Purpose: The purpose of this study was using of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in order to reveal the changes in substructure of speed steel made with deep cryogenic treatment (DCT), in comparison with substructure formed by conventional heat treatment for secondary hardness. Design/methodology/approach: The HS6-5-2 high speed steel was heat treated in a conventional mode for secondary hardness or was processed in a mode with use of DCT, with and without next tempering. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy observations were carried out. Studies of thermal stability in range of temperatures from -196 °C to 400 °C were performed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Findings: Observations made with aid of SEM-TEM microscope revealed the presence of high density of globular clusters situated at dislocations, and precipitations of the fine carbide plates, located in twinned crystals of martensite. Thermal analysis (DSC) showed an occurrence of higher exothermic effects in specimens treated with use of DCT, than in specimens heat treated conventionally. In steel samples after quenching and DCT the additional exothermic effect was observed. Electron diffraction in TEM studies of these specimens allowed to observe reflections of which indexing exhibited that the precipitated carbide phase has crystallographic structure of B1 type. Research limitations/implications: Extremely high dispersion of carbide phases and a high state of stress that accompanies the stage of precipitation, make difficult the identification of the lattice structure of precipitations, its crystallographic relationships and the degree of coherence with the matrix. Identification of the type of carbides (e, η, B1, and others) and their coherence with matrix become time-consuming. This important issue requires detailed studies using high-resolution microscopes. Conditions of the early stage of the precipitation process affect the stability of induced strengthening and service-life of tools. Practical implications: Research of HS6-5-2 high speed steel allowed concluding that DCT, besides refinement of martensite grain size, causes an increase of quantity of sites for nucleation of clusters, in which during tempering the B1 carbides are formed. These fine, coherent with matrix and stable carbides are found to be responsible for enhancement of toughness and wear resistance of HSS tools. Originality/value: The issue of DCT is a niche topic in Poland, there are no detailed studies on the changes taking place during this process.


This paper puts forward a new instrumental variables (IV) approach for linear panel data models with interactive effects in the error term and regressors. The instruments are transformed regressors and so it is not necessary to search for external instruments. The proposed method asymptotically eliminates the interactive effects in the error term and in the regressors separately in two stages. We propose a two-stage IV (2SIV) and a mean-group IV (MGIV) estimator for homogeneous and heterogeneous slope models, respectively. The asymptotic analysis for the models with homogeneous slopes reveals that: (i) the \sqrt{NT}-consistent 2SIV estimator is free from asymptotic bias that could arise due to the correlation between the regressors and the estimation error of the interactive effects; (ii) under the same set of assumptions, existing popular estimators, which eliminate interactive effects either jointly in the regressors and the error term, or only in the error term, can suffer from asymptotic bias; (iii) the proposed 2SIV estimator is asymptotically as efficient as the bias-corrected version of estimators that eliminate interactive effects jointly in the regressors and the error, whilst; (iv) the relative efficiency of the estimators that eliminate interactive effects only in the error term is indeterminate. A Monte Carlo study confirms good approximation quality of our asymptotic results and competent performance of 2SIV and MGIV in comparison with existing estimators. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the bias-corrections can be imprecise and noticeably inflate the dispersion of the estimators in finite samples.


OBJECTIVE To examine the association of diabetes stigma with psychological, behavioral, and HbA1c outcomes and to investigate moderation effects of self-esteem, self-efficacy, and/or social support. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The national Second Diabetes MILES – Australia (MILES-2) survey included adults with type 1 diabetes (n = 959, 41% of whom were male, with mean ± SD age 44 ± 15 years), insulin-treated type 2 diabetes (n = 487, 60% male, age 61 ± 9 years), and non–insulin-treated type 2 diabetes (n = 642, 55% male, age 61 ± 10 years). (Un)adjusted linear regression analyses tested the association between diabetes stigma (Diabetes Stigma Assessment Scale [DSAS]) and psychological outcomes (depressive symptoms [eight-item version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8)], anxiety symptoms [Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) questionnaire], and diabetes-specific distress [20-item Problem Areas In Diabetes (PAID) scale]), behavioral outcomes (healthy diet and physical activity [Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA)]), and self-reported HbA1c. Interaction effects tested whether associations varied by self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale [RSES]), self-efficacy (Confidence in Diabetes Self-Care [CIDS] scale), or diabetes-specific social support (Diabetes Support Scale [DSS]). RESULTS Significant positive associations were observed between DSAS and PHQ-8, GAD-7, and PAID across diabetes type/treatment groups (all P < 0.001), whereby each SD increase in DSAS scores was associated with approximately one-half SD deterioration in emotional well-being. Associations between DSAS and SDSCA and HbA1c were nonmeaningful. Self-esteem moderated psychological outcomes among participants with type 1 and non–insulin-treated type 2 diabetes and diabetes distress among those with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes. Interaction effects were partially observed for social support but not for self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence of the association between diabetes stigma and depressive/anxiety symptoms and diabetes distress and for the moderating effects of self-esteem and social support among adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Further research is needed to examine associations with objectively measured behavioral and clinical outcomes.


Quantitative analysis of animal behaviour in model organisms is becoming an increasingly essential approach for tackling the great challenge of understanding how activity in the brain gives rise to behaviour. In addition, behavioural analysis can provide insight on the molecular basis of nervous system development and function as demonstrated by genetic screens focused on behavioural phenotyping in some genetically tractable model organisms. The progress in building low-cost automated tracking setups, together with advances in computer vision machine learning have expanded the repertoire of organisms which are amenable to quantitative behavioural analysis. Here we used automated image-based tracking to extract behavioural features from an organism of great importance in understanding the evolution of chordates, the free swimming larval form of the tunicate Ciona intestinalis which has a compact and fully mapped nervous system composed of only 231 neurons. We analysed hundreds of videos of larvae and we extracted basic geometric and physical descriptors of larval behaviour. Most importantly, we used machine learning methods to create an objective ontology of behaviours for C. intestinalis larvae. We identified eleven behavioural modes using agglomerative clustering. This approach enabled us to produce a quantitative description of the basic larval behavioural repertoire. Furthermore, we tested the robustness of this repertoire by comparing different rearing conditions and ages. Using our pipeline for quantitative behavioural analysis, we successfully reproduced the known photoresponsive behaviour and the first demonstration to our knowledge that C. intestinalis larvae exhibit sensory arousal and thigmotaxis, both of which can be modulated by the anxiotropic drug modafinil. Remarkably, by comparing the behaviour between animals assayed individually or in small groups, we found that crowd size influences larval behaviour. This study shows that C. intestinalis larval behaviour can be broken down to a set of stereotyped behaviours that are used to different extents in a context-dependent manner. Furthermore, it raises exciting possibilities such as mapping behaviour to specific neurons of this compact chordate nervous system and it paves the way for comparative quantitative behavioural studies as a means to reconstruct the evolution of behaviour, especially in the chordate lineage.


Recent advances in basic research, medicine, and biotechnology provide great motivation for the development of analytical tools to probe the behavior of target biomolecules in complex biological environments. Cell-free transcription-translation systems are an attractive medium for such studies, because they mimic several biochemical features of living cells, yet they are much more amenable to manipulation and spectroscopic analysis. However, few methods are currently available to characterize target proteins in cell-free systems. We have employed matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry for the detection and characterization of two cell-free expressed model proteins, cold shock protein A and apomyoglobin (apoMb) in cell-free systems. We exploited a combination of multiple selective isotope-labeling patterns for the identification of both full-length proteins and their in situ-generated proteolytic fragments. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry-detected hydrogen/deuterium exchange, performed directly in the cell-free medium, allowed the assessment of apoMb's global degree of folding. The above methods are straightforward in that they do not require high levels of protein expression and allow the efficient characterization of both protein identity and global degree of folding.


Autoradiography was used to localize target cells for 3H‐testosterone or its labeled metabolites in the brain of the rhesus monkey. Two castrated males were injected intravenously with 3H‐testosterone (2 mCi/monkey) and were killed 1 hour later. In both animals, neurons that concentrated radioactivity in their nuclei were located in a well‐circumscribed system that included the bed nucleus (n.) of the stria terminalis, medial preoptic n., suprachiasmatic preoptic n., anterior hypothalamic area, ventromedial hypothalamic n., cortical, medial, and basal accessory amygdaloid n., mesencephalic reticular n., and periaqueductal gray matter. In contrast to reports in some nonprimate mammalian species, little or no cellular labeling was observed in the lateral septum, arcuate n.‐median eminence, motor nuclei of cranial nerves, or spinal cord.


Three neonates with enlargement of the lateral ventricle were evaluated with sonography. Two out of 3 patients had hydrocephalus and 1 an ischemic stroke. 3D US improved accuracy in diagnosing and following up hydrocephalus, while the diagnosis of arterial ischemic stroke was immediate. 3D US has the potential to become a valuable additional imaging tool for the evaluation of the paediatric neonatal brain, enabling an earlier diagnosis.


BACKGROUND
The Patient Perspective Survey (PPS) is a new clinical communication tool designed to stimulate patient involvement in the management of complex health problems in general practice and to improve patient and doctor satisfaction with the consultation. The development of this final 38-item version of the PPS has been described elsewhere.

OBJECTIVE
The aims of this article are to present recommendations for clinical use and how GPs and patients have evaluated this new tool.

METHODS
The study material included 159 patients (78% females) with a mean age of 45 years, mainly presenting with longstanding musculoskeletal and psychosocial disorders, selected by 32 GPs. After the PPS-based consultation, both doctor and patient were asked to fill in evaluation forms.

