The fatty acid (FA) composition of food is requested for labelling purposes and food composition tables. Suitable analytical methods for labelling purposes must be able to efficiently identify and accurately quantify FA as swiftly and cheaply as possible. This study evaluated a middle-length highly polar column, the BPX-70 60-m column, to balance analysis efficiency and duration. The use of a 60-m column led to the loss of data on minor FA but a gain in analysis time. The column was evaluated by analysing the FA composition of ten cookies made with different kinds of fats, including milk fat, and pure and/or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. The FA elution order in this GC phase has been poorly documented in the literature compared to equivalent highly polar CPSil-88 and SP-2460 GC phases. Co-elutions and overlaps on the BPX-70 column were studied and commented upon. Overall, the BPX-70 60-m column could be used for rapid screening of the FA composition of simple foods. Analysis of the FA composition of a complex matrix, such as a dairy product, and specific analysis of trans-FA required a longer highly polar column, possibly after fractionation by silver-ion liquid chromatography. Compared to other GC phases, the BPX-70 enabled effective isolation of 18:3 isomers although these isomers co-eluted with 20:1 isomers on other highly polar GC phases. However, some CLA isomers co-eluted with other FA on this column, and a specific analysis of these special FA would require another phase and/or different chromatographic conditions.


The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of perimenstrual symptoms (PMS) in a free-living population of US women and to determine if prevalence estimates varied with parity, contraceptive status, characteristics of the menstrual cycle, and selected demographic variables. We identified all households from a census listing for five southeastern city neighborhoods that offered variation in racial composition and socioeconomic status. We ascertained all households in which there was one nonpregnant woman between the ages of 18 and 35 years per household. Of the 241 eligible women, 179 (74 per cent) participated in the study. Trained interviewers administered the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ) and other demographic measures to women between March and July 1979. Symptoms with a prevalence greater than 30 per cent included weight gain, headache, skin disorders, cramps, anxiety, backache, fatigue, painful breasts, irritability, mood swings, depression, or tension. Only 2 to 8 per cent of women found most of these severe or disabling. The exceptions were severe cramps reported by 17 per cent of women and severe premenstrual and menstrual irritability by 12 per cent. Cramps, backaches, fatigue, and tension were most prevalent during the menstruum; weight gain, skin disorders, painful breasts, swelling, irritability, mood swings, and depression were more prevalent in the premenstruum. Parity, oral contraceptive use, age, employment, education, and income were negatively associated with selected PMS. Use of an IUD, having long menstrual cycles, long menstrual flow, or heavy menstrual flow, and being able to predict the next period were positively associated with selected PMS. Race had both positive and negative effects on PMS.


Osteoporosis is a major international health problem, accentuated by increasing longevity. Osteoporosis as "a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and bone architectural leading to increased risk". Menopause is the normal process but now a day it becoming the major health problem in developing countries like India.   In Ayurveda Menopause deals with jarapakvaavasta of the body Jara and Rajonivritti are manifested due to the progressive reduction in the functional ability of Agnis, which results in an inadequate tissue nutrition. This nutritional imbalance triggers the irreversible degenerative changes in "Sapta Dhatus". The disease Osteoporosis is somewhat similar to the description of Asthi Kshaya in which metabolism of Asthi Dhatu is disturbed. Rasayana therapy has proved efficacious in managing and preventing many chronic conditions till date. As Postmenopausal Osteoporosis is a disease related to aging, Rasayana can provide the better alternative to increasing quality of life. Here, the drug Lashuna also one of the Rasayana guna dravya.


Nowadays, mental health of people has become a complex issue. Such that the world health organization has proposed different solutions for health improvements. There has been an increase in mental disorders and depression in different communities and the importance of mental health has been neglected in many cases. It has been stated that social structure and culture play a fundamental role in the formation of some diseases such as depression and stress disorders. Therefore, further investigation is required for the relevance of the two important issues of mental health and culture. Architecture's role in the expression of beliefs and culture, which are the expression of human identity, are believed to be an undeniable role. Therefore, the culture of any society, is the basis of the societies' architecture, in a way that it is the reflection of the community's culture. Iran's traditional architecture is the identity of faith, divine nature of goodness and deep passion. Given the link between mysticism and art in Iranian culture, the principles of Islamic art, especially architecture, influenced by the mystical dimension of Islam. Islamic civilization is based on peace and peaceful houses. According to the Quran, home is a place of rest and peace. So the first aim of building a house is to provide a place for human comfort. In recent years, with the change of lifestyles, the concept of home and residence has been changed. Therefore, the concept of home that was responsive to the needs of the life of human beings, has been changed as a mechanical product. This study endeavors to exploit the principles of appropriate home from reliable sources such as Quran and Shi'a jurisprudence and investigate these principles in Iranian-Islamic traditional houses in order to reach a suitable guideline for contemporary houses with regards to Iranian-Islamic culture for mental health improvements of people. © 2018 Published by TMU (Tarbiat Modares University).


