Background; Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is thought to play an important role in cancer invasion and metastasis and could be a critical target to improve survival. Recently, EMT has been actively studied in various cancers. In this study, we explored the impact of EMT on clinical prognosis of gastric cancer. Methods; Eleven gastric cancer cell lines (N87, NUGC2, MKN45, NUGC4, KATOIII, MKN74, SC-6-JCK, GCIY, MKN28, AZ521 and MKN1) and one hundred sixteen patients who underwent surgery for gastric cancer in our hospital were investigated in this study. The mRNA expression level of an epithelial marker (E-cadherin), a mesenchymal marker (vimentin) and several transcription factors known to induce EMT were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. EMT status of each gastric cancer patient was determined by calculating the V/E ratio (vimentin mRNA expression divided by E-cadherin expression in cancerous tissues) and the correlation between EMT status and clinicopathological factors and prognosis were analyzed. Results; 86 patients were classified as having epithelial tumors and 30 patients as having mesenchymal tumors. Mesenchymal tumor type was significantly associated with pathological diffuse type cancer (P = 0.0002) and stage IV (P = 0.046). On multivariate analysis, tumor size (≧ 65mm) (P = 0.013), T classification (T3/4) (P = 0.020), positive peritoneal washing cytology or peritoneal metastasis (P = 0.0002) and EMT status (mesenchymal phenotype) (P = 0.043) were independent prognostic factors for gastric cancer patients. Seven of the gastric cancer cell lines were classified as epithelial and four were classified as mesenchymal. Among the five transcription factors (Twist, Slug, Snail, Zeb-1 and Zeb-2) analyzed, Zeb-1 mRNA expression was significantly correlated with mesenchymal phenotype and the V/E ratio (r = 0.708, P = 0.015). These results indicated that Zeb-1 could play a key role in EMT for gastric cancer cell lines. Zeb-1 mRNA expression was therefore measured by real-time PCR in cancerous tissues from patients, and the patients were divided into low (n =84) and high (n = 32) expression groups. Not surprisingly, we found a significant correlation between V/E ratio and Zeb-1 mRNA expression (r = 0.727, P Conclusion; EMT is a critical prognostic factor for gastric cancer. Zeb-1 is an important EMT-inducing transcription factor and might be a therapeutic target for patients with gastric cancer. Citation Format: Toshifumi Murai, Suguru Yamada, Bryan C. Fuchs, Tutomu Fujii, Michitaka Fujiwara, Kenneth K. Tanabe, Yasuhiro Kodera. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition predicts prognosis In clinical gastric cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1473. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1473


In the process of improving the editorial quality of the journal Cuadernos de Administración and the commitment to improve the dissemination and impact of the papers published therein, in 2018 we have made several decisions that we hope will bring about the expected achievements for the benefit of the community in general and for the authors who have been relying on our editorial process.For this issue of the journal, after a double-blind evaluation process, six articles are published: four of them are research papers and two are reflection articles. The first paper is entitled "Incidence of Stakeholders in the social responsibility of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises of Santa Marta", its orientation to studying the social responsibility in SMEs, and outlines some results on the reflection of the role of stakeholders in this type of companies in the city of Santa Marta, Colombia.The title of the second article in this issue of the journal is "Ethics of Care and Communications in Crisis: Approaching two Southamerican experiences", which presents the comparative results of two cases on communication strategies in times of crisis and their relationship with ethics. The third paper "The organizations. Justice, trust and retaliatory attitude: a study in a company in the metal-mechanic sector" presents the results of an investigation with quantitative methods from the confirmation of three hypotheses from a survey with data of 188 employees, which examines the relationship of the same with the company in the organizational justice perspective."Strategic archetypes in Mexican metal-mechanical SMEs: differences in innovation and absorption capacity over their performance", is the title of the fourth article of this issue, where the authors present the results of a non-transactional non-experimental research of correlational quantitative type, with data from 197 surveys conducted in SMEs in three regions of Mexico, to analyze the explanatory value of innovation and potential absorption capacity and conducted on the performance of the various strategic archetypes in small and medium entrepreneurs in the Mexican metal-mechanical industry.In the fifth article of this issue of the Journal Cuadernos de Administración, the authors present the results of a research study with a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach, where they reflect on the practice of social responsibility in a case study on the Universidad del Valle, in one of its headquarters, for a given period of time.  The authors try to make educational institutions aware of their responsibility for the externalities they generate in their environment and their stakeholders. The last article in this issue is entitled "Processes and Organizational Innovation for Small Businesses", where the authors, through a review of the literature in the areas of process innovation, products and dynamic capabilities of companies, explore innovative processes that take into account and involve greater user collaboration that small companies can exploit and that are aimed at the end user.These are the six articles that make up our 62nd edition, which stems  from the call made in 2018, which were selected after a rigorous peer review process. They relate to diverse perspectives framed in Management Sciences, and it is up to you, our readers, to judge the results thereof. The Journal Cuadernos de Administración is not responsible for the content of published articles, it is the authors', to whom we thank for ctrusting in our editorial process.


A correlation significance technique is introduced, which uses the significances between the training associations and between the neurons of the different fields, such that the storage capacity of Kosko bidirectional associative memories (BAMs) is improved. Based on the gradient descent method, an error function is constructed such that the maximal number of stored associations which are successfully recalled can be obtained. Finally computer simulations demonstrate that the proposed method has much better storage capacity than the existing methods.


Children's behavioral problems are a reflection of their parents' psychological problems, especially mothers, and mental illness in one of the parents increases the likelihood of mental illness in the children. With regard to the negative interaction between parents and their children's diseases, this study aimed to assess the relationship between the child's behavioral problems and maternal mental health. Material and Methods: This study was conducted on 80 mothers with children with behavioral problems. They were referred to the pediatrics clinic of psychiatric ward in Golestan Hospital, Ahwaz city and selected through successive sampling. The instrument used contained a mental health questionnaire (SCL90- R) and children's behavioral problems questionnaires (CBCL). Pearson correlation and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. . Results: The results showed that there was a significantly positive relationship among all the children's behavioral problems with all subscales of maternal mental health. There was a significant positive relationship between external behavioral problems of children with all subscales of maternal mental health. A significantly positive relationship was obtained between internal behavioral problems of children with all subscales of the mothers' mental health except for the interpersonal sensitivity. Conclusion: With regard to the high correlation between children's behavioral problems and maternal mental disorders, measures should be taken to reduce the effects of the mothers' psychological problems on children.


The increase in consumption of cooking oil is directly proportional to the increase in post-consumption used oil or also known as used cooking oil. This increase is not matched by an increase in public awareness of the negative impact on health and the environment. Used cooking oil can damage the environment if it is disposed of carelessly. Used cooking oil should be managed by processing it into useful products, such as recycled soap. By processing used cooking oil into recycled soap, it not only provides benefits for their own needs, but even has the opportunity to become a small and medium enterprise (UMKM). Therefore, this community service activity aims to provide training to the community, ranging from how to make used cooking oil into recycled soap, marketing strategies and legality; trademark registration, terms, fees and others. The implementation of this activity is by giving lectures on the importance of managing used cooking oil, marketing strategies, brand legality, and product manufacturing practices. The manufacture of products is guided by resource persons, followed by the community by participating in direct practice. The results of this activity are expected to increase public awareness and awareness of the negative impact of used cooking oil on health and the environment. Become a new business opportunity for the community that can be developed into MSMEs, understand marketing strategies, and the importance of making brands, and understand brand legality.


The nature of residual lattice strains in a deformed metal has been observed to be dependent upon the mode of unloading the applied stress. This investigation reveals that gradual and instantaneous unloading of the applied stress leaves the lattice of the deformed metal in contractions and expansions, respectively, normal to the direction of initial unloading.


SUMMARY Three unrelated severe infections with Streptococcus zooepidemicus occurred in England in 1985. The first patient developed septic arthritis, which has not been recorded before with this organism. The second died with septicaemia, pneumonia and post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, the only record so far of nephritis following sporadic S. zooepidemicus infection and of nephritis and systemic sepsis in the same patient. The third patient experienced septicaemia during pregnancy but recovered without complications. A likely animal source of infection was found in only one case.


The effects of substituting soyabean meal with yeast ( Sacharomyces cerevisae ) meal in diets fed to Clarias gariepinus was studied for 60 days. Growth response, haematological and biochemical parameters were evaluated. 105 juvenile three-weeks old C. gariepinus composed of seven treatment groups replicated thrice were used for the study. Each replicate had five fishes. The Groups (A to G) were: Group A, 0% yeast meal (YM) (15 juveniles); Group B, 10% YM; Group C, 20%; Group D 30%; Group E, 40%; Group F, 50%; and Group G, 100% YM. The acceptability of yeast based diets by C. gariepinus was studied using the time to strike index, and their growth responses studied using 'weight gain' and 'specific growth rate' while the haematological and biochemical indices were assessed using the different blood parameters. The results indicate that substituting yeast meal for soyabean meal in diets fed C. gariepinus juveniles slightly increased the growth response. All the catfishes fed with 100% yeast meal (diet G) died within the first week. Increasing proportion of substitutions of yeast meal in diets fed to C. gariepinus juveniles, led to weight increase in all dietary types with exception of diet G and higher growth induction in catfishes fed diets with exception of diet B. Diet F induced better mean growth than the control diet. Substitution of various levels of soyabean meal with yeast meal after 30 days led to better result on haemoglobin (HB), red blood cell (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV) and white blood cell (WBC) in diet C Group when compared to the control, while after 60 days, diet F Group had better HB,  RBC, PCV and WBC values than the control. Substitution of varied      percentages of soyabean meal with yeast meal for 60 days led to significantly higher (P 0.05) between those on yeast inclusion and the control in the serum alanine  aminotransferase activity. This study shows that yeast inclusion at 50% (diet F) led to significantly better growth, weight gain, haematological and biochemical profile than other diets. This study shows that yeast inclusion may have a better effect on fish diet at lower levels of inclusion. Diet F (50% yeast inclusion) was considered the best level of inclusion because of enhanced nutritional status, better blood parameters and improved health of fishes. Key words : Clarias gariepinus , soyabean, yeast, growth, haematology, biochemistry, serum, total protein, cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase.