RESULTS
In as many as 55-85% of the consultations' various aspects, it was perceived by the GPs that the use of the survey helped (to some extent, much or very much) in achieving improved clinical communication and a constructive consultation. The most important elements appeared to be stimulation of positive interaction/processes and obtaining new and relevant information. Similar results were found regarding patient evaluation. There was significantly more positive doctor evaluation if the doctor-patient relationship had lasted less than 1 year, and if the patient agreed to prepare a 'plan of action' for a follow-up consultation. Guidelines for clinical use are presented.

CONCLUSION
We now regard the PPS to be completed for daily clinical use and believe that it has been shown to be a potent tool to improve consultation outcome in the large and challenging group of patients with complex health problems in general practice.


Prenyltransfer is an early-stage carbon–hydrogen bond (C–H) functionalization prevalent in the biosynthesis of a diverse array of biologically active bacterial, fungal, plant, and metazoan diketopiperazine (DKP) alkaloids. Towards the development of a unified strategy for biocatalytic construction of prenylated DKP indole alkaloids, we sought to identify and characterize a substrate-permissive C2 reverse prenyltransferase (PT). In the biosynthesis of cytotoxic notoamide metabolites, PT NotF is responsible for catalyzing the first tailoring event of C2 reverse prenyltransfer of brevianamide F (cyclo(L-Trp-L-Pro)). Obtaining a high-resolution crystal structure of NotF (in complex with native substrate and prenyl donor mimic dimethylallyl S-thiolodiphosphate (DMSPP)) revealed a large, solvent exposed substrate binding site, intimating NotF may possess significant substrate promiscuity. To assess the full potential of NotF's broad substrate selectivity, we synthesized a panel of 30 tryptophanyl DKPs with a suite of sterically and electronically differentiated amino acids, which were selectively prenylated by NotF in often synthetically useful conversions (2 to >99%). Quantitative representation of this substrate library enabled the development of a descriptive statistical model that provided insight into the origins of NotF's substrate promiscuity. Through this unique approach for understanding enzyme scope, we identified key substrate descriptors such as electrophilicity, size, and flexibility, that govern enzymatic turnover by NotF. Additionally, we demonstrated the ability to couple NotF-catalyzed prenyltransfer with oxidative cyclization using recently characterized flavin monooxygenase, BvnB, from the brevianamide biosynthetic pathway. This one-pot, in vitro biocatalytic cascade proceeds with exceptional substrate recognition, and enabled the first chemoenzymatic synthesis of the marine fungal natural product, (–)-eurotiumin A, in three steps and 60% overall yield.


This paper is aimed at educational technology specialists who work with multicultural and international projects in developing countries. Educational technology is increasingly portrayed as a cure for the developing countries' educational challenges. But as countries differ much from each other, and as developing regions differ in many ways from industrialized regions, naïve technology transfer just does not work. We propose a tentative framework for a systemic view of educational technology in developing regions. In that framework, we present 100 pedagogical, socioeconomic, and technical considerations that educational technology developers may need to re-think in projects in developing regions. We propose further research on developing the current framework into a proper analysis tool.


ABSTRACT The influence of individual gymnasts' balance on final pyramid performance is unknown. The principal objective of this study was to evaluate associations between the balance capacity of base and top gymnasts (BG, BT) on the pyramid performance using different balance tasks. Forty acrobatic gymnasts were divided in two groups (20 BG, 20 TG) and performed three different static tests on a force platform: unipedal (open and closed eyes), and headstand. Centre of pressure (COP) measurements were obtained including length travelled in the anteroposterior and mediolateral axis, surface area and the mean speed. Pairs of gymnasts performed a pyramid which involved the BG standing upright while holding a TP in handstand with arms flexed at the elbow. Pyramid scores were obtained from judges to assess the performance. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce the number of balance COP variables. Linear regression analysis was applied with pyramid performance and scores of PCA separated by role. TG's PCA 2 was a significant predictor of pyramid performance. Higher pyramid performance was associated with better headstand balance capacity in TG. The results suggest that measuring COP displacement during headstands could help coaches and gymnasts to assess the handstand pyramid performance.


The battle against COVID-19 has transformed the lives of U.S. public health workers, many of whom have been working in crisis mode since late winter. In some health agencies, especially those at the local level that were already underfunded before the pandemic hit, the containment effort leaves little room for other public health work.


In the effort of increasing the prescription payment at the Dispansary of Kopkar RSUD Budhi Asih, it is necessary to have description regarding the factors connected with the action of prescription payment. In addition, the information about the satisfaction of the patients who pay it at the dispensary is also needed. In the paper, the researcher used the cross sectional design, with the sample of 384 respondents, calculated with 5% level of significant and the used methods were univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis. The result indicated that correlation between the knowledge of the existence of Dispensary Kopkar and the action of the prescription payment was significant (p = 0,0048), the relationship between the attitude toward the prescription payment at the Dispensary and the action of paying was significant (p = 0,0000), the relationship between the fund availability and the action of paying the prescription was significant (p = 0,0291), the relationship between the time availability and action of paying the prescription was significant (p = 0,0000) the relationship between the one who guarantee the cost and the action of paying the prescription was not significant (p = 0,863). From all dependent variabels, indicated that only knowledge of existence of Dispensary Kopkar, attitude toward the prescription payment at the Dispensary, fund availability and time availability who have relationship was significant (p l 0,05) with the action of paying the prescription.


Abstract Semantics of the Old, the New and the Modern in Learned Canon Law: Observations on the Interpretation of 'antiqua', 'nova', 'hodie' and 'moderna' in the Science of Canon Law, 12th–15th Century. In using the terms 'antiqua', 'nova', 'hodie' and 'moderna' as descriptors of change in law and legal knowledge, the science of medieval canon law adopted a longstanding semantic tradition of theology and rhetorics. The article addresses these usages and argues that they represented different understandings of the relationship between the past and the present, ranging from the idea of progress and continuous change to the concept of superior authority of the past towards the present.


We investigate the effect of social interactions on labor market outcomes using a direct measure of social contacts based on information about individuals' three best friends and their characteristics. We examine the effect of the number of employed friends on the transition from non-employment to employment, and we find the existence of significant network effects at the individual level. An additional employed friend increases the probability of finding a job by 3.7 percentage points. This finding is robust to specifications that address the endogeneity of friends' employment status, which may be induced by correlation with unobserved individual attributes and feedback effects. Considering labor market outcomes, we find evidence of higher wages and employment stability for those with more employed friends, which is consistent with networks acting as an information transmission mechanism. JEL-Code: J64.


Ignoring a nested factor can influence the validity of statistical decisions about treatment effectiveness. Previous discussions have centered on consequences of ignoring nested factors versus treating them as random factors on Type I errors and measures of effect size (B. E. Wampold & R. C. Serlin). The authors (a) discuss circumstances under which the treatment of nested provider effects as fixed as opposed to random is appropriate; (b) present 2 formulas for the correct estimation of effect sizes when nested factors are fixed; (c) present the results of Monte Carlo simulations of the consequences of treating providers as fixed versus random on effect size estimates, Type I error rates, and power; and (d) discuss implications of mistaken considerations of provider effects for the study of differential treatment effects in psychotherapy research.


ABSTRACT Food banks have become an essential part of the social welfare arrangements of many countries. Food bank managers need to know why some people give to food banks while others do not, as such knowledge will help them devise effective promotional campaigns. The current research applied Norm Activation Theory to examine the motivations and other factors that encourage individuals (as opposed to businesses) to donate foodstuff to food banks in the United Kingdom. Two major research questions were addressed: (1) how do food bank donors and non-donors perceive the attributes of food bank beneficiaries, and (2) what considerations determine the frequencies of donations? The study employed a structural topic model (STM) to analyze the responses of 544 members of the public to an open-ended question regarding the characteristics of typical food bank beneficiaries. Outcomes were then imported to a structural equation model (SEM) containing "frequency of food bank donation" as the dependent variable.


ABSTRACT Objectives Literature shows that sexual activity remains important at older age and is a valued part of life. However, little is known about the intimate partner relationships (IPR) among minority older women living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The purpose of this study is to explore the effect HIV diagnosis had on the intimate partner relationships (IPR) among minority older women living with HIV (MOWH). Methods Qualitative descriptive study. A total of 28 MOWH (Black and Latinas) aged 50 years and older participated in face to face semi-structured in-depth interviews. Interviews were analyzed using content analysis. Results Three themes emerged from the analysis: (a)"Intimate partner relationships before HIV diagnosis" that revealed sexual practices increasing the risk for HIV in their intimate relationships; (b)"Facing relationship consequences of HIV disclosure after diagnosis" explored the consequences of HIV disclosure, and how disclosure determined the future of their intimate relationships; and (c) "Intimate partner relationships after HIV diagnosis" described the quality of intimate partner relationships and changes after HIV diagnosis. Conclusions Results from this study contribute to understanding and increasing awareness of the effect of HIV on the intimacy of MOWH. Clinical Implications Education provided by health care workers and interventions targeting MOWH should address the effect of HIV in IPR, address MOWH's concerns about it, and help them to improve their overall health.


Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the prevalent autoimmune inflammatory arthritis found in adults, with the worldwide prevalence ranging from 0.4% to 1.3% (1). Patients with this condition have permanent changes with different severity of arthritis deformities as well as functional disturbances; Studies had shown that every painful condition disturbs sleep, which can lead to mood and abilities disturbances (2). Objectives The aim of this study was to describe the socio-demographic profile and sleep disorders in RA patients from a specialized RA clinic in Colombia and relationship with disease activity. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in a specialized clinic dedicated to care patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Data was collected during our psychology consultation, through semi-structured interviews and non-probability sampling. Descriptive epidemiology was applied for continuous variables, using measures of central tendency and dispersion for categorical and qualitative variables by averages and percentages. We analyzed bivariate association with Pearson's X2. Results We included 1398 patients attending to our psychology consultation. Mean age was 55±8. 80% were female and 20% male. Mean DAS28 was 2.6±1.3, mean HAQ was 1.6±1. 6; Patients had the disease for an average of 12 years ± 8; 41% of patients had comorbidities associated with non-autoimmune disease, 14% comorbidities related to autoimmune disease; 35% of our patients did not report other comorbidities. Most of patients were married 60%, followed by divorced 19%, single 14% and widowed 7%. Regarding occupation 33% were employees, 25% were housekeepers or retired due to age, 12% were retired due to disabilities, and 3% unemployed. Of the total population 45% had elementary school, 32% high school, 8% college education, 7% graduate education and 7% were illiterate. 17% of patients lived alone. When the psychologist asked about sleep disorders 69% reported no to have any, 25% primary insomnia, 1% hypersomnia, 3% OSAS and 2% alterations on the circadian rhythm. Disease activity was statically associated with sleep disorders (p<0.00). Conclusions Sleep problems are an important aspect to consider in a patient with RA and are correlated to disease activity; it is important to have a multidisciplinary care team for the patient with RA, including a psychologist that can manage this kind of illness in order to improve the life quality of patients. References Bautista-Molano W, Fernández-Avila D, Jiménez R, Cardozo R, Marín A, Soler MdP, et al. Epidemiological Profile of Colombian Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Specialized Care Clinic. Reumatología Clínica (English Edition). 2016;12(6):313–8. Purabdollah M, Lakdizaji S, Rahmani A, Hajalilu M, Ansarin K. Relationship between Sleep Disorders, Pain and Quality of Life in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Journal of caring sciences. 2015;4(3):233–41. Disclosure of Interest None declared


To evaluate the pathoanatomic findings of mitral valve stenosis and changes after percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty (PBV), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed in 23 patients. The patients were imaged with a 2.0-T system within 1 week before and 3-10 days after PBV. The angle of the interatrial septum was measured on the transverse image to facilitate a successful transseptal puncture. On MR images, the mean transverse and anteroposterior diameters of the left atrium at the level of the aortic root in the ventricular diastolic phase decreased significantly after PBV. Areas of flow-related intraluminal signal intensity detected in the left atrial cavity of 17 patients (74%) before the procedure disappeared in 15 patients after the procedure. Other MR imaging findings after PBV were the disappearance of intraluminal signal intensity in the pulmonary artery, normal curvature of the interatrial and interventricular septa, and pericardial effusion as a complication. MR imaging was thought to provide useful information before and after PBV in patients with mitral stenosis.


In Daniels, the Constitutional Court had to decide whether the Extension of Security of Tenure Act 62 of 1997 ('ESTA') allows an occupier to bring about improvements on land without the landowner's permission to make the occupier's dwelling habitable. The ESTA would be in conflict with an occupier's rights to tenure security (s 25(6) of the Constitution) and human dignity (s 10 of the Constitution) if it did not provide this right. Madlanga J, for the majority, ruled that this right flows from a natural and proper interpretation of the Act. This finding is unattractive from a single-system-of-law perspective, as it may undermine (instead of promote) the positive characteristics which the Constitution envisions for the whole legal system. We raise two objections against the majority judgment, which stem from the two fundamental principles of subsidiarity. In terms of the first criticism we argue that the majority judgment committed judicial overreach and subverted the rule of law, as it adopted a strained interpretation of s 5(a) of the ESTA by overemphasising the purpose of the Act and abandoning the textual threshold. In the process, the court ascribed vague requirements to s 5(a) which are foreign to the property context within which the ESTA operates, thereby obfuscating the relationship between the ESTA and the common law of unjustified enrichment. Under the second objection, which flows from the first, we argue that the court should instead have developed the common law of unjustified enrichment to come to the occupier's assistance. This could have been done by expanding the categories of lawful occupiers who are permitted to bring about improvements on land without the landowner's permission. From a doctrinal perspective the enrichment liability of the owner could then have been limited by the 'unique relationship' that exists between the owner and the ESTA occupier and could have been further circumscribed by the ius tollendi, the common-law definition, and the tests for necessary, useful and luxurious improvements. Such a development would have entailed a more principled solution to the case, one which would have promoted greater systemic coherence between the various sources of law applicable to the dispute.


Root canal transportation can lead to treatment failure. A large number of methodologies for assessing root canal preparation have been tried in the past. This study compared two methods for apical transportation measurement: digitised images of longitudinal root sections and radiographs. Sixty upper molar mesiobuccal root canals prepared for endodontic treatment were assessed. The results did not demonstrate statistically significant differences between the two imaging methods used to evaluate root canal transportation. The two methods were proven to be equally reliable.


Aspect based sentiment analysis, predicting sentiment polarity of given aspects, has drawn extensive attention. Previous attention-based models emphasize using aspect semantics to help extract opinion features for classification. However, these works are either not able to capture opinion spans as a whole, or not able to capture variable-length opinion spans. In this paper, we present a neat and effective structured attention model by aggregating multiple linear-chain CRFs. Such a design allows the model to extract aspect-specific opinion spans and then evaluate sentiment polarity by exploiting the extracted opinion features. The experimental results on four datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model, and our analysis demonstrates that our model can capture aspect-specific opinion spans.


In the present paper, the authors make a simple comment on the influence of the theory of five elements of TCM on the acupuncturology from ① its influence on the meridian-collateral theory and acupoint system; ② its influence on acu-moxibustion therapeutics including the application of mother and son points for reinforcing and reducing, the application of the five element theory to the midnight-noon ebb-flow needling, and guiding point selection in different seasons; and ③ its influence on acupuncture techniques.


Abstract. Angstrom coefficients are commonly used to parameterize the slow wavelength dependence of aerosol scattering, absorption, and extinction coefficients and single scattering albedo. Here we introduce simple analytical relationships between these coefficients that establish a framework for intercomparison between theory and experimental results from different instruments and platforms and allow for closure studies and improved physical understanding.


Polymer films developed for distance detection, containing dye-coated silver particles for ultra-sensitive analysis using surf ace-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS), identified the need for effective SERRS labels that interact strongly with the metal surfaces. Many dyes that are currently used for SERRS can be displaced from the surface owing to the relatively weak surface attachment, and therefore they do not adhere strongly enough to the surface for many practical applications, i.e. to withstand incorporation into environments such as paints, resins and polymers. Rhodamine dyes are very effective in SERRS under ideal laboratory conditions, as shown by the detection of single molecules. The synthesis of 19-[4-(benzotriazole-5-ylsulfamoyl)-2-methylphenyl]-6-diethylaminoxanthen-3-ylidene]diethylammonium (benzotriazole rhodamine B, BTRB), which was designed to give much stronger surface adhesion, was evaluated using SERRS in comparison with two commercially available rhodamine dyes, rhodamine 6G and rhodamine B. The increased strength of interaction with the roughened metal surface was shown to increase the versatility of BTRB in terms of the choice of aggregating agent and also the type of sample prepared. Therefore, the modification of rhodamine dyes to incorporate a benzotriazole group widens the range of practical applications for which they are suitable for detection using SERRS.


Biosimilar products are required by regulatory authorities to have appropriate and comparable quality, safety and efficacy with a reference biologic product. The analytical techniques that are available to manufacturers of biosimilar medicines are well advanced and present a range of options to characterize the products and compare them with the relevant marketed reference product. This variety of analytical methods can be used to investigate the attributes of a candidate biosimilar and a reference biologic, and ensures that orthogonal methods can be deployed to characterize a single attribute, facilitating rigorous structural characterization and physicochemical evaluation. These analytical methodologies not only enable evidence for bio-comparability to be amassed but also enable a developer of biosimilars to incorporate risk mitigation into the development strategy. This review discusses the analytical techniques available to support comparability testing, the handling of reference material and the strategic aspects to commercializing biosimilar or follow-on biological medicinal products.


Microwave stealth technology with optical transparency is of great significance for solar-powered aircrafts (e.g., satellites or unmanned aerial vehicles) in increasingly complex electromagnetic environments. By coating them with optically transparent absorbing materials or devices, these large-sized solar panels could avoid detection by radar while maintaining highly efficient collection of solar energy. However, conventional microwave-absorbing materials/devices for solar panels suffer from bulky volume and fixed stealth performance that significantly hinders their practicality or multifunctionality. Particularly, dynamic modulation of microwave absorption for dual polarization remains a challenge. In this paper, we propose the design, fabrication, and characterization of an optically transparent and dynamically tunable microwave-absorbing metasurface that enables dual modulations (amplitude and frequency) independently for two orthogonal linearly polarized excitations. The tunability of the proposed metasurface is guaranteed by an elaborately designed anisotropic meta-atom composed of a patterned graphene structure whose electromagnetic responses for different polarizations can be dynamically and independently controlled via bias voltages. The dual tunability in such a graphene-based absorbing metasurface is experimentally measured, which agrees well with those numerical results. We further build an equivalent lumped circuit model to analyze the physical relation between the tunable sheet resistance of graphene and the polarization-independent modulations of the metasurface. Taking into account the advantages of optical transparency and flexibility, the proposed microwave-absorbing metasurface significantly enhances the multitasking stealth performance in complex scenarios and has the potential for advanced solar energy devices.


Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a heterostylous self-incompatible (SI) species with two different flower morphologies, pin and thrum. The SI trait is controlled by a single gene complex locus, S. Self-compatible (SC) lines were developed by crossing F. esculentum and F. homotropicum; these lines have an SC gene, Sh, which is dominant over the s allele and recessive to the S allele. S-ELF3 has been identified as a candidate gene in the S locus and is present in the S and Sh but not s alleles. A single-nucleotide deletion in the S-ELF3 gene of the Sh allele results in a frame shift. To develop co-dominant markers to distinguish between ShSh and Shs plants, we performed a next-generation sequencing analysis in combination with bulked-segregant analysis. We developed four co-dominant markers linked to the S locus. We investigated the polymorphism frequency between a self-compatible line and leading Japanese buckwheat cultivars. Linkage between a developed sequence-tagged-site marker and flower morphology was confirmed using more than 1000 segregating plants and showed no recombination. The developed markers would be useful for buckwheat breeding and also to produce lines for genetic analysis such as recombinant inbred lines.


Epidemic modeling has been extensively used in the last years in the field of telecommunications and computer networks. We consider the popular Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible spreading model as the metric for information spreading. In this work, we analyze information spreading on a particular class of networks denoted almost torus networks and over the lattice which can be considered as the limit when the torus length goes to infinity. Almost torus networks consist on the torus network topology where some nodes or edges have been removed. We find explicit expressions for the characteristic polynomial of these graphs and tight lower bounds for its computation. These expressions allow us to estimate their spectral radius and thus how the information spreads on these networks.


PurposeThe objective of this study is to assess if Italian fish consumers are sensible to shark protection and if they would contribute paying more for small pelagic fishes coming from fisheries that are certified as "shark-free".Design/methodology/approachContingent valuation is used to estimate willingness to pay with a double approach, including a dichotomous choice and an open-ended question. Inconsistency between the two answers is allowed. This allows the correction of two sources of bias (i.e. preference uncertainty and anchoring effect) and has permitted that the two estimation methods converged to the same result.FindingsConsumers show interest for the "shark-free" label. Premium price is estimated at +26%. Variables affecting willingness to pay (WTP) in the sample are age, income, environmental attitude, knowledge of organic labels and frequency of small pelagics' consumption. Results need to be confirmed by a replication on a larger (probabilistic) sample and with a different distribution of bids.Originality/valueEcosystems provide different benefits to humankind, including non-use services, such as the satisfaction to know that a species is well conserved. Generally, appreciation is higher for what are considered charismatic species. In this paper, the authors investigate if sharks can be considered charismatic species despite their "bad reputation". The interest in shark survival is measured indirectly using a "shark-free" label on a commercial species like anchovy, allowing to increase the value added of this low-price species.


Objective. – To investigate semantic memory in brain-injured patients. Methods. – We used the new word questionnaire (QMN) to assess the ability of 12 brain-injured patients and 12 healthy controls to define French words, which had been admitted to the dictionary in 1996 to 1997 or in 2006 to 2007. Results. – Despite amnesia or severe executive disorders, the brain-injured patients were able to learn new words and remember those that they already learnt. They successfully selected the relevant phrase in which the new word was placed and were reasonably good at recognizing the right definition from among decoys. In contrast, they had trouble defining the words and compensated for this by giving examples. These problems were correlated with their vocabulary and executive function scores in a battery of neuropsychological tests. Conclusion. – Our results suggest that frontal injury leads to an impairment in accurate word selection and the scheduling abilities required to generate word definitions. # 2009 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.


The challenge of accurately predicting eyelid height after levator surgery for ptosis is a well-known problem even in competent hands. It is always better to correct an unfavorable postoperative result without surgical intervention, and thus spare the patient another involved procedure. The author describes a new adjustable suture technique that ensures a secure connection between the levator muscle and the tarsus, and allows easy postoperative adjustment of lid height. The suture design consists of an inner and an outer loop in a configuration that resembles a paper clip. When the suture is tightened, the inner loop approximates the distal part of the levator muscle to the tarsal plate, bringing the tissues into secure contact. When tightened further, the outer loop is activated and it approximates the more proximal part of the levator muscle to the tarsus as much as desired to achieve the proper eyelid height. When the sutures are tightened, the levator muscle shortens by folding on itself like the pleats of an accordion. Using this method, muscle slack is reduced as the tissue is folded on itself several times.


APP is a precursor of beta amyloid deposited in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although genetic studies established that mutations in APP cause familial AD (FAD), the mechanism for neuronal death by FAD mutants has not been well understood. We established neuronal cells (F11/EcR/V642I cells) in which V642I APP was inducibly expressed by ecdysone. Treatment with ecdysone, but not vehicle, killed most cells within a few days, with rounding, shrinkage, and detachment as well as nuclear fragmentation. Death was suppressed by Ac-DEVD-CHO and pertussis toxin. Electron microscopic analysis revealed that apoptosis occurred in ecdysone-treated cells. V642I-APP-induced death was suppressed by the anti-AD factors estrogen and apoE2. These data demonstrate not only that expression of this FAD gene causes neuronal apoptosis, but that F11/EcR/V642I cells, the first neuronal cells with inducible FAD gene expression, provide a useful model system in investigating AD disorders.


The paper describes a unification-based language engineering platform meant for development of reversible language resources and linguistic applications. The platform, called EGLU (Environnment Generique Linguistique d'Unification) is an enhanced generalized port of ISSCO's original ELU from SUN-OS Allegro Common Lisp to Macintosh Common Lisp and Carnegie Mellon Lisp (under Solaris). Several language resources have been developed, ranging from small demo MT systems (French-English), medium-size grammars (French) to large dictionaries (Romanian language).


This article develops an organizational view of the roles and impacts of e-collaboration. Drawing upon the dynamic capabilities perspective, e-collaboration is conceptualized as a change-oriented capability that enables a firm to identify, integrate, and apply its knowledge assets to meet competitive demands. Therefore, e-collaboration potentially has three organizational roles—coordination, learning, and innovation—that are associated with either efficiency impacts or competitive impacts. The main argument of this article is that firms in less dynamic business environments need e-collaboration for operational purposes, emphasizing the coordination role, whereas firms in high-velocity business environments need e-collaboration for strategic purposes, emphasizing the learning and innovation roles. An analysis of the way in which business environment characteristics interact with media characteristics serves to demonstrate the importance of strategic characteristics—in addition to media and task characteristics—in determining the success of e-collaboration.


Abstract Cochlosoma anatis is a flagellated intestinal parasite that infects a variety of avian species. C. anatis infections have been associated with decreased weight gain and increased morbidity and mortality. Conditions favoring the growth of this organism in birds are current pathogenic intestinal infections and/or young age. There is little data describing the life cycle of this parasite. In this study, electron microscopy images are presented that document longitudinal binary fission of the trophozoite stage and outline the events of pseudocyst formation, which includes a rounding stage. Evidence provided here indicates that the pseudocyst stage may be a mechanism for transmission of this organism. The observations reported here provide additional evidence of homology between Cochlosoma and members of the trichomonad order.


In this paper we prove the existence of multiple-front solutions in a class of coupled reaction-diffusion equations with a small parameter. By a travelling wave ansatz we reduce the problem to a four-dimensional system of ordinary differential equations and prove the existence of a large variety of n-jump homoclinic and heteroclinic solutions, n = 1,2,3,... using geometric singular perturbation theory and Poincare maps. Numerical simulations of the reaction-diffusion equations indicate that several of the multi-front-type waves can be stable.


S U M M A R Y Background: Little is known about health and wellbeing among patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS), despite it being a serious condition in patients with renal failure. In order to promote health, it is important that both healthcare professionals and patients are aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease. Objectives: The aim was to explore patients' experience of suffering from nephrotic syndrome. Design: An inductive, qualitative method. Participants: Ten adult patients with either newly diagnosed or a relapse of NS treated in a University hospital, south of Sweden from February 2016 to February 2019. Measurements: Data were collected using open‐ended interviews and analysed by means of Lindseth and Norberg's phenomenological‐hermeneutical method. Results: Suffering from NS meant being a stranger in an unfamiliar world of symptoms, signs and medical treatment without professional guidance or piloting, illustrated by four themes: Feeling ill and well at the same time, Being passively adherent, Being in uncertainty, and Trying to comprehend and cope. Implications for practice: The result provides an in‐depth understanding of the illness experience among patients with NS and constitutes a foundation for clinical guidelines on treatment, follow‐up and health promotion. Conclusion: Patients with NS end up in a state of ambiguity due to a profound knowledge deficit that causes uncertainty and a lack of self‐management. The experienced lack of professional self‐management support is partly compensated for by social support from relatives, enabling those with NS to manage everyday life in a reasonable way.


A novel double assembly was prepared by association between a columnar molecular assembly of cyclic tri-beta-peptides having sugar units and lectins. The NMR, FT-IR, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy as well as computational calculations revealed that this compound took a flat and C3 symmetrical conformation and that the amide N-H and C=O groups protruded vertically to the ring plane. This disk-shaped molecule stacked one by one to form a columnar structure via intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the amide groups. WGA lectin moderately bound to this columnar assembly to form a double assembly. Another lectin (Con A) disturbed the columnar structure upon strong binding, and RCA lectin showed no binding. Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that the association between WGA lectin and columnar assembly of cyclic glycopeptide could be achieved due to the high density of the hydroxyl groups on the assembly surface (cluster effects). Interestingly, after cross-linking the lectins bound to the columnar assembly (the double assembly) by glutaraldehyde, the core column of cyclic tri-beta-peptides could be washed away to leave the protein nanotube.