Abstract Aggregations are a common feature of many species although for most taxa, the mechanisms underlying these aggregations are poorly understood. The Augrabies Flat Lizard (Platysaurus broadleyi) is a sexually dimorphic lizard that experiences intense conflict as a result of sexual selection. In the wild, P. broadleyi share communal crevices and aggregate in the presence of large insect plumes. We experimentally tested whether lizards aggregate as a result of social factors. We also tested whether aggregative behavior differed between the sexes and depends on density. We found no evidence that Augrabies Flat Lizards preferentially group for social reasons in the absence of resources or thermoregulatory benefits. This was true for both sexes and at both densities (two-lizard and four-lizard trials). Although social factors did not promote grouping, males sheltered alone significantly more often than expected by chance, suggesting that males actively avoid one another. Therefore, social factors may work to promote social isolation rather than aggregation, under certain circumstances.


Background Studies have found that patients with PsA have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, it is not clear to what extent this relates to intrinsic aspects of the disease or a greater prevalence of traditional CVD[1]. Objectives To evaluate risk factors for CVD among patients with PsA. Methods The patients were recruited from HUNT 3, a population survey performed 2006-2008 in Nord-Trøndelag, a county in Norway. An invitation letter was mailed to all 94,194 adult inhabitants (aged > 20). A total of 50,806 (54%) answered questionnaires (Q1) as well as underwent a brief medical examination. Q1 included questions about psoriasis, RA and AS. Patients answering they suffer from psoriasis further answered a question if they had PsA. 1238 persons reported that 1)they suffered or 2)may suffer from PsA 3)they had RA and psoriasis or 4)AS and psoriasis. Hospital files from these persons were evaluated by a rheumatologist (MH) in order to validate the PsA diagnosis. The evaluation was based on joint involvement, serology, X-ray skin involvement, treatment and the CASPAR criteria were applied. Patients found to have PsA without fulfilling the Caspar criteria were evaluated by 2 rheumatologists (MH and GH). Controls were all participants in HUNT 3, excluding patients found to have another rheumatic disease when evaluating hospitals file (N=50,556). T-test and Chi-Square test were performed for group comparison. Multivariate analysis adjusted for age and gender were performed by logistic regression (dichotomous outcome) or linear regression (continuous outcome). Results 338 patients (0.67%) were found to have PsA. Mean age was 54 yrs, 57.4% were females and disease duration was 9.2 yr. 52.1% were current or previous users of MTX and 18.6% of anti-TNF therapy. 95.6 % fulfilled the Caspar criteria. Patients with PsA were found to have higher BMI (28.4 vs. 27.2), weight (83.0 vs. 79.2), waist circumference (96.9 cm vs. 93.5) and diastolic BP (75.1 vs. 73.4) than the general population. In addition the prevalence of cigarette smoking was higher (21.3% vs. 16.4 %) and the performance of physical activity less than the general population (51.2% PsA pts reported physical activity > 2 times a week vs. 56.5%). There were no differences regarding systolic BP. All observations remained significant also after adjusting for age and gender, Table 1. There were no differences related to age (54.3 vs. 53.9 yrs, p=0.58) and gender (female: 57.4% vs. 54.6 %, p=0.31). Conclusions Patients with PsA have a greater prevalence of risk factors for CVD than the general population. This not only contributes to the greater prevalence of CVD in PsA, but also indicates that lifestyle changes should be emphasized as part of the treatment strategy for PsA patients. References Johnsson H et al. ARD2012;71(4):480. Disclosure of Interest M. Hoff: None Declared, A. Gulati: None Declared, A. Kavanaugh : None Declared, P. Romundstad: None Declared, G. Haugeberg Grant/research support from: Unrestricted research grant from Pfizer


Power flow analysis is the backbone of power system analysis and design. They are necessary for planning, operation, economic scheduling and exchange of power between utilities. Power flow analysis is required for many other analyses such as transient stability, optimal power flow and contingency studies. The principal information of power flow analysis is to find the magnitude and phase angle of voltage at each bus and the real and reactive power flowing in each transmission lines. Power flow analysis is an importance tool involving numerical analysis applied to a power system. In this analysis, iterative techniques are used due to there no known analytical method to solve the problem. This resulted nonlinear set of equations or called power flow equations are generated. This paper presents anew and efficient method for solving the load flow problem of a distribution system. It is mainly based on network topology, basic circuit laws and power summation technique. The main contribution of this paper is: (i) proposing a new and efficient load flow method for radial and weakly meshed distribution systems,(ii) evaluating the impact of load models, different X/R ratios, load growth and tolerance levels,(iii) analysis of impact of number of loops on weakly meshed distribution systems, (iv) comparison of radial and weakly meshed distribution system. The results are obtained for voltage profile, total power losses time of computation, and number of iterations. Computer program coded to implement this power flow solution scheme in MATLAB and successfully applied to several practical distribution networks with radial and weakly meshed structure. Effectiveness of the proposed load flow method has been presented on IEEE 33bus radial and meshed distribution networks. Tanveer Husain and M. Mujtahid Ansari http://www.iaeme.com/IJEET/index.asp 158 firstname.lastname@example.com


