by Abell's method (Abell et al. (1952), J. Biol. Chem. 195, 357--366) on fresh or freeze dried human plasma. The cholesterol concentration was stable at 4 degrees C, or in frozen or freeze dried plasma. None of the drugs tested interfered with the enzymic assay.


Cryptographic protocols are commonly designed and their security proven under the assumption that the protocol parties have access to perfect (uniform) randomness. Physical randomness sources deployed in practical implementations of these protocols often fall short in meeting this assumption, but instead provide only a steady stream of bits with certain high entropy. Trying to ground cryptographic protocols on such imperfect, weaker sources of randomness has thus far mostly given rise to a multitude of impossibility results, including the impossibility to construct provably secure encryption, commitments, secret sharing, and zero-knowledge proofs based solely on a weak source. More generally, indistinguishability-based properties break down for such weak sources. In this work, we show that the loss of security induced by using a weak source can be meaningfully quantified if the source is bounded, e.g., for the well-studied SanthaVazirani (SV) sources. The quantification relies on a novel relaxation of indistinguishability by a quantitative parameter. We call the resulting notion differential indistinguishability in order to reflect its structural similarity to differential privacy. More concretely, we prove that indistinguishability with uniform randomness implies differential indistinguishability with weak randomness. We show that if the amount of weak randomness is limited (e.g., by using it only to seed a PRG), all cryptographic primitives and protocols still achieve differential indistinguishability.


Stability constants for different aliphatic 2-hydroxycarboxylic acid complexes in aqueous solutions with protons and metal ions published between 1960 and the end of 1994 have been critically evaluated.


Although the benefits of coronary thrombolysis are well established, the optimal therapeutic strategy for ensuring rapid and sustained coronary artery patency remains controversial. The available data suggest that the success of coronary thrombolysis depends not only on the induction of clot lysis, but also on the extent to which procoagulant activity that promotes recurrent thrombosis is inhibited. Procoagulant activity increases almost immediately in patients treated with fibrinolytic agents, and persistent increases in thrombin activity have been associated with recurrent coronary thrombosis. Heparin administered intravenously appears to markedly attenuate the thrombin activity associated with thrombolysis and, in patients treated with tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), prevents early recurrent coronary thrombosis. The results of clinical trials of coronary thrombolysis indicate that conjunctive treatment of patients with heparin improves survival compared with treatment with fibrinolytic agents alone. Although recent clinical trials in which patients were treated with streptokinase suggested that 12,500 units of heparin administered subcutaneously twice daily decreases mortality, this dosage regimen does not induce therapeutic levels of anticoagulation within the first 24 h in most patients. The failure to achieve early therapeutic anticoagulation may account for the lack of mortality benefit in trials in which patients given t-PA were treated with conjunctive subcutaneous heparin therapy. Thus, the available experimental and clinical data suggest that intravenous heparin should be given to patients treated with fibrinolytic agents for acute myocardial infarction.


Although previous studies have shown that e-Government has the potential to accelerate reforms in the public sector and improve public service delivery, it is not clear to what extent the Kenyan e-Government Strategy that was launched in 2003 has had an impact on the performance of public service delivery if at all as the success of this initiative is more verbalized than quantified. The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of e-Government strategy implementation on the performance of the public service delivery in Kenya. The study further, highlighted, the eGovernment projects, the role of projects on the Kenyan public service delivery performance, found out if the projects have resolved the issues surrounding public service delivery performance, and provided an understanding about the critical success factors, implications, benefits, challenges and look at the coping strategies of e-Government Service Delivery initiatives on the performance of public service delivery in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive research design to collect data from the target population comprised of employees within the management cadre working at five specific government MDAs running e-Government projects portals as part of their core mandate and daily operations which totaled to 4163. Convenient sampling technique was used by the study to sample 423 respondents within the five key government institutions in Nairobi namely Kenya Revenue Authority for the I-Tax initiative, The National treasury for the IFMIS initiative, Ministry of Devolution and Planning for the Huduma centers programme and the GHRIS initiative and Ministry of Finance for the e-citizen portal. The study findings revealed that implementation of e-Government strategy implementation leads to a significant improvement in the performance of the public sector in Kenya.


Criminal organizations are capable to make political connections with public servants at different levels (i.e., local, national and transnational). is article provides a review of the literature on the power of the political-criminal alliances to affect the democratic institutions of the State. It also seeks to provide a theoretical framework appropriate to evaluate the impact level that the partnering between criminals and public servants has on the state's scaffolding. e academic work by some experts in criminology has examined the different political impacts that such alliances imply, which includes problems associated with the decay of the criminal judicial system and the creation of impunity umbrellas. However, to date, this research has not provided a theoretical and methodological framework enough to evaluate and measure the true impact of the political-criminal alliances on the state's institutions. Just a few scholars from different elds such as the economics and political science have based their researches on set of theories of systemic corruption and network theories in order to measure the political impact that groups outside the law have on the state. is review stresses the importance of these theoretical concepts in order to evaluate the impact of the politicalcriminal alliances on the institutions, and provides recommendations for future empirical researches and to set out new theories within the same eld.


In oligotrophic environments like groundwater, microorganisms can adapt to the nutrient limited conditions through the development of cooperative or antagonistic interactions, or through the general adaptation and regulation of their metabolism. Microbial communities in groundwater are highly complex and often dominated by microorganisms that lack cultivated representatives, including members of the Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR). These ultra-small sized bacteria have streamlined genomes that lack metabolic functions thought to be essential for life, suggesting that they depend on other microorganisms for these cellular components. This lifestyle hampers the cultivation of CPR, which traditionally relies upon the isolation of single microorganisms. Thus, understanding the repertoire of interaction mechanisms and the metabolic potential of groundwater bacteria is limited to laboratory investigations of a few isolates or based exclusively on genome-derived information. Collectively, the findings presented within this dissertation demonstrate how groundwater microbial communities are structured and influenced by species interactions as well as by the metabolic potential of individual members. While the predicted role of key players like Cand. Roizmanbacterium ADI133 has significantly contributed to the understanding of groundwater ecology, this dissertation further highlights the importance of trophic interactions in the terrestrial subsurface. However, novel cultivation strategies are needed to learn more about the role of yet uncultivated microorganisms, including the CPR.


Continuing arguments presented [1] or announced [2][3] in "Complex Systems," zero-divisor (ZD) foundations for "scale-free" networks (evinced, in particular, in the "fractality" of the Internet) are decentralized. Spandrels, quartets of ZD-free or "hidden" box-kite-like structures (HBKs) in the 2^(N+1)- ions, are "exploded" from (and uniquely linked to) each standard box-kite in the 2^N-ions, N > 3. Any HBK houses, in a "cowbird's nest," exactly one copy of the (ZD-free) octonions, the recursive basis for all ZD ensembles. Each is a potential waystation for alien-ensemble infiltration in the large, or metaphor-like jumps in the small. Cowbirding models what evolutionary biologists [4], and structural mythologist Claude Levi-Strauss before them [5], term bricolage: the opportunistic co-opting of objects designed for one purpose to serve others unrelated to it. Such arguments entail switching focus, from the octahedral box-kite's four triangular "sails," to its trio of square "catamarans" and their box-kite-switching "twist products."


The objective of this thesis is to contribute to Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) navigation by improving vehicle localisation accuracy when Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) bottom-tracking is unavailable. The Inertial Navigation System (INS) based localisation solution is prone to extreme uncertainties due to double integration of inherent errors within the INS acceleration measurements, unless the solution being externally aided (e.g. velocity measurements using the DVL bottom-track). As a solution for this, an improved model-aided INS localisation technique is introduced, which is complimented with the development of a novel model calibration and new water column velocity estimation method. The techniques established in this project are tested and validated using experimental data from a set of field manoeuvres using a Gavia class AUV and the performance is compared against other commonly used localisation methods.
A baseline mathematical model was developed in this work using system identification to predict the motion response of the AUV based on its control commands. However, such models are generally calibrated for low water column velocities and a standard vehicle configuration, and are limited in application for variations in environmental conditions. To address this limitation, a novel model calibration technique was established to field calibrate the parameters within the baseline model to the current operating condition and vehicle configuration. Model calibration improved the results of the baseline model up to 73% when operating in low energy environments and the AUV position can be computed within an uncertainty range of 1.5% of the distance travelled. In comparison, uncertainties of conventional non-bottom-tracking localisation techniques could be up to 10% in similar environmental conditions. A secondary approach is also presented to determine the hydrodynamic coefficients of the mathematical model using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and captive model experiments when the AUV is operating in complex flow conditions.
A non-acoustic method was introduced to estimate the velocity of the water column using the motion response of the AUV. This method is capable of accurately estimating water column velocities in proximity to the AUV (i.e., the water column velocities at the same depth as the vehicle is), which is not typically resolved with existing methods such as acoustic Doppler current profilers. When the mathematical model-aided localisation solution is complimented with water column velocity prediction method, the localisation error is limited to less than 6% of the distance travelled even in extremely high currents (i.e. >2 m s-1 in tested conditions). In such environmental conditions, the uncertainties of other commonly used non-bottom-tracking localisation methods, as tested against in this work, such as DVL water-track mode and unaided INS could be above 30%.
One of the key advantages of the proposed localisation technique is that it could be applied to any torpedo shaped AUV (for example, platforms such as REMUS, Iver, Bluefin, Explorer , etc.) of any configuration by simply conducting a set of established field manoeuvres to identify its mathematical model parameters. Further, additional sensors beyond a typical AUV navigational payload (i.e. global positioning, accelerometers and gyroscopes) are not required to implement this technique in an AUV. The localisation technique developed in this thesis is capable of improving the motion control and navigation solution of the AUV in the absence of DVL bottom-tracking, which is critical for the expansion of vehicle performance in extreme environmental conditions.