In the period following the Second World War, British Columbia struggled to meet its nursing labour needs. The provincial government, hospitals, nursing organizations, and other groups used a number of inter-related strategies to meet these needs, including expanding educational opportunities, enticing nurses who left practice back to work, and embarking on community-based care models. One of the most important strategies, however, was the recasting of nursing labour as encompassing not only registered nurses but also other kinds of workers. Practical nurses were the most important of these groups. In mid-20th century British Columbia, there were significant efforts to improve the education of practical nurses, discussions about their specific duties, and considerable debate about whether or not such workers should be regulated. This article examines the shift toward creating a credentialed community of practical nurses in British Columbia from 1945 to 1965. The growing number of formally trained practical nurses, who were intentionally positioned between registered nurses and other kinds of hospital workers, helps to illustrate how nursing labour was reconceptualized in post-war Canada.


The Aperture Masked Interferometry (AMI) mode on JWST-NIRISS is implemented as a 7-hole, 15% throughput, non-redundant mask (NRM) that operates with 5-8% bandwidth filters at 3.8, 4.3, and 4.8 microns. We present refined estimates of AMI's expected point-source contrast, using realizations of noise matched to JWST pointing requirements, NIRISS detector noise, and Rev-V JWST wavefront error models for the telescope and instrument. We describe our point-source binary data reduction algorithm, which we use as a standardized method to compare different observational strategies. For a 7.5 magnitude star we report a 10-a detection at between 8.7 and 9.2 magnitudes of contrast between 100 mas to 400 mas respectively, using closure phases and squared visibilities in the absence of bad pixels, but with various other noise sources. With 3% of the pixels unusable, the expected contrast drops by about 0.5 magnitudes. AMI should be able to reach targets as bright as M=5. There will be significant overlap between Gemini-GPI and ESO-SPHERE targets and AMI's search space, and a complementarity with NIRCam's coronagraph. We also illustrate synthesis imaging with AMI, demonstrating an imaging dynamic range of 25 at 100 mas scales. We tailor existing radio interferometric methods to retrieve a faint bar across a bright nucleus, and explain the similarities to synthesis imaging at radio wavelengths. Modest contrast observations of dusty accretion flows around AGNs will be feasible for NIRISS AMI. We show our early results of image-plane deconvolution as well. Finally, we report progress on an NRM-inspired approach to mitigate mission-level risk associated with JWST's specialized wavefront sensing hardware. By combining narrow band and medium band Nyquist-sampled images taken with a science camera we can sense JWST primary mirror segment tip-tilt to lOmas, and piston to a few nm. We can sense inter-segment piston errors of up to 5 coherence lengths of the broadest bandpass filter used ( 250-500 0m depending on the filters). Our approach scales well with an increasing number of segments, which makes it relevant for future segmented-primary space missions.


High-performing project teams are crucial for effective research and development (R&D). To become high performing, teams need to make use of their different skills and reflect upon their collective actions, thereby combining knowledge that could lead to value-adding activities for the company. This article describes the use of team coaching in supporting team reflection and learning in global R&D project teams. A collaborative research approach was used during the 8 months of coaching, with several inquiry methods being employed. The results indicate that coaching interventions have a positive effect on team performance, both from an efficiency perspective as well as from a creativity and climate perspective. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed, as is future research.


Using Lindblad approach to study decoherence of quantum systems, we study the decoherence and decay of entangled states, formed by two basic states of a chain of thee qubits. We look on these states for a possible regular dependence on their decay as a function of their energy separation between the basic states under different type of environments. We found not regular or significant dependence on this energy separation for the type of environment considered .


A common argument advanced by proponents of Australian local council amalgamation proposals is that 'bigger is cheaper' due inter alia to the existence of substantial economies of scale in local council service provision. This argument typically asserts that local councils with larger populations can provide municipal services at lower costs per unit of output than local authorities with smaller population bases, thereby conflating population size with the theoretically distinct concept of scale economies. This short paper examines this argument in the light of standard economic theory. We conclude that it is fallacious to use population size as a proxy for scale economies in Australian local government.


Arc is an immediate-early gene whose genetic ablation selectively abrogates long-term memory, indicating a critical role in memory consolidation. Although Arc protein is found at synapses, it also localizes to the neuronal nucleus, where its function is less understood. Nuclear Arc forms a complex with the -spectrin isoform SpIV 5 and associates with PML bodies, sites of epigenetic regulation of gene expression. We report here a novel interaction between Arc and Tip60, a histone-acetyltransferase and subunit of a chromatin-remodelling complex, using biochemistry and super-resolution microscopy in primary rat hippocampal neurons. Arc and SpIV 5 are recruited to nuclear Tip60 speckles, and the three proteins form a tight complex that localizes to nuclear perichromatin regions, sites of transcriptional activity. Neuronal activity-induced expression of Arc (1) increases endogenous nuclear Tip60 puncta, (2) recruits Tip60 to PML bodies, and (3) increases histone acetylation of Tip60 substrate H4K12, a learning-induced chromatin modification. These mechanisms point to an epigenetic role for Arc in regulating memory consolidation.


In this chapter, we survey some recent contributions analyzing oligopoly theory and product differentiation from the viewpoint of models of localized competition. In other words, we exclude from our analysis the field of monopolistic competition (see Thisse and Uschev, Chapter 5 in this Handbook) and oligopoly theory as in the neoclassical vein (Vives, 2000). We start by recalling some elements of the microeconomic theory of consumer demand based on characteristics, as introduced by Lancaster (1966). Then, we present successively the theory of horizontal product differentiation, based on the article by Hotelling (1929) and the theory of vertical product differentiation, based on the article by Gabszewicz and Thisse (1979). Then, we develop a model nesting both horizontal and vertical product differentiation (Gabszewicz and Wauthy, 2012). Finally, we propose two applications of this approach, one based on network externalities and the other on environmental economics.


This study develops an improved method for generating aluminum mold inserts used in the replication of polymer-based microfluidic chip. Since molding masters that are suitable for microfluidic chip replication must have features whose dimensions are of the order of tens to hundreds of microns, micro electrical discharge machining is employed herein to fabricate an aluminum mold insert of a microfluidic chip. The width and depth of the aluminum mold insert for the microfluidic chip are 61.50 and 49.61 µm, respectively. The surface roughness values of the microchannel and the sample reservoir in aluminum mold insert for the microfluidic chip are 53.9 and 34.3 nm, respectively. PMMA material is adopted as the molded microfluidic chip that is produced by micro-hot embossing molding. The PMMA material can replicate the microchannel and sample reservoir very well when the aluminum mold insert is used in micro-hot embossing molding. The results indicate that the most important parameter in the replication of molded microfluidic chip is the embossing pressure, which is also the most important parameter in determining the surface roughness of the molded microfluidic chip. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Phosphor is the main component in a triple super phosphate (TSP) fertilizer which is needed by plants. However, phosphorus is very soluble in the water and makes it easily removed from the soil flowing into the river, and causing algae bloom problems. The solution for the problem is by using the fertilizer coated with starch-chitosan based material. The coated hydrogel bead fertilizer was expected to have a phosphorus controlled-released behaviour and retain the phosphor to be able to stay for a longer time in the soil. This research dealt with studying phosphorus releasing behaviour of starch-chitosan based fertilizer, water uptaking characteristic (swelling), and the morphology of the materials. The commercial granular fertilizer TSP was coated using starch-chitosan suspension. The coatings were conducted by spraying technique. The chitosan-starch mass ratio used were 100:0, 30:70, and 70:30, otherwise the starch percentages were made of 1%, 2%, and 3%. After coated by starch-chitosan suspension, the fertilizers were dried and used on the soil media. The soil which contained coated fertilizer was regularly watered and the phosphorus content was analyzed. The study showed that the water uptaking of the coated fertilizer was higher than that of the conventional uncoated fertilizer. The optimum condition of the chitosan-starch based coating was 30:70 and 2% of starch percentage. Furthermore, the higher chitosan content yielded the higher water uptaking capacity. This phenomenon is supported by the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) result. The coating fertilizer with higher chitosan content (ratio of 70:30, 2% starch) had more pores than that of lower chitosan content (ratio of 30:70, 1% starch).


Landing an aerial vehicle is a very challenging problem. Pilots spend numerous hours practicing touchdowns because of the risk involved during landing phase. Developing autonomous landing technologies have been an active area of research over the past decade. This paper presents a review of landing techniques ranging from GPS based landing to vision based landing techniques; from basic nonlinear to intelligent, hybrid and robust control. It is aimed at providing a broad perspective on the status of the landing control problem and controller design. The paper provides a comparison based on parameters such as type of the vehicle, assumptions made in the problem design, techniques used and efficacy of the algorithm in real world conditions.


While a growing body of research reveals the beneficial effects of music on education performance the value of music in educating the young child is not being recognized. If research of students in the school system indicates that learning through the arts can benefit the 'whole' child, that math achievement scores are significantly higher for those students studying music, and if Montessori education produces a more academically accomplished child, then what is the potential for the child when Montessori includes an enriched music curriculum? The decision to support music cannot be made without knowing music's effect on academic achievement and its contribution to a student's education. This study was an experimental design using a two-group post-test comparison. A sample of 200 Montessori students aged 3-5 years-old were selected and randomly placed in one of two groups. The experimental treatment was an "in-house" music enriched Montessori program and children participated in 3 half-hour sessions weekly, for 6 months. The instrument used to measure mathematical achievement was the Test of Early Mathematics Ability-3 (Barody & Ginsburg) to determine if the independent variable, music instruction had any effect on students' math test scores. The results showed that subjects who received music enriched Montessori instruction had significantly higher math scores and when compared by age group, 3 year-old students had higher scores than either the 4 year-old or 5 year-old children. This study shows that an arts-rich curriculum has a significant positive effect on young students academic achievement. This comprehensive research presents developmentally appropriate early education curriculum for children from 2 through 6 years old and addresses some of the most compelling questions about early experience, such as how important music is to early brain development. Contemporary theories and practices of music education including strategies for developing pitch, vocal, rhythmic, instrumental, listening, movement and creative responses in children are presented. It explores the interrelationship of music and academic development in children, and demonstrates how music can enhance and accelerate the learning process. This study combines the best of research and practical knowledge to give teachers the necessary tools to educate tomorrow's musicians. It is essential reading for all students and teachers of young children.