Simulations of a gas–liquid stirred reactor including bubble breakage and coalescence were performed. The filtered conservation equations for the liquid phase were discretized using a lattice-Boltzmann scheme. A Lagrangian approach with a bubble parcel concept was used for the dispersed gas phase. Bubble breakage and coalescence were modeled as stochastic events. Additional assumptions for bubble breakup modeling in an Euler–Lagrange framework were proposed. The action of the reactor components on the liquid flow field was described using an immersed boundary condition. The predicted number-based mean diameter and long-term averaged liquid velocity components agree qualitatively and quantitatively well with experimental data for a laboratory-scale gas–liquid stirred reactor with dilute dispersion. Effects of the presence of bubbles, as well as the increase in the gas flow rate, on the hydrodynamics were numerically studied. The modeling technique offers an alternative engineering tool to gain detailed insights into complex industrial-scale gas–liquid stirred reactors. V C 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 1356–1370, 2012


The increasing demand for electricity and the need for clean energy sources have increased solar energy use. Accurate forecasts of solar energy are required for easy management of the grid. This paper compares the accuracy of two Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) models combined with Additive Quantile Regression (AQR) and Bayesian Structural Time Series (BSTS) models in the 2-day ahead forecasting of global horizontal irradiance using data from the University of Pretoria from July 2020 to August 2021. Four methods were adopted for variable selection, Lasso, ElasticNet, Boruta, and GBR (Gradient Boosting Regression). The variables selected using GBR were used because they produced the lowest MAE (Minimum Absolute Errors) value. A comparison of seven models GPR (Gaussian Process Regression), Two-layer DGPR (Two-layer Deep Gaussian Process Regression), bstslong (Bayesian Structural Time Series long), AQRA (Additive Quantile Regression Averaging), QRNN(Quantile Regression Neural Network), PLAQR(Partial Linear additive Quantile Regression), and Opera(Online Prediction by ExpRt Aggregation) was made. The evaluation metrics used to select the best model were the MAE (Mean Absolute Error) and RMSE (Root Mean Square Error). Further evaluations were done using proper scoring rules and Murphy diagrams. The best individual model was found to be the GPR. The best forecast combination was AQRA ((AQR Averaging) based on MAE. However, based on RMSE, GPNN was the best forecast combination method. Companies such as Eskom could use the methods adopted in this study to control and manage the power grid. The results will promote economic development and sustainability of energy resources.


We show that the parallel projection method with variable weights and one variable relaxation coefficient for obtaining a point in the intersection of a finite number of closed convex sets in a given Hubert space may be interpreted as a semi-alternating sequential projection method in a suitably newly constructed Hubert space. As such, convergence results for the parallel projection method may be derived from those which may be constructed in the semi-alternating sequential case.


Several species in the red algal genus Halymenia from the Indo-Pacific have been described with branched thalli, toothed margins, spinose proliferations on the blade, and a firm gelatinous texture. Previous works have synonymized many of these morphologically similar species with H. durvillei. Our increased taxon sampling and molecular data indicate that the taxonomy of the Indo-Pacific Halymenia species is in need of revision, and that several aspects of taxonomies proposed by previous authors now seem unlikely. Thus, the aim of the present work was to analyse species delimitation in branched Halymenia species. Molecular and morphological data for specimens from the coral triangle and peripheral Indo-Pacific localities (East African coast, Hawaii) were used to understand species delimitation for selected branched Halymenia spp. Phylogenetic analyses based on 29 rbcL gene sequences grouped the specimens in four well-supported clusters at the species level with high p-distances (2.7–5.3%). After the morphological analysis, five features were retained as diagnostic to identify the four species studied. Our analyses led to the recognition and description of two new species, H. hawaiiana from the Hawaiian Islands (previously erroneously called H. formosa) and H. tondoana from the Philippines. In addition, H. harveyana (currently treated as a subspecies of H. floresii in Australia) is reassessed and recognized at the species level. Specimens with seven orders of branching and a thick cortex (70–150 µm) formed a monophyletic group, including sequences from previous work, with mostly well-supported branches and with high p-distances at the species level. We propose to call this group the H. durvillei complex until further reassessment is completed. None of the sequences studied here grouped with H. floresii from the Mediterranean, suggesting that previous Indo-Pacific reports of the species were erroneous.


