The spectral-sensitization of an AgCl emulsion was investigated in the presence of some fog inhibitors. It was found that the sensitivity of spectral-sensitized emulsions could be increased or decreased by these inhibitors according to the order of addition of the compounds. On the basis of spectral measurements, one reason could be the influence of these compounds on the aggregation behavior of the cyanine dyes. When it was beneficial to the formation of dye J-aggregates, sensitization took place; and when it was beneficial to the formation of dye H-aggregates, desensitization appeared. ESR experiments show that the addition of inhibitors can decrease the number and accelerate the decay of dye positive holes. The desensitization, caused by the recombination of dye positive holes with photoelectrons and/or latent image centers, was reduced in the presence of these fog inhibitors, leading to an increase in sensitivity of the emulsion.


In order to find new sources of natural antioxodants, ethanolic extracts from Sargassum Kjellamanianum Yendo and Sargassum Thunbeergii Kuntze were tested with DPPH· to estimate their antioxidative activity. The results showed that the two extracts had higher antioxidative activity than BHT,TBHQ and TP had at the same concentration. Therefore, they have the potentiality to be safe and effective natural antioxidants for foods instead of synthesized ones.


Federated learning has emerged as a promising technique for the Internet of Things (IoT) in various domains, including supply chain management. It enables IoT devices to collaboratively learn without exposing their raw data, ensuring data privacy. However, federated learning faces the threats of local data tampering and upload process attacks. This paper proposes an innovative framework that leverages Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) and blockchain technology to address the data security and privacy challenges in federated learning for IoT supply chain management. Our framework achieves the security of local data computation and the tampering resistance of data update uploads using TEE and the blockchain. We adopt Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGXs) as the specific implementation of TEE, which can guarantee the secure execution of local models on SGX-enabled processors. We also use consortium blockchain technology to build a verification network and consensus mechanism, ensuring the security and tamper resistance of the data upload and aggregation process. Finally, each cluster can obtain the aggregated parameters from the blockchain. To evaluate the performance of our proposed framework, we conducted several experiments with different numbers of participants and different datasets and validated the effectiveness of our scheme. We tested the final global model obtained from federated training on a test dataset and found that increasing both the number of iterations and the number of participants improves its accuracy. For instance, it reaches 94% accuracy with one participant and five iterations and 98.5% accuracy with ten participants and thirty iterations.


We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the issue raised by Ramachandran regarding our article on perioperative outcomes in patients with modified metabolic syndrome (mMetS) who undergo noncardiac surgery. We thank the author for his comment that "[our] findings may indeed change the way physicians ... look at obese patients in the future." In his letter, the author raises the issue about whether the current study proves the increased risk of mMetS or simply proves "that the preoperative presence of two independent risk factors (and one protective factor) is more significant than having one protective factor?" Our study was designed to better understand the obesity paradox, the apparent protective effect of obesity on surgical mortality, by distinguishing patients who were obese but "metabolically healthy" from patients with MetS. The major new findings of our study were that patients with mMetS undergoing noncardiac surgery were at higher risk for cardiac, pulmonary, renal, and central nervous system complications. Unlike the obesity paradox observed for mortality, our study did not detect any evidence of a "protective effect" of obesity for these complications. Our analysis does not indicate whether the increased risk associated with the mMetS is due simply to the additive effects of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, which together make up the modified metabolic syndrome (mMetS). In other words, we have not answered the question of whether the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. However, whether our findings represent, in a statistical sense, an additive effect or an interaction effect is less important than the simple recognition that mMetS is associated with a significantly higher risk of major postoperative complications. In particular, patients with mMetS have a 2to 3-fold increased risk of cardiac complications and a 3to 7-fold increased risk of renal complications. These findings are especially striking in light of the previous literature demonstrating an apparently protective effect of obesity on mortality during the perioperative period. From the standpoint of regression modeling, the increased risk associated with mMetS may boil down to the question of "simple math or aberrant physiology." However, in clinical practice, the recognition that patients with mMetS are at a much higher risk of cardiac, pulmonary, and renal complications has both biologic plausibility and important implications for the management of these patients.


Morphological changes observed in OA include cartilage erosion as well as a variable degree of synovial inflammation. Current research attributes these changes to a complex network of biochemical factors, including proteolytic enzymes, that lead to a breakdown of the cartilage macromolecules. Cytokines such as IL-1 and TNF-alpha produced by activated synoviocytes, mononuclear cells or by articular cartilage itself significantly up-regulate metalloproteinases (MMP) gene expression. Cytokines also blunt chondrocyte compensatory synthesis pathways required to restore the integrity of the degraded extrecellular matrix (ECM). Moreover, in OA synovium, a relative deficit in the production of natural antagonists of the IL-1 receptor (IL-1Ra) has been demonstrated, and could possibly be related to an excess production of nitric oxide in OA tissues. This, coupled with an upregulation in the receptor level, has been shown to be an additional enhancer of the catabolic effect of IL-1 in this disease.IL-1 and TNF-alpha significantly up-regulate MMP-3 steady-state mRNA derived from human synovium and chondrocytes. The neutralization of IL-1 and/or TNF-alpha up-regulation of MMP gene expression appears to be a logical development in the potential medical therapy of OA. Indeed, recombinant IL-1receptor antagonists (ILRa) and soluble IL-1 receptor proteins have been tested in both animal models of OA for modification of OA progression. Soluble IL-1Ra suppressed MMP-3 transcription in the rabbit synovial cell line HIG-82. Experimental evidence showing that neutralizing TNF-alpha suppressed cartilage degradation in arthritis also support such strategy. The important role of TNF-alpha in OA may emerge from the fact that human articular chondrocytes from OA cartilage expressed a significantly higher number of the p55 TNF-alpha receptor which could make OA cartilage particularly susceptible to TNF-alpha degradative stimuli. In addition, OA cartilage produces more TNF-alpha and TNF anglealpha convertase enzyme (TACE) mRNA than normal cartilage. By analogy, an inhibitor to the p55 TNF-alpha receptor may also provide a mechanism for abolishing TNF-alpha-induced degradation of cartilage ECM by MMPs. Since TACE is the regulator of TNF-alpha activity, limiting the activity of TACE might also prove efficacious in OA. IL-1 and TNF-alpha inhibition of chondrocyte compensatory biosynthesis pathways which further compromise cartilage repair must also be dealt with, perhaps by employing stimulatory agents such as transforming growth factor-beta or insulin-like growth factor-I. Certain cytokines have antiinflammatory properties. Three such cytokines - IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13 - have been identified as able to modulate various inflammatory processes. Their antiinflammatory potential, however, appears to depend greatly on the target cell. Interleukin-4 (IL-4) has been tested in vitro in OA tissue and has been shown to suppress the synthesis of both TNF-alpha and IL-1beta in the same manner as low-dose dexamethasone. Naturally occurring antiinflammatory cytokines such as IL-10 inhibit the synthesis of IL-1 and TNF-alpha and can be potential targets for therapy in OA. Augmenting inhibitor production in situ by gene therapy or supplementing it by injecting the recombinant protein is an attractive therapeutic target, although an in vivo assay in OA is not available, and its applicability has yet to be proven. Similarly, IL-13 significantly inhibits lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced TNF-alpha production by mononuclear cells from peripheral blood, but not in cells from inflamed synovial fluid. IL-13 has important biological activities: inhibition of the production of a wide range of proinflammatory cytokines in monocytes/macrophages, B cells, natural killer cells and endothelial cells, while increasing IL-1Ra production. In OA synovial membranes treated with LPS, IL-13 inhibited the synthesis of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and stromelysin, while increasing IL-1Ra production.In summary, modulation of cytokines that control MMP gene up-regulation would appear to be fertile targets for drug development in the treatment of OA. Several studies illustrate the potential importance of modulating IL-1 activity as a means to reduce the progression of the structural changes in OA. In the experimental dog and rabbit models of OA, we have demonstrated that in vivo intraarticular injections of the IL-Ra gene can prevent the progression of structural changes in OA. Future directions in the research and treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) will be based on the emerging picture of pathophysiological events that modulate the initiation and progression of OA.


Context. Comparison studies of Sun-like stars with the Sun suggest an anomalously low photometric variability of the Sun compared to Sun-like stars with similar magnetic activity. Comprehensive understanding of stellar variability is needed to find a physical reason for this observation.
Aims. We investigate the effect of metallicity and effective temperature on the photometric brightness change of Sun-like stars seen at different inclinations. The considered range of fundamental stellar parameters is sufficiently small so the stars investigated here still count as Sun-like or even as solar twins.
Methods. To model the brightness change of stars with solar magnetic activity, we extended a well-established model of solar brightness variations based on solar spectra, Spectral And Total Irradiance REconstruction (SATIRE), to stars with different fundamental parameters. For this we calculated stellar spectra for different metallicities and effective temperature using the radiative transfer code ATLAS9.
Results. We show that even a small change (e.g. within the observational error range) of metallicity or effective temperature significantly affects the photometric brightness change compared to the Sun. We find that for Sun-like stars, the amplitude of the brightness variations obtained for Strömgren (b + y)/2 reaches a local minimum for fundamental stellar parameters close to the solar metallicity and effective temperature. Moreover, our results show that the effect of inclination decreases for metallicity values greater than the solar metallicity. Overall, we find that an exact determination of fundamental stellar parameters is crucially important for understanding stellar brightness changes.