Data Flow Diagram (DFD) is a methodology which can be applied to design an information system and even the behaviour of a whole organization. It has the advantages of simplicity and popularity by using simple notations. But, it is semi formal which means it lacks representation of semantics. Also, it doesn 't consider security features of the system. In, this paper, we describe our new proposed methodology called FSDFD Formal Secure Data Flow Diagram). The idea of this proposal has been born from an increasing need of organizations to secure their information systems by making a secure and a formal design of each information system component. FSDFD will not only design formally more secured systems but also it will automate some security activities like security audit, risk analysis and vulnerability assessment. Use of FSDFD will so let organizations reduce both supported risk and security costs and improve security and assurance levels of their system.


A model of a long Josephson junction described by a nonlocal governing fluxon equation, assuming Newtonian dissipation, is presented and studied analytically as well as numerically. From a ballistic trial solution for a steadily moving 2π phase difference kink based on an exact limiting form, observables such as the lower critical field for the appearance of Josephson vortices, the vortex magnetic field, the microscopic voltage across the tunnel layer, and the macroscopic voltage across the junction itself are derived and assessed for nonlocal effects. The current–voltage characteristic of the junction due to a regular array of Josephson vortices moving uniformly along it predominantly exhibits monostability when nonlocality is weak and dissipation high; however, a transition to bistability and associated formation of filaments of different current densities can occur when nonlocality is strong and dissipation low.


Chatbots are one of category of intelligent, conversation agents stimulated by natural language input and provide conversation output in response. This technology initiated in early 1960s, since then numerous amounts of methodology is used to develop a competent chatbot, which can interact with the user and mimic human conversation. Natural Languages Processing provide ample toolkits for understanding the contextual concept of text. In this study, utilizing the NLP toolkit we developed a rule based chatbot, which responses to user input, after identifying the dialogue act type and grasp the topic discussion of user input.


The recent article describing a positive association between serum uric acid and several inflammatory markers in the InCHIANTI study addresses the issue of whether uric acid is an independent cardiovascular risk factor. Uric acid is an antioxidant and appears to contribute to salutary immune reactions, but the cardiovascular significance of rises in its serum level remains poorly understood. I would like to summarize the intricacies of this question. Increases in serum uric acid concentration could be primarily unrelated to the heart and vessels, they could originate in or form part of the processes that account for the development or progress of several cardiovascular conditions, including atherosclerosis, hypertension and heart failure, or they could constitute compensatory reactions to such processes. Mechanistically, elevations in serum uric acid may result from increases in its synthesis, from reductions in its renal excretion, in theory from decrements in its transformation rate (i.e. from diminutions in the rate at which it quenches reactive species), and from combinations thereof. In terms of their effects on cardiovascular structures and functions, rises in serum uric acid could theoretically be inconsequential, beneficial, or untoward, by and of themselves or as a resultant, depending upon the mechanisms involved in their genesis and the circumstances in which they occur. Reactive oxygen species are co-generated when the synthesis of uric acid or the formation of its precursor xanthine from hypoxanthine is catalyzed by the xanthine oxidase form of xanthine oxidoreductase. No study has disclosed that reducing serum uric in human beings attenuates the development or progress of any cardiovascular disorder independently of co-changes in other variables. Moreover, decrements in serum uric acid secondary to the inhibition of its synthesis with allopurinol or oxypurinol have failed to benefit patients with heart failure. For all the preceding reasons, speculation on the significance of increases in serum uric acid for cardiovascular prognosis must be particularly thorough and circumspect. I was glad to note that Ruggiero et al. have impressed these qualities upon the discussion of the results of their timely analysis.


Revision with unchanged content. Domestic Violence is the shame borne in silence by thousands of women around the globe. Studies show that American women stay in abusive relationships an average of seven years, while Jewish American women stay for fourteen years – twice as long! No comprehensive study of Jewish culture and religion has been done to examine this phenomenon of longer endurance in violent partnerships. This work examines the social, cultural, spiritual and scriptural aspects of Judaism which may contribute to this dichotomy in how women free themselves from abusive marriages. An exploration of these issues will hopefully lead to more culturally-sensitive, supportive services for Jewish American victims of spousal battering. This book is addressed to social service professionals, Rabbis and Jewish community leaders, educators, and lay members of the Jewish community. It is also directed towards researchers in Sociology, Women's Studies, Public Health and Religion.


The theory of presidential influence over public opinion is used to predict the impact of presidential rhetoric on crime over the public's concern for crime being "the most important problem facing the nation." It is hypothesized that the more attention presidents give to the policy area of crime in the their State of the Union Addresses, the more concerned the public becomes with crime. Utilizing a time-series regression analysis of data collected from a content analysis of presidents' State of the Union addresses on the Gallup Poll's Most Important Problem series from 1946 to 1996, the analysis demonstrates that presidential mention of crime seems to elicit a public response, thus influencing public opinion of crime with a decay effect of approximately 1 year.


The wave height distribution around a ship model was measured by means of image measurement system using the difference of illumination scattering between air and water. The authors have developed the image measurement system of wave height distribution, and applied it on the measurement around high-speed craft and displacement type ship model in calm water. Present paper describes the extension of the present technique which enables to obtain the wave height distribution around ship model in regular wave. The measured distribution shows the change of wave pattern as the ship cross over the incident wave.


14 small-for-gestational age (SGA) infants and 4 healthy adult volunteers were subjected to an intravenous alanine tolerance test. In normoglycemic SGA infants studied during the first 6 days of life, the apparent K value for the disappearance rate of alanine was 3%/min. In 6 hypoglycemic patients studied between day 1 and day 12 the corresponding K value was 2.2%/min. In adult volunteers a K value of 5.6%/min was obtained. Plasma pyruvate increased after alanine in both normoglycemic and hypoglycemic SGA infants. The blood glucose tended to decrease after the alanine load in the hypoglycemic infants, whereas an increase was observed in infants with normoglycemia. On reexamination of 4 hypoglycemic SGA infants after the blood glucose concentration had normalized, a blood glucose profile approaching that of normoglycemic infants was recorded.


Pre-training a language model and then fine-tuning it for downstream tasks has demonstrated state-of-the-art results for various NLP tasks. Pre-training is usually independent of the downstream task, and previous works have shown that this pre-training alone might not be sufficient to capture the task-specific nuances. We propose a way to tailor a pre-trained BERT model for the downstream task via task-specific masking before the standard supervised fine-tuning. For this, a word list is first collected specific to the task. For example, if the task is sentiment classification, we collect a small sample of words representing both positive and negative sentiments. Next, a word's importance for the task, called the word's task score, is measured using the word list. Each word is then assigned a probability of masking based on its task score. We experiment with different masking functions that assign the probability of masking based on the word's task score. The BERT model is further trained on MLM objective, where masking is done using the above strategy. Following this standard supervised fine-tuning is done for different downstream tasks. Results on these tasks show that the selective masking strategy outperforms random masking, indicating its effectiveness.


ATLAS is one of the four experiments under construction along the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) ring at CERN. The LHC will produce interactions at a center-of-mass energy equal to radics = 14 TeV with a frequency of 40 MHz. The detector consists of more than 140 million electronic channels. The challenging experimental environment and the extreme detector complexity impose the necessity of a common, scalable, distributed monitoring framework, which can be tuned for optimal use by different ATLAS sub-detectors at the various levels of the ATLAS data flow. This paper presents the architecture of this monitoring software framework and describes its current implementation, which has already been used at the ATLAS beam test activity in 2004. Preliminary performance results, obtained on a computer cluster consisting of 700 nodes, will also be presented, showing that the performance of the current implementation is within the range of the final ATLAS requirements.


The aim of this study was to examine the effect of thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4) during in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes and subsequent embryonic development after in vitro fertilization as well as to assess the quality of obtained blastocysts. COCs were matured in vitro in 4 different media: 1. control medium; 2. control media supplemented with 50 ng/mL Tβ4; 3. control media supplemented with 0.5 mg/mL Tβ4; and 4. control media supplemented with 1 mg/mL Tβ4. The quality of the developed blastocysts was analysed by the TUNEL method. The number of cleaved eggs was significantly higher ( 𝑃 < 0.05) when gametes were matured in the presence of 50 ng/mL Tβ4 than it was using the other types of media. Additionally, the largest number of blastocysts was observed when 0.5 mg Tβ4 was added to the medium ( 𝑃 < 0.05). No significant difference was noted in the mean number of apoptotic nuclei per blastocyst or in the mean number of nuclei per blastocyst in any of the analysed groups. In conclusion, Tβ4 supplementation (50 ng/mL) in maturation medium increased the number of cleaved oocytes, and the number of blastocysts obtained increased when 0.5 mg/mL Tβ4 was used. This positive effect was not observed when higher a higher concentration of Tβ4 (1 mg/mL) was used.