The mechanism by which pituitary antidiuretic hormone (ADH) produces its renal effect has not been clearly established. Under ordinary conditions, in the absence of ADH, urine of a concentration considerably below that of plasma is produced in large volume. With increasing amounts of ADH, administered or secreted, the osmotic pressure of the urine rises to and above that of plasma. With respect to total water balance, the quantitatively more important contribution to water economy is the change between maximally dilute and isotonic urine, since this, in normal man, may involve a change in water excretion in excess of 10 ml. per minute. The further saving of water effected by the elaboration of hypertonic urine is a relatively small one, amounting, at usual rates of solute excretion, to not more than an additional 1 or 2 ml. per minute. Thus, although it is commonly stated that the function of ADH is to cause the excretion of a hypertonic urine, its more important function might be better defined as preventing the excretion of a dilute urine. Recent studies of the effects of posterior pituitary extracts on frog skin have shown that these preparations markedly reduce the resistance of this membrane to the flow of water in response to gradients of osmotic pressure (1). Observations on frog bladder also suggest this mechanism of action (2). It would seem reasonable to examine the extent to which a similar mechanism of action could explain the effects of ADHon the concentration of the urine. Since the change from dilute to isotonic urine is clearly in the direction of the dissipation of an osmotic gradient, this effect of ADHcould well be attributed to a change in the


Drones have gained popularity in a wide range of field ranging from aerial photography, aerial mapping, and investigation of electric power lines. Every drone that we know today is carrying out some kind of control algorithm at the low level in order to manoeuvre itself around. For the quadrotor to either control itself autonomously or to develop a high-level user interface for us to control it, we need to understand the basic mathematics behind how it functions. This paper aims to explain the mathematical modelling of the dynamics of a 3 Dimensional quadrotor. As it may seem like a trivial task, it plays a vital role in how we control the drone. Also, additional effort has been taken to explain the transformations of the drone's frame of reference to the inertial frame of reference.


Fine particles of mixed oxides having the composition Mg_ x Fe_2−2 x O_3−2 x ( x between 0 and 1.0) were prepared via the sol-gel supercritical drying route (aerogels). Samples were then postprocessed by heating in air at 773 K and 1073 K. The structure and chemistry of the samples were deduced through x-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric and differential thermal analysis, infrared, and specular UV-visible measurements. Surface areas were measured by the BET method. The volume saturation magnetization and particle volume distribution of MgFe_2O_4 samples were deduced from vibrating sample magnetometer measurements. The samples with x = 0 and x = 0.5 were well-crystallized α −Fe_2O_3 (hematite) and MgFe_2O_4 (magnesioferrite), respectively. Samples with 0 < x < 0.5 consisted of disordered lacunar spinels containing an excess of Fe^3+ with respect to the spinel stoichiometry and a small amount of Fe^2+. Samples heated above 773 K showed progressive segregation of α−Fe_2O3. The sample with x = 0.66 was a mixture of a spinel phase and a hydrotalcite-like mixed Fe–Mg hydroxy compound containing methoxy and acetate ions. By heating in air, a monophasic Mg-excess spinel-type structure was obtained. The samples with 0.66 < x < 0.86 were mixtures of a spinel-type phase and another mixed Mg−Fe compound. When heated in air, the samples gave a mixture of MgO (probably containing Fe ions) and MgFe_2O_4. The saturation magnetization of MgFe_2O_4 samples is comparable to those previously reported, with the as-produced sample having a mean particle radius of 5.5 nm.


Hypercholesterolemia is associated with impairments in endothelium-dependent vascular relaxations. Paradoxically, endothelial production of nitrogen oxides is increased in early stages of hypercholesterolemia. Prior work has shown that oxidized low density lipoprotein (LDL) has both stimulatory and inhibitory effects on endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression (eNOS) and has focused on lysophosphatidyl choline (LPC) as a component of oxidized LDL which may modulate this effect. Another biologically active component of oxidized LDL is 13-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HPODE), an oxidized form of linoleic acid. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of HPODE on the expression of eNOS in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs). Twenty four hour treatment of endothelial cells with HPODE caused a dose-dependent increase in eNOS mRNA levels as assessed by Northern analysis. The time response studies show that HPODE treatment significantly increased eNOS mRNA levels at 12 and 24 h. Concomitant with the increase in eNOS mRNA levels, 20 microM HPODE treatment significantly increased eNOS protein content and enzyme activity. Nuclear run-on studies indicated that the rate of transcription of eNOS gene was significantly elevated 4 h after HPODE treatment when compared to control cultures. Also, actinomycin D studies demonstrated that the half-life of eNOS mRNA was increased from 6 h to 12 h by HPODE treatment. Thus, HPODE-induced up-regulation of eNOS expression is mediated by both transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms. These observations suggest that endothelial cells may attempt to compensate for oxidative injury by increasing expression of eNOS in early stages of hypercholesterolemia.


This paper presents the design of ZOMBIE, a dependently-typed programming language that uses an adaptation of a congruence closure algorithm for proof and type inference. This algorithm allows the type checker to automatically use equality assumptions from the context when reasoning about equality. Most dependentlytyped languages automatically use equalities that follow from βreduction during type checking; however, such reasoning is incompatible with congruence closure. In contrast, ZOMBIE does not use automatic β-reduction because types may contain potentially diverging terms. Therefore ZOMBIE provides a unique opportunity to explore an alternative definition of equivalence in dependentlytyped language design. Our work includes the specification of the language via a bidirectional type system, which works "up-to-congruence," and an algorithm for elaborating expressions in this language to an explicitly typed core language. We prove that our elaboration algorithm is complete with respect to the source type system, and always produces well typed terms in the core language. This algorithm has been implemented in the ZOMBIE language, which includes general recursion, irrelevant arguments, heterogeneous equality and datatypes.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the impact of polymorphisms of DNA homologous recombination (HR) repair genes RAD51-G135C and XRCC3-C241T on the prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with inv(16)/t(16;16)(CBFbeta-MYH1).

METHODS
One hundred and three de novo inv(16)/t(16;16) (CBFbeta-MYH11) AML patients were followed-up and retrospectively analyzed. Polymorphisms of RAD51-G135C and XRCC3-C241T were detected by PCR-RFLP. The prognostic factors,including sex, age, white blood cell count, platelet count, hemoglobin level, karyotype, KIT mutation, RAD51-G135C and XRCC3-C241T polymorphisms at diagnosis, for complete remission (CR) achievement, overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS
The median follow-up of all patients was 28 (1 - 106) months. The overall CR rate was 92.2%. The estimated 5-year OS and RFS rates were 43.6% (95% CI 37.7% - 49.5%) and 26.4% (95% CI 21.1% - 31.7%), and the median OS and RFS were 53 (95% CI 133.4 - 72.7) and 27 (95% CI 22.9 - 31.1) months, respectively. In multivariate analysis, higher WBC (P = 0.004) and older than 30 years of age (P = 0.035) were independent poor factors for CR achievement, the XRCC3-241T variant (P = 0.007) and higher WBC (P = 0.009) were independent poor factors for 5-year RFS, and higher WBC (P = 0.002) and trisomy 8 (P = 0.035) were independent poor factors for 5-year survival. Polymorphism of RAD51-G135C had no significant impact on the prognosis.

CONCLUSION
The XRCC3-241T variant is an independent poor prognostic factor for AML with inv(16)/t(16;16)/CBFbeta-MYH11.


Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate efficacy, safety, and stability of visual and refractive outcomes of combined photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) with accelerated corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) in subclinical keratoconus. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 140 eyes (75 patients) with subclinical keratoconus which underwent simultaneous topography-guided PRK with acceleratedCXL (2.7 J/cm2). Outcome measures were pre- and postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), manifest refraction, and keratometry. Results: Refractive and keratometric parameters demonstrated statistically significant improvement from baseline to postoperative 12 months. UDVA of ≥20/20 was achieved in 90.7% (127/140) eyes and ≥20/40 in 96.4% (135/140) eyes at last follow-up. Regarding refractive outcomes, 94.3% (132/140) eyes were within ± 1.00 D of attempted refractive correction and 82.9% (116/140) eyes had astigmatism of ≤0.25D postoperatively as compared to 22.9% (32/140) eyes at preoperative levels. Regarding safety, 90.7% (127/140) eyes maintained their preoperative CDVA and 7.2% (10/140) eyes lost ≥2 lines of CDVA. Complications included corneal haze in 7.14% (10/140) and corneal ectasia in 0.7% (1/140) eyes. Conclusion: During the 12-month follow-up, combined topography-guided PRK and accelerated CXL provided good visual and refractive outcomes offering spectacle independence in subclinical keratoconus eyes; however, development of one case of ectasia (0.7%) indicates compromised safety and seems to suggest that utilizing 2.7 J/cm2 energy for CXL procedure may not be adequate.