Introduction: Studies on the association between motor developmental delay and events observed during the neonatal period are performed after discharge. In such cases, the associations found may be interfered by factors occurring between discharge from the NICU and evaluation. Evaluate newborns before hospital discharge can prevent these effects.The purpose of this study is to identify factors related to motor developmental delay of newborns when being discharged from Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The method chosen to carry out this investigation was a prospective cohort, populationbased and analytic-descriptive study, and 178 newborns were assessed through the Test of Infant Motor Performance. Binomial logistic regression has been developed for analyzing the associated factors. Among the results obtained, 58.4% of them were premature, 56.2% were low weight newborns and 59.0% were male. The participants were selected among those with the following characteristics: Birth Weight (BW) 2304.3 g, Gestational Age (GA) 35.33 weeks. Morbidity occurred in 23.6% of the participants and 34.8% showed changes in the motor performance (64.7% in the ones below 1501g and 27.8% in the ones above 1500g). Upon completion of the TIMP, it was possible to conclude that the factors associated with motor developmental delay in the binomial logistic regression were prematurity, seizures, being female.


As part of the discussion on the poetics of endings, this paper looks at Shakespeare's early Roman revenge tragedy as a particularly rich case study. Readers, spectators, and critics of Titus Andronicus have long been puzzled and sometimes annoyed by the sense of uncertainty and irresolution which this play seems to leave us with, even though its final speeches take us through the motions of a strong conclusion. Recent criticism has especially focussed on the figure of the new emperor, whose words close the tragedy with traditional burial orders but whose authority remains in doubt. My paper reopens the case by drawing also on two German adaptations, Heiner Müller's Anatomie Titus Fall of Rome (1984) and Botho Strauß's Schändung (2005), as heuristic texts to highlight fundamental ruptures that are at stake here. Trying to put the question of endings also into the religious context of the English Reformation and into the culture of the playhouse, the paper argues that Shakespeare's dramatic non-ending in Titus may indeed be quite productive.


Using data from 84 hospitals linked to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission discrimination-charge data, we consider how four human resource (HR) structures affect hospitals' receipt of discrimination charges. HR structures that establish accountability (affirmative action plans, EEO units) are marginally related to charges. Structures that moderate bias (management diversity training) reduce the odds of receiving a charge while structures that raise employees' rights awareness (employee diversity training) increase the odds of receiving a charge. Structures relate differently to sexual harassment versus personnel charges.


OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to compare the oral health status of migrants to Japan with that of Japanese using the questionnaire and the Oral Health Status Index (OHSI).

METHODS
The questionnaire for collecting demographic and behavioral variables and the OHSI were applied in a mixed migrant/Japanese sample of patients from a dental clinic in Yokohama. A sample of 224 subjects, 52% of whom were migrants, was selected from new patients.

RESULTS
The mean OHSI scores were 78.56 for migrants and 83.16 for Japanese (p<0.01). Multiple regression analysis of OHSI showed that the statistically significant contributors were: age, status (migrants / Japanese), reason for initial visit, perceived oral health, and flossing behavior.

CONCLUSION
The oral health status of migrants was worse than that of Japanese even though they were younger than Japanese. The present public support system for foreign patients and their self-care behavior were considered to be the factors for the inequity in oral health status.


The Eriksfjord Group comprises ∼3000 m of lavas and sediments rapidly deposited in a rift which developed within an Andean-type batholith in juxtaposition to the southern margin of the Laurentian Shield in South Greenland at ca. 1300 Ma. The lavas have been shown to preserve a detailed record of the geomagnetic field at the time of eruption, incorporating normal, reversed and transitional directions. This study has examined the magnetic properties of the intervening red sediments. They are found to possess a diagenetic remanence imparted by mediating fluids at later times. The impact of diagenesis is stratigraphically controlled: the base of the rift infill has magnetizations partially resident in magnetite which are either unstable to thermal cleaning or record a single polarity 'B' magnetization (D/I = 284/67°, 31 samples, α95 = 5.5°, palaeopole at 244.1°E, 47.5°N, dp/dm = 7.5/9.1° ). This corresponds in polarity, and closely in direction, to remanence observed in mid-Gardar gabbro giant dykes and dyke swarms emplaced along the axis of the rift system at ca. 1160 Ma; the causative diagenetic magnetite appears to have grown from hydrothermal systems motivated by this magmatism in a sealed reservoir setting within the lower part of the rift infill.

 The Ilimaussaq alkaline igneous complex was emplaced into the southern extension of the rift at ca. 1130 Ma and possesses a dual polarity magnetization (D/I = 327/81°, α95 = 6.4°, 10 sites). Eriksfjord lavas within the thermal aureole are overprinted to varying degrees by comparable magnetizations with steep inclinations. The mean pole position (283°E, 71°N, dp/dm = 12/12° ) lies near the apex of an apparent polar wander loop incorporating the Gardar Track (ca. 1300–1140 Ma) and the Keweenawan Track (ca. 1115–1050 Ma). Magnetizations in the Eriksfjord sedimentary succession have not been significantly reset by emplacement of the Ilimaussaq complex, but higher levels of the rift infill are dominated by an 'A' magnetization (D/I = 305/34°, α95 = 4.3°, 57 samples, palaeopole at 202.1°E, 32.4°N, dp/dm = 2.8/4.9° ) resident in haematite. The pole position does not correspond with any part of the Gardar Track, but does correlate with the return Keweenawan Track at ca. 1090 Ma, close to the time of Grenville orogenesis along the bordering southeastern margin of the Laurentian Shield. This remanence is attributed to diagenesis during extensional tectonism linked to the collapse of the Grenville Orogen formerly sited 100–200 km to the south.


Background: Giant inguinal hernia (GIH) is a rare disease but it can cause serious complications, such as intestinal obstruction and strangulation. Few studies have explored surgical treatment with respect to the transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) approach or measures to reduce the occurrence of postoperative seroma. Purpose: To investigate the safety and efficacy of the TAPP approach with negative pressure drainage in GIHs. Methods: From January 2017 to December 2019, 32 patients who underwent TAPP procedures with negative pressure drainage for GIHs at our hospital were reviewed. Demographic information, surgical characteristics, and follow-up data were obtained. Results: The mean age of the patients was 66, and more than half of them had medical comorbidities. All GIHs were defined as Type 1 and were successfully repaired through the TAPP approach with negative pressure drainage. The mean operative time was 146 minutes (range 122-251). After surgery, the mean drainage time was 7 days (range 5-10 days), and the mean volume of drainage in each patient was 820 mL (range 655-1020 mL). Complications occurred in 3 cases. For 1 case, the inferior epigastric artery was injured during surgery. A seroma was observed in 1 patient, which occurred 2 days after removal of the drainage tube. Finally, 1 patient developed an umbilical puncture site infection, and the wound healed after changing the dressing. The mean follow-up was 13 months (range 1-32), and there was no recurrence or mesh infection during that time. Conclusion: TAPP is a safe and effective approach for treating Type 1 GIHs with low operative complications. Negative pressure drainage through the scrotum to the preperitoneal space may reduce the incidence of seroma. Recurrence of hernias was not observed, and chronic pain seldom occurred during the follow-up period in our study.


This study aims to determine the intrinsic value of PT Indofood CBP Sukses Makmur, Tbk equity during the Covid-19 pandemic. The research employed the qualitative approach utilizing the explanatory case study framework to achieve the research objective. The purposive sampling method was used to determine a single sample public firm as the study object which was chosen from the population of 677 public firms listed in Indonesia Capital Market per beginning 2020. The data collection was focused on gathering financial data related to the firm's business activities. The data gathered was examined using the fundamental analysis framework which includes seven analyses on the business environment and the competition in the food-beverage industry in Indonesia; the firm competitive positioning; the company's growth strategy; the environmental, social, and government policy; the risks of the share ownership; the financial ratios; and the appraisal of entity's intrinsic value. The results of our study indicated that the fair value of ICBP equity during the pandemic was undervalued. This research contributes to supporting the efficient market theory by proving that the firm market price has not reflected all accounting information, meaning that Indonesia's capital market remained in a semi-strong efficient state during the outbreak. The study implies, in a practical manner, that investors may adopt research findings to improve their decision on long-term equity investment in ICBP shares.