An increasing number of young people are becoming socially and economically marginalized in Japan under economic stagnation and pressures to be more globally competitive in a post-industrial economy. The phenomena of NEET/Hikikomori (occupational/social withdrawal) have attracted global attention in recent years. Though the behavioral symptoms of NEET and Hikikomori can be differentiated, some commonalities in psychological features can be found. Specifically, we believe that both NEET and Hikikomori show psychological tendencies that deviate from those governed by mainstream cultural attitudes, values, and behaviors, with the difference between NEET and Hikikomori being largely a matter of degree. In this study, we developed a NEET-Hikikomori Risk Factors (NHR) scale that treats NEET/Hikikomori not as a set of distinct diagnoses, but as a spectrum of psychological tendencies associated with the risk of being marginalized in society. Based on this idea, we identified three related risk factors in our NHR spectrum scale: (1) Freeter lifestyle preference, which in Japan refers to the tendency to consciously choose to not work despite job availabilities, (2) a lack of self-competence, and (3) having unclear ambitions for the future (Study 1). Study 2 investigated and confirmed the validity of the scale by examining NHR differences between occupational groups. The results suggested that NHR is related to psychological tendencies common in the marginalized segments of society. The relationship between these psychological tendencies and actually becoming marginalized across cultures is discussed.


The paper concerns the investigations of biogas impact on human, living near the municipal solid waste landfills of the republic of Tatarstan and Moscow region. This subject is currently central because the prognosis of human's population characteristics under the influence of the widely spread concentrations of biogas components emitting for the process of the methane generation hasn't been investigated.


For the non-interacting electrons confined by a mesoscopic double-ring with a magnetic flux threading its centre, we consider the problem of persistent current at zero and finite temperatures. Furthermore, the tight-binding model is applied to give the expression of persistent current in this system. It is shown that, in this double-ring system, the phenomenon of entire period halving will occur.


The sediments of numerous cirque lakes in the Pirin Mountains have yielded several generalized pollen diagrams, but low stratigraphic and temporal resolution has hampered detailed reconstruction of the vegetational history, especially for the Lateglacial. New pollen and macrofossil analyses of high stratigraphic resolution combined with well-controlled time-depth curves for Lake Besbog and Lake Kremensko-5 now permit the firm identification of the Lateglacial interstadial interval (Bølling-Allerød), dated at 13.8-12.6 ka cal. BP at Besbog and 14.1-12.8 ka cal. BP at Kremensko-5 and correlated with the Greenland Interstadial GI-1 (14.5-12.6 ka cal. BP). Macrofossil analyses indicate that during the Bølling-Allerød period Betula and Juniperus occurred around the lakes (at 2124-2250 m a.s.l). Following the Younger Dryas a Betula woodland covered the mountains between 1900 and 2250 m in the early Holocene. Because of higher summer insolation at this time, the temperate deciduous forest reached up to 1900 m, or 800 m above their present limit, producing a regional pollen rain that dominated pollen deposition in the cirque lakes. After about 7000 cal. yr BP conifer forests replaced the birch woodland at middle and high elevations.


History, nation and nationalism: The evolution of the mission of Chinese museums in the context of the contemporary museum "fever" in the People's Republic of ChinaThe peculiar "museum boom" in the People's Republic of China PRC attracts much attention from Western researchers. This phenomenon is undoubtedly linked to the cultural shift towards national and cultural heritage promoted by the authorities, which in turn is an important element of the nationalist political ideology. This policy is becoming more and more important in the last three decades of the reform and opening-up period. Museums, like the concept of a "nation" and the nationalist ideology, came to China from the West at about the same time and in a similar political and intellectual context, which meant that the museums quickly became entangled in politics and propaganda. This situation, strengthened even further in the communist period, led to the creation of a very specific form of state-controlled museology. Nowadays, museums and associated thematic parks play a key role in the strategy of developing the culture of the Chinese government, the project of "management and social order." In this context, these institutions form part of an important mission entrusted to them by the party — the mission of building a new cultural and historical narrative serving the needs of the "new China." The mission of various types of museums in contemporary China is shaped by overlapping political, economic, ideological and even moral dimensions. It is an important element of the soft power of modern China, which is also an important global symbol of China, attracting millions of foreign tourists a year. In this dimension, the museum's mission is significantly expanded, it becomes a tool for building an international position and prestige. The aim of the article was to look at the history of Chinese museums in the 20th century in the context of continuity and changeability of the missionary dimension of their functioning, and to conduct a critical analysis of this missionary dimension in the unique conditions of "capitalism with Chinese characteristics" in the contemporary PRC.


ObjectiveTo assess and identify predictive factors of community integration of people 3 to 15 years after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). ParticipantsForty participants with severe TBI (an average of 8.8 years postinjury). Main Outcome MeasuresThe Community Integration Questionnaire, the Community Integration Measure, and the Sydney Psychosocial Reintegration Scale. Data related to factors that may predict community integration were also collected. ResultsThere was considerable variation in the level of community integration. Discriminant function analyses identified the following factors as predictive of the level of community integration: severity of injury, age at the time of injury, level of disability, and challenging behavior. ConclusionInterventions that minimize challenging behavior and disability may make a significant difference to the level of community integration experienced by people with severe TBI.


Hot-carrier degradation of lightly doped drain (LDD) MOSFET's under ac stress is investigated. Enhanced ac degradation occurs in LDD MOSFET's as well as in single-drain MOSFET's. However, there is a peculiar degradation mechanism in LDD MOSFET's. For single-drain MOSFET's, enhanced ac degradation appears in both threshold voltage and transconductance at stress drain voltages larger than a critical value. On the other hand, for LDD MOSFET's, although the enhanced degradation in threshold voltage and transconductance appears at stress drain voltages larger than a critical value, the enhanced degradation in transconductance appears even under stress drain voltages lower than the critical value. The difference in the ac-enhanced degradation between LDD and single-drain structures can be explained by a hot hole generated neutral-electron-trap model and the change in hot-hole-injected oxide region according to stress bias conditions. >


Over a long time period, the rate constants for cycle completions (one-way fluxes) in steady-state biochemical diagrams can be expressed explicitly in terms of the elementary rate constants for transitions between states of the diagram. These cycle rate constants determine the mean one-way fluxes in the diagram and also fluctuations about the means. These properties are confirmed by Monte Carlo computer simulations on special cases. Two other topics are considered briefly: the effect of the starting state or states on the numbers of cycle completions in computer simulation runs; and the more detailed stochastic approach required if individual cycle completions are to be followed (i.e., if the "long time" restriction is removed).


Serology is a core component of the surveillance and management of viral zoonoses. Virus neutralization tests are a gold standard serological diagnostic, but requirements for large volumes of serum and high biosafety containment can limit widespread use. Here, focusing on Rabies lyssavirus, a globally important zoonosis, we developed a pseudotype micro-neutralization rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (pmRFFIT) that overcomes these limitations. Specifically, we adapted an existing micro-neutralization test to use a green fluorescent protein–tagged murine leukemia virus pseudotype in lieu of pathogenic rabies virus, reducing the need for specialized reagents for antigen detection and enabling use in low-containment laboratories. We further used statistical analysis to generate rapid, quantitative predictions of the probability and titer of rabies virus neutralizing antibodies from microscopic imaging of neutralization outcomes. Using 47 serum samples from domestic dogs with neutralizing antibody titers estimated using the fluorescent antibody virus neutralization test (FAVN), pmRFFIT showed moderate sensitivity (78.79%) and high specificity (84.62%). Despite small conflicts, titer predictions were correlated across tests repeated on different dates both for dog samples (r = 0.93), and for a second dataset of sera from wild common vampire bats (r = 0.72, N = 41), indicating repeatability. Our test uses a starting volume of 3.5 μL of serum, estimates titers from a single dilution of serum rather than requiring multiple dilutions and end point titration, and may be adapted to target neutralizing antibodies against alternative lyssavirus species. The pmRFFIT enables high-throughput detection of rabies virus neutralizing antibodies in low-biocontainment settings and is suited to studies in wild or captive animals where large serum volumes cannot be obtained.


Purpose: The purpose this research was to provide with basic data in the control of the sleep disorder found in the patients with fibromyalgia by analysing the main factors that affect that. Method: At two university medical center, appointed 171 out-patients diagnosed of fibromyalgia according to the conditions by American College of Rheumatology(1990). The research instruments used in this study were VAS Scale(Anxiety, fatigue, pain, joint stiffness and depression), physical activity family support, the number of tender points and Self-efficacy scale. In data analysis, SPSS 11.0 program was utilized and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression. Result: The main factors that affect the sleep disorder of patients with fibromyalgia were fatigue, physical activity, and depressions which explained 46.2% of the sleep disorder. Conclusion: It has been confirmed that the regression equation model of this research may serve as a sleep disorder prediction factors in patients with fibromyalgia.


A series of anionic Fries-type rearrangements of carbamoyl-substituted aryllithium intermediates were controlled by using flow microreactor systems. For the [1,4] and [1,5] rearrangements, the aryllithium intermediate formed before carbamoyl migration and the lithium alkoxide formed after carbamoyl migration can be selectively subjected to subsequent reactions with electrophiles by precisely controlling the residence time and temperature (-25 to -50 °C). In contrast, the [1,6] rearrangement is rather slow even at -25 °C. The absence of crossover products indicates the intramolecular nature of the carbamoyl group migration.


This Special Issue comprises ten reviews that highlight the connection between inflammation and cancer; from immune-cancer cell crosstalk to the current targets in cancer immunotherapy. We hope you find these reviews interesting and informative and we thank the authors for these excellent contributions.