Objectives To report a case of severe postinfectious autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) owing to the Donath-Landsteiner (DL) antibody resolving with plasmapheresis, and to review the pathophysiology of this underrecognized cause of pediatric AIHA and its potential susceptibility to plasmapheresis therapy. Design Descriptive case report. Setting A pediatric intensive care unit in a university children's hospital. Patient A 5-yr-old Hispanic female had gastroenteritis followed by progressive intravascular hemolysis, initially attributed to acute postinfectious cold hemagglutinin (immunoglobulin M) disease. Intervention With no slowing in the rate of hemolysis, a continued need for frequent transfusions, and a lack of response to corticosteroid and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, a 3-day course of plasmapheresis was administered. Measurements and Main Results The patient presented to an emergency department with an initial hematocrit of 22%, which fell to 12% by hospital admission. She received nine transfusions over 7 days, with her hematocrit reaching a nadir of 11% on the 5th day of hospitalization. Once plasmapheresis was initiated, she required no further transfusion. Analysis of serum from initial presentation demonstrated biphasic hemolysis, confirming the presence of the DL antibody. Conclusions In AIHA, in which the direct antiglobulin test detects primarily C3 rather than immunoglobulin G, especially in children, the DL antibody must be considered. Confirming the diagnosis rapidly may be critical, especially in cases of severe hemolysis, because this may help direct therapy. A low titer of DL antibody can mediate severe intravascular hemolysis given its propensity to sensitize, detach, and rebind erythrocytes with changes in temperature in the microcirculation. However, given the transient and relatively brief production of the DL antibody in postviral illness, early clearance of the offending antibody may be possible with plasmapheresis, without the expectation for significant rebound antibody production, potentially decreasing the length of hospital stay and the need for transfusions.


To the Editor.— The Denver peritoneovenous shunt, with its valved pump chamber and heparin-bonded tubing, may offer prolonged patency when compared with other types of peritoneovenous shunts. However, shunt thrombosis is a troublesome complication that usually requires operative revision. The patient with intractable ascites secondary to hepatic cirrhosis presents a therapeutic challenge. Even though the additional volume load imposed by a peritoneovenous shunt may be hemodynamically tolerated, a reduced peritoneovenous pressure gradient decreases flow through the shunt and puts the paient at high risk for thrombosis of the venous end of the tubing. We recently treated such a patient. Report of a Case.— A 63-year-old man had, in addition to medically intractable ascites from biopsy-proved Laennec's cirrhosis, multiple medical problems including mild right-sided heart failure associated with previous myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation. Because of his chronically elevated central venous pressure (30 mm Hg), he was followed up expectantly until


This paper demonstrates that it is possible to demodulate a RF signal composed of four aggregated frequency bands by a single demodulator, named "Three Phase Demodulator (TPD)". Measurements results will be analyzed in the case of 4 carriers modulated by two different modulation formats (QPSK and 16-QAM). The bandwidth of each modulated signal is 5 MHz and offers an overall bit rate of 128 Mbps.


Abstract The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), first described in 1983(1), is now recognised as one of the most common acquired thrombophilia(2). The syndrome is defined by the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) [a positive anticardiolipin antibody (aCL) assay and/or lupus anticoagulant (LA)] and a history of either arterial or venous thrombosis and/or recurrent pregnancy loss (Table 1). Some of these patients may also have other features such as mild thrombocytopenia, heart valve disease, cutaneous ulcers, and, most commonly, livedo reticularis. Pulmonary embolism, often multiple and associated with deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary hypertension are potentially life-threatening features of this syndrome.


This paper provides a welfare comparison of a tariff with a combination of a production subsidy to, and a commodity tax on, an import-competing commodity in a two-country economy. We treat some plausible situations of industry protection, including where the initial tariff is above the optimal tariff, where a certain output level of a tariff-imposed commodity must be maintained, and where there is positive externality of its domestic production. In those cases we explore the optimal combination of the production subsidy and the commodity tax and show it to be superior to the tariff from the welfare viewpoint.


This essay links a particular legal case study with a broader set of questions about the "family" in global political and economic context. Part I of this essay clarifies the analytic links between the household, the market and globalization. By studying Egypt, the essay focuses on one part of this global sociolegal continuum and draws out the special significance of transnational background rules and conditions for the "developmental state." Part II presents my case study of the legal framework affecting labor conditions of sub-Saharan African women who are migrant domestic workers in Egypt, and particularly the legal framework that affects their ability to bargain in securing livelihood strategies. Domestic and international law fail to provide adequate assistance and support for these efforts, but they indelibly construct the environments for them: "foreground" rules of employment and contract law (but not family law) affect the bargaining environment for migrant domestic workers; "background" rules, most importantly those related to sovereignty and immigration, also crucially influence the bargaining environment. Part III returns to the conceptual landscape, connecting this study with critical understandings of the "economic family" and current quandaries in "global governance" studies. In conclusion, the household is not only an economically significant site, but is also linked to patterns of globalization: governance of the household constitutes an aspect of "global governance," and vice versa. Such a conclusion may require rethinking some assumptions about gender roles and power dynamics that have characterized legal theories of the family.


Aim The aim of the present study was to estimate the annual per-patient cost of treatment with adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, and ustekinumab by response status for new and existing patients with moderate to severe psoriasis in Greece. Methods An economic analysis was developed from a national health care perspective to estimate the direct cost of treatment alternatives for new and existing patients within a 1-year time horizon. The model included drug acquisition and administration costs for responders and nonresponders. Real-world treatment pattern and resource use data were extracted through nationwide field research using telephone-based interviews with a representative sample of dermatologists. Unit costs were collected from official sources in the public domain. Results The mean annual cost of treatment for new patients who responded (or did not respond) to treatment was as follows: adalimumab €10,686 (€3,821), etanercept €10,415 (€3,224), infliximab €14,738 (€7,582), and ustekinumab €17,155 (€9,806). For existing patients the mean annual cost was €9,916, €9,462, €12,949, and €17,149, respectively. Results did not change significantly under several one-way sensitivity and scenario analyses. Conclusion Under the base-case scenario, the cost of treatment with etanercept is lower than that of the other biological agents licensed for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in Greece, for both new and existing patients, irrespective of response status.


Rhamnolipid as a potent natural biosurfactant has a wide range of potential applications, including enhanced oil recovery (EOR), biodegradation, and bioremediation. Rhamnolipid is composed of rhamnose sugar molecule and β‐hydroxyalkanoic acid. The rhamnosyltransferase 1 complex (RhlAB) is the key enzyme responsible for transferring the rhamnose moiety to the β‐hydroxyalkanoic acid moiety to biosynthesize rhamnolipid. Through transposome‐mediated chromosome integration, the RhlAB gene was inserted into the chromosome of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1‐rhlA− and Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), neither of which could produce rhamnolipid. After chromosome integration of the RhlAB gene, the constitute strains P. aeruginosa PEER02 and E. coli TnERAB did produce rhamnolipid. The HPLC/MS spectrum showed that the structure of purified rhamnolipid from P. aeruginosa PEER02 was similar to that from other P. aeruginosa strains, but with different percentage for each of the several congeners. The main congener (near 60%) of purified rhamnolipid from E. coli TnERAB was 3‐(3‐hydroxydecanoyloxy) decanoate (C10–C10) with mono‐rhamnose. The surfactant performance of rhamnolipid was evaluated by measurement of interfacial tension (IFT) and oil recovery via sand‐pack flooding tests. As expected, pH and salt concentration of the rhamnolipid solution significantly affected the IFT properties. With just 250 mg/L rhamnolipid (from P. aeruginosa PEER02 with soybean oil as substrate) in citrate–Na2HPO4, pH 5, 2% NaCl, 42% of oil otherwise trapped was recovered from a sand pack. This result suggests rhamnolipid might be considered for EOR applications. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007; 98: 842–853. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


We propose a new type of magnetically disordered ground state for a frustrated quantum antiferromagnet. This disordered state is an array of spin singlets spontaneously formed on four spin plaquettes. Both perturbation results and bond-operator calculations show that this phase has lower energy than the columnar dimer state. Analysis of available numerical data on finite clusters also supports the conclusion that this state is realized at intermediate


Intricate computer models can be used to describe complex physical processes in astronomy such as the evolution of stars. Like a sampling distribution, these models typically predict observed quantities as a function of a number of unknown parameters. Including them as components of a statistical model, however, leads to significant modeling, inferential, and computational challenges. In this article, we tackle these challenges in the study of the mass loss that stars experience as they age. We have developed a new Bayesian technique for inferring the so‐called initial–final mass relation (IFMR), the relationship between the initial mass of a Sun‐like star and its final mass as a white dwarf. Our model incorporates several separate computer models for various phases of stellar evolution. We bridge these computer models with a parameterized IFMR in order to embed them into a statistical model. This strategy allows us to apply the full force of powerful statistical tools to build, fit, check, and improve the statistical models and their computer model components. In contrast to traditional techniques for inferring the IFMR, which tend to be quite ad hoc, we can estimate the uncertainty in our fit and ensure that our model components are internally coherent. We analyze data from three star clusters: NGC 2477, the Hyades, and M35 (NGC 2168). The results from NGC 2477 and M35 suggest different conclusions about the IFMR in the mid‐ to high‐mass range, raising questions for further astronomical work. We also compare the results from two different models for the primary hydrogen‐burning stage of stellar evolution. We show through simulations that misspecification at this stage of modeling can sometimes have a severe effect on inferred white dwarf masses. Nonetheless, when working with observed data, our inferences are not particularly sensitive to the choice of model for this stage of evolution. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining 6: 34–52, 2013


This text is the written version of a talk at the Société de Biologie on February 17, 2016. It contains reflections of a non-biologist scientist on general problems of biological evolution, including the kind of causality involved, the ideas emerging from it, in particular the constructive and structuring character of phenomena such as predation, the role of stability and attractors. This leads to a larger reflection on dialectics, the general framework of evolving processes, which overpasses formal logic and instantaneousness.