The multiwire proportional chambers of the HERMES spectrometer are described. Each chamber consists of a series anode–cathode planes which measure position along axes at 308; 08, and þ308 relative to horizontal. The anode wire spacing is 2 mm, while the anode–cathode plane spacing is 4 mm. The chambers are located in the spectrometer magnet gap which imposed strong constraints on their design. A nonflammable gas mixture of Ar(65%), CO2ð30%Þ and CF4ð5%Þ is used and an efficiency plateau 500 V wide is obtained. The readout is performed with the LeCroy PCOS4 data acquisition system modified according to the specific requirements of the HERMES experiment. A dedicated water cooling system has been implemented to control and stabilize the surface temperature of the electronic chips mounted on the on-chamber preamplifier boards. A spatial resolution of ' 600 mm (rms) per plane has been measured. These chambers are essential for tracking low momentum particles which do not enter the drift chambers after the spectrometer magnet; these particles principally result from the decay of various unstable hadrons. The momentum and angular resolutions in tracking these low momentum particles has been studied and found to be similar to those obtained for high momentum tracks which traverse the entire tracking system of the HERMES spectrometer. # 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PACS: 29.40.Cs; 29.40.Gx; 07.50. e


Picornaviruses constitute a medically important family of RNA viruses in which genome replication critically depends on a small RNA element, the cis-acting replication element (cre), that templates 3D(pol) polymerase-catalyzed uridylylation of the protein primer for RNA synthesis, VPg. We report the solution structure of the 33-nt cre of human rhinovirus 14 under solution conditions optimal for uridylylation in vitro. The cre adopts a stem-loop conformation with an extended duplex stem supporting a novel 14-nt loop that derives stability from base-stacking interactions. Base-pair interactions are absent within the loop, and base substitutions within the loop that favor such interactions are detrimental to viral RNA replication. Conserved adenosines in the 5' loop sequence that participate in a slide-back mechanism of VPg-pUpU synthesis are oriented to the inside of the loop but are available for base templating during uridylation. The structure explains why substitutions of the 3' loop nucleotides have little impact on conformation of the critical 5' loop bases and accounts for wide variation in the sequences of cres from different enteroviruses and rhinoviruses.


Recently, instant level labeling for supervised machine learning requires a considerable number of filled masks. In this paper, we propose an efficient automatic region filling algorithm for complicated regions. Distinguishing between adjacent connected regions, the Main Filling Process scans through all pixels and fills all the pixels except boundary ones with either exterior or interior label color. In this way, we succeed in classifying all the pixels inside the region except boundary ones in the given image to form two groups: a background group and a mask group. We then set all exterior label pixels to background color, and interior label pixels to mask color. With this algorithm, we are able to generate output masks precisely and efficiently even for complicated regions as long as boundary pixels are given. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can generate precise masks that allow for various machine learning tasks such as supervised training. This algorithm can effectively handle multiple regions, complicated 'holes' and regions whose boundaries touch the image border. By testing the algorithm on both toy and practical images, we show that the performance of Scan-flood Fill(SCAFF) has achieved favorable results.


RNA can catalyse chemical reactions through its ability to fold into complex three‐dimensional structures and to specifically bind small molecules and divalent metal ions. The 2′‐hydroxyl groups of the ribose moieties contribute to this exceptional reactivity of RNA, compared to DNA. RNA is not only able to catalyse phosphate ester transfer reactions in ribonucleic acids, but can also show aminoacyl esterase activity, and is probably able to promote peptide bond formation. Bearing its potential for functioning both as a genome and as a gene product, RNA is suitable for in vitro evolution experiments enabling the selection of molecules with new properties. The growing repertoire of RNA catalysed reactions will establish RNA as a primordial molecule in the evolution of life.


Humidity sensors have been widely used in areas such as agriculture, environmental conservation, medicine, instrumentation and climatology. Hydrophobicity is one of the important factors in capacitive humidity sensors: recent research has shown that the inclusion of graphene (G) in polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) improves its hydrophobicity. In this context, a methodology to fabricate electrospun membranes of PVDF blended with G was developed in order to improve the PVDF properties allowing the use of PVDF/G membrane as a capacitive humidity sensor. Micrographs of membranes were obtained by scanning electron microscopy to analyze the morphology of the fabricated samples. Subsequently, the capacitive response of the membrane, which showed an almost linear and directly proportional response to humidity, was tested. Results showed that the response time of PVDF/G membrane was faster than that of a commercial DHT11 sensor. In summary, PVDF/G membranes exhibit interesting properties as humidity sensors.


We proposed a possible protocol for Bell state measurements of spin qubits in a double quantum dot (QD). Our scheme consists of Pauli spin blockade measurements and biaxial electron spin resonance. It is assumed that the two QDs here are designed so that the Land? g-factors satisfy g1 = ?g2 with the use of g-factor engineering. The opposite sign of the g-factors cancel the average of the Zeeman fields on the two QDs, and enable us to swap three spin-triplet states for a spin-singlet state sequentially. We showed that it is possible to implement the full Bell state measurement by the sequential spin-to-charge conversions in the QD-based spin qubits.


Purpose of review The last few decades have seen an explosion in our understanding of the molecular drivers of childhood brain tumours. These insights have opened the possibility for precision medicine approaches for some tumour types. However, a different spectrum of tumours is more likely to occur in infants and young children, who face additional therapeutic challenges. This review focuses on recent advances in molecular genetics of common infant brain tumours and their implication for diagnosis, prognostication and utilization of precision oncology approaches. Recent findings Infant tumours have different biology and outcomes than similar tumours in older children and adults. For low-grade gliomas, targeted MAPK inhibition is well tolerated and likely efficacious. In high-grade gliomas, common tyrosine kinase alterations offer compelling targets for inhibition that are currently being evaluated. Paediatric-specific sequencing and methylation analysis offer insights into the driving biology of infant medulloblastoma, atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumours, embryonal tumours with multilayered rosettes, ependymoma and choroid plexus tumours, with molecular subgrouping shedding insights into distinct driving biology and clinical outcomes. Summary Infant brain tumours are rare and heterogenous, with overall poor outcomes. Advances in molecular genetics have been incorporated into their diagnostic criteria and allow for accurate subgrouping and improved prognostication. The utilization of targeted agents appears beneficial for many low-grade gliomas and a subset of high-grade gliomas, but further research is urgently needed to improve outcomes for other tumour entities.


Stream architectures have emerged as a mainstream solution for computation-intensive applications due to their rich arithmetic units. This paper proposes a multithreading technique based on a scheduling scheme of stream programs on clustered VLIW stream architecture, which aims at optimal arithmetic unit utilization without increasing energy consumption. Its principle is to exploit more kernel-level parallelism for further optimal compilation by constructing homogeneous multiple threads on stream programs. Three phases are proposed in the scheduling scheme. First, threads in stream programs are replicated for constructing homogeneous multiple threads. Second, time step assignment for homogeneous multithreaded stream programs is utilized to obtain efficient kernel combination. Third, stream segmentation is presented to optimize both memory transfers and startup overheads of kernels. A set of benchmarks are exploited to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed technique. Experimental results show that, with exploiting kernel-level software pipeline, the proposed technique improves the performance by 20.9 percent averagely with the energy decreasing by 7.6 percent. Utilizations of adders and multipliers are up to average 77.4 and 75.8 percent, increasing 17.0 and 13.3 percent, respectively. Moreover, the proposed technique performs an average of 12.5 percent improvement over CSMT4 with the energy decreasing by 12.0 percent.


The feature and mechanism of flame acceleration and transition to detonation are not fully understood. In particular, the occurrence of "explosions in explosion" in the transition processes is very important phenomena which is worth studying carefully. The present study aims to observe this phenomena and to elucidate the transition processes by using the high-speed Schlieren photography.


Groups of 15 male and 15 female rats were fed diet containing 0 (control), 1, 5 or 10% carnauba wax or 10% cellulose powder for 13 wk and groups of five rats of each sex were given these treatments, except the 1% carnauba wax, for 2 or 6 wk. Rats given 10% carnauba wax or 10% cellulose consumed more food than the controls but showed no differences in body weight, an effect attributed to the dilution of the diet by non-nutrient test materials. The study showed no treatment-related differences in body weights, water intakes, haematological values, serum-enzyme activities, urinary concentration and 'dilution' tests, organ weights or histological findings. The no-untoward-effect level for carnauba wax in the diet was 10%, which represented a mean intake of approximately 8.8 and 10.2 g/kg body weight/day in males and females, respectively.


A series of tetra-tert-butylcalix[4]arene linked to 1,2,4-triazole-5-thiones and 1,3,4-oxadiazole-5-thiones derivatives at lower rim were synthesized by the reaction of 1,2,4-triazole-5-thione and 1,3,4-oxadiazole-5-thione with 5,11,17,23-tetra-tert-butyl-25,27-bis(3-bromopropoxy)-26,28-dihydroxycalix[4]arene (2). The synthesized compounds were characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR spectral data, elemental analysis and ESI-MS.


The importance of cognitive skills in human learning and reasoning has become well established in recent years. This motivates the search for a knowledge representation that supports the development of a computational algorithm that performs, as well as instructs such cognitive skills. Cognitive skills can be broadly divided into two types: specific and generic cognitive skills. Intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) that develop generic cognitive skills are essential for developing classification, generalization, and comparison processes. However, these current systems are inherently open loop and do not utilize feedback, based on the student's competence level, to adapt the learning process. This is a major drawback when attempting to provide a dynamic learner-focused approach for effective instruction. In this paper, we present EpiList II, an ITS that closes the loop and is hence able to monitor and dynamically assess the student's cognitive-skill competence. The results show a significant improvement in positive- and negative-reasoning skills, with 51% of students (up from an average of 8% of students when using an open-loop ITS) acquiring/developing these skills.