Clathrin-coated vesicles play an established role in endocytosis from the plasma membrane, but they are also found on internal organelles. We examined the composition of clathrin-coated vesicles on an internal organelle responsible for osmoregulation, the Dictyostelium discoideum contractile vacuole. Clathrin puncta on contractile vacuoles contained multiple accessory proteins typical of plasma membrane-coated pits, including AP2, AP180, and epsin, but not Hip1r. To examine how these clathrin accessory proteins influenced the contractile vacuole, we generated cell lines that carried single and double gene knockouts in the same genetic background. Single or double mutants that lacked AP180 or AP2 exhibited abnormally large contractile vacuoles. The enlarged contractile vacuoles in AP180-null mutants formed because of excessive homotypic fusion among contractile vacuoles. The SNARE protein Vamp7B was mislocalized and enriched on the contractile vacuoles of AP180-null mutants. In vitro assays revealed that AP180 interacted with the cytoplasmic domain of Vamp7B. We propose that AP180 directs Vamp7B into clathrin-coated vesicles on contractile vacuoles, creating an efficient mechanism for regulating the internal distribution of fusion-competent SNARE proteins and limiting homotypic fusions among contractile vacuoles. Dictyostelium contractile vacuoles offer a valuable system to study clathrin-coated vesicles on internal organelles within eukaryotic cells.


The Drosophila protocadherin Fat (Ft) regulates growth, planar cell polarity (PCP) and proximodistal patterning. A key downstream component of Ft signaling is the atypical myosin Dachs (D). Multiple regions of the intracellular domain of Ft have been implicated in regulating growth and PCP but how Ft regulates D is not known. Mutations in Fbxl7, which encodes an F-box protein, result in tissue overgrowth and abnormalities in proximodistal patterning that phenocopy deleting a specific portion of the intracellular domain (ICD) of Ft that regulates both growth and PCP. Fbxl7 binds to this same portion of the Ft ICD, co-localizes with Ft to the proximal edge of cells and regulates the levels and asymmetry of D at the apical membrane. Fbxl7 can also regulate the trafficking of proteins between the apical membrane and intracellular vesicles. Thus Fbxl7 functions in a subset of pathways downstream of Ft and links Ft to D localization. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03383.001


In an extensive measurement program, with economical support from the Swedish Energy Agency, long-time measurements of meteorological effects on sound propagation from wind turbines are performed at three sites in Sweden. The measurements are performed continuously during 1-2 years. Sound propagation is studied in a 1) forest area, 2) over a water bay and 3) over heterogeneous terrain. The first two sites are located in the southern part of Sweden and the third is located in the northern part of Sweden. The meteorological conditions change over the day and the year and vary a lot depending of the terrain conditions. Mean variations of the expected sound level of 6 - 14 dBA at the imission point for different weather conditions have been found. The aim of the project is to improve the knowledge about sound propagation from wind turbines and especially over varying terrain and different weather conditions. The hub height of the studied wind turbines varies from 80-138 m. The result shall be improved sound propagation models,updated measuring requirements and methods for deriving meteorological input data for a sound propagation model.


We present our results in fabricating Fresnel zone plate optics for the NanoMAX beamline at the fourth-generation synchrotron radiation facility MAX IV, to be used in the energy range of 6–10 keV. The results and challenges of tungsten nanofabrication are discussed, and an alternative approach using metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) of silicon is showcased. We successfully manufactured diffraction-limited zone plates in tungsten with 30 nm outermost zone width and an aspect ratio of 21:1. These optics were used for nanoimaging experiments at NanoMAX. However, we found it challenging to further improve resolution and diffraction efficiency using tungsten. High efficiency is desirable to fully utilize the advantage of increased coherence on the optics at MAX IV. Therefore, we started to investigate MACE of silicon for the nanofabrication of high-resolution and high-efficiency zone plates. The first type of structures we propose use the silicon directly as the phase-shifting material. We have achieved 6 μm deep dense vertical structures with 100 nm linewidth. The second type of optics use iridium as the phase material. The structures in the silicon substrate act as a mold for iridium coating via atomic layer deposition (ALD). A semi-dense pattern is used with line-to-space ratio of 1:3 for a so-called frequency-doubled zone plate. This way, it is possible to produce smaller structures with the tradeoff of the additional ALD step. We have fabricated 45 nm-wide and 3.6 μm-tall silicon/iridium structures.


River managers rely on sediment transport models, for example when predicting morphological behavior. In rivers, under certain conditions, part of the sediment will move
and part will remain immobile. This is known as partial transport. Partial transport influences the transport rate, bed forms, bed roughness and transport composition. In
this study three transport models, Meyer-Peter and Muller (1948), van Rijn (2007c) and Wilcock and Crowe (2003), are tested on their performance under partial transport conditions. The first two transport models are alluvial models, whereas the third model was specifically developed for partial transport. The models are tested on flume experiments available from the literature where aspects of partial transport were studied or partial transport was observed in the measured transport rates. Testing the models in various ways demonstrates their performance on different aspects of partial transport. In this study �rst a bulk grain size distribution is used with both
a uniform and fractional transport calculation and secondly a surface-based grain sizedistribution is used with a
f actional transport calculation. The surface-based grain size distribution is determined from photographs of the bed surface and bed samples. As the transport depends largely on mobile and immobile sediment present at the surface, the
surface-based grain size distribution is preferable.
Two data sets, with trimodal and natural sediment are predicted well by the original transport models. However, three data sets with strong bimodal sediments cannot be
predicted accurately with the transport models. Under supply limited conditions the bimodal sediment sorts into two parts, mobile and immobile sediment. This influences
the functionality of the transport models. The hiding/exposure process that occurs with the strong bimodal sediment cannot be represented with the functions of the transport model. The process differs between parts where the immobile sediment is present at the surface and where the mobile sediment is present at the surface. Hiding exposure occurs mainly in the mobile sediment, but the model calculates the hiding exposure correction for the entire sediment. Therefore the calculation should be split for the mobile and immobile sediment. This should also be applied for several other represented processes in the transport models. In the last part of this study a different approach is tested. The transport rates of only
the mobile sediment is predicted and reduced with a reduction function. With different reduction functions the resulting predictions improve for the data sets with bimodal
sediment.


Phages are increasingly recognized as important members of host associated microbial communities. While recent studies have revealed vast genomic diversity in the virosphere, the new frontier is to understand how newly discovered phages may affect higher order processes, such as in the context of host-microbe interactions. Here, we aim to understand the tripartite interplay between phages, bacterial symbionts and marine sponges. In a viromics approach, we discover 491 novel viral clusters and show that sponges, as filter-feeding organisms, are distinct viral niches. By using a nested sampling design, we show that each sponge individual of the four species investigated harbours its own unique virome, regardless of the tissue investigated. We further discover a novel, symbiont phage-encoded ankyrin domain-containing protein which appears to be widely spread in phages of many host-associated contexts including human. The ankyrin protein (ANKp) modulates the eukaryotic immune response against bacteria as confirmed in macrophage infection assays. We predict that the role of ANKp in nature is to facilitate co-existence in the tripartite interplay between phages, symbionts and sponges and possibly in many other host-microbe associations.


Abstract In spite of reform efforts, opportunities for all students to learn science remain illusive. Recent studies indicate that science curricula do not meet students' learning needs. Research-based curricula focusing on science inquiry with English language learners (ELLs) have yet to be developed. To encourage development of appropriate science materials, this paper discusses the learning needs of specific groups of ELLs and their teachers. First, we describe our research with groups of fourth-grade ELLs and their teachers, including perspectives of inquiry with teachers who shared their students' languages and cultures and features of materials developed to integrate science and literacy instruction. Next, we present student achievement results using the materials. Finally, we discuss the importance of materials enabling all students to learn science through inquiry.


The article analyzes and comments the content of cooperation between the Russian Federation and Serbia, which is based on the strategic status of the partners and the geopolitical position of modern Serbia in the world, Europe, Balkan region. The article characterizes the results of foreign trade activities of the parties, including in the framework of the free trade agreement and foodstuffs and agricultural products, as applied to the objectives of ensuring food security of Russia.


+e significance of partial slip on double diffusive convection on magneto-Carreau nanofluid through inclined peristaltic asymmetric channel is examined in this paper. +e two-dimensional and directional flow of a magneto-Carreau nanofluid is mathematically described in detail. Under the lubrication technique, the proposed model is simplified. +e solutions of extremely nonlinear partial differential equations are calculated using a numerical technique. Graphical data are displayed using Mathematica software and Matlab to examine how temperature, pressure rise, concentration, pressure gradient, velocity profile, nanoparticle volume fraction, and stream functions behave on emerging parameters. It is noticed that as the velocity slip parameter is increased, the axial velocity at the channel's center increases. Additionally, near the boundary, opposite behavior is observed. +e temperature, concentration, and nanoparticle profile drops by increasing thermal slip, concentration slip, and nanoparticle slip parameter.


Purpose. To determine the outcome of initial laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) procedures performed by anterior segment fellows in a supervised training program.
 Patients and Methods. A retrospective chart review of the first 20 LASIK procedures performed by supervised anterior segment fellows at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between March 1 and December 31, 2003, was conducted.
 Results. During the study period, 10 anterior segment fellows each performed LASIK on 20 eyes of 10 patients. The mean spherical refractive error was -4.82 diopters (D) (range,-1.5 to -11.00 D). The mean patient age was 28.0 years (range, 18-50 years), and the follow-up period was 123.8 days (range, 14-389 days). After primary LASIK and 8 enhancement procedures (4.0%), 163 eyes (81.5%) had postoperative uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) that was within 1 line of preoperative best spectacle corrected visual acuity (BSCVA); 194 eyes (97.0%) had postoperative UCVA that was within 2 lines of preoperative BSCVA. The difference between the mean preoperative BSCVA (20/22.25) and the postoperative UCVA (20/26.06) was -0.381 lines of Snellen acuity. Of 200 eyes, 6 eyes (3.0%) lost 2 or more lines of BSCVA. Prior to enhancement, 180 eyes (90.0%) were within 1 D of intended correction, including 14 eyes (7.0%) with undercorrection and 6 eyes (3.0%) with overcorrection. After 8 enhancements (all for undercorrection), 188 eyes (94.0%) were within 1 D of emmetropia. The incidence of intraoperative complications was 2.5%, all of which were incomplete flaps. There were no complete or buttonhole flaps. Postoperative complications occurred in 2.5% of eyes, the most serious being bilateral ectasia, which occurred in 1 patient with no preoperative evidence of keratoconus. Conclusion. LASIK should be taught in a well-structured, supervised setting to minimize the adverse impact of complications that may occur during the early learning curve of this procedure.