Soil fungi, Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. passiflorae are among the pathogens of greatest economic importance to the passion fruit culture. Little is known about the genetic variability of these pathogens from different regions. The genetic variability of F. solani and F. oxysporum f. sp. passiflorae isolates from Pantanal, Amazon and Cerrado of Mato Grosso State, Brazil, was studied with the help of molecular markers inter-simple sequence repeat amplification (ISSR) and inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism (IRAP). The molecular identification of the isolates was performed by partial sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the rDNA region. High genetic variability among isolates of F. solani and F. oxysporum f. sp. passiflorae was found. The dendrogram generated by UPGMA divided the fungi isolates in two large groups, however, with grouping tendency according to the biome of collection only for F. oxysporum f. sp. passiflorae. There was no significant correlation between geographic distance and genetic similarity for F. oxysporum f. sp. passiflorae and F. solani.

 Key words: Collar rot, Fusarium wilt, passionflower, Passiflora edulis, inter-simple sequence repeat amplification (ISSR), inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism (IRAP).


Face identification and voice identification were examined using a standard old/new recognition task in order to see whether seeing and hearing the target interfered with subsequent recognition. Participants studied either visual or audiovisual stimuli prior to a face recognition test, and studied either audio or audiovisual stimuli prior to a voice recognition test. Analysis of recognition performance revealed a greater ability to recognise faces than voices. More importantly, faces accompanying voices at study interfered with subsequent voice identification but voices accompanying faces at study did not interfere with subsequent face identification. These results are similar to those obtained in previous research using a lineup methodology, and are discussed with respect to the interference that can result when earwitnesses are also eyewitnesses.


This paper is a report on the demonstration and stabilization of a 2x4 NbN hot electron bolometer (HEB) array receiver for GUSTO based on a multiple beam local oscillator (LO). Through the combination of a FIR Gas laser and a Fourier phase grating we were able to generate a 8 beam pattern at 1.4 THz. For the array demonstration, it used a 2x2 HEB mixer array which was translated vertically to match the full 2x4 LO beam pattern. Here two lens with a 60 mm were applied to reduce the beam pattern divergence, allowing for a 12 mm spacing between the beams to be achieved at 130 mm from the grating. To stabilize the array receiver, we introduced a new stabilization method, requiring only a voice coil PID controlled loop between the beam originated from the gas laser and a given pumped pixel. The total power Allan time measurements indicate a five times improvement on a two-pixel system stability.


DCC gasoline of Anqing refinery was sweetened on caustic-free sweetening experimental unit. Simulation test results indicate that mercaptans in the DCC gasoline of Anqing refinery are mainly C4~C5 mercaptans. In addition, some C6~C8 mercaptans and mercaptans with molecular weight heavier than C8 still exist. However, mercaptan-sulfur in DCC gasoline, which has been sweetened at a low operating space velocity and concentrated by solvent extraction, cannot be detected by flame photometer detector in gas chromatgraph. Further more, there are me components in DCC gasoline which could disturb the mercaptan-sulfur titration process and cause the titrated mercaptan-sulfur value bigger than that of the true value, which causes for that there are always some mercaptans cannot be oxided.


Introduction: Trauma is recognized as one of the most causes of mortality in developing countries and the most important reasons of disability in active and productive population as well as its economic and social shocks. Extremity fracture is one of the most common complications of trauma inflict upon the human and involves an extensive part of health center facilities. Thus, the present study was aimed to assess the epidemiology of lower and upper extremity fractures of hospitalized patients in Shahid Beheshti hospital, Babol, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on patients with extremity fractures who had hospitalized in the Shahid Beheshti hospital, Babol, through 2001-2006. The required information included age, gender, type of fracture, and trauma mechanism were extracted from documents and registered in the prepared questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS 18. Results: During six years study, 3507 trauma patients with extremity fracture had been hospitalized (75.9% was male). The mean age of studied patients was 33.7±21.8. Six hundred and nineteen (17.7%) fracture cases was as open status. Hip fracture was the most common fracture type (34.6%). Trauma mechanism in 1701 (48.5%) was car accident, 671 (19.1%) motorcycle accident, 608 (17.3%) stumble, 466 (13.3%) fall from height, and 61 (1.7%) other cases. The most common site of fracture in car and motorcycle accidents was leg (38.8% and 52.5% respectively) and in stumble and fall from height was hip (46.8% and 30.9% respectively). Conclusion: The findings of this project revealed that the most common type of extremity fracture in trauma patients in the age groups of upper and lower of 60 were hip and leg, respectively. Furthermore, the most incidence mechanism of such fractures was motorcycle accident.


Introduction Transition is a process that addresses the medical, psychosocial and vocational needs of young adults, and it is a crucial stage for patients with CF. Methods Patients who transferred to the adult service via a transition clinic within the last 5 years underwent an interview with a psychologist using a questionnaire of demographic data, their experience of transition, their concerns and the effect of CF on their lifestyle. They completed the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) and the Ways of Coping Scale. Clinical data, complications and outcomes were noted at transfer and one year later. Results 45 patients (27 men) participated; mean age at transfer was 17 (range 15–21) years and at interview was 20.7 (17–24) years; 25 (53%) had chronic Pseudomonas infection, 7 (15.5%) were receiving gastrostomy feeding, 9 had diabetes, one had had liver transplantation and one had undergone termination of pregnancy. At the transition clinic 94% attended with a parent but after transfer 33% attended alone and 18% with a partner; 87% felt that the timing of transition was correct and 80% found the transition clinic helpful. Self-reported adherence to treatment declined in 18% and improved in 24%. Life satisfaction was high with 74% reporting that CF had no effect on their social lives, but 52% felt it impacted on work or studies, although 76% were in employment or education. Mean FEV1 remained stable at 76.6 (26.4–119.6)% at transfer and 75.4 (19–111)% one year later, but varied with 15 patients (33%) having a deterioration of >5% and 8 (18%) improving by >5%. Mean BMI changed from 20.8 (16.5–29.7) to 21.2 (17.3–29.2); 11 patients (24%) improved by >1 kg/m2, 4 (9%) deteriorated by >1 kg/m2. Psychological distress was low with 7 (15.6%) having anxiety and 3 (6.7%) depression; 84.4% used 'optimistic acceptance' as their main way of coping, 8.8% used 'avoidance' 2.2% 'distraction', and 2.2% 'hopefulness'. Conclusion Young people with CF still face daunting problems but are functioning well. There is a need for close monitoring during transition to provide treatment and support to those showing clinical deterioration. Reference Abott J. Disability Rehabilitation 2001;23:315.


This research investigates the use of scientific journals in the area of Library and Information Science by the pupils of the 2004.1 term at the Federal University of Paraíba – UFPB, for elaboration of their final course work. The aim was to focus the journals as an important vehicle for the scientific communication, its origin and evolution. The methodology is characterized by a quantitative research, using as data collection instrument the application of a questionnaire. The exploratory analysis involved the mapping of ten scientific journals, in both printed and electronic format, edited regularly in the area of Library and Information Science. The results allows to affirm that the journal more consulted during the course as well as in this period of elaboration of the monograph, stands out the journal Ciência da Informação, using the journals more frequently in the electronic format in relation to the printed paper. Among those students, some expressed difficulty encountering themed research, due to the fault of sufficient archives in the areas they were interested in, and/or fault of archives in their own language. In conclusion, those of the 2004.1 term preferred the electronic format. It was ended that those of the period 2004.1 consult specialized journals in the area of Library Science giving preference to the electronic format as complement to the printed one.


BACKGROUND: The number of abdominal hysterectomies (AH) performed by Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) residents has decreased dramatically. Thus, there is a need for simulation training to compliment operating room experience. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of an AH simulator on resident surgeon confidence. METHODS: A low-fidelity AH simulator was constructed from craft store supplies costing less than $40. OB/GYN residents in a single academic program completed the simulation between July and September 2015. The 1-hour simulation experience included a pre-test, a 5 minute presentation, the simulation, and a post-test. On the pre and post-tests, participants rated their confidence with the steps of AH as Not at All, Somewhat or Very confident. RESULTS: Eighty-six percent (32/37) of possible residents completed the session with even representation from all levels of training (9 PGY-1, 7 PGY-2, 8 PGY-3 and 8 PGY-4). Knowledge of the steps of the procedure and instrumentation improved for all levels of trainees (P=.001). One hundred percent (16/16) of the PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents rated their confidence as increased afterwards, while only 25% (4/16) of the PGY-3 and PGY-4 residents did so. Ninety-four percent (30/32) rated the session as Very helpful on a scale of Not at All, Somewhat or Very Helpful. DISCUSSION: A low-fidelity, low-cost simulator showed an increase in trainee confidence with AH, particularly in the first and second year trainees. Nearly all participants found the exercise helpful, suggesting that it may be beneficial to incorporate into OB/GYN training programs nationwide.


This paper presented the method about the Implementation of Speech Recognition based on phoneme considering the phonological characteristic for Korean Subway Station Names. The Pronunciation dictionary considering PLU set and phonological variations with four Case in order to select the optimum PLU used for Speech Recognition based on phoneme for Korean Subway Station Names was comprised and the recognition rate was estimated. In the case of the applied PLU, we could know the optimum recognition rate(97.74%) be shown in the triphone model in case of considering the recognition unit division of the initial consonant and final consonant and phonological variations.