Calcium (Ca2+) is known to be an important regulator in apoptotic signalling. The uterine calbindins, calbindin-D9k (CaBP-9k) and calbindin-28k (CaBP-28k), are known to be involved in the regulation of myometrial activities by regulating intracellular Ca2+. In addition, the uterine calbindins are expressed in the mouse endometrium and are highly regulated during implantation and development. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the regulation of apoptosis in the uterus of immature CaBP-9k, CaBP-28k, and CaBP-9k/28k knockout (KO) mouse models. Our findings indicate that Bax protein levels were enhanced in the uterus of CaBP-28k and CaBP-9k/28k KO mice compared with wild-type mice, and no difference was observed in Bcl-2 protein expression. In addition, the levels of caspase 3, 6, and 7 protein were induced in both CaBP-28k and CaBP-9k/28k KO mice compared with wild-type mice. These results suggest that the absence of calbindins may induce an increase in apoptotic signalling. In addition, we investigated the expression of the endoplasmic reticulum stress genes by Western blot analysis in calbindin KO mice. These results showed that CHOP and BiP proteins were increased in CaBP-28k and CaBP-9k/28k KO mice compared with wild-type mice, and no difference was observed in the expression of PDI and IRE1α proteins. It is of interest that the expression of CaBP-28k may block up-regulation of apoptosis-related genes. In summary, this study implies that CaBP-28k may decrease apoptosis-related gene expression in the uterine tissue of immature mice.


The class II cytokine receptor family includes the receptors for IFN- ab , IFN- g , IL-10, and IL-10-related T cell-derived inducible factor/IL-22. By screening genomic DNA databases, we identified a gene encoding a protein of 231 aa, showing 33 and 34% amino acid identity with the extracellular domains of the IL-22 receptor and of the IL-20R/cytokine receptor family 2-8, respectively, but lacking the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. A lower but significant sequence identity was found with other members of this family such as the IL-10R (29%), cytokine receptor family 2-4/IL-10R b (30%), tissue factor (26%), and the four IFN receptor chains (23–25%). This gene is located on chromosome 6q24, at 35 kb from the IFNGR1 gene, and is expressed in various tissues with maximal expression in breast, lungs, and colon. The recombinant protein was found to bind IL-10-related T cell-derived inducible factor/IL-22, and to inhibit the activity of this cytokine on hepatocytes and intestinal epithelial cells. We propose to name this natural cytokine antagonist IL-22BP for IL-22 binding protein. The Journal of Immunology, 2001, 166: 7090–7095.


This study was carried out to evaluate the incidence and pattern of facial midlines across three ethnic grtoupsd of populations. The ethnic groups being studied are Caucasian, African and Oriental. The Smylist philosophy has introduced the concept of different kinds of vertical facial midlines. Based on this concept the distribution and incidence of straight, curved and sloped midlines, as propounded by Smylist, was assessed. This study can be considered as an extension or follow up of a study done on an Indian population to assess the incidence of facial midlines which was published in 2019. There were 50 subjects included in each of the ethnic groups to make a total of 150 subjects. A photo documentation was used for each of the subjects. The pictures were standardized in the straight face Cheese A picture as defined in the Smylist concept. An attempt was made to keep an equal number of male and female subjects. All the pictures were loaded on the Smylist software and the facial analysis was carried out to generate and identify the type of midline present. The results showed that the incidence of the straight midline was the lowest in all the three ethnic groups. The curved and the sloped midline make up the bulk of the cases. The curved was the highest in the Caucasian group and the sloped was the largest percentage in the African and oriental groups. It can be safely concluded that the incidence of vertical straight midline is ostensibly less and should not be deliberated as a foundation for functional and aesthetic rehabilitation. This is consistently observed in all kinds of ethnic groups and follows the pattern of the Indian study. It can also be concluded that the curved and sloped incidences vary considerably in different ethnic groups.


Introduction: Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) is spontaneous rupture of the fetal membranes before 37 completed weeks and before the onset of labor. PPROM occurs in 3% of all pregnancies and is responsible for approximately one-third of all preterm deliveries. It leads to increase in perinatal morbidity and mortality. Aim: The present study aimed to characterize the microbiome of vaginal fluid, which will be helpful in the selection of empiric antimicrobial therapy. Materials and Method: A prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pradyumna Bal Memorial Hospital, Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bhubaneswar during the period of October 2019 to June 2021 to characterize the microorganisms in the vaginal fluid and their antimicrobial sensitivity patterns found in antenatal women presenting with PPROM. A total of 160 antenatal women diagnosed with PPROM, gestational age between 28 weeks to 36 weeks and 6 days were included in the study. High vaginal swabs were collected for microbial culture and sensitivity. Results: Out of 160 samples, the growth of organisms was observed in 134 (85.09%) samples. Out of them, 133 were monomicrobial, one was polymicrobial. Common isolated infections included Enterococcus faecalis (17.39%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (14.29%), Escherichia coli (11.18%), and Staphylococcus haemolyticus (6.21%). Most of them were sensitive to ampicillin followed by linezolid and vancomycin. S. aureus was most sensitive to linezolid followed by gentamicin and vancomycin. Most isolates were multidrug-resistant. Conclusion: The empirical antimicrobial treatment started for PPROM management should be based on the established changing microbiological pattern and sensitivities with due consideration of geographical and demographic variations.


To assess the effects of a group class physical exercise program on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), physical fitness and activity, and safety in early breast cancer women after treatment, a double-phase trial [16-week control phase (CP) followed by a 16-week intervention phase (IP)] was designed. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline (T1), 8 (T2) and 16 (T3) weeks (CP), and 24 (T4) and 32 (T5) weeks (IP). The primary endpoint was global health status. Out of 82 enrolled patients, 37 completed the IP. Global health status decreased (-10,1; 95% CI -19.8 to -0.4; p = 0.040) during the CP and stabilized during the IP. Physical and sexual functioning increased during the IP (p = 0.008; p = 0.017), while cardiorespiratory fitness increased in the CP (p = 0.004). Upper limb strength and lower limb functionality increased during both phases [CP: p < 0.0001, p = 0.001 (surgical and nonsurgical arm), p = 0.028; IP: p < 0.0001, p = 0.002, p = 0.009]. Body mass index decreased in the IP (p = 0.026). Waist circumference increased in the CP (p = 0.001) and decreased in the IP (p = 0.010); sedentary behaviours and moderate and vigorous physical activity did not change. Adherence to 70% of the sessions was reported in 54% of patients. No serious adverse events related to the intervention were reported. In conclusion, the physical exercise program was able to prevent the decline in global health status and to improve other domains of HRQOL and physical fitness. As physical exercise is not the standard of care in many countries, the implementation of group class programs might be an option.


Not only are personal trainers the face of the personal fitness industry, they also generate a significant portion of revenue in this multi-billion dollar business. It is therefore essential to produce the best possible personnel. In order to assist the industry in selecting the best trainers, we developed a preliminary personal trainer evaluation system based on a survey of experts. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was then applied to the system. Of the three major dimensions – achievement, teaching, and service results – achievement results, which include course sales and team achievement, were identified as the most important.


Introduction Social anxiety disorder or phobia (SAD) is a debilitating condition, where an individual experiences overwhelming fear to situations involving social interactions. Prototypically, SAD presents as shy, submissive, inhibited, and risk- aversive behaviours. Contrastingly, an atypical sub-group show impulsive, aggressive, novelty-seeking behaviours along with severe substance abuse problems. In scenarios, where there is co-existence of polar opposite symptoms, trans-diagnostic approaches extrapolate the characteristics of a disorder as a continuum rather than a categorical one. Data-driven computational models such as drift diffusion model utilize behavioural measures and extract potential markers that reflect the activity of specific brain networks. Here, we aim to analyse and correlate the psychological traits with computational estimates of behaviour during risk-taking and value based decision making. Methods We used the data from 1400 participants who completed the 2 stage sequential learning task. We focused on the second stage of the task, where the reward probabilities of the choices are stochastic. The computational measures were estimated for two scenarios i.e. when the participants made 1) accurate choices and 2) risky choices (the choice with maximum variance in reward probability was labelled as risky). This computation was performed for all the trials across all the participants. We then used choice–(risky vs non-risky or correct vs incorrect) and response time as inputs to the hierarchical drift diffusion model to extract threshold (a), drift rate (v) and response bias (z) parameters. The computational parameters were then correlated with the 3 psychological factors that span the compulsive, anxiety- depression and the social withdrawal spectrum. Results The computational parameters from both accuracy and risk taking scenarios of the sequential learning task were correlated with the 3 factors. While controlling for IQ and age, we found a generalized correlation which is significant between the threshold parameter('a') and social withdrawal, with the former estimate being negatively correlated (Accuracy: |r| = -0.078, p=0.003; Risk: |r| = -0.075, p=0.005) with the latter. This relation was not observed with regard to anxiety-depression and compulsive traits. Conclusions We show that individuals with higher social withdrawal levels are impulsive as they accumulate less evidence while making a choice. This behaviour holds irrespective of the choice being chosen is an optimal or a risky one. Critically, we show how a trans-diagnostic approach of integrating computational model and psychological questionnaires can reveal the existence of psychological traits as a continuum.


When a parallel resonant tank is excited by a bipolar current pulse train a sinusoidal voltage develops across the tank whose amplitude depends on the duty cycle of the pulse train. An isolated secondary can be derived by applying the tank voltage to an isolation transformer whose magnetizing inductance acts as the resonance inductor of the tank circuit. A DC output voltage is obtained after rectification and filtering of the sinusoidal secondary voltage and regulation is achieved by controlling the duty-cycle of the pulse train. The sinusoidal nature of the voltage across the isolation transformer alleviates some of the noise problems associated with parasitic capacitances of an isolation transformer when operated with square voltage waveforms. The DC and small-signal analysis of the power converter is given and an equivalent small-signal circuit model is derived. Experimental results which confirm the validity of the model are presented.<<ETX>>


The application of cell therapy in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease currently is of increasing scientific interest. Cell therapy in the treatment of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis includes 2 approaches: immunosuppressant followed by hematopoietic stem cells transplantation and systemic or local application of mesenchymal stem cells. The latter were reported to exhibit immunosuppressive and regenerative effect. Actually more than 1,500 patients with inflammatory bowel disease have been treated with mesenchymal stem cells worldwide. The introduction of cell therapy into gastroenterology will significantly expand the arsenal of therapeutic arrangements for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, in particular resistant forms of the disease and will allow to increase the effectiveness of treatment.