This study used a structured questionnaire to investigate the usage of Electronic Information Resources (EIR) for academic research by 150 postgraduate students at Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria. Interviews with some students and selected individuals at the institution were also conducted. The study looked into whether postgraduate students had access to EIR; whether they knew how to use computers in order to have access to EIR; the extent to which they knew and were aware of EIR; the current status of EIR at their institution; how often they used these resources for academic research purposes; and the challenges that they encountered in using these resources. The findings of the study show that postgraduate students at Delta State University are aware of the existence of EIR, but the optimal use of these resources is hampered by limited access to some EIR due to lack of information searching skills, limited space, low bandwidth and erratic power supply. It is, therefore, recommended that the institution should provide adequate space, enough power supply and should address some of the issues hindering equitable access to these resources. The development of an institutional repository and the use of open access resources will also improve access to scientific and electronic information by postgraduate students at the institution.


The article discusses the role of democratization in the development of neoconservatism, one of contemporary political ideologies, its impact on USA domestic and foreign policy, and the conceptual views of neoconservative theorists. In particular, an analysis will be made of the destructive approaches of neoconservatism to supporting democracy and its "export" for strategic purposes, accelerating liberal democratic reforms in countries where there is a "deficit" of democracy.


The aim of this study is to estimate characteristic of compressive strength and unit weight when cement mortars using crushed sand under sulfate attacks. Besides tests have been performed using river sand and crushed sand, respectively. The cement mortars were made with replacement ratios of silica fume and fly ash. The cement mortar were immersed in fresh water, 10% sodium sulfate solution, 10% magnesium sulfate solution, and seawater for 28days, 60days, 90days and 180days. This study, investigate change of compressive strength and unit weight of cement mortars about immersion time and replacement of mineral admixtures. Additionally SEM and EDX analysis was performed to identify the microstructure under sulfate solution. It was observed from the test results that the cement mortar using crushed sand was found to have a good resistance against sulfate compared with river sand.


In the hypothermic dog heart-lung preparation, norepinephnine causes a triphasic contractile force pattern characterized by an initial, brief increase in contractile force, a transient decrease in contractile force and a final prolonged increase in contractile force. These triphasic changes are reflected in the cardiac output, systolic blood pressure and left atnial pressure, and are similar to those observed in vivo . During hypothermia, ouabain increases contractile force and cardiac output and decreases left atrial pressure. Ouabain also blocks the two stimulant responses to norepinephnine and enhances the depressant response to norepinephrine. These effects of norepinephnine before and after ouabain are not caused by changes in cardiac rhythm, coronary flow, extraction of oxygen, cardiac content of adenosine triphosphate and creatine phosphate or peripheral vascular reactivity. Infusion of norepinephnine in vivo at 38°C only increases force, but at 28-30° causes a triphasic response characterized by a brief increase in force, persistence of the phase of cardiac depression throughout the infusion and development of the third (stimulant) phase only after the infusion is stopped. Infusion of norepinephrine after ouabain causes only cardiac depression. These data suggest that two distinct processes are involved in the responses to norepinephrine during hypothermia, one producing a positive inotropic response and the other a negative inotropic response.


This paper analyzes the Brazilian experience with the inflation targeting
 regime (ITR) since its adoption in June 1999. The theoretical analysis
 starts by covering the New Consensus Macroeconomics (NCM) only policy, in
 which the ITR is the monetary policy recommendation. This discussion is then
 complemented first by the current debate in the international mainstream on
 the need for a flexible ITR that considers the effects of monetary policy on
 the economy and second by the heterodox discussion on the need to completely
 abandon the ITR. The discussion on the Brazilian experience and its
 comparison with international experiences show that Brazil is one of the few
 countries where the monetary policy objective is restricted to price control
 and where the horizon for returning inflation to the target is only one
 year. Within this institutional framework, the Brazilian economy under the
 ITR is marked by the maintenance of extremely high real and nominal interest
 rates and with difficulties in meeting the inflation targets. The price
 control obtained also did not generate the expected externalities in terms
 of economic growth and employment. After almost 20 years of adopting the ITR
 in Brazil, it has generated exaggerated contractionary pressures on the
 Brazilian economy, indicating the need for a thorough examination of
 monetary institutions in Brazil in order to resume economic growth with
 price stability and social equity.


Fun Physical Fitness Training is a fun and effective program of physical activity which can be applied by physical education teachers for students during the teaching-learning process. An activity-based education program that stimulates students to exercise and expects students' minds and bodies to be in better results. In this program, students are encouraged to jump, pull, hold their body, walk, jogging in the prepared place. The focus of methods and activities in Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat (PKM), mentoring and assistance to the partners on Fun Physical Fitness Training with a circuit training method based on individual performance and not competition. Mentoring is carried out regarding the selection of movements and media used, guidance in carrying out body movements in each post with the aim of making students more fit and learning to change activity behavior by setting and achieving personal goals. This program is easily run by teachers in the physical education field of study in schools. Based on the training given to the partners, the results are: 1) they are able to identify physical fitness movement models, 2) they are able to compile a movement with a circuit model, 3) they are able to carry out movement activities based on a post by post on the circuit model, and 4) they are able to make reports on fun physical fitness training for students.


This article considers the disagreement between scholars of Buddhism around whether the tradition is or is not amenable to environmental concerns. It identifies the gap between the two sides as arising from a problem in how historical-critical methods divorce moral concepts from materiality in the study of religious history. This paper considers paticca-samuppada as a central moral concept in Buddhist tradition, one that has indeed changed via translation over the course of Buddhist history. This is the moral concept that leads directly into current environmentalist discourse, in its translation as interdependence. The paper first considers the translation of paticca-samuppada in historical tradition as well as in the hands of environmentalist authors. It then considers why paticca-samuppada as interdependence is a context-appropriate contribution, in settings of industrial political economy heavily directed by an abstract, mathematical concept of capital in connection with the moral concept of unlimited growth. The paper concludes by suggesting that contemporary Buddhist environmentalism be understood as a case of religious change. It concludes that the Buddhist eco-critical position is untenable, in light of processes of change in religious traditions, and suggests that the study of religious history should better account for how it is that religious change occurs.


Objective: This paper examines the effect of a tiered hospital benefit and safety incentive in a commercially insured population, and examines whether estimates from the hospital choice model are improved when stated preference data from a consumer survey is added to revealed preference data from claims. Study Setting: The Hospital Safety Incentive (HSI) applies to union employees enrolled in the Boeing Company's Traditional Medical Plan effective July 2004. The HSI gives patients a financial incentive to choose hospitals that meet the Leapfrog Group's three patient safety leaps. While the TMP's standard coverage for hospital care became 95% of allowed hospital charges after July 1, 2004 (from 100% previously), union beneficiaries enrolled in the TMP can achieve a benefit of 100% for hospital care if admitted to a hospital that meets the Leapfrog standards. Data Sources: Claims and enrollment data identify the subset of employees with a hospitalization and are used to define the hospital choice set and the preferred hospital. Claims data formed the sampling frame for a twenty minute telephone survey of union and non-union employees (n = 1,200 in both the pre and post periods with a 70% participation rate). The survey collected information about preferences for various hospital attributes and the degree to which hospitalized patients were involved in the choice of hospital or deferred entirely to their physician's preference. Data on hospital service offerings, financial status and quality of clinical care were obtained from the AHA annual survey and from the JCAHO "Quality Check" data. Each patient's choice set included all hospitals located in the Seattle metropolitan area offering treatment for the diagnosis or procedure for which the patient was hospitalized. GIS software was used to compute the distance between the patient's residence and each hospital in the choice set. Analytic Methods: We estimate a random utility model to express the probability that individual i chooses hospital j from a set of k hospital alternatives. An individual's utility for a given hospital is specified as a function of patient characteristics Xi and hospital level characteristics Hj. The vector of patient characteristics include both demographic variables as well as the employee's response to specific survey questions about the importance of various hospital attributes such as distance, quality and reputation. The hospital level characteristics include measures from both the AHA and the Quality Check data. We also include interaction terms between certain X and H variables that match, for example between the patients survey response about the importance of distance in selecting a hospital and the actual distance variable computed using the GIS software. Principal Findings: The HSI did not influence union employees' choice of hospitals or change their preferences for factors important in selecting a hospital, including the relative importance of quality and safety information or out-of-pocket costs. Additional results are forthcoming, including an estimate of the dollar value of the HSI needed to move a significant share of the commercial market from non-compliant to Leapfrog compliant facilities.