Abstract Not Available – First paragraph follows:
Safflower, a crop of increasing importance in California, develops the deepest root system of any annual crop yet investigated by the Department of Irrigation. Under favorable soil conditions, mature plants can completely exhaust the available soil moisture to a depth of 10 feet and can utilize most of the available moisture to a depth of 12 feet (the greatest depth sampled). There is little difference in root development in present commercial varieties.


During a 3-year period, 6 of 50 children with systemic malignacies developed neurologic complications such as hemiparesis, convulsions and loss of consciousness. The children consisted of 1 boy and 5 girls, from 3 to 12 years old, 3 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 3 with malignant lymphoma. Four patients received induction treatment that included intravenous administration of L-asparaginase and/or intrathecal administration of methotrexate. One patient received induction treatment and consolidation treatment that included intravenous administration of L-asparaginase. One patient received induction and consolidation treatment, and the protocol for peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Laboratory examinations revealed coagulation dysfunction in 3 patients treated with L-asparaginase and 1 patient with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on a 1.5-T unit, using spin-echo or fast spin-echo sequences. T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and proton density-weighted images were obtained in the axial and/or coronal plane (section thickness, 4 mm; inter-section gap, 2 mm). MRI was initially performed within 36 hours after the onset in all patients, and follow-up MRIs were performed for 6 months. MRI showed lesions involving the cortex and subcortex in 4 patients with coagulation dysfunction. In 2 of these 4 patients, Gd-enhanced T1-weighted images showed contrast enhancement in the surface of the gyrus, suggesting focal vascular stasis. Serial MRI revealed nearly complete resolution of the lesions. Symptoms were relieved in every case. The lesions on MRI were presumed to be due to venous thrombosis related to the coagulation dysfunction caused by L-asparaginase or DIC. On the other hand, in 2 patients with onset after intrathecal administration of high-dose methotrexate and cytarabine, MRI revealed multiple lesions involving the centrum semiovale and periventricular white matter. No Gd-enhancement of the lesion was detected. This MRI finding was consistent with leukoencephalopathy. As time passed, the symptoms improved completely, and the lesions became better demarcated. MRI is useful for differentiating lesions related to coagulation dysfunction from leukoencephalopathy.


Exposure of renal epithelial cells to Calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals leads to cellular injury and play a significant role in the formation of kidney stones. Additionally, lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids further accelerates the generation and progression of the disease. Availability of safe and effective treatment of the disease is the need of hour. The objective of this research work was to evaluate the impact of hydro-alcoholic extract of Ocimum sanctum leaves on renal epithelial cell injury, oxidative stress and wound healing. Renal epithelial cells (Vero cells) were exposed to Calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals to cause injury and then injured cells were treated with Ocimum sanctum extract. Cell viability of the treated group was compared against control using MTT assay. Antioxidant potential was evaluated using malondialdehyde content as biomarker. Wound healing potential was evaluated using scratch assay. A significant increase in cell viability and wound closure rate was observed in the treated group compared to that in control group was observed. We observed reduced malondialdehyde content in the treated group as compared with control. It can be concluded that hydro-alcoholic extract of leaves of Ocimum sanctum possesses strong cytoprotective, antioxidant and wound healing potential and can be effective in the prevention and treatment of kidney stones.


The Hall tube as a minimum model to simulate the integer quantum Hall effect is essential for exploring topological physics, while it has not been constructed in the recent developing successfully experiments on superconducting circuits. In this work, we propose a feasible experiment scheme using three legs superconducting circuits with transmon qubits to realize a Hall tube. Then we first investigate its topological properties. Since the time–reversal, particle–hole, and chiral symmetries are all broken for the system, the Hall tube belongs to the A class of the Altland–Zirnbauer classification. We obtain the corresponding topological phase transition both numerically and analytically. Since the chirality is a key character of the quantum Hall effect, we secondly investigate the chiral physics in the Hall tube. We find the topological protected chiral edge currents and discuss its robustness. Finally, we give the possible experimental observations of the topological state and topological protected chiral edge currents.


Graph neural networks (GNN) represent an emerging line of deep learning models that operate on graph structures. It is becoming more and more popular due to its high accuracy achieved in many graph-related tasks. However, GNN is not as well understood in the system and architecture community as its counterparts such as multi-layer perceptrons and convolutional neural networks. This letter tries to introduce the GNN to our community. In contrast to prior work that only presents characterizations of GCNs, our work covers a large portion of the varieties for GNN workloads based on a general GNN description framework. By constructing the models on top of two widely-used libraries, we characterize the GNN computation at inference stage concerning general-purpose and application-specific architectures and hope our work can foster more system and architecture research for GNNs.


Emissions intensive firms, like utility companies with coal-fired power plants, can invest in process improvement projects at their existing facilities to reduce carbon emissions. An example of such an investment is to retrofit coal-fired power plants with the carbon capture and sequestration technology. Under different carbon regulations, their investment decisions result in a change of the production cost structure and/or impose a constraint on production quantity. We study joint production capacity and investment decisions under command-and-control and market-based regulations (including carbon tax and cap-and-trade) for an emissions intensive company that faces stochastic demand. We analytically compare the company's performance along four dimensions, including profit, total emissions, investment amount, and investment timing. We find that the company can perform better under either command-and-control and cap-and-trade along any of these four dimensions, depending on the company's investment cost and emissions regulation parameters.


Abstract The current experimental evidence for the symmetry of the order parameter in the cuprates is reviewed. New experiments on tetragonal Tl2201 are discussed. These experiments put stronger constrains on any theory of high temperature superconductivity, due to the lack of observation of a second transition below T c in this material.


Dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin has been shown to reduce recurrent cardiac events in patients with acute coronary syndromes or those who have undergone coronary artery stent placement. Clopidogrel, a thienopyridine, is a prodrug that is transformed in vivo to an active metabolite by the cytochrome P450 enzyme system. Due to the increased risk of bleeding in patients on dual antiplatelet therapy, concomitant gastrointestinal ulcer prophylaxis with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) is frequently prescribed. Data from recent studies show that PPIs, which are extensively metabolized by the cytochrome system, may decrease the antiplatelet activity of clopidogrel. This article reviews the metabolism of various PPIs and existing data regarding the drug-drug interaction between PPIs and clopidogrel.


The vibro-acoustics modelling of machines and equipment sound fields occurring in industry has been presented in the paper. Several methods allowing the sound fiels modelling on the bases of a sound pressure and sound intensity measurements have been proposed. These methods allow to model the sound fields of actual sound sources located in a free field as well as a partially diffuse field. They are also useful in modelling of large industrial installations with linear sound sources. Mathematical dependencies, algorithms of modelling and examples of calculation results are included in the paper.


Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are a very appealing solution for many practical applications. Recently, WSNs have also been deployed in industrial scenarios, even for critical applications. Two major requirements are needed for an effective deployment of WSNs in such scenarios. The first is energy efficiency, as a network lifetime in the order of months or years it is usually required. The other is reliability, since an even moderate message loss cannot be tolerated in critical applications. Evaluate the performance of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard in multi-hop WSNs where sleep/wakeup scheduling protocols are used for energy conservation. It was stated and found that through extensive simulation results that the MAC parameter settings significantly impact on the performance. The demonstration showed, how an appropriate tuning of the MAC parameters can improve the reliability of communications, resulting in a very high delivery ratio. In addition, the solution also obtains low energy expenditure.


Fission product release and transport in case of PWR severe accident is a major topic in reactor safety assessment due to the potential radiological consequences for surrounding populations and the environment. In this context, the Institute for Radiological Protection and Safety (IRSN) and Electricite de France (EDF) have supported the VERCORS analytical test program which was performed by the "Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique" (CEA). It is usually considered as complementary to the PHEBUS FP in-pile integral experimental program. 25 annealing tests were performed between 1983 and 2002 on irradiated PWR fuels under various conditions of temperature and atmospheres (oxidising or reducing conditions).The influence of the nature of the fuel (UO2 versus MOX, burn-up) and the fuel morphology (initially intact or fragmented fuels) have also been investigated. These led to an extended data base allowing on the one hand to study mechanisms which promote fission products release, and on the other hand to enhance models implemented in severe accident codes. Among all the fission products investigated, ruthenium is of specific concern because of its high radiological effects due essentially to the combination of both its short and long half-life isotopes (i.e. 103 Ru and 106 Ru respectively), but also by its ability to generate volatile gaseous oxides (RuO3, RuO4) in very oxidising conditions, in particular in the case of air ingress accidents. Important uncertainties still remain on the release and transport of this element in such situations, and investigations on this open issue are notably carried out in the SARNET European framework. The present communication gives a general overview of the VERCORS program and presents more deeply the main findings concerning the ruthenium release. Its global behaviour is analysed on the basis of several comparative tests:


Abstract:HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is the use of HIV medications by HIV-negative persons to prevent HIV acquisition from future potential or known exposures to this virus. Multiple studies have demonstrated its efficacy in this regard. In 2017, to help increase the use of PrEP in Canada, clinical practice guidelines were published. These summarized the available literature and made recommendations for men who have sex with men (MSM), persons who engage in injection drugs use (IDU), and heterosexual persons. Recently, arguments were made to suggest that these guidelines are not inclusive of other minority populations in Canada, including persons of African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) descent and Indigenous persons. In this article, we review these critiques, and overview our approach to risk assessments for PrEP. Specifically, we detail the clinical procedures of our nurse-led PrEP clinic in Ottawa (entitled PrEP-RN). Lastly, we present preliminary uptake data for PrEP-RN, and discuss their meaning.