SiK. VVf were interested to read the paper of Czech ft a!, on the concentration of soluble E-selectin hi sera of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and correlation with disease activity. We had conducted a similar study using soluble V'CAM-1 and wish to report our findings. AD is a chronic inflamtnatorj' skin disease frequently associated witli elevated peripheral eosinophil counts. Eosinophils are involved in AD as large amounts of secreled major basic protein are found hi lesional skin," In addition, serum eosinophil cationic prolein correlates with disease activity in AD, Eosinophil adherence to endothelial cells, a key event in leucocyte migration inio lissites. may play an essential role in the pathogenesis of AD. VCAM-t is an inducible endothelial protein that binds lymphocytes, monocytes. basophils atid eosinophils,"* Wakita cr al.^ have shown thai the number of eosinophils and cell-derived granules was significantly and strongly correlated with the degree of VCAM-1 expression in aeute skin lesions of AH, A soluble fortii of VCAM-1 has been detected in serum from normal individuals and several diseases.'^'"^ We measured soluble VCAM-1 levels in the sera of Al) patients and compared with healthy non-atopic controls while correlating with clinical severity.


Our physical understanding of enzyme catalysis has been limited by the scarcity of data for the positioning and motions of groups in and around the active site. To provide foundational information and test fundamental catalytic models, we created conformational ensembles from 45 PDB crystal structures and collected new 'room temperature' X-ray crystallography data for ketosteroid isomerase (KSI). Ensemble analyses indicated substantial pre-positioning and minimal conformational heterogeneity loss through the reaction cycle. The oxyanion hole and general base residues appear conformationally restricted, but not exceptionally so relative to analogous non-catalytic groups. Analysis of surrounding groups and mutant ensembles provide insight into the balance of forces responsible for local conformational preferences. Oxyanion hole catalysis appears to arise from hydrogen bond donors that are stronger than water, without additional catalysis from geometrical discrimination, more distal effects, or environmental alterations. The presence of a range of conformational sub-states presumably facilitates KSI's multiple reaction steps.


ABSTRACT The tourist is constantly seeking out new experiences, and there is a growing interest in experiences at religious sites. This article examines tourists' church experience, and what meaning it gives, and what motivates tourists to visit a church on their holiday. With a particular focus on the individual's experience creation, the article looks into the tourist's personal experience inside a church, as manifested in a context characterized through religion and tourism. This study is based on data collected through interviews with 15 visitors to the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome. The findings demonstrate tourists' ability to block out the presence of other people, and their emphasis on finding inner peace. While the church is highlighted as a kind of sanctuary for reflection, where regaining harmony is mentioned as one of the most meaningful aspects of the experience, religion as a driving force is largely absent from the data. The findings of this study provide new knowledge with regard to tourists' church experiences, and provide insight into the individual meaning making involved. The findings also show the complexity of the tourists' motive to search for church experiences.


work was followed by research in physiology, at a time, the author says, when respiratory failure was scarcely recognised. He became anexpert on breathlessness, lead ing to the Foundation Chair of Medicine at McMaster and, as is not uncommon in the vulnerable, achieve ment of a major ambition was then followed by severe depression, and in turn by mania. Piling Pelion on Ossa, another manic episode was the cause of a severe road accident, in which his wife suffered particularly badly. This time in the relative's role, Professor Campbell makes trenchant criticisms of the culture ofintensive care units, finding that whatever their technological sophistication, no one doctor would assume overall responsibility for the patient and no one told him what was happening to her. Mania stepped in again, when he was invited to return to London but became psychotic at the critical time. Latter parts of the book were written while he was actually experiencing manic episodes and offer some insights into the upside-down logic that provokes their characteristic behaviour. Reading such an account, the armchairclinician shouldresist thetemptationto believe that he could have done better than his colleagues on the job, yet when the author says of his condition that "¿ drugs have not worked―,it is hard to escape a feeling that perhaps they did not get a proper chance —¿ difficult as he must have been as a patient. This very frank story brings home the havoc that can still be wreaked on an individual and his family by severe affective illness. At the same time, the author is able to describe two cases in which his own determined efforts and clinical nous saved the lives of patients who had been given up by luminaries of the profession. That is not a bad record for any medical career.


Efficient separation and enrichment of low-abundance glycopeptides from complex biological samples is the key to the discovery of disease biomarkers. In this work, a new material was prepared by coating copper tetra(N-carbonylacrylic) aminephthalocyanine and iminodiacetic acid onto poly(glycidyl methacrylate-pentaerythritol triacrylate) monolith. The monolith was applied to polymer monolithic microextraction for specific capture of glycopeptides coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The developed monolith exhibited satisfactory efficiency for glycopeptide enrichment with high selectivity and detection sensitivity. When the tryptic digest of immunoglobulin G was used as the sample, total 24 glycopeptides were identified and the detection limit was determined as 5 fmol. When the approach was applied to the analysis of glycopeptides in the mixture of bovine serum albumin and immunoglobulin G (100:1, m/m) digests, 16 glycopeptides could still be observed. Moreover, the monolith was successfully applied to the selective enrichment of glycopeptides from human serum digests, exhibiting great practicability in identifying low-abundance glycopeptides in complex biological samples.


800x600 Normal 0 19 false false false LT X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 800x600 Normal 0 19 false false false LT X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 800x600 Normal 0 19 false false false LT X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 The purpose is to evaluate the key advantages and drawback of reform of the medical rehabilitation of SCI patiens, to establish its influencing factors and, based on the date of analysis and the opinion of the experts participating in the development of rehabilitation system, to develop suggestions how to improve the quality of rehabilitation services patiens after SCI in Palanga rehabilitation hospital (PRH). The practical part analysis the changes in the rehabilitation system in the period from 1992 to 2009. Having reached the set objectives it has been established that the changes in the rehabilitation system in PRH in period from 1992 to 2009 were essential. Individual legal acts directly influenced the changes in the structure of rehabilitation services in the course of development of the priority directions of rehabilitation SCI patients by improving the quality and accessibility of the services. Three main periods are considered in the development: the fist period – employment of some procedures of physical and electrical therapy, the second – development of multiprofile rehabilitation, and third – development of comprehensive rehabilitation system. The financing methods of the rehabilitation service from the State patient territorial Fund directly influenced the removal of the uneven distribution of the territorial accessbility. The analysis showed that the system is developing in the right direction. The structure of the rehabilitation services from 1992 to 2009 changed significanty. The strategic goal to change from the sanatoria, treatment of light patients to the medical rehabilitation of heavy cases was implemented.


The reliability of road networks depends directly on their vulnerability to disruptive incidents, ranging in severity from minor disruptions to terrorist attacks. This paper presents a game theoretic approach to the analysis of road network vulnerability. The approach posits predefined disruption, attack or failure scenarios and then considers how to use the road network so as to minimize the maximum expected loss in the event of one of these scenarios coming to fruition. A mixed route strategy is adopted, meaning that the use of the road network is determined by the worst scenario probabilities. This is equivalent to risk-averse route choice. A solution algorithm suitable for use with standard traffic assignment software is presented, thereby enabling the use of electronic road navigation networks. A variant of this algorithm suitable for risk-averse assignment is developed. A numerical example relating to the central London road network is presented. The results highlight points of vulnerability in the road network. Applications of this form of network vulnerability analysis together with improved solution methods are discussed.


PURPOSE OF REVIEW
This review assesses the current status of the different methods used in screening for diabetic retinopathy. This update is particularly timely because the incidence of diabetes is rising rapidly and the number of patients with vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy is increasing.

RECENT FINDINGS
We evaluate the different methods used and their results in improving the delivery of eye care to patients with diabetic retinopathy. In populations with poor access to ophthalmic care, screening techniques such as the nonmydriatic camera used in offices of primary care physicians may be useful in identifying lesions of diabetic retinopathy requiring treatment. One of the limitations is the lack of dilation and cataract formation, which may result in ungradable photographs. Patients with treatable lesions as well as those with ungradable photographs should be referred for comprehensive ocular examination.

SUMMARY
Screening techniques do not replace the eye examination. Ophthalmologists can play an important role in diabetic care apart from treating eye disease. Counseling can be provided to patients regarding the importance of blood glucose and blood pressure control and may motivate patients to achieve strict glucose and blood pressure control.


L-Asparaginase from Cylindrocarpon obtusisporum MB-10 inhibits the growth of Ascites Fibrosarcoma and Dalton's Lymphoma tumor cells in vivo and significantly increases the survival rate of tumor bearing mice. The enzyme-treated normal mice become more healthy and survive longer than their usual life span. The spleen size of normal animals treated with L-asparaginase become larger, and the number of their rosetting T-lymphocytes along with the capacity of SRBC constellation gets increased. The surface topography of splenic T-lymphocytes of enzyme-treated mice exhibits some extensions of different parts of the membrane with ruffling of surface and formation of innumerable blebs, foldings, microvilli, etc. The adherence of leukocytes of peritoneal exudate cells of these mice is also enhanced. All results suggest that C. obtusisporum MB-10 L-asparaginase is active against tumors and non-immunosuppressive, and it deserves to be an immunotherapeutic agent.