The European directive 2008/98/CE establishes a legal framework for the treatment of waste within the Community. It aims at protecting the environment and human health through the prevention of the harmful effects of waste generation and waste management. In order to better protect the environment, the Member States should adopt measures for the treatment of their waste according to a hierarchy as outlined: prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling, energy recovery, disposal. In this context, the European project LIFE12 ENV/IT/000356 "RESAFE" is addressed to produce and utilize a new class of fertilizers characterized by reduced salinity in order to substitute chemical and mineral fertilizers through a technological route based on Urban Organic Waste (UOW), Farm Organic Residues (FOR), Bio-Chars (BC) and Vegetable Active Principles (VAP) processing. Following this approach, it will be possible for farmers and urban waste managers to reduce costs and to obtain environmental and economic incomes. Furthermore, environmental impacts will be also reduced contributing to decrease the greenhouse emissions from landfills and from the production of mineral fertilizers. In this paper, specific innovative sensing architectures, based on Hyper-Spectral Imaging (HSI) devices working in the near infrared (NIR) range, and related detection architectures, is presented and discussed in order to define and apply smart detection engines to follow the transformations of the complex material, resulting from UOW, FOR, BC and VAP based recipes during the different stages of the fertilizer production process. Results show as the fertilizer production process can be monitored adopting the NIR-HSI approach.


Purpose: Treatment of giant/large internal carotid aneurysm is a challenge for neurologists. Previously, parent artery occlusion was the classic therapy; now the stent-assisted coil embolization has become available in recent years, but the optimal therapy is under debate. The goal of the present study was to compare two endovascular treatment modalities in terms of safety, efficacy and short-term outcomes. Methods: All the patients were divided into two groups: Group A: patients who underwent parent artery occlusion, and Group B: patients who underwent stent-assisted coil embolization. Follow-up outcomes were evaluated using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Results: After 12 months of follow-up, the favorable outcome (mRS: 0–2) had no statistical significance in both groups (p = 1.00). Patients in group A had greater ischemia compared with patients in group B, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.421). In group B, patients had a higher rate of partial occlusion (p = 0.255) and recurrence (10% vs. 0%; p = 0.586). Conclusions: Stent-assisted coiling may not be superior to parent artery occlusion in selected patients after short-term follow-up. Parent artery occlusion is a simple, safe and effective treatment for large/giant internal carotid aneurysms.


High congestion of returned product at remanufacturing facility causes substantial delays and consequently remarketing value losses for time-sensitive and high-tech products with short life cycles, such as electronic equipments. At the remanufacturing site the returned product are inspected and classified according to their quality and processing time in one of the two classes: Class 1 being admitted to the remanufacturing process and class 2 jobs that are rejected. In this paper, we provide a two-echelon supply chain; including inventory system and remanufacturing system. We propose an analytical queuing model for the decisions of the acceptance of return products and the maximum capacity of inventory system. The supply chain is modeled as queuing system and analyzed with matrix geometric method. The maximum capacity of inventory system (S) and admission decision value (k) calculated as the total expected discounted profit are maximized.


This article addresses the issue of discriminatory taxation of investments through investment funds. In particular, the article seeks to demonstrate that national legislations of Member States,while trying to grant neutral treatment to such investments as compared to direct investments, create sometimes obstacles to their internationalization. Furthermore, it tries to find solutions in the ECJ Case Law (with a special emphasis on Orange Smallcap) that might help mitigating or solving such obstacles. The author analyzes several scenarios where he tries to interact EC Law, double tax treaties and domestic law. To achieve that purpose, the author goes through several scenarios where investment funds, investors and investments are in different Member States or in third states and tries to detect restrictions or discriminations in both the source and home State, giving special emphasis to the comparability tests and to possible justifications.


A 25-years-old woman with mandibular prognathism underwent a mandibular setback by way of mandibular sagittal split ramus osteotomy (MSSRO). After 2 days of operation, she developed difficulty of closing her right eye. The blink reflex test and motor nerve conduction study of the right orbicularis oris muscle were revealed right facial neuropathy of unknown origin and House-Brackmann facial nerve grading system (HBFNGS) grade V. For treatment, we initially prescribed oral prednisolone and nimodipine including physical therapy. The samples consisted of 11 facial nerve palsy patients caused by MSSRO and were analysed about onset of facial nerve palsy, postoperative HBFNGS, final HBFNGS, treatment method and recovery time. At 10 weeks of treatment of nimodipine, she had completely regained normal function (HBFNGS grade I) of the right facial nerve. The clinical results lead to assume a fast recovery of facial nerve function by the nimodipine medication, whereas average time of recovery is 16.32 weeks in references. Despite of the limited one patient treated, the result was very promising with respect to a faster recovery of the facial nerve function. Considering the use of nimodipine treatment for peripheral facial nerve palsy following a surgical approach with an anatomically preserved nerve can be recommended.


This paper studies the dynamic irreversible demagnetization characteristics of an interior permanent magnet (PM) brushless DC motor with a stator turn fault. A new algorithm, which is a finite element method (FEM) combined with a line voltage equation of the motor, is developed to analyze irreversible demagnetization under dynamic and transient states and considers a stator turn fault. The input current, circulating current, magnetic distribution characteristics, and operating property of the PM, including the irreversible demagnetization in the fault state, are analyzed using this algorithm by considering the magnetic saturation effect. The feasibility of the proposed method confirmed from the analysis results is verified via an experiment. Through this fault analysis, we can accurately check the fault phenomena of a PM motor against the demagnetization fault for fault prevention.


Abstract Glacial and post-glacial shelf sedimentation near the Larsen C and former Larsen B ice shelves is compared to records from ice shelves farther north, which underwent mid-Holocene retreat. A core from Larsen C comprises a lower unit of deformation till, overlain by thick mud interpreted as water lain from suspension under the ice shelf. Iceberg-rafted debris occurs only in the top 50 cm, suggesting that prior to that layer's deposition, the ice shelf had not receded past the site since the last deglaciation. Subsequently the site appears to have been seasonally ice free, and the ice shelf has retreated further and is now 15 km landward of the site. A core from Larsen B also consists of a lower unit, interpreted as sub-glacial lodgement till. The overlying mud is thinner, more poorly sorted, with evidence of powerful winnowing of sediments suggesting strong currents. The absence of iceberg-rafted debris implies that this site was covered by an ice shelf continuously from the last deglaciation until its collapse in 2002. Strong currents could have facilitated basal erosion, contributing to its collapse. The Larsen C shelf is also thinning and historical records show retreat in the last hundred years. With continued rising temperatures, Larsen C may eventually retreat to a point at which it collapses.


During the past decade, one of the most rapid and important developments in medicine has been in immunology, and the greatest progress has been made in the isolation, characterisation, and demonstration of antibodies. As a result of these advances insight has been gained into those immune reactions which may cause tissue destruction. The ability of the human immune system to distinguish between "self' and "not self" is important not only as a defence against invading micro-organisms, but also in distinguishing transformed host cells that may have become malignant. An immune response is not always beneficial to the host. It can cause serum sickness with urticarial rashes, albuminuria, arteritis, and synovitis, anaphylactic reactions, and the well-known difficulties in organ grafting. It is now becoming apparent that both humoural antibody production and cell-mediated immunity may be involved in the pathogenesis of immune injury. If the immune system is defective, the mechanisms that prevent immunocytes and antibodies from reacting with normal components of the body may break down and cause autoimmune disease, and the ability of certain autoantibodies to cause functional or structural damage is no longer disputed. Methods of selectively altering these harmful reactions are needed, and considerable progress is already being made in understanding them. The aetiology of most immunopathological lesions is, however, still unknown, and it is not usually possible to imitate human disease completely in animals and with experimental models. The situation is also frequently complicated by extemal or genetically determined alterations in responses to common antigens and the science of immunology has a long way to go before it can fully explain many human diseases.


We describe the use of traditional stereological methods to synthesize 3D solid textures from 2D images of existing materials. We first illustrate our approach for aggregate materials of spherical particles, and then extend the technique to apply to particles of arbitrary shapes. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach with side-by-side comparisons of a real material and a synthetic model with its appearance parameters derived from its physical counterpart. Unlike ad hoc methods for texture synthesis, stereology provides a disciplined, systematic basis for predicting material structure with well-defined assumptions.


OBJECTIVE
To study the expression of autophagy-related proteins (Beclin-1, LC3 and p62) in brain tissue with malformations of cortical development and related molecular pathogenesis.

METHODS
The brain tissue of 18 cases with epileptogenic foci resection, including 6 cases of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), 6 cases of focal cortical dysplasia type IIb (FCD IIb) and 6 cases of focal cortical dysplasia type I (FCD I), were retrieved. Immunohistochemical study for Beclin-1, LC3 and p62 proteins was performed. The degree of positivity for Beclin-1 and LC3 proteins was compared. Western blot was used to quantitatively analyze the LC3 protein in focal lesion of each disease groups.