Four hours of three-axis microgravity accelerometer data were successfully measured at the MA9F locker location in the Orbiter middeck of Columbia as part of the Microgravity Disturbances Experiment (MDE) on STS-32. These data were measured using the Honeywell In-Space Accelerometer, a small three-axis accelerometer that was hard-mounted onto the Fluid Experiment Apparatus to record the microgravity environment at the exact location of the MDE. Data were recorded during specific mission events such as Orbiter quiescent periods, crew exercise on the treadmill, and numerous Orbiter engine burns. Orbiter background levels were measured to be in the 3 x 10(exp -5) to 2 x 10(exp -4) G range, treadmill operations in the 6 x 10(exp -4) to 5 x 10(exp -3) G range, and Orbiter engine burns from 4 x 10(exp -3) to in excess of 1 x 10(exp -2) G. These data represent some of the first microgravity accelerometer data ever recorded in the middeck area of the Orbiter.


PURPOSE
To report the clinicopathologic findings of a myxoma that arose in the subepithelial region of the right cornea of a 53-year-old man 4 years after successful treatment of an infectious corneal ulcer.

METHODS
Histopathologic and histochemical evaluation of corneal tissue.

RESULTS
This rare lesion appears to have originated from corneal stromal fibroblasts that reacted to an inflammatory stimulus and produced excessive amounts of glycosaminoglycans (hyaluronic acid) rather than normal collagen.

CONCLUSION
Myxoma formation may require interruption of Bowman's layer and proximity of the scar to the epithelium.


The increasing resource and environmental pressures have impeded China's efforts to quickly promote its people's quality of life, while protecting its natural environment. Due to lack of resources, technologies and capital, China needs to seek a more integrated development strategy. Industrial ecology (IE) may be one solution as it aims at optimizing the use of materials and energy in products, processes, industrial sectors and economies by systemically mimicking natural systems in an industrial setting. The relevant practices and experiences in the developed world have proved that there is a degree of effectiveness and efficiency to development through the application of IE. It is even more critical to apply the principles of IE in China, where resources are scarce. However, compared with developed nations, China faces different environmental, economic and social constraints. Therefore, China has to adopt different approaches to implement the concept of IE. In this paper, we first review the current practices in eco-industrial development in China. Then the advantages and barriers to applying IE in China are analyzed and recommendations are provided. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.


General-purpose step-down converter is essential in electronic system for processing energy from high-voltage rail to low-voltage circuits. The applications can be found at the auxiliary supplies in automobile, industrial and communication systems. Buck converter is a common circuit topology to fulfill step-down conversion, especially in low-power application since it is wellstudied and straightforward. However, it suffers from low duty cycle under high step-down condition, and typically operates in continuous conduction mode (CCM) that generates large switching loss. On the other hand, as an extension of the buck converter, tapped-inductor (TI) buck converter has larger duty cycle while maintaining the structural simplicity. Therefore, the main objective of this thesis is to explore the potential of TI buck converter as a wide conversion range, high power density and high efficiency topology for low power application. To achieve high efficiency at switching frequency of MHz-level, synchronous conduction mode (SCM) is applied for turn-on losses elimination. The operation principle and power stage design of SCM TI buck is first introduced. The design of high switching frequency coupled inductor is emphasized since its size plays a critical role in power density. Loss breakdown is also provided to perform a comprehensive topological study. Secondly, detailed zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) condition of SCM TI buck is derived so that the converter does not experience redundant circulating energy. The experimental results of 15-W SCM TI buck converter prototypes are provided with 90.7% of peak power stage efficiency. The size of coupled inductor is down to 116 mm. To enhance light-load efficiency, a variable frequency control scheme based on derived ZVS conditions is implemented with the switching frequency ranging from 2 MHz to 2.9 MHz. Synchronous-Conduction-Mode Tapped-Inductor Buck Converter for Low-Power, High-Density Application


The results of light and electron microscope studies of the ciliary ganglion of 5 monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) are described. The ganglion, measuring about 2 mm in length, was consistently observed to be attached to the nerve supplying the inferior oblique muscle at its origin from the oculomotor nerve. A very fine branch was found to connect the nasociliary nerve to the ganglion. The number of neurons varied from 2824 to 3545 after applying Abercrombie's (1946) correction. The mean of the maximum diameter was 43.1 microns (S.D. = 8.0), that of the minimum diameter was 30.5 microns (S.D. = 5.4); the mean of the average diameters was 36.8 microns (S.D. = 5.5) and that of the soma ratios of the maximum to minimum diameters was 1.4 (S.D. = 0.3). The frequency distributions of the maximum diameter, the minimum diameter, the average diameter and the soma ratio were all unimodal. On light microscopy, the Nissl granules in the neurons were prominent and randomly distributed in the cytoplasm. Under the electron microscope, the rough endoplasmic reticulum was distributed either peripherally, perinuclearly or randomly in the cytoplasm of the neuron. Most of the dendrites were short protrusions from the cell body; occasionally such dendritic protrusions were electron dense. Most of the synapses encountered were axodendritic; a few were axosomatic. Synaptic complexes were frequently observed. The axon terminals usually contained a mixture of both round, measuring 30-50 nm in diameter, and flattened vesicles. Tilt analyses showed that the flattened vesicles which measured 20 nm by 50 nm were either discoid or cylindrical in shape. Large dense-cored vesicles measuring 80-100 nm, with core diameters of between 40 and 60 nm, were frequently present.


Flocculation unit operations are being revisited as a strategy to ease the burden posed on clarification and purification operations by the increasingly high cell density cultures used in the biopharmaceutical industry. The purpose of this study was to determine the key process parameters impacting flocculation scale‐up and use this understanding to develop an automated ultra‐scale down (USD) method for the rapid characterization of flocculation at the microliter scale. The conditions under which flocculation performance of a non‐geometrically similar vessel three orders of magnitude larger can be mimicked by the USD platform are reported. Saccharomyces cerevisiae clarified homogenate was flocculated with poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) to remove the residual solids remaining in the centrate. Flocculant addition time modulated flocculation performance depending on the predominant mixing time scale (i.e. macro‐, meso‐ or micromixing). Particle growth and breakage was mimicked at the two flocculation scales by the average turbulent energy dissipation (ϵavg) and impeller tip speed (vtip) scale‐up bases. The results obtained were used to develop an USD method. The USD method proposed uses constant ϵavg as the scale‐up basis under a micromixing controlled regime. These conditions mimicked the STR flocculation performance within a ±5% error margin. Operation in the mesomixing regime led to particle size deviations between the flocculation scales of ≤50 %. These results, in addition to the microscopic observations made, demonstrate the USD system presented in this work can produce process‐relevant flocculated material at the microliter scale under the correct operating conditions. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 2486–2498. © 2014 The Authors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The very first clinical transplants used a technique, with anastomoses of atrium to atrium, which had been developed to allow successful canine experiments (1). A small modification by Barnard led the suture line away from the sino-atrial node. Many years later Sievers (2) described the intact right atrium, with separate caval anastomoses, now the standard procedure, with a proven decrease in need for permanent pacemakers. A further refinement, with intact left atrium and separate pulmonary venous cuff anastomoses (3), the "total orthotopic transplant" has not proven popular.


Summary
It is shown that the virion RNA polymerase of Aspergillus foetidus virus S, which has a genome consisting of three double-stranded (ds)RNA species, is a transcriptase. Synthesis of single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) in vitro continues for up to 48 h, during which time 6 to 8 full length transcripts are produced, on average, per molecule of dsRNA2, i.e. re-initiation of transcription occurs in this in vitro system. Full length ssRNA transcripts of dsRNA1 are also produced in smaller quantity, but no transcripts of dsRNA3 could be detected. In reactions containing 3H-UTP, label is also incorporated into dsRNA2 reaching maximum levels after 6 h, but no incorporation of labelled precursor into dsRNA1 or dsRNA3 could be detected. The ssRNA transcripts produced were released into the medium, but labelled dsRNA remained within the virions. The locations, in the AfV-S multicomponent system, of RNA polymerase activities promoting incorporation of 3H-UMP into the two ssRNA transcripts and into dsRNA2 have been determined.


We propose a robust solution to future trajectory forecast, which can be practically applicable to autonomous agents in highly crowded environments. For this, three aspects are particularly addressed in this paper. First, we use composite fields to predict future locations of all road agents in a singleshot, which results in a constant time complexity, regardless of the number of agents in the scene. Second, interactions between agents are modeled as a non-local response, enabling spatial relationships between different locations to be captured temporally as well (i.e., in spatio-temporal interactions). Third, the semantic context of the scene are modeled and take into account the environmental constraints that potentially influence the future motion. To this end, we validate the robustness of the proposed approach using the ETH, UCY, and SDD datasets and highlight its practical functionality compared to the current state-of-the-art methods.


The most simple approaches and principles of orthogonal mathematic planning of one-, two- and three-factor experiments are discussed. The matrices of planning and the way of calculating the coefficients of regression of linear and quadratic models are given, as well as the way of control the rate of compliance of the established mathematical model with the experimental data by its average quadratic deviation, which should not surpass the error of the experiment. In spite developed in connection with the sanitary-chemical studies of the polymer building materials, the mathematical planning of the experiment can be applied also in other fields of hygiene, medicine etc. if the respective conditions are present.