This article presents and analyzes two cases of ethnographic, topic-driven, fieldwork among upper caste, middle-class women in urban India, which is a field dominated by hierarchical social relations of class, caste and gender. The aim of this article is to discuss the methodological challenges we encountered in delineating, 'constructing' (Amit 2000) and getting access to the potential field-sites. Prospective informants lived their everyday lives criss-crossing between different types of social arenas within the city, inducing us to take a multi-sited approach (Marcus 1995). Moreover, these everyday social arenas were clearly demarcated and initially closed to outsiders by physical walls and social distinction, rendering the process of gaining access rather challenging. Here, we discuss these challenges and how we attempted to solve them. A central point is that 'gaining access' for most ethnographic researchers is a long process of meticulous planning, serendipitous encounters and 'deadends', that in itself is part of the ethnographic material. Furthermore, we discuss the relational aspect of qualitative research, wherein the researcher 'puts his or her own body on the line' (Okely 2012:1). We argue that the manner by which the researcher is being positioned by the people studied – processes characterized by resistance, avoidance or even exclusion – often contain rich ethnographic information which must be taken into consideration. By highlighting this, we aim to demystify challenges often overlooked or under-communicated in ethnographic research.


Recent theoretical models of hippocampal function suggest that the hippocampus plays a critical role in the memory for the overlapping sequences of events that comprise episodic memory. Consistent with this idea, the firing of hippocampal "place cells" have been shown to represent not only location, but also the context or episode in which the location occurs. Thus, hippocampal neurons fire differently in the same location depending on the particular journey or sequence of places in which the subject is traveling. Further, recent work in rats has shown that hippocampal lesions impair memory for sequences of odors and the ability to disambiguate overlapping sequences of odors. We therefore recorded the activity of hippocampal complex-spike cells during a disambiguation of odor sequences task in which the two sequences shared three common odors. Consistent with data from spatial memory tasks, we found that 26 of 44 complex-spike cells fired differentially in the periods before, or during the presentation of the ambiguous odors depending on the sequence in which the odors were presented. This finding further supports the idea that the hippocampus is critical for episodic memory, and extends the physiological evidence to suggest that the hippocampal neurons play a broader role representing sequences of both spatial and nonspatial information.


Autofrettage is used to introduce advantageous residual stresses into cylinders. The Bauschinger effect can produce less compressive residual hoop stresses near the bore than are predicted "ideal" autofrettage solutions. A723 steel is used for compound cylinder. This paper extends the analysis to material the addition of pressure or of shrink-fitting to the cylinders, providing associated residual stress profiles following various amounts of further yielding due to a net external pressure. The Bauschinger effects for "realistic" – Bauschinger effect dependent autofrettage are obtained. The 2-D analysis is performed via the finite element method. The Bauschinger effect is found to significantly lower the beneficial stress due to autofrettage.


Abstract This case series evaluates the effectiveness of different calcium hydroxide formulations with various vehicles in management of large periapical lesion in mature and immature teeth. This will help clinicians to make informed judgments about which formulations of calcium hydroxide should be used for specific endodontic procedures.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop the health promotion program for rural elderly through PRECEDE process. Method: The health promotion program was developed based on the preliminary diagnosis. The data collection was performed from March 10th to April 9th, 2003. The subjects were selected at Marl Myun, Geochang Gun, in Korea. The preliminary diagnosis was examined with the 115 elders. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics and Cronbach's a test with SPSS/Win 10.0 program. Results: The health promotion program was developed based on diagnostic result using PRECEDE model. The developed program was corrected and revised with the advices from 6 experts. The final program included health responsibility( cancer prevention and early detection, hygienic, false teeth management, no smoking and moderation in drink, and chronic disease prevention and management), physical activity(6 kinds of exercise), nutrition(1ow sodium diet, calcium intake, and right eating habit), spiritual growth(spiritual demand and death preparation teaching), interpersonal relations(relationship with couple, children, grandchildren, neighborhood), and stress management(sports dance, foot massage, positive thought, and song class). Conclusion: I propose that it is necessary to identity the effect of health promotion program for rural elderly. And strategy development that can spread the health promotion program elderly is needed.


We present a novel approach for fabricating monodisperse phospholipid vesicles with high encapsulation efficiency using controlled double emulsions as templates. Glass-capillary microfluidics is used to generate monodisperse double emulsion templates. We show that the high uniformity in size and shape of the templates are maintained in the final phospholipid vesicles after a solvent removal step. Our simple and versatile technique is applicable to a wide range of phospholipids.


A decision method for Reiter's default logic is developed. It can determine whether a default theory has an extension, whether a formula is in some extension of a default theory and whether a formula is in every extension of a default theory. The method handles full propositional default logic. It can be implemented to work in polynomial space and by using only a theorem prover for the underlying propositional logic as a subroutine. The method divides default reasoning into two major subtasks: the search task of examining every alternative for extensions, which is solved by backtracking search, and the classical reasoning task, which can be implemented by a theorem prover for the underlying classical logic. Special emphasis is given to the search problem. The decision method employs a new compact representation of extensions which reduces the search space. Efficient techniques for pruning the search space further are developed.


This study entitled The Correspondence between Phonetic Transcription and Orthographic Transcription in English is intended to describe how phonetic symbols correspond to orthographic symbols (alphabets), and to find the most complex and simplest phonetic symbols and orthographic symbols (alphabets). This study belongs to descriptive qualitative type. The research object is the phonetic transcription and orthographic transcription. The data were in the forms of words and their phonetic transcription and they were gathered from two dictionaries, namely Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English written by Hornby (1986) in complete version and Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English written by Longman (2001). The data were gathered by observation method followed by noting technique. Then, dividing-key-factor technique using mental ability in dividing the data was used to analyze the data. The research findings show that in English the phonetic symbols (transcription) have one-to-many correspondence with the orthographic symbols (transcription) viewed from both sides. Viewed from the phonetic symbols, there are only two symbols which have one-to-onecorrespondence, namely [ae] and [Ɔ], but viewed from the orthographic symbols, all alphabets have one-to-many correspondence. The most complex phonetic symbol referring to vowels is [i:], while the simplest one is [ae]. The most complex phonetic symbols referring to diphthongs are [iə] and [uə], while the simplest one is [au]. Finally, the most complex orthographic symbol (alphabet indicating vowels) is o, while the simplest one is e. Key words: phonetic transcription, orthographic transcription, one-to-many correspondence, one-to-one correspondence


Abstract 1202 Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disorder in which BCR/ABL leads to enhanced survival of leukemic cells. Several different angiogenic molecules, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), have been implicated in the pathogenesis of CML. Enhanced production of these pro-angiogenic molecules in CML may be associated with disease acceleration. However, little is known so far about the exact origin of these growth factors and about mechanisms underlying their production and secretion in CML cells. In the current study, we analyzed the cellular distribution of HGF and its receptor c-MET in CML cells, and explored the mechanism of expression of HGF in BCR/ABL-transformed cells. As assessed by immunostaining of bone marrow sections and isolated blood and bone marrow samples, the HGF protein was found to be expressed in a subset of leukemic cells in all patients tested. In addition, CML cells were found to express HGF mRNA and c-MET mRNA. In consecutive experiments, we were able to show that basophils are the primary source of HGF in CML. In particular, highly enriched sorted CD203c+ CML basophils were found to express substantial amounts of HGF mRNA as well as the HGF protein. Correspondingly, leukemic cell samples obtained from patients with accelerated phase CML were found to contain higher HGF mRNA levels compared to cells obtained from patients in chronic phase or blast phase CML. Finally, HGF mRNA and the HGF protein were detectable in the basophil-committed CML cell line KU812, but not in the more immature Ph+ cell line K562. We next asked whether expression of HGF in CML cells depends on BCR/ABL. To address this question, Ba/F3 cells with doxycycline-inducible expression of BCR/ABL were employed. However, BCR/ABL failed to induce expression of HGF mRNA or the HGF protein in Ba/F3 cells. Correspondingly, the BCR/ABL-blocker imatinib was found to inhibit expression of VEGF mRNA, but did not inhibit HGF mRNA expression in KU812 cells. Next, we examined the expression of c-MET in CML cells. c-MET mRNA was found to be expressed in KU812 and K562 cells, in highly enriched CD34+/CD38- CML stem cells, and less abundantly in more mature CD34+/CD38+ CML cells and CML basophils. The c-MET inhibitor MSC-2156119J-15 (Merck-Serono Darmstadt, Germany) was found to counteract growth of primary CML cells, K562 cells, and KU812 cells with comparable IC 50 values (0.5-1.0 μM). In summary, our data suggest that HGF is a BCR/ABL-independent basophil-derived mediator in CML. Basophils and basophil-derived mediators may play a more active role in CML-acceleration as has been considered previously. Whether targeting of HGF or/and c-MET is an effective approach to block acceleration in CML remains to be elucidated. Disclosures: Valent: Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Merck-Serono: Research Funding.


Modeling of tsunamis in glacial fjords prompts us to evaluate applicability of the cross-sectionally averaged nonlinear shallow water equations to model propagation and runup of long waves in asymmetrical bays and also in fjords with two heads. We utilize the Tuck-Hwang transformation, initially introduced for the plane beaches and currently generalized for bays with arbitrary cross section, to transform the nonlinear governing equations into a linear equation. The solution of the linearized equation describing the runup at the shore line is computed by taking into account the incident wave at the toe of the last sloping segment. We verify our predictions against direct numerical simulation of the 2-D shallow water equations and show that our solution is valid both for bays with an asymmetric L-shaped cross section, and for fjords with two heads—bays with a W-shaped cross section.


the factory, if the machinery is properly modified. Further handling of that premix proved to be much less hazardous than originally expected. During the moment of the injection cycle, when the foam fills approximately three-quarters of the mold, the gas content is sufficient for ignition. Therefore strong air suction has to be applied to the vent of the molding form. Pentane levels of less than 0.1% within a 5-inch distance can easily be achieved. Assessment of the risk remaining indicates that refueling of a car is by far more dangerous. As a result of that, hydrocarbons used for blowing agents in production of refrigerator cabinets can make the vision of zero ODP and zero GWP a reality today.