RESULTS
Immunohistochemical study showed that the three proteins were mainly expressed in the dysmorphic neurons and balloon cells/giant cells of TSC and FCD IIb. The positivity was more intense in the dysmorphic neurons than the other cell types. Immunostaining for Beclin-1 showed granular or diffuse cytoplasmic positivity, in addition to the strong expression in axons. On the other hand, LC3 showed diffuse or perinuclear cytoplasmic expression. The staining for p62 was mainly cytoplasmic or perinuclear and sometimes nuclear. In FCD type I, only individual cells showed positive expression for the three proteins. The number of Beclin-1 and LC3-positive cells was larger in TSC group, followed by FCD IIb group and FCD I group.And there were significant differences between TSC group and FCD I group, as well as FCD IIb group and FCD I group (P<0.05). Quantitative expression of LC3 protein by Western blot showed smaller amount in TSC group, followed by FCD IIb group and FCD I group.

CONCLUSIONS
The dysmorphic neurons and balloon cells/giant cells of TSC and FCD IIb show abnormality in autophagy, resulting in intracytoplasmic protein accumulation. There are differences in molecular pathogenesis in these cell types.


Traditional foods of Che Ju Do, an island located on south sea of Korean peninsula, were composed of moutaineous and coastal food. According to the review of historical records and evidences, ancestors of Che Ju Do island had consumed starchy root or marine food such as arrow root, bracken root, kelp, crab and so on. There are more than 500 kinds of traditional foods in Che Ju island, but most of them were poorly processed or cooked compared to that of the continent of the peninsula.


Molecular receptors, consisting of either two parallel cofacially disposed terpyridyl-Pd-Cl+ or terpyridyl-Pt-Cl+ units, are described. Concerted rotation of these units about the molecular spacer can alter their separation between 6.4 and 7.2 A to accommodate the dimensions of molecular guests. Neutral and anionic planar complexes of platinum(II) were investigated as guests to determine if metal-metal interaction between the host and guest metals could stabilize host-guest association. With a neutral guest, it was found that host-guest formation is signaled by a color change from light yellow to deep red. For one of the anionic guests, a visible absorption band appears upon host-guest formation with the platinum receptor that is ascribed to transitions associated with a Pt-Pt interaction. The association constants found for the neutral guest with the palladium and platinum receptors are large, suggesting that metal-metal interaction contributes to the molecular recognition. The structures of the host-(neutral)guest complexes in solution have been determined by 1H NOESY spectra. A crystal structure of the platinum host-(neutral)guest complex is the same as that found in solution and confirms the presence of a Pt-Pt interaction. Temperature-dependent (195)Pt NMR spectra in solution provide a quantitative estimate of the conformational interconversions of the free platinum receptor.


A general theoretical overview for the sources, sinks, gas-surface interactions, and transport dynamics of sodium and potassium in the exospheric atmsophere of Mercury is given. Information for these four factors, which control the spatial distribution of these two alkali-group gases about the planet, is incorporated in numerical models. The spatial nature and relative importance of the initial source atom atmosphere and the ambient (ballistic hopping) atom atmosphere are then examined and are shown to be controlled and coupled to a great extent by the extremely large and variable solar radiation acceleration experienced by sodium and potassium as they resonantly scatter solar photons. The lateral (antisunward) transport rate of thermally accommodated sodium and potassium ambient atoms is shown to be driven by the solar radiation acceleration and, over a significant portion of Mercury's orbit about the Sun, is sufficiently rapid to be competitive with the short photoionization lifetimes for these atoms when they are located on the summit surface near or within about 30 deg of the terminator. The lateral transport rate is characterized by a migration time determined by model calculations for an ensemble of atoms initially starting at a point source on the surface (i.e., a numerical spacetime dependent Green's function). Four animations for the spacetime evolution of the sodium (or potassium) atmosphere produced by a point source on the surface are presented on a videotape format. For extended surface sources for sodium and potassium, the local column density is determined by competition between the photoionization lifetimes and the lateral transport times of atoms originating from different surface source locations. Sodium surface source fluxes (referenced to Mercury at perihelion) that are required on the sunlit hemisphere to reproduce the typically observed several megarayleighs of D2 emission-line brightness and the inferred column densities of 1-2 x 10(exp 11) atoms per sq cm range from approximately 2-5 x 10(exp 7) atoms/sq cm/sec. The sodium model is applied to study observational data that document an anticorrelation in the average sodium column density and solar radiation acceleration. Lateral transport driven by the solar radiation acceleration is shown to produce this behavior for combinations of different sources and surface accomodation coefficients. The best fit model fits to the observational data require a significant degree of thermal accommodation of the ambient sodium atoms to the surface and a source rate that decreases as an inverse power of 1.5 to 2 in heliocentric distance.


This is the result of a thesis research compiled by Desy Febriyani, Accounting Department STIE-IBEK. The title of this research in Indonesian "Analisis Pengaruh E-Commerce dan Sistem Informasi Akuntansi Terhadap Kepuasan Berbelanja Di Kota Pangkalpinang (Studi Kasus Pada Portal Belanja Online Shopee.co.id)" was run from October 2020 to January 2021.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether the independent variables consisting of: E-Commerce and Accounting Information Systems to the dependent variable, namely Shopping Satisfaction. This research was conducted using qualitative methods of data analysis, descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression, coefficient of determination, assumption test. classics, and hypothesis testing.
The data used in this study are primary data. Statistical data processing uses the form of the JASP 0.9.2.0 program. Partial data processing on the E-Commerce variable has an effect on Millennial Generation Shopping Satisfaction by calculating the t value (3.831)> t table (1.6702) and the sig value 0.000 <0.05 so that H0 is rejected and H1 is accepted. The Accounting Information System variable partially affects the Millennial Generation's Shopping Satisfaction t count (3.664)> t table (1.6702) and the significant value of the Accounting Information System Variable is 0.000 <0.05 so that H0 is rejected and H1 is accepted. Simultaneously, the E-Commerce variable and the Accounting Information System have an effect on Millennial Generation Shopping Satisfaction, it is obtained that the value of Fcount (25.803)> Ftable (3.15) and a significant value of 0.000 <0.05 so that H0 is rejected and H1 is accepted. For R square it is obtained at 0.458 or 45.8%, which means that the independent variable can simultaneously influence the dependent variable by 45.8% and the remaining 54.2% by other variables not used in this study.


Methods This policy was developed by the Clinical Affairs Committee, adopted in 1987, and last revised by the Council on Clinical Affairs in 2018. This update used electronic database and hand searches of articles in the medical and dental literature using the following parameters: terms: nitrous oxide, occupational exposure, AND dentistry; fields: all; limits: within the last 10 years, English. Additionally, recommendations from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) were reviewed. Expert opinions and best current practices were relied upon when sufficient scientific data were not available.


Clay soil and their related irregular behavior such as shrinkage, swelling, desiccation cracks etc. are the main concern for the construction of composite clay liner (CCL) in waste landfill site. In this study, an investigation was conducted on a scaled model of prototype landfill liner to quantify both the geometrical and morphological characteristics of desiccation crack of CCL. For evaluating its cracking behavior cement, Khoa Brick and fiber were used as additives for two phases of investigation. In this study, for the quantification of geometrical and morphological characteristics of desiccation crack of CCL, both the image-based algorithms on MATLAB and Image J software was performed. To evaluate additives significance on soil, surface crack ratio, average length and width of cracks, number of crack segments, crack density and others related parameters were determined. Results showed significant impact on clayed soil due to presence of various types and percentages of additives. Experiential results depicted that surface crack ratio increases with reducing water content on prototype sample and finally stabilized its propagation. For preparing CCL with clay from selected landfill site of Khulna the optimum content of additives were found 5, 5 and 1.5% for Khoa Brick, cement and polymer fiber, respectively. doi: 10.5829/ijee.2018.09.04.09


Purpose The AdvanSure™ AlloScreen assay is an advanced multiplex test that allows for simultaneous detection of specific IgE (sIgE) against multiple allergens. For precise identification of causative allergens in allergic patients, we compared this new multiplex sIgE assay with the ImmunoCAP assay, which is currently the gold-standard method for sIgE detection. Materials and Methods Serum samples from 218 Korean allergic disease patients were used to compare the ImmunoCAP and AlloScreen assays with respect to the following 13 allergens: Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, cat and dog dander, Alternaria, birch, oak, ragweed, mugwort, rye grass, and food allergens (egg white, cow's milk, peanuts). Results A total of 957 paired tests using the 13 allergens were compared. The total agreement ratio ranged from 0.74 (oak) to 0.97 (Alternaria). With respect to class association analyses, the gamma index ranged from 0.819 (rye grass) to 0.990 (Alternaria). The intra-class correlation coefficients for house dust mites, cat and dog dander, Alternaria, birch, ragweed, egg white, cow's milk, and peanut sIgE titers were >0.8. Conclusion The AlloScreen and ImmunoCAP assays exhibited similar diagnostic performance. However, due to methodological differences between the two systems, careful interpretation of their results is needed in clinical applications.


After decades of development and technology advancement, coalbed methane has become an important source for U S. energy consumption. Especial in recent year, U S. coalbed methane production continues its healthy growth rate of about 10% per year. The paper takes emphasis on the technology developments and the engineering approaches of coalbed methane in the U S.