Protein structure prediction is an important area of protein science. Every protein has a primary structure, its sequence; a secondary structure, the helices and sheets; tertiary structure, the fold of the protein; and for some, the quaternary structure, multimeric formation of its polypeptide subunits. Protein structure has been experimented for the past several decades by physical and chemical methods. The dawn of protein sequencing began early in 1950s upon complete sequencing of insulin and then, ribonuclease. A key step towards the rapid increase in the number of sequenced proteins by 1980s was the development of automated sequencers followed by advances in mass spectrometry for structure identities. Structural knowledge is vital for complete understanding of life at the molecular level. An understanding of protein structure can lead to derivation of functions and mechanisms of their action. Bioinformatics is a novel approach in recent investigations on sequence analysis and structure prediction of proteins. With the advent of bioinformatics, it has been made possible to understand the relationship between amino acid sequence and three-dimensional structure in proteins. The central challenge of bioinformatics is the rationalization of the mass of sequence information not only to derive efficient means of storage and retrieval of sequence data, but also to design more analysis tools. Thus, there is a continual need to convert sequence information into biochemical and biophysical knowledge; to decipher the structural, functional and evolutionary clues encoded in the language of biological sequences (Attwood & Parry-Smith, 2003). Protein sequence information is stored in databases made available in the public domain to access, analyse and retrieve sequence and structural data. In general, protein databases may be classified as Primary and Secondary databases, composite protein pattern databases and structure classification databases. Primary and secondary databases address different aspects of protein analysis, because they store different levels of protein information. Primary databases are the central repositories of protein sequences, while secondary databases are based on the analysis of sequences of the primary ones. Composite protein pattern databases have emerged with a view to create a unified database of protein families. Protein structure classification databases have been established based on the structural similarities and common evolutionary origins of proteins. A number of tools are also


Radar observations of Mercury and the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft data indicate the probable existence of water ice in the permanently shadowed polar regions. Generally, water is accepted to be of exogenous origin through delivery via comets and meteoritic impact. However, a continuous water formation process that involves thermal transformation of chemically stable mineral-bound hydroxyl groups produced by implanted solar-wind protons is readily available on the surface of Mercury. At typical temperatures prevailing on Mercury's dayside surface, H2O can be produced from reactions involving OH groups on or within the H-saturated regolith grain interfaces. Similar reactions will also occur due to micrometeorite impact events on both the dayside and nightside. Once produced, H2O is released into the exosphere and then transported and processed via Jeans escape, photodissociation, dissociative adsorption, or condensation. Water reaching cold traps will be bound over geological periods. This simple water cycle will produce a highly chemically reduced surface and can deliver significant amounts of H2O to the permanently shadowed regions of Mercury over geological time periods. The overall process is an important but hitherto unnoticed source term that will contribute to the accumulation of water in the cold traps and polar regions of Mercury.


Transcriptional cascades responsible for initiating the formation of vertebrate embryonic structures such as limbs are not well established. Limb formation occurs as a result of interplay between fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and Wnt signaling. What initiates these signaling cascades and thus limb bud outgrowth at defined locations along the anteroposterior axis of the embryo is not known. The T-box transcription factor TBX5 is important for normal heart and limb formation, but its role in early limb development is not well defined. We report that mouse embryos lacking Tbx5 do not form forelimb buds, although the patterning of the lateral plate mesoderm into the limb field is intact. Tbx5 is not essential for an early establishment of forelimb versus hindlimb identity. In the absence of Tbx5, the FGF and Wnt regulatory loops required for limb bud outgrowth are not established, including initiation of Fgf10 expression. Tbx5 directly activates the Fgf10 gene via a conserved binding site, providing a simple and direct mechanism for limb bud initiation. Lef1/Tcf1-dependent Wnt signaling is not essential for initiation of Tbx5 or Fgf10 transcription, but is required in concert with Tbx5 for maintenance of normal levels of Fgf10 expression. We conclude that Tbx5 is not essential for the early establishment of the limb field in the lateral plate mesoderm but is a primary and direct initiator of forelimb bud formation. These data suggest common pathways for the differentiation and growth of embryonic structures downstream of T-box genes.


Accelerating municipal revenues is very important for good decentralization. In Benin, despite the difficulties, the municipality of Cotonou is trying to put in place mechanisms to significantly improve its income. Thus, this research aims to analyze the impact of the concentration of economic activities on the increase in non-revenue taxation in the city of Cotonou specifically on secondary markets from 2013 to 2016. Results from an estimate of an ARDL model show that, in the short term, market rights and revenues from public latrines have a positive impact on non-tax revenues. The effect of place rights on the market is not significant, while revenues from the operation of public latrines have a significant impact on non-tax revenues. In the long term, the study reveals that marketing rights have a positive effect on non-tax revenues, but not in a very significant way. Revenues from the operation of public latrines, on the other hand, still have a positive impact on non-tax revenues. It is therefore urgent to find adequate answers since marketing rights and public infrastructure revenues must be the driving force behind the growth of non-tax revenues and, in turn, total revenues.


UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs predicts a worldwide increase in life expectancy coupled with a decline in the number of children and total fertility; thus a drastic reduction in support provided by young individuals working in home and health care for the elderly. This calls for an automated home-based system, capable of monitoring the behaviour and activity level of an elderly living alone independently. The system should have some level of intelligence or decision support properties and yet remain unobtrusive while providing the elderly with an independent life style. This paper presents a smart home system for monitoring the elderly or vulnerable people living independently. The proposed system uses trajectory data extracted from video sensor to infer the level of activity and behaviour.

The proposed video-based home care system presented in this paper has the ability to characterise behaviour as pattern of inactivity, characterise behaviour as pattern of movement and determine a potential fall. We build a probabilistic spatial map of inactivity using the 2D head position of the object and represent it as a mixture of Gaussians (MoG) in 2-dimensional space. The map is used in conjunction with a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) framework, to construct two models: one representing normal activity and the other for an arbitrary behaviour. Similarly the 2D head position is used to model the level of activity and pattern of movement to distinguish between normal and abnormal pattern of movement. By definition, usual or abnormal events are rare, and so lack of training data makes the construction of specific models impractical. Thus unusual behaviour is generally detected by deviation from a model of normal behaviour. This basic assumption is also used to detect fall in our system.

To minimise the amount of data to be transmitted over the network, bearing in mind that video-based home care systems which transmits data is less acceptable, we process the raw video data and only transmit the vital 2D data for further analysis at a central hub. This does not only make the wireless transmission feasible, but also such a system will be more acceptable in a care home than a similar system which transmits raw video data. Again, the proposed system is based on a wide angle "fish-eye lens" camera, making it less obstructive while reducing the installation cost. The system is energy efficient and can be battery powered. Also power hungry video processing is only triggered when there is sufficient movement in the environment, saving approximately 80% of power when monitoring an elderly. The proposed assistive care system uses low cost sensors, can be battery powered and very easy to install in any indoor environment. It has the ability to generate real-time alerts like falls, less than expected or more than expected movements or activity, and unexpected pattern of movement in the house.


As datasets grow in size and complexity, the importance of comparison as a tool for analysis is growing. We define comparison as the act of analyzing variation or variability based on two or more specific instances of the data. This thesis explores a number of cases spread across the range of comparisons, from variability within one entity through variability between two or more entities to variability within a population. For each of these we present an exploration tool, combining interaction with high-performance visualization rendering techniques, with the aim of providing more insight into a given dataset. We explore how different aspects of an application designed for interactive visual analysis can aid the user. This concerns both their initial exploration of a new dataset, as well as their ability to drill down into their discoveries and investigate the underlying details. For instance, multiple linked views can be used to combine highly abstract general-purpose views with highly problem-domain specific views in order to allow a user to translate abstract discoveries into the specific concepts used in their profession. Interactive composition can be applied to quickly focus on areas of interest, suppressing details which may not be relevant at the moment.


We have studied the detection of long-lived staus at the IceCube neutrino telescope, after their production inside the Earth through the inelastic scattering of high energy neutrinos. The theoretical predictions for the stau flux are calculated in two scenarios in which the presence of long-lived staus is naturally associated to viable supersymmetric dark matter. Namely, we consider the cases with superWIMP (gravitino or axino) and neutralino dark matter (along the coannihilation region). In both scenarios the maximum value of the stau flux turns out to be about 1 event/yr in regions with a light stau. This is consistent with light gravitinos, with masses constrained by an upper limit which ranges from 0.2 to 15 GeV, depending on the stau mass. Likewise, it is compatible with axinos with a mass of about 1 GeV and a very low reheating temperature of order 100 GeV. In the case of the neutralino dark matter this favours regions with a low value of tan β, for which the neutralino-stau coannihilation region occurs for smaller values of the stau mass. Finally, we study the case of a general supergravity theory and show how for specific choices of non-universal soft parameters the predicted stau flux can increase moderately.


The effect of alternative birth season on regional and tissue carcass composition of sheep was evaluated. Forty nine (49) Texel intact male lambs, born in two seasons (August and November), were kept under grazing and slaughtered with an average age of 129 and 164 days, respectively. Prior to slaughter forage production was measured using Botanal method. Lambs born in August had more favorable forage conditions, showing higher body weight and proportion in the majority of cuts, as well as lower proportion of shoulder and leg muscles showing higher adipose tissue content in the majority of carcass cuts. For lambs born in November, a higher muscle:fat and muscle:bone rate in shoulder and leg, as well as a higher ribcut muscle:fat rate. Nutritional conditions are responsible for differences in weights and cuts yields, as well as for the tissue carcass composition, in lambs maintained under grazing regime, making feasible the use of alternative birth periods to increase animal offer for slaughter.


Greenhouse and laboratory experiments were carried out with the purpose of studying effects of the plant growth regulators (PGR) mepiquat chloride (MC) and cyclanilide (CY) as seed treatments on the early growth of cotton. Seeds of cultivars NuOpal, Fibermax-993, Fibermax-910, FMT-701 and FMT-523 were treated with MC (4.50 g kg-1 seed), MC+CY (1.60+0.40 g kg-1 seed) and MC+CY (4.50+1.12 g kg-1 seed). In laboratory, seed storage periods of 4 and 50 days were also tested. MC+CY treatments decreased plant height by approximately 50%, whereas MC decreased plant height about 30 to 40%. The greatest and lowest rates of MC+CY decreased the height of cotyledon node by 33 and 12% compared to MC treatment, respectively. MC and control treatments did not differ from each other on radicle length (RaL), taproot length (RL) and secondary root initiation depth (SRI). The greatest MC+CY rate resulted in the greatest SRI values, increased RL by 7% and RaL by 29% compared to the control. Seed storage period did not affect consistently the performance of treated seeds. Short-cycle cultivars have a greater sensitivity to seed treatment with PGRs, whereas CY synergizes with MC to reduce shoot growth and inhibits emission of secondary roots.