Energy is essential for human needs satisfaction. With the evolution of machinery, man becomes more and more dependent on the energy stocked in fossil fuels, comparatively to the primitive economy. Wood charcoal is a thermal-reducer used in Brazilian pig iron and steel industries, and its price is formed in an oligopsonic market. Over time, the charcoal prices have varied in function of endogenous and exogenous factors, needing, therefore, to be deflated so that they can be compared in two or more points in time. This work analyzed the variations of charcoal real prices, in national currency; compared and analyzed the real charcoal price in nominal and in real US Dollar and; analyzed the real prices of charcoal, comparatively to the real oil prices. The analyses were accomplished in the period from January 1975 to December 2002. The time series of charcoal prices, in domestic currency were deflated using IGP-DI, considering august, 1994=100, and charcoal prices were also converted to American dollar and deflated using CPI, considering the period 1982-84=100. It was compared, then, the real and nominal charcoal prices. It concluded that the real charcoal prices in Brazilian domestic currency, or in American dollar, presented a decreasing tendency along time. The inflationary disarray, in the 80´s and the first half of the 90 ´s, provoked a big price variation in the period; from the beginning the XXI century, charcoal prices were more influenced by the exchange rate; in the energy crisis period, charcoal prices suffered big changes that, however, did not persist along time.


The carcass quantitative characteristics of 5/8 Nellore-3/8 Charolais steers feedlot finished to reach slaughter weight (SW) of 425, 467 and 510 kg, were studied. At the beginning of the feedlot the average age, weight and body condition were, respectively, 660 days, 361 kg and 2.9 points. The diet offered, with 60:40 roughage:concentrate relation, dry matter basis (DM), contained 10.25% crude protein and 72.18% of total digestible nutrients. The roughage was corn silage with 46.5% of grain in the DM. Cold carcass dressing percentage showed linear relation with SW (= 37.618 + .011Pi (initial weight) + .028SW). However, when dressing percentage was expressed in relation to empty body weight (EB), it was not influenced by SW. Subcutaneous fat thickness expressed per cold carcass (= -15.499 - .001Pi + .047SW), per 100 kg of cold carcass weight (= -1.724 - .006Pi + .013SW) and per 100 kg of EB (= -1.124 - .003Pi + .008SW) increased as SW increased. Longissimus dorsi area increased linearly with SW (= -33.472 + .120Pi + .120SW), however, when expressed per 100 kg of cold carcass weight it declined (= 45.173 - .023Pi - .028SW), and when expressed per 100 kg of EB, it did not show relationship with SW. The percentage of sawcut declined (= 63.007 - .001Pi - .026SW) while the side cut increased (= -3.054 + .005Pi + .030SW), as SW increased. Slaughter weight influenced positively cushion thickness (= 6.223 + .014Pi + .031SW), leg length (= 28.326 + .061Pi + .05SW) and arm perimeter (= 9.173+ .053Pi + .017SW). Carcass conformation was not alterated by SW.


Purpose

This paper aims to discuss leadership development with social construction as the underpinning theory.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an autoethnographic study of the author's insights from teaching leadership from a social construction perspective.

Findings

The social construction approach to leadership looks and behaves as a threshold concept in leadership. It takes students' learning to a higher level, opens up a new curriculum, and changes their understanding of leadership for good.

Originality/value

The discovery that the social construction approach to leadership looks and behaves as a threshold concept suggests that there is something fundamentally important with this perspective. It positions the social construction approach as an overarching theory that helps students re-evaluate, appreciate, and find value in traditional leadership theories.


INTRODUCTION
The need for family physicians in rural areas across the USA and Canada is a longstanding issue that has been well documented. Since family physicians constitute the largest population of rural practitioners, the problem has been exacerbated by a sharp decline in medical students' interest in the field of family medicine and the aging of the current rural workforce. Previous research has shown that female physicians in rural areas need strong support networks to maintain a healthy work-life balance. The purpose of this study was to better understand the types of support they need and how they find it, as well as how their needs change over time.

METHODS
Twenty physicians from the same rurally focused family medicine residency were interviewed over a 3-month period using a semi-structured format. Physicians ranged in experience from 1 year out of residency to 25 years out of residency. Using a phenomenological approach, interviews were transcribed and then coded and analyzed by three members of the research team, one of them an experienced qualitative researcher, who met periodically to reflect on the process of coding. Emergent subthemes and themes were discussed by the multidisciplinary team.

RESULTS
The participants discussed in detail the types of support they relied on and the continuing challenges of maintaining a healthy work-life interface. Main themes included the need to select carefully one's life partner and practice partners and the difficulties in setting up practice in an area without family, friends or professional mentors nearby. Although forming boundaries was important, so was developing close relationships with patients and their families. The one thing that sustained all of the physicians was a meaningful relationship with their patients. The doctor-patient connection is what brings joy and helps every one of them cope with the harder aspects of life in rural areas.

CONCLUSION
The general consensus of respondents was that the career-life interface varies across individuals, changes over time and is always a work in progress. Rural female physicians think of their work in relational terms, and it involves a great deal of emotional labor. Support systems mitigate the psychological effects of this labor and help physicians develop resilience in managing both career and life. Educators can better prepare female physicians by discussing the costs and benefits of emotional labor and the necessity of support networks, as well as how to negotiate a contract that is consistent with one's values, practice style and family life.


Background and Aim: In hyperoxaluria, membrane injury is essential for the binding of oxalate or calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal to be retained in the renal cell. This oxalate-membrane interaction generates oxidative stress and is considered to be a significant causative factor of membrane damage and stone pathogenesis. The present study uses ammonium oxalate (AmOx) rat model to develop hyperoxaluria and lipid peroxidation, and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and NAC + Vitamin E given intraperitoneally to prevent CaOx crystal membrane damage and crystal binding. Methods: Stone forming risk factors namely, calcium, phosphate, oxalate, and inhibitors of stone formation namely, magnesium, uric acid, citrate, and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) were studied and for renal function sodium, creatinine, and protein were seen in urine of five groups of animals (6 numbers each). The ratios of Ca/oxalate Mg/oxalate, citrate/calcium, oxalate/creatinine, and others are of clinical importance to assess the recurrence in stone formers. The CaOx supersaturation index and activity product (CaOx) index (rats) were studied as it indicates a high risk for stone formation. Further, the levels of oxalate synthesizing enzymes in liver and kidney were studied for endogenous synthesis of oxalate. Besides, urinary marker enzymes alkaline phosphatase, gamma glutamyl transferase, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were studied indicating tissue membrane damage. Endogenous oxalate synthesizing enzymes of liver and kidney were done and also the tissue risk factors of stone. LDH isoenzyme gel electrophoresis and light microscopy of kidney tissue were done. Results: Urinary oxalate was increased significantly (P < 0.05) urinary calcium too, urinary magnesium was significantly decreased (P < 0.01), urinary citrate levels were found to be 1.43 ± 0.15 mg/24 h in control animals but decreased 3-fold in AmOx-treated animals. Urinary marker enzymes showed injured epithelium, a prerequisite for crystal adhesion and decreased GAGs in urine showed damage to the proximal convoluted tubules. LDH 2 isoenzyme as a marker of kidney tissue damage was found increased in hyperoxaluric rats. Levels of urinary GAGs were decreased significantly (P < 0.001). NAC and Vitamin E pretreated animals showed a significant decrease in stone forming risk factors in urine and increased inhibitor excretion. Histological sections showed NAC and Vitamin E pretreated hyperoxaluric rats inhibited deposition of CaOx crystals and renal cell damage. Conclusion: NAC therapy prevents CaOx retention by protecting against membrane injury, thus maintaining a smooth urothelium that does not favor stone formation.


The intermetallic semiconductors are classified with respect to their crystal structure and to the place of the component elements in the periodic system. A survey is given of the properties of compounds with the zincblende and fluorite lattice. Photoeffects of individual members of these two groups are discussed. Such phenomena include photoconduction, photovoltage, and the photoelectro-magnetic effect.


The vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser(VCSEL) has proved to be a low cost light source with attractive properties such as surface emission, circular and low divergence output beam, and simple integration in two-dimensional array. Many new applications such as in spectroscopy, optical storage, short distance fiber optic interconnects, and in longer distance communication, are continuously arising. Many of these applications require stable and single-mode high output power. Several methods that affect the transverse guiding and/or introduce mode selective loss or gain have been developed. In this study, a method for improving the single mode output power by using metal surface plasmons nanostructure is proposed. Theoretical calculation shows that the outpout power is improved about 50% compared to the result of standard VCSELs.