In the present paper, we describe the development of the lexical network DeriNet, which captures core word-formation relations on the set of around 266 thousand Czech lexemes. The network is currently limited to derivational relations because derivation is the most frequent and most productive word-formation process in Czech. This limitation is reflected in the architecture of the network: each lexeme is allowed to be linked up with just a single base word; composition as well as combined processes (composition with derivation) are thus not included. After a brief summarization of theoretical descriptions of Czech derivation and the state of the art of NLP approaches to Czech derivation, we discuss the linguistic background of the network and introduce the formal structure of the network and the semi-automatic annotation procedure. The network was initialized with a set of lexemes whose existence was supported by corpus evidence. Derivational links were created using three sources of information: links delivered by a tool for morphological analysis, links based on an automatically discovered set of derivation rules, and on a grammar-based set of rules. Finally, we propose some research topics which could profit from the existence of such lexical network.


In this paper are presented the results of the technical comparison between two sand molding systems used for cores and molds elaboration in foundry industries. The first one is the CO2 process that is a traditional system of hardening by gasification, and the second one is the No Bake System, a modern molding technology, which uses a mixture of resins and catalyser. The results show that the No Bake System increases productivity and offers a better superficial texture of the pieces.


Introduction Patients suspected of having venous thromboembolism (VTE), with a low pretest probability, undergo D-dimer testing. A negative D-dimer, in a low-risk patient rules out VTE with a high degree of certainty because of its high sensitivity. It is, however, a poorly specific test, and the absolute value increases with age. The aim of this study was to establish whether an age-adjusted D-dimer could be safely used instead of a standard cut-off level in low-risk patients over the age of 50 years. Patients and methods This was a retrospective review of 1649 patients with suspected VTE whose D-dimer levels were analysed. In low-risk patients (defined as 'VTE unlikely' using the dichotomized Wells' scores), the outcomes in terms of confirmed VTE diagnosis, hospital admission and investigations using an age-adjusted D-dimer level (measured in D-dimer units) of 5× the age for patients over 50 years of age and 250 ng/ml for patients younger than 50 years of age, was compared with the cut-off standard level (230 ng/ml in all patients). Results Of the total group of patients in the VTE unlikely group, the proportion of patients with a negative D-dimer when using the standard cut-off was 64.9% (859/1324). A further 130 patients had a negative D-dimer when the age-adjusted cut-off was used, increasing the proportion of all patients in whom VTE could be excluded without imaging to 74.7% (989/1324). For those patients of 75 years or older, the proportion of patients in whom VTE could be excluded without imaging increased from only 91/242 (37.6%) when using the standard D-dimer cut-off to 154/242 (63.6%) when the age-adjusted cut-off was used. These changes occurred without any additional false-negative findings. Conclusion For patients over the age of 50 years suspected of having VTE with a low pretest probability, increasing the D-dimer cut-off level to 5× the age increases the proportion of patients in whom VTE can safely be excluded without radiological imaging.


In this paper I will put forward a brief argument against abortion rights. The argument concerns itself with the two main ways in which defenders of abortion rights develop their position. The first strategy through which they tend to do this is by arguing against the personhood of the fetus. The second strategy, made famous by Judith Jarvis Thomson, is to argue that, even if the fetus were a person, its right to life would not entail the right to draw upon the resources of the woman in pregnancy, and so the pregnancy can be terminated (even if the fetus loses its life in the process). My argument will provide reasons to suspect that attacks on fetal personhood are based on a questionable notion of personhood, and that the most common attempts to show that the fetus does not have the right to draw on the resources of the woman in pregnancy also have considerable problems. This will buttress the case for the view that the fetus is a person and that it has the right to draw on the resources of the woman in pregnancy.


This paper presents a pilot effort
to identify a methodology to more efficiently codify, quantify and illustrate
the intrinsic values associated with ecological resources as expressed by stakeholders.
Existing methodologies examine the value of ecological resources, but are often
criticized for their monetary focus. These
methods generally produce quasi-market values for non-market resources.
The natural and cultural resources associated with a national park are analyzed
in terms of the expressed values of active stakeholders to quantitatively
produce multiple dimensions of value for each resource relative to all others.
The resulting abstract and graphical value-space quantitatively reflects stakeholder
participation, reflects non-market intrinsic value, and proactively contributes
to environmental management and decision making.


Rather than provide a standard economic outlook talk, I'd like to speak about a challenge that monetary policymakers face in the aftermath of the financial crisis and Great Recession. That challenge is managing expectations. When we think about expectations in the context of monetary policy, we usually mean expectations about inflation or expectations about the future path of policy. But today, what I mean is managing expectations about the role monetary policy can play in promoting a healthy economy. While I'll focus on the Federal Reserve, I believe a similar challenge applies to central bankers around the world. Of course, the remarks I'll provide are my own views and not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve System or my colleagues on the Federal Open Market Committee.


The present study has been performed experimentally by in vitro method to examine the anti-cancer activity of flowers of Abelmoschus esculentus. The report on to the research reveals a significant anti-cancer activity at different concentrations of the sample solution. The flowers of Abelmoschus esculentus was tested for its anti-cancer activity against liver cancer HePG2 cell line by MTT assay. The CTC50 value of the sample was 444.22μg/ml against liver cancer HePG2 cell lines. Significant results were observed thereby explaining the use of this plant in the traditional system of medicine.


This is a reference work unlike any that exists today. It provides a complete and detailed survey of the varieties of agnosticism, atheism, free-thought, humanism, skepticism, and unbelief, as they have appeared historically and on the contemporary scene. Editor Gordon Stein has collected comprehensive biographies of the many prominent men and women associated with free-thought including Charles Bradlaugh and Annie Besant in England, Voltaire and Diderot in France, V I Lenin in the Soviet Union, Thomas Paine, Clarence Darrow, and Robert Ingersoll here in the United States. The "Encyclopedia" brings together 203 articles from all the influential philosophers and psychologists whose thoughts and writings contributed to the growth of religious skepticism and unbelief like Giordano Bruno, Spinoza, Locke, Hume, Kant, Comte, Spencer, Haeckel, Feuerbach, Dewey, Santayana, Freud, Reich, Russell, Sartre, Ayer, Hook, and many others. Stein also contributes a history of organized free-thought, fully discussing political movements and theories that have had a direct bearing on unbelief. He has added perceptive essays on unbelief within the world's important religions: Buddhism; Christianity; Hinduism; Islam; Judaism; and, Taoism. This invaluable reference work is cross-referenced and indexed and contains five comprehensive appendices for meetings, organizations, publishers, periodicals and a bibliography of unbelief. The many contributors include Isaac Asimov, Hazel Barnes, Germaine Bree, Paul Edwards, Antony Flew, Paul Kurtz, Richard Martin, Martin Marty, Kai Neilsen, James Randi and many others.


Background: Human beings are able to maintain their balance from a combination of proprioceptive, graviceptive, visual and the vestibular inputs integrated by the central nervous system. Hence, symptoms of imbalance can arise whenever there is a defect either in these peripheral sensors or the modulating central nervous system. The prevalence of vertigo is 20-30% and it is a major health issue all over the world. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and causes of vertigo in Federal Medical Center Lokoja, North Central Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This is a 3-year retrospective hospital based study undertaken in the ENT Unit of the Department of Surgery Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja. From the hospital Medical Records, patients' files were retrieved. Data about their age, sex, occupation, presentation, treatment modality and outcome were extracted, studied and analyzed. Results: Three thousand two hundred and fourteen patients were seen and 65 of them had vertigo with a prevalence of 2.0%. Fifteen files had incomplete information and were not include in the study. The remaining 50 patients' files that were reviewed, consisted of 32 males (64%) and 18 females (36%). Male to female ratio was 1.8:1 and a mean age of 24.8 years. Bengin Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) 22(44%) was the commonest aetiology found followed by Meniere's disease 8(16%), trauma 7(14%) and Vestibular Neuronitis 5(10%) respectively. Keywords: Aetiology, vertigo, BPPV, Meniere's disease.


Background Rotator cuff tears, Bankart lesions, and superior labral anterior posterior lesions commonly occur in isolation, but there is a subgroup of patients who experience combined injuries. Prior studies have excluded such patients as confounding groups. Hypothesis In patients with combined lesions of the labrum and rotator cuff, arthroscopic repair of both lesions will restore range of motion and stability and provide good clinical results. Study Design Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods We retrospectively evaluated the clinical outcomes of a series of patients with combined rotator cuff and labral (Bankart or superior labral anterior posterior) lesions treated arthroscopically. Results Thirty patients (average age, 47.8 years) with combined rotator cuff and labral lesions were evaluated at a mean follow-up of 2.7 years (range, 24-54 months). Sixteen patients had Bankart lesions and 14 patients had SLAP lesions. Significant improvements in forward flexion (20.5°, P = .005), external rotation (9.0°, P = .008), and internal rotation (2 vertebral levels, P = .016) were observed. The mean L'Insalata and American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores for all patients were 92.9 and 94.3, respectively. Twenty-seven (90%) patients reported satisfaction as good to excellent, and 23 of 30 (77%) returned to their preinjury level of athletics. Two patients suffered recurrent rotator cuff tears. Conclusion In patients with rotator cuff and labral lesions, arthroscopic treatment of both lesions yields good clinical outcomes, restoration of motion, and a high degree of patient satisfaction.