Twenty-seven patients with Prader-Willi syndrome have been described, ten of whom did not receive comprehensive management, nine who were diagnosed and treated after becoming obese, and eight who were diagnosed in infancy and responded to early preventative treatment. Intelligence scores declined in the first two groups, but the group receiving early treatment maintained a mean IQ score 20 points higher than the other two. Even though the underlying mechanism of this disorder remains undefined, a comprehensive early intervention program appears to improve prognosis.


This paper analyses two main features of the financialisation period, namely: 1) the replacement of the 'originate and hold' banking model with the 'originate and distribute' banking model; 2) the securitisation process of structured finance products. These features have produced remarkable changes in the nature and role of banks and financial markets in modern economies. The paper shows that these remarkable changes together with inadequate governance arrangements and relaxed supervision by regulatory authorities have led to an increasing role of financial intermediaries and managers in the economy, which in turn, has had substantial stratification effects on employment and income opportunities of different occupations, gender and ethnic groups of the US labour force during the great recession.


Nuclei classification gained immense interest among researchers to build computer-assisted diagnosis (CAD) tools. With the advancement of image processing and pattern recognition techniques, CAD has been widely used to help medical professionals to interpret medical images. Digital pathology, as a vital aspect of CAD application, is gaining a lot of attention from both image analysis researchers and pathologists because of the advent of whole-slide imaging. The potential of digital pathology span over a wide range of applications such as segmentation of desired regions or objects, counting cancer cells, recognizing tissue structures, classifying cancer grades, a prognosis of cancers, etc. In this research study, we propose a deep learning-based approach in order to detect and segment different nuclei present in diverse cell images, followed by postprocessing method to identify the overlapping nuclei in the images. We have added preprocessing steps for processing the raw image which includes rescaling, resizing, converting to high intensity background, data augmentation and set of morphological operations. Preprocessed images are then used for pixel level classification and segmentation. We have implemented U-Net architecture, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) based neural network for semantic segmentation and added few steps that processes segmented image to identify overlapping nuclei and mark all nuclei. Our study shows that with the help of data preprocessing step, we were able to increase the efficiency of the model and post classification steps helps to identifying overlapping nuclei. The proposed methods have achieved around 0.96 of average dice coefficient as the accuracy of pixel level classification.


For any $\varepsilon>0$, we give a polynomial-time $n^\varepsilon$-approximation algorithm for Max Independent Set in graphs of bounded twin-width given with an $O(1)$-sequence. This result is derived from the following time-approximation trade-off: We establish an $O(1)^{2^q-1}$-approximation algorithm running in time $\exp(O_q(n^{2^{-q}}))$, for every integer $q \geqslant 0$. Guided by the same framework, we obtain similar approximation algorithms for Min Coloring and Max Induced Matching. In general graphs, all these problems are known to be highly inapproximable: for any $\varepsilon>0$, a polynomial-time $n^{1-\varepsilon}$-approximation for any of them would imply that P$=$NP [Hastad, FOCS '96; Zuckerman, ToC '07; Chalermsook et al., SODA '13]. We generalize the algorithms for Max Independent Set and Max Induced Matching to the independent (induced) packing of any fixed connected graph $H$. In contrast, we show that such approximation guarantees on graphs of bounded twin-width given with an $O(1)$-sequence are very unlikely for Min Independent Dominating Set, and somewhat unlikely for Longest Path and Longest Induced Path. Regarding the existence of better approximation algorithms, there is a (very) light evidence that the obtained approximation factor of $n^\varepsilon$ for Max Independent Set may be best possible. This is the first in-depth study of the approximability of problems in graphs of bounded twin-width. Prior to this paper, essentially the only such result was a~polynomial-time $O(1)$-approximation algorithm for Min Dominating Set [Bonnet et al., ICALP '21].


Cloud imaging using ground-based whole sky imagers is essential for a fine-grained understanding of cloud formations, which can be useful in many applications. Some such imagers are available commercially, but their cost is relatively high, and their flexibility is limited. Therefore, we built a new daytime Whole Sky Imager (WSI) called Wide Angle High-Resolution Sky Imaging System (WAHRSIS). The strengths of our new design are its simplicity, low manufacturing cost, and high image resolution. Our imager captures the entire hemisphere in a single picture using a digital camera with a Fish-eye lens. The camera was modified to capture light across the visible and near-infrared spectral ranges. This paper describes the design of the device as well as the geometric and radiometric calibration of the imaging system.


Since the 1990s, several thousand migrants from the People's Republic of China have settled on Madagascar, in particular in the capital Antananarivo. There, they have gained a very high profile, principally through their business activities which are concentrated in one particular downtown area. The article begins by examining how this recently arrived community makes its presence felt, then asks how these "new Chinese" perceive their host country and city, and finally how Malagasy society in turn perceives them, often negatively, in fact. However, the positive contribution of Chinese businesses to improving the purchasing power of the city residents is often appreciated. Lastly, the presence of the "New Chinese" raises the question of their finely balanced relations with the group of "old Chinese" who have been living on Madagascar for several generations.


INTRODUCTION: Esophageal food bolus impactions (FBI) are a common gastrointestinal emergency. Appropriate management includes not only index endoscopy for disimpaction but also medical follow-up and treatment for the underlying esophageal pathology. We evaluated the appropriateness of postendoscopy care for patients with FBI and assessed patient-related, physician-related, and system-related factors that may contribute to loss to follow-up. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, population-based, multicenter cohort study of all adult patients undergoing endoscopy for FBI in the Calgary Health Zone, Canada, from 2016 to 2018. Appropriate postendoscopy care was defined by a composite of a clinical or endoscopic follow-up visit, appropriate investigations (e.g., manometry), or therapy (e.g., proton-pump inhibitors or endoscopic dilation). Predictors of inappropriate care were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 519 patients underwent endoscopy for FBI: 25.2% (131/519) did not receive appropriate postendoscopy care. Half of the patients (55.3%, 287/519) underwent follow-up endoscopy or attended clinic, and among this group, 22.3% (64/287) had a change in their initial diagnosis after follow-up, including 3 new cases of esophageal cancer. Patients in whom a suspected underlying esophageal pathology was not identified at the index endoscopy were 7-fold (adjusted odds ratio 7.28, 95% confidence interval 4.49–11.78, P < 0.001) more likely to receive inappropriate postendoscopy follow-up and treatment, even after adjusting for age, sex, rural residence, timing of endoscopy, weekend presentation, and endoscopic interventions. DISCUSSION: One-quarter of patients presenting with an FBI do not receive appropriate postendoscopy care. This is strongly associated with failure to identify a potential underlying pathology at index presentation.


Since the transition time in surgical technique of vascular repair to current civilian practice, the great saphenous vein (GSV) remains unarguably the preferred conduit for surgical reconstruction in the lower extremity. With qualities such as accessibility, expendability, and long-term durability, it is easy to understand the enthusiasm with using the GSV in arterial or venous vascular injuries. However, the question does arise whether these detailed benefits of the GSV warrant harvest from an uninjured limb for vascular reconstruction on an injured limb. For those ardent followers of surgical dogma, harvest of contralateral vein from the uninjured lower extremity traumatic vascular repair is mandated. Unfortunately, this principle is not supported by high-quality data and remains folklore at best.


The total nonresonant susceptibilities of C(3)H(8), CO(2), and C(2)H(4), measured by fitting the coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectra of binary mixtures of these gases and nitrogen with theoretical N(2) CARS spectra are reported. These measurements are compared with the values in the literature obtained by CARS and other techniques. For propane and carbon dioxide, the effect of including their contribution to the broadening of nitrogen Raman lines on the inferred nonresonant susceptibilities is also examined.


Caterpillars of the poplar lutestring moth, Tethea or, construct leaf shelters that they defend against intruding conspecifics using a combination of vibratory signals and physical aggression. Staged interactions between a resident caterpillar and introduced conspecific were recorded with a video camera and laser vibrometer. Residents crawl towards the intruder and perform three behav- iours: lateral hitting, pushing, and mandible scraping. Vibrations caused by mandible scraping result from the caterpillar repeatedly scraping opened mandibles laterally against the leaf surface in bouts lasting 1.16 ± 0.39 s, with an average of 4 ± 1 scrapes per bout. We propose that these scrapes function in leaf shelter defense against conspecifics for the following reasons: Mandible scrapes are produced only by residents; they are generated when a resident is approached by an intruder; the rate of scraping increases as the intruder approaches the shelter; and residents in all trials retain their shelters, with the intruder leaving the leaf within 127.9 ± 104.3 s from the beginning of the trial. The function and evolutionary origins of vibration-mediated territoriality in caterpillars are discussed.


This study investigates the anti-cancer potential of Aclidinium bromide (INN) in glioblastoma. Glioblastoma cell lines U251 and U87 were treated with INN and its effects on cell migration and invasion were assessed by transwell migration and invasion assays., The effects of INN on proliferation and apoptosis were detected by CCK-8 kit and flow cytometry, and Western blotting determined anti-apoptotic proteins and signaling pathway changes. The results show that INN effectively suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion and induced apoptosis in U251 and U87 cells, respectively. Furthermore, the expression levels of the Bcl-2 anti-apoptotic protein was significantly decreased while Bax and caspase-3 expression were both increased in glioblastoma cells (all, p<0.05). Moreover, INN inactivated the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway by down-regulating the level of p-AKT, p-mTOR, P70 and CyclinD1 (all, p<0.05). In conclusion, our data suggests that INN could provide novel anticancer therapy in the treatment of glioblastoma.