Received: Revised: Accepted: Published online: July 24, 2017 October 03, 2017 October 28, 2017 November 21, 2017 The drug resistance was investigated in swine clinical isolates of Escherichia coli in East China, and the prevalence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes was detected by PCR and sequencing. Among 53 clinical E. coli isolates, 47 (88.7%) isolates exhibited resistance to one or more antimicrobial agents, with the greatest resistance in norfloxacin (69.8%) and ciprofloxacin (67.9%) and the lowest resistance in amikacin (17.0%). In total, aac(6')-Ib, qnr and qepA were detected in 10 (18.9%), 10 (18.9%) and 1 (1.9%) of 53 E. coli isolates. The 10 qnr-positive isolates include 5 for qnrB and 5 for qnrS, whereas no qnrA and qnrD were detected. Noteworthy, 90% (9/10) aac(6')-Ib-positive isolates were the cr variant allele. The fact that, none resistance gene was detected in some isolates with severe drug resistance, suggests that there may be other potential genes or mechanisms mediating it. ©2017 PVJ. All rights reserved


Langerhans cells (LCs) are dendritic epidermal cells whose ability to function as accessory/stimulatory cells in initiating the immune response is, like that of macrophages, dependent on the expression of class II major histocompatibility antigens. In normal human skin approximately 50% of LCs identified by cell surface T6 antigenicity also express HLA-DR histocompability determinants. We report here that recombinant DNA-derived human interferon (IFN)-gamma, but not IFN-alpha 2, induces the expression of HLA-DR antigens by the population of human epidermal LCs on which such antigens normally are not detected. IFN-gamma effectively induced HLA-DR on both neonatal and adult epidermal LCs and such induction was blocked by neutralization with a murine monoclonal antibody to IFN-gamma. IFN-gamma induction of LC HLA-DR expression is inhibited by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and is mimicked by the presence of fatty acid cyclooxygenase inhibitors, known to reduce PGE2 production. These results suggest that IFN-gamma may play a role in regulating skin-associated immune responses through enhanced expression of HLA-DR antigens on LCs and that such enhancement may be mediated by alterations in arachidonic acid metabolism.


Students with learning disabilities and other types of disabilities who attend post-secondary education settings may often require reasonable accommodations to succeed. While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is designed to protect students with disabilities from discrimination,many students are unaware of their rights and how to request accommodations that they are entitled to under the ADA. This paper describes a study of three students: one with a learning disability, one with a physical, and one with a sensory disability. Using a multiple baseline design, a training package was analyzed to determine its effectiveness in teaching students what their rights were under the ADA and how to request accommodations in a post-secondary education setting to meet their academic needs. The results of this investigation showed that there was a marked improvement in both knowledge and acquisition of acconlmodation-requesting skills of each participant. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of this training as students graduate and move into work situations.


Introduction: Preeclampsia is the most common cause of prenatal and maternal mortality worldwide and the second most common cause of maternal death in Iran. Deficiency of some trace elements such as zinc, calcium and magnesium in pregnant women may play a role in preeclampsia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to measure serum and urinary levels of zinc, calcium and magnesium in preeclamptic and healthy pregnant women. Materials and Methods: This crosssectional study was performed on 100 pregnant women (at second trimester of pregnancy) referred to the gynecology clinic of Sayyad Shirazi hospital in Gorgan, Iran, during 2014-15. The subjects were divided into a preeclampsia group (N=50) and an age-matched healthy control group (N=50). Serum and urinary levels of zinc, calcium and magnesium were measured by enzymatic method. Data were analyzed in SPSS (version 19) using t-test. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Mean serum calcium level in the preeclampsia group (8.17± 0.64mg/dl) was significantly lower than that in the control group (8.70±0.40mg/dl) (P<0.001). Moreover, mean urinary calcium level in the preeclampsia group (222.33± 19.35mg/dl) was significantly higher than that in the control group (158.61± 40.16 mg/dl) (P<0.001). Conclusions: Women with preeclampsia have significantly lower serum calcium level compared to healthy pregnant women, but the level is still within the normal range. Moreover, preeclampsia has no significant effect on the serum zinc and magnesium concentrations. Women with preeclampsia have significantly higher urinary calcium and significantly lower urinary magnesium levels compared to healthy pregnant women.


The 100th anniversary of the International Labour Organization (ILO) allows us to reflect about its past, present and future. Specifically, this paper provides the outstanding contribution done by the ILO related to the seafarer's work. It must be enphasized that the Organization has been able to draw up conventions and recomendations to established minimum working and living standards for all seafarers, dignifing the work in the maritime labour sector. Furthermore, the ILO has adapted its legal instruments to be amended under an accelerate procedure to be updated to the changes in this specific sector. Moreover, the Organization has established an effective system to ensure the enforcement of their conventions based on controls and inspections of the flag and port States.


Background Sofosbuvir is a nucleoside analogue inhibitor of the HCV NS5B polymerase approved for treatment of HCV-infected patients in combination with ribavirin or with other antivirals. It has activity against all genotypes of HCV. Resistance to sofosbuvir in genotype-1 and -2 HCV is conferred by the S282T substitution in NS5B. Methods To begin to define the correlates of resistance to sofosbuvir in other genotypes, we performed selection experiments in cell culture using cell lines containing subgenomic replicons derived from genotypes-1b, -2a, -3a and -4a, or chimeric replicons in a genotype-1b background but encoding genotype-2b, -5a and -6a NS5B polymerase. Results In every case, S282T was selected following passage in the presence of increasing concentrations of sofosbuvir for 10 to 15 weeks. When introduced as a site-directed mutant, S282T conferred reductions in sofosbuvir susceptibility of between 2.4 and 19.4-fold. Other substitutions observed during the selections had relatively less impact on susceptibility, such as N237S in genotype-6a (2.5-fold). Replication capacity was affected by the introduction of S282T in all genotypes to variable extents (3.2% to 22% of wild type). Conclusions These results confirm that S282T is the primary sofosbuvir resistance-associated substitution and that replication capacity is reduced when it is present in all genotypes of HCV.


Despite the WHO target for measles and rubella elimination in 2015, outbreaks still occur in all WHO Regions. After a description of the epidemiological situation of measles and rubella worldwide and especially in Europe, this paper aims to provide a detailed analysis of the current epidemiological context of Italy. The surge in the number of measles cases since the beginning of 2017, together with vaccination coverage still far from the 95% target, requires priority actions to be taken to achieve the elimination goals. Alongside the recently approved decree reintroducing compulsory vaccinations for school admissions, further measures are needed and should include the increase in the commitment of the 21 Regions; the implementation of supplemental immunization activities; improving the communication skills of health care workers; ensuring an effective communication with citizens; the enhancement of the surveillance network.


A compact single-stage 8-1 Gysel Combiner in planar technology for operation with 352-MHz pulses with peak output power of 10 kW has been designed, manufactured, and tested. The module has 0.2-dB insertion loss when operated at nominal power, and the return loss of all ports is 20 dB or better. The module was operated using 3.3-ms pulses at 14-Hz repetition rate without any signs of degradation, thermal heating, or arcing. The new design makes use of inclusions of weakly coupled lines in the common point section of the Gysel combiner. It is possible to adjust port imbalances caused by parasitic line coupling in the system for optimum performance at a given frequency by adjusting the coupling.


The authentication of people using Iris based recognition system is the most reliable biometric traits due to its stability, invariant and distinctive features for personal identification. Iris recognition consists of localization of the Iris region, extracting Iris features, generation of data set of Iris images and then Iris pattern recognition. This paper presents Iris recognition system based on partial portion of Iris patterns using Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN). Experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the propose system in terms of recognition accuracy in comparison with the previous methods.


For humanoid robots to be accepted as partners with humans they will be expected to learn quickly and adapt to environment changes in ways similar to humans. Within a single task there may be many things that can change as humans interact with the robot. The placement of items within the workspace, the physics of the environment, and the reaction of the human to the robot's movements are some examples of the things which can vary during the interaction. This paper presents a method for humanoid robots to quickly learn new dynamic tasks from observing others and from practice. Ways in which the robot can adapt to the initial and slowly changing environment conditions are also described. Agents are given domain knowledge in the form of task primitives. A key element of our approach is to break learning problems up into as many simple learning problems as possible. This process of "divide and conquer" is limited only by the measurements available to the robot. We present a case study of a humanoid robot learning to play air hockey.


Replication-competent vaccinia virus was used as the vaccine in the campaign to eradicate smallpox. After the disease was eradicated, recombinant vaccinia viruses were created that were capable of expressing foreign genes. This made vaccinia-based systems available for mammalian cell expression of recombinant protein, an advantage of which, like other mammalian expression systems, is authentic posttranslational modification. Generation of recombinant vaccinia also provided an opportunity for developing vaccinia-based vaccines for use against nonpoxvirus diseases. In this respect, recombinant vaccinia virus and recombinant versions of an attenuated derivative, Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) have been extensively studied. Today, there are recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing foreign antigens in phases I–III clinical trials relating to viral, bacterial, parasitic and cancer-related diseases, and a licensed veterinary vaccine.

Key Concepts:

Smallpox was eradicated following a vaccination campaign in which live vaccinia virus was used as the vaccine.

Foreign genes can be inserted into the vaccinia virus genome to create recombinant vaccinia virus strains.

The vaccinia virus expression system allows for mammalian cell expression of recombinant protein, an advantage of which is authentic post-translational modification.

Recombinant vaccinia can deliver vaccine antigens and evoke potent cell-mediated and humoral responses specific to the inserted gene.

Vaccination with recombinant organisms can confer protection against viral, bacterial, parasitic and cancer-related diseases.

Keywords:

vaccinia virus;
recombinant virus;
expression system;
viral vector;
vaccine


We present a numerical study of the spin Hall effect in a two-dimensional hole gas system in the presence of disorder. We find that the spin Hall conductance SHC, extrapolated to the thermodynamic limit, remains finite in a wide range of disorder strengths for a closed system on torus. But there is no intrinsic spin Hall accumulation as induced by an external electric field once the disorder is turned on. The latter is examined by performing a Laughlin's Gedanken gauge experiment numerically with the adiabatic insertion of a flux quantum in a belt-shaped sample, in which the absence of level crossing is found under the disorder effect. Without disorder, on the other hand, energy levels do cross each other, which results in an oscillating spin-density modulation at the sample boundary after the insertion of one flux quantum in the belt-shaped system. But the corresponding net spin transfer is only about one order of magnitude smaller than what is expected from the bulk SHC. These apparently contradictory results can be attributed to the violation of the spin conservation law in such a system. We also briefly address the dissipative Fermi surface contribution to spin polarization, which may be relevant to experimental measurements.