During the 1980's, researchers and practitioners were engaged in a debate on the usefulness of reference checks in employee selection. This debate took as its point of departure, the results of several studies, which cast doubt on the predictive validity and reliability of references. The general conclusions were that references being subjective and unreliable have no place in the drive for more objective selection. This paper, however asks a number of critical questions: if references are so poor at predicting job performance, why are they endemic to selection systems? Do prospective employers really expect references to predict performance? The study reported here was conducted to examine the perceived purpose of references in selection and to assess whether studies, which judge references on the basis of predictive validity are actually testing a predictive tool. Findings indicate that references are used as a means of verification not as tools of prediction.
(IFE PsychologIA: 2003 11 (1): 1-11)


If identities are socially produced, what happens when individuals grow up participating in divergent or conflicting social contexts? This article reports on research with second-generation Turkish adolescents in London. Using the concept of the dialogical self, the research examines the dialogical structure of these young Turks' selves. The analysis is Bakhtinian and seeks to identify the different discourses through which these young Turks talk about themselves. Three distinct discourses, or I-positions, are identified. These are then related to the sociocultural context within which these youth live, and specific attention is given to the constraints on these youth in expressing aspects of their identity. We demonstrate that the asymmetries and tensions within these adolescents' dialogical selves are adaptive to the fractured and asymmetrical social contexts in which they are embedded.


Abstract 2363 Background: Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare, genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous inherited disorder. The natural history of FA is characterized by progressive marrow failure and an increased risk for clonal evolution. Evolution to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is the main cause of premature mortality. Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) is considered the treatment of choice in this situation but the evolution is usually poor post-HSCT, mainly due to treatment-related mortality. We report here the outcome of 6 FA patients who received a sequential regimen strategy because of clonal evolution. Patients, disease and methods: From August 2006 to December 2011, 6 consecutive patients with FA who received a sequential treatment with chemotherapy and reduced-intensity conditioning for clonal evolution in four different French institutions were reviewed. Five patients presented an AML (3 high risk and 2 standard risk according to Medical Research Council) and 1 a myelodysplastic syndrome considered high risk according to the International Pronostic Scoring System. The sequential strategy consisted in a pre-transplant chemotherapy by fludarabine 30 mg/m2/d 5 days and cytarabine 1gr/m2x2/d 5 days with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor injections (FLAG) followed early after by a reduced-intensity conditioning [4 days cyclophosphamide 10 mg/kg (low dose cyclophosphamide because of FA), 4 days fludarabine 30 mg/m2, 2 days anti-thymocyte globulin (3.75 mg/kg) and TBI (2 Gy)]. The source of stem cells was cord blood for three patients (Double units in 2 patients) and bone marrow for others. Graft versus host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis consisted in cyclosporine (CSA) plus MMF (except 1 patient who received CSA plus methotrexate). Results: Median age of the patients at HSCT was 20.5 years (5–28). Pre-transplant chemotherapy as well as conditioning regimen were well tolerated. The median time between the first day of chemotherapy and the date of HSCT was 30 days (range 12 to 80). During evolution, all patients engrafted. Median time to engraftment was 21 days (range 14 to 35) for neutrophils and 29 days for platelets (range 21 to 42). Donor chimerism was complete at day 100 for 5 patients. Septicemias were encountered in three patients (Staphylococcus, Enterobacter, and Candida) at 1, 3 and 4 months after HSCT, respectively. One patient developed a diarrhea to Campylobacter jejuni one month after HSCT and another patient underwent meatotomy for chronic maxillary sinusitis six months post-HSCT. Acute GvHD (1 grade I and 1 grade II) occurred in 2 patients. Both responded to steroid therapy. Chronic GvHD occurred in two patients. After a median follow-up (FU) of 30 months (8–72), all patients are still alive in complete remission from the clonal evolution. Conclusion: We report here 6 FA patients (5 AML and 1 MDS) who were successfully treated by a sequential strategy approach (FLAG and RIC HSCT). With a median FU of 30 months, all patients are alive and free from their original AML or MDS. The number of patients is little but the usual evolution is very poor post-HSCT in this particular situation. We thus believe this study supports the use of a sequential strategy (FLAG and RIC HSCT) in FA patients with AML or MDS. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Puerarin is one of the most important effective components of Pueraria lobata which exhibited classic estrogen-like biological activities and had remarkable cardiovascular protections in vivo and in vitro experiments. These protections of puerarin are mainly exhibited on improving the myocardial cells membrane potential and arrhythmia based on effecting the Na+, K+ , and Ca2+ channels,resisting myocardial fibrosis damage, diastolic effect on blood vessels, promoting angiogenesis, resisting calcification and atherosclerosis, improving blood flow, antiplatelet aggregation, reducing lipid and resisting diabetes. The main mechanisms are to improve the membrane potential and reduce cardiovascular damage caused by inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis, and the main regulated signal pathways are the PI3K/Akt, the NF-kappa B and the caspases.


Mixed-conducting Sr-Fe-Co oxides have potential applications in dense ceramic membranes for high-purity oxygen separation and/or methane conversion to produce syngas (CO + H{sub 2}), because of their combined high electronic/ionic conductivity and significant oxygen permeability. We studied the crystal structure and microstructure of the system in X-ray diffraction experiments and by using scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis was conducted on the SrFeCo{sub 0.5}O{sub x} sample in environments of various oxygen partial pressures (pO{sub 2}). Conductivity increased while weight decreased with increasing temperature. Activation energy decreased while conductivity increased with increasing pO{sub 2}. The pO{sub 2}-dependent conducting behavior of the SrFeCo{sub 0.5}O{sub x} system can be understood by considering the trivalent-to-divalent transition of transition-metal ions.


This paper presents a numerical algorithm for blocking autoreclosure during permanent faults on overhead lines. It is based on one-terminal input data processing. The fault nature (permanent or transient) is determined from the voltage signals of faulted and tripped line phase using neural network approach. The algorithm presented was successfully tested using the signals recorded on the real power system and signals obtained through laboratory tests. The tests demonstrate the ability of the presented algorithm to determine the secondary arc duration. The algorithm can be successfully used to define the reclosing dead time and blocking automatic reclosing of power lines with permanent faults.


Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is an autoimmune chronic cholestatic liver disease characterized by progressive cholangiocyte and bile duct destruction leading to fibrosis and finally to liver cirrhosis. The presence of disease-specific serological antimitochondrial antibody (AMA) together with elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP) as a biomarker of cholestasis is sufficient for diagnosis. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the first treatment option for PBC. Up to 40% of patients have an incomplete response to therapy, and over time disease progresses to liver cirrhosis. Several risk scores are proposed for better evaluation of patients before and during treatment to stratify patients at increased risk of disease progression. GLOBE score and UK PBC risk score are used for the evaluation of UDCA treatment and Mayo risk score for transplant-free survival. Liver transplantation (LT) is the only treatment option for end-stage liver disease. More than 10 years after LT, 40% of patients experience recurrence of the disease. A liver biopsy is required to establish rPBC (recurrent primary biliary cholangitis). The only treatment option for rPBC is UDCA, and data show biochemical and clinical improvement, plus potential beneficial effects for use after transplantation for the prevention of rPBC development. Additional studies are required to assess the full impact of rPBC on graft and recipient survival and for treatment options for rPBC.


A comprehensive review of distribution problems in logistics and supply chain management is presented in this paper. We first review the definitions of distribution, and then define it from a new perspective. We also present and compare different taxonomies of distribution networks. Next, the importance and difficulties of distribution research are discussed. We point out that there are 12 issues in distribution research that need to be addressed. The major conclusion of the paper is that future research needs to address an integrated approach to distribution design and to consider and incorporate the sustainability development concept.


ABSTRACT The analysis of clustered data in a longitudinal ophthalmology study is complicated by correlations between repeatedly measured visual outcomes of paired eyes in a participant and missing observations due to the loss of follow-up. In the present article we consider hypothesis testing problems in an ophthalmology study, where eligible eyes are randomized to two treatments (when two eyes of a participant are eligible, the paired eyes are assigned to different treatments), and vision function outcomes are repeatedly measured over time. A large sample-based nonparametric test statistic and a nonparametric Bootstrap test analog are proposed for testing an interaction effect of two factors and testing an effect of a eye-specific factor within a level of the other person-specific factor on visual function outcomes. Both test statistics allow for missing observations, correlations between repeatedly measured outcomes on individual eyes, and correlations between repeatedly measured outcomes on both eyes of each participant. A simulation study shows that these proposed test statistics maintain nominal significance levels approximately and comparable powers to each other, as well as higher powers than the naive test statistic ignoring correlations between repeated bilateral measurements of both eyes in the same person. For illustration, we apply the proposed test statistics to the changes of visual field defect score in the Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study.


Previous studies suggest that therapeutic expression of interleukin (IL)-4 by islet cells improves their efficacy in transplantation models directed at reversing type 1 diabetes. We investigated the effects of introducing IL-4 into islets with recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) on the reversal of hyperglycemia in a syngeneic marginal islet mass transplantation model. C57BL/6 islets were mock-transduced or transduced with rAAV expressing murine IL-4 (rAAV-IL-4) or rAAV expressing green fluorescent protein (rAAV-GFP) before transplantation of a marginal mass into diabetic mice. Normoglycemia was achieved in only 1/7 mice receiving rAAV-IL-4 transduced islets in comparison to 6/6 mock-transduced and 4/6 rAAV-GFP transduced animals. The failure of IL-4 expressing islets was not associated with cellular toxicity of rAAV or impairment of glucose-stimulated insulin release in vitro. Islet expression of IL-4 led to impaired metabolic function in mice receiving a marginal mass of syngeneic islets.