The burden of cancer on the diverse U.S. population is not equal. Enduring disparities in survival persist by social determinants of health (SDOH) including race/ethnicity, nativity, individual and contextual socioeconomic status (SES), and marital status. To accurately target cancer control initiatives to patients with the greatest need, it is vital to know where disparities in survival occur. The cancer survival atlas aims to systematically identify disparities in cancer survival in the state of California, applying an intersectional approach to examine disparities jointly by sex and SDOH factors including race/ethnicity, nativity, health insurance, marital status, and neighborhood SES. The atlas will provide the necessary epidemiological underpinning for future initiatives focused on improving outcomes in disadvantaged and under-served populations. Statewide population-based cancer registry data, enhanced with complete nativity and neighborhood characteristics, was used to produce cancer-specific survival at 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-years for all patients diagnosed between the year 2000 and 2013 with one of the five most common cancers in the state (breast, prostate, lung, colorectal and melanoma). Population groups were defined by sex, age, marital status, race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, Black, and Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) ethnic groups), nativity, health insurance, and neighborhood SES. Neighborhood SES was assigned to cases based on residential block group, based on principal components analyses derived indices from 2000 Census or 2007-2011 American Community Survey data, and categorized according to statewide quintiles. Age and stage-adjusted survival probabilities were estimated, then multivariable Cox Proportional Hazard models were used to investigate the relative contribution of factors associated with survival and to adjust for confounders. We found considerable socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in survival for all five cancer sites examined, with the largest disparities seen for cancers with a good prognosis (breast, prostate, melanoma), and by health insurance status of all of the SDOH factors. For breast cancer, women residing in neighborhoods with the lowest SES quintile had significantly poorer cancer-specific survival than women in the highest SES quintile (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.53 (95% CI 1.47-1.61), adjusting for stage, health insurance, race/ethnicity). The largest racial/ethnic disparities were also seen in breast cancer. Non-Hispanic Black women had the lowest survival (HR = 1.50 (95% CI 1.44-1.56)), and AAPI women the highest (HR = 0.85 (95% CI 0.81-0.89)) compared to Non-Hispanic White women. Differences in survival by health insurance status were also evident for all five cancers. For melanoma, survival was substantially lower among men with no health insurance (HR = 1.89 (95% CI 1.57-2.26)) and among men with public, military or Medicaid insurance (HR = 1.40 (95% CI 1.29-1.52)) compared to men with private insurance. Disparities in survival by health insurance status were present across all socioeconomic and racial/ethnic groups. Disparities in survival among groups defined by SDOH factors in California are substantial. These results will serve as a resource for the targeting and development of interventions, such as early diagnosis initiatives, to address the needs of specific population groups in California. Citation Format: Elizabeth Ellis, Scarlett L. Gomez. Atlas of disparities in cancer survival in California: An intersectional approach. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A78.


Introduction: Many endodontic sealers are available, but search for the ideal sealer continues. This study aimed to assess the cytotoxicity of two experimental endodontic sealers in comparison with AH-26 resin sealer. Methods and Materials: This in vitro study was conducted on conventional and experimental root canal sealers: AH-26, an epoxy resin experimental sealer A (ES-A) composed of calcium tungstate, zirconium oxide, aerosil, bismuth oxide, titanium oxide, hexamine and an epoxy resin and experimental sealer B (ES-B) with compositions similar to ES-A except for the presence of imidazoline as a catalyst. The experimental sealers containing nano-particles were mixed with 37.5% of an epoxy resin. The extraction of five samples of each experimental sealer (A, B) and AH-26 sealer were subjected to MTT assay in the form of set and fresh at 1, 24 and 72 h with 1, 10, 100% dilution according to the International Standard ISO:10993-2012. Data were analyzed using the one-way ANOVA. Results: The set ES-A had the least cytotoxicity from the first hour but the cytotoxicity of ES-B and AH-26 extraction decreased over time. In fresh form, except for 100% concentration, ES-A showed the least cytotoxicity compared to the other two sealers. Conclusion: All three sealers had high cytotoxicity in 100% concentration but had low cytotoxicity in 10% and 1% concentrations.


Communication and the interactions that take place between nurse and patient are the foundation of nursing care. However, in practice, cross-cultural communication is often inadequate and therefore the health care needs of many cultural groups are not being met. An examination of language switching within nurse/patient interaction in a bilingual setting provides a further dimension for the study of cross-cultural communication.


The courts have implemented numerous approaches to reduce the probability of recidivism among people apprehended for or convicted of driving while intoxicated. Although traditional punitive sanctions, such as fines and incarceration, are commonly used, they have not eliminated drinking and driving in the United States. Consequently, the court system has developed additional sanctioning procedures that show promise. For example, rehabilitative programs (e.g., alcohol education and alcoholism treatment) can reduce recidivism, at least marginally. These programs appear to be more effective when combined with license suspension. In addition to license suspension, several alternative methods for limiting driving opportunities of offenders have proven effective, including impounding offenders' vehicles or license plates, installing ignition interlocks, and requiring electronic home monitoring or house arrest. Effective court monitoring is a critical component in supporting recovery and compelling offenders to participate in rehabilitation programs. This role of the courts in monitoring offenders will likely increase as the use of intrusive, alternative sanctions grows.


Presented is a composite optoelectronic high-speed high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) cable with the application of an optical link running on four thin GI 50/125 μm plastic optical fibres to serve upcoming demand in consumer electronics. The thin fibres enable a compact optical sub-assembly that in return fits inside the cable connector. The main advantages of this technology are pointed out and the packaging of the composite HDMI connectors outlined. Cable performance and in particular the waveform diagrams as well as bit error ratio results at 3.4 Gbit/s that enable full HD video transmission over 10 m are included.


Abstract We prospectively studied parental mental health after suddenly losing a son in a military training accident. Parents (N = 32) were interviewed at 1, 2 and 23 years after the death of their son. The General Health Questionnaire and Expanded Texas Inventory of Grief were self-reported at 1, 2, 5, and 23 years; the Inventory of Complicated Grief was self-reported at 23 years. We observed a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders at 1- and 2-year follow-ups (57% and 45%, respectively), particularly major depression (43% and 31%, respectively). Only one mental disorder was diagnosed at the 23-year follow-up. Grief and psychological distress were highest at 1- and 2-year follow-ups. Spouses exhibited a high concordance of psychological distress. Mothers reported more intense grief reactions than did fathers. The loss of a son during military service may have a substantial impact on parental mental health particularly during the first 2 years after death. Spouses' grief can be interrelated and may contribute to their psychological distress.


We briefly present a design of a new PET scanner based on strips of polymer scintillators arranged in a barrel constituting a large acceptance detector. The solution proposed is based on the superior timing properties of the polymer scintillators. The position and time of the reaction of the gamma quanta in the detector material will be determined based on the time of arrival of light signals to the edges of the scintillator strips.


Employees are a vital resource for organisations. Their collective performance could determine productivity, growth and survival of organisations. Globally, employee productivity has become a subject of intense research. Studies in literature reported inconsistent findings of relationship between training and employee productivity. Employee productivity (efficiency, quality of work and timeliness of work) is perceived to be low probably due to inadequate training (on the job training, skill development, resilience and career success) of the employees. This paper, therefore, examined the relationship between training and employee productivity of selected insurance companies in Lagos State, Nigeria. The authors used survey research method. The population of study was 1527 employees in 8 selected insurance companies from which sample of 560 was selected using stratified sampling technique. The paper used questionnaire as research instrument validated through face and contents validity tests with Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficients ranged from 0.62 to 0.84 for various constructs used. The authors analysed data using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study disclosed a moderate positive relationship between training and employee productivity with a correlation coefficient r (501) = 0.542, p < 0.05. Findings of the paper supported Board of directors' investment decision in personnel development, employees' skills, and attitude that enhanced productivity. The study concluded that training was essential for employee productivity.


A dynamic density-matrix renormalization group approach to the spectral properties of quantum impurity problems is presented. The method is demonstrated on the spectral density of the flat-band symmetric single-impurity Anderson model. We show that this approach provides the impurity spectral density for all frequencies and coupling strengths. In particular, Hubbard satellites at high energy can be obtained with a good resolution. The main difficulties are the necessary discretization of the host band hybridized with the impurity and the resolution of sharp spectral features such as the Abrikosov–Suhl resonance.


Methyl 2,3,4,6-di-O-benzylidene alpha-D-mannopyranoside (MeDBMP) was synthesized to evaluate its potential as a cytotoxic benzaldehyde liberating agent. MeDBMP was found to cause significant reductions in the sizes of spontaneous mouse mammary carcinomas and to produce long term alterations in their growth characteristics. It was nontoxic at all doses examined and possessed no mutagenic properties in the Ames Salmonella/mammalian-microsome test.


The authors make a detailed presentation about the steps to follow to ensure the patient is comfortable and that the execution of this technique is correct. The authors review the most important aspects, including asepsis and anesthesia, to prepare a wound for suturing and to make preparations for surgery. They also provide a brief description of the necessary surgical instruments and their characteristics.