Wound infections are common problems in burn units and mostly originate from nosocomial contamination. The development of infections in burn cases is serious because of their effects on the course of the disease and patient outcomes. Many burned patients die as a result of infection during their hospital courses. The rate of infection in burn cases is extremely high in developing countries. For these reasons, we carried out a study of the bacteriological profiles and a comparison of antimicrobial resistance patterns of predominant bacteria, over a period of one year. The study was conducted during a period of 12 months (from May 2008 to April 2009) at the Sulaimani Burn, Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery Hospital, Sulaimani, Iraq. In the present study, a total of 1126 samples of swabs and blood were processed from 760 admitted patients (505 female and 255 male). Bacteria isolates were found in 935 samples (83%) and only 180 wound swabs were sterile (16%); the others became contaminated in the lab and no test was performed (1%). Total bacteria isolated: 1402 organisms (average number of organisms per sample, 1.5). Staphylococcus aureuswas the commonest cause of bacterial burn wound invasion, accounting for 34% of cases, while Pseudomonas aeruginosacaused 18%. The total percentage of multidrug-resistant organisms among all organisms was 51% (715/1402); a percentage of 87.1% was recorded with reference to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureusamong all cases of Staphylococcus aureus(176/202); non-fermenting bacteria among all non-fermenting bacteria were 28.8%.


Candida species are commensal yeasts but are also responsible of life-threatening infection in at-risk populations, like new-born or immunocompromised patients. Candida albicans is the most common causative species, and the most studied. Moreover, non-albicans Candida species as Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis and Candida tropicalis cause a large proportion of infections. In our study we investigated the interaction between four Candida species and human vaginal epithelial cells A431 by using a dual RNA-seq method. Our aim is to identify the different transcriptomic response of each yeast, and of the host, during the infection of human cells. Gene Ontology analysis of up-regulated genes in the yeasts during infection implicated the ergosterol (ERG) pathway in C. parapsilosis only. We therefore investigated the role of the ERG pathway in the three Candida species in which it is currently possible to generate gene knockouts. The transcriptional factor Upc2 is the main regulator of ERG gene expression in C. albicans and C. parapsilosis. C. glabrata has two UPC2 orthologs, called CgUPC2A and CgUPC2B. We found that deleting CgUPC2A or CgUPC2B or both together does not reduce the damage inflicted by C. glabrata on host cells. However, deleting UPC2in C. albicans greatly reduces damage. Deleting UPC2 in C. parapsilosis appears to reduce damage of host cells; however further investigation is required. Our results show the that the role of ergosterol pathway in the host pathogen interaction differs between Candida species.


In this paper, we examine the impact of random-dopant-fluctuation (RDF), process-variation-effect (PVE), and workfunction-fluctuation (WKF), on 16-nm-gate metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistor (MOSFET) static random access memory (SRAM) cells. For planar MOSFETs with a threshold voltage of 140 mV, the nominal static noise margin (SNM) of six-transistor (6T)-SRAM with unitary cell ratio (CR) is only 20 mV; and the normalized SNM fluctuations (SNM) induced by RDF, PVE, and WKF are 80%, 31%, and 48%, respectively, which may damage SRAM's operation. Two improvement approaches are further implemented; first, eight-transistor (8T)-SRAM and 6T-SRAM with increased CR are examined. Compared with the conventional 6T-SRAM, under the same , the SNM of 8T-SRAM is enlarged to 233 mV and the corresponding RDF, PVE, and WKF-induced SNM are reduced to 9.5%, 6.4%, and 7%, respectively, at a cost of 30% extra chip area. Without increasing chip area, device with raised , doping profile engineering and using silicon-on-insulator fin-type field-effect transistors (SOI FinFETs) are further advanced. The 6T SOI FinFETs SRAM exhibits the smallest , with merely 5.3%, 1.2%, and 2.3%, resulting from RDF, PVE, and WKF, respectively, where the value of SNM is equal to 125 mV.


The control of oestrus in the intact bitch through the use of chemotherapeutics is briefly reviewed. Particular attention is paid to the recently introduced product mibolerone and a summary of currently available products is presented.


In heterogeneous LTE networks, an incoming user can either join the femto or the macro base station at the random access stage. We consider a system that has a single macro base station and a number of femtocells in its coverage area. We study the problem of optimally choosing either the femto or the macro station based on the knowledge of the traffic arrival rate and the number of backlogged users in both cells. In this paper, we derive the optimal static policy of choosing the base stations that minimizes the average access delay. We also develop various dynamic policies based on the information about the arrivals and backlogged users, and compare their performance against each other and with the optimal static policy. We observe that some of these dynamic policies give very good performance, which provides a lower bound of performance. In addition, a dynamic policy that utilizes only the backlog levels, although not always as good as the optimal static policy, is robust and still stable for a wide range of arrival rates.


.. Objective: To determine the diagnostic utility of bone marrow aspirate in finding cause of hepatosplenomegaly. Study Design: Cross Sectional Descriptive study. Setting: Pathology Department of Khyber Teaching Hospital. Period: August 2017 to December 2017. Material & Methods: A total of 116 cases were referred to Pathology department for workup of hepatosplenomegaly during study period. Patients were subjected to bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. The cases were diagnosis was made and those where no specific diagnosis could be made were noted. Mean and standard deviation were used for quantitative variables. Frequency and percentages were used for qualitative variables. Results: Mean age of the study sample was 45±9 years (range 2 -64 years). There were 66 (56.89%) males and 50 (43.10%) females. No specific diagnosis could be made in 36 (31.03%) cases of hepatosplenomegaly. In remaining 80 (68.96%) cases a definitive diagnosis could be made on examining bone marrow aspiration. So the diagnostic utility of bone marrow aspiration examination was 68.96%. Conclusion: Bone marrow aspiration is valuable and diagnostically important tool for workup of cases of hepatosplenomegaly.


Carboxyl-labeled 11C-1-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acid (11C-ACPC) has been prepared in multimillicurie amounts. The conversion of H11CN to 11C-ACPC (t1/2 = 20.4 min) was accomplished by a rapid (20-min) two-step high-temperature modification of the Bücherer-Strecker amino acid synthesis technique, which should be applicable at other accelerator installations. Purification was by ion exchange techniques. Animal studies have indicated that 11C-ACPC is a potential tumor-localizing agent for detecting cancer in humans by nuclear medicine scanning techniques.


This paper aims at a comparative evaluation of the total cost of urban sewage processing units for several treatment systems, appropriate mainly for small capacity plants. The studied systems were: Oxidation Ditch (O.D.), Trickling Filter (T.F.), Rotating Biological Contactor (R.B.C.), Compact Sequential Batch Reactor (S.B.R.), Waste Stabilization Ponds (S.P.) and Subsurface Constructed Wetland Systems (C.W). For each system, operating and construction costs are calculated as flow rate functions for a 40-year operating period. Cost calculation is based on the analysis of its several components such as energy consumption, chemical consumption, personnel salaries, maintenance expenses, construction materials and their respective quantities, required mechanical equipment and land value. All pecuniary flows, in order to be comparable, are converted into current value. For each case total and partial costs are expressed as functions of the plant capacity. The annual operating and maintenance (OM whereas energy cost can be described by a linear function of flow rate, of the form a+bQ, with excellent approximation. The coefficients a, b, c, for the various treatment methods examined and for every cost category are summarized in tables. All treatment methods exhibited, for the several categories of cost per E.P. examined, strong positive scale economies, especially for plant capacities up to 5000 E.P. Wastewater treatment by natural methods is the least expensive choice in every case. The classification of the treatment methods from the least to the most expensive one depends on plant capacity. The classification of the treatment methods based on their cost for different plant capacities is provided.


Employee engagement is a proven foundational component in driving better organisational outcomes. Research shows that companies with highly engaged employees outperform their competitors by 147 percent1. If an organisation seeks to enhance the design and delivery of their products and services, and increase ROI, it needs to first concentrate oncreating the best possible employee experience. However, employee engagement has even more benefits. Improved engagement leads to less absenteeism, lower employee turnover and increased productivity.


Nowadays the technological progress and the evolution of global communication contributed to the increase in fraud, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars worldwide each year. Although prevention by the aid of technology is the best way to reduce fraud, fraudsters will continue to invent ways allowing circumvention of such measures. Science will always move on developing mechanisms that prevent or discover human activity aiming at manipulation or deceive. Methodologies for the detection of fraud are necessary if we are enabling to identify and convict fraudsters. Their activation starts once fraud prevention has failed. Fraud detection is a sector of science that has undertaken the responsibility of discovering fraud. The progress in computer science equipped the scientists with the opportunity to develop new techniques and methods, transforming thus the computationally intensive algorithms into feasible solutions. At the same time, the ease with which we can collect and store data in a digital way has created bulky and continuously growing data sets. Statistical methods for fraud detection have been successfully applied in various sectors of society which include large data sets, some of them are health, telecommunications, economy and technology. It is not surprising the interest of the scientific community in finding techniques and methods for extracting information from these diverse and huge data sets. In this Msc thesis, we shall present some of the statistical methods used to detect fraud in a variety of some areas, and is given some detailed examples in order to understand more the mechanism by which we are led to the discovery of fraud based on available statistical data.


The object tracking by single feature often leads to poor robustness. In this paper, an object tracking algorithm based on multi-features fusion is presented. An adaptive method of choosing object color histogram is presented and the histogram is background weighted in order to get an accurate color model of the object. At meanwhile, then spatiograms feature is applied to obtain spatial layout of these color information. These features are rationally fused in the framework of Particle filter. The uncertainty measurement method is then introduced into features fusion to adjust the relative contribution of different features adaptively. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method is robust and highlights good performance in complex scene.