This paper examines the use of audio cassettes as a means of continuing profes sional education. Along with a review of the various educational uses for audio cassettes and the presentation of one successful model for continuing education, the paper reports on the results of a study of over 700 pharmacists utilizing ten dif ferent cassette courses. The study revealed that these courses were valuable and practical learning experiences, equally acceptable to all pharmacists regardless of practice setting or experience. They offered a convenient and time-saving method for professional study and most pharmacists would recommend them to their col leagues. A majority of the pharmacists studied had participated previously in this form of continuing education, and almost all intended to enroll in additional courses in the future. Although the study was restricted to pharmacists, the find ings and the utilization of audio cassettes could be appropriate for other profes sions.


A case of dysgammaglobulinemia associated with nodular lymphoid hyperplasia of the colon is reported. The patient had typical immunoglobulin deficiency, diarrhea, recurrent respiratory infections, Giardia lamblia in the stool, and lymphoid hyperplasia of the small intestine. His barium enema showed diffuse submucosal nodules. Rectosigmoid biopsy confirmed nodular lymphoid hyperplasia. The similar findings on barium enema in this entity and in lymphosarcoma are stressed.


SUMMARY: Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) professionals typically generate and analyze very few design alternatives during the conceptual stage of a project. One primary cause is limitations in the processes and software tools used by the AEC industry. The aerospace industry has overcome similar limitations by using Process Integration and Design Optimization (PIDO) software to support Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO), resulting in a significant reduction to design cycle time as well as improved product performance. This paper describes a test application of PIDO to an AEC case study: the MDO of a classroom building for structural and energy performance. We demonstrate how PIDO can enable orders of magnitude improvement in the number of design cycles typically achieved in practice, and assess PIDO's potential to improve AEC MDO processes and products.


Mast cells synthesize and secrete specific cytokines and chemokines which play an important role in allergic inflammation. Aggregation of the high-affinity Fc receptor (FcɛRI) for immunoglobulin E (IgE) in MC/9 mouse mast cells stimulates the synthesis and secretion of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). FcɛRI aggregation activates several sequential protein kinase pathways, leading to increased activity of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs), c-Jun amino-terminal kinases (JNKs), and the p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. Inhibition of ERKs with the compound PD 098059 had little effect on FcɛRI-stimulated TNF-α production. Aggregation of FcɛRI stimulated MEK kinase 1 (MEKK1) activity, which activates JNK kinase (JNKK), the kinase that phosphorylates and activates JNKs. Expression of activated MEKK1 (ΔMEKK1) in MC/9 cells strongly stimulated JNK activity but only weakly stimulated p38 activity, and it induced a large activation of TNF-α promoter-regulated luciferase gene expression. Inhibitory mutant JNK2 expressed in MC/9 cells significantly blunted FcɛRI stimulation of TNF-α promoter-driven luciferase expression. Wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, diminished FcɛRI-mediated TNF-α synthesis, significantly blunted JNK activation and TNF-α promoter-driven luciferase expression, and only weakly inhibited p38 kinase activation. Inhibition of NFκB activation resulting from ΔMEKK1 expression or FcɛRI stimulation did not affect TNF-α promoter-driven luciferase expression. Our findings define a MEKK-regulated JNK pathway activated by FcɛRI that regulates TNF-α production in mast cells.


The earliest evidence of writing in Nepal is about 250 BC in Brahmi script and almost all the scripts used in present day Nepal—as many as fifteen—are the descendants of Brahmi which are built on the same formative principles of 'syllabic alphabet'. The existence of multilanguage orthographies as well as multiscripts has been the regular phenomenon in Nepal—independent to languages and language families. In the complexity of language-ethnicity and language-script relations, Nepali and the Devanagari script have been bearing the role of linking people in this country resulting from and resulted into a medium of education, media, and wider communication. Many scholars, following UNESCO 1951 report, have suggested for a standard orthography for the languages of Nepal, however, there are other views as well. In this background a Devanagari based multilanguage orthography have been proposed. This will fulfill the need of interoperable standard orthography in Nepal and benefit various types of users belonging to different language communities. The orthography will be shift from syllabic alphabet to alphabet as its systemic shift.


The effect of lifelong dynamics on host longevity of the gut microbiome is largely unknown. Herein, we analyzed the longitudinal fecal samples of seven sibling mice across their lifespan from birth to natural death, spanning over 1,000 days of age, and maintained them under controlled environmental and dietary conditions. Our 16S-rRNA sequencing analysis revealed 38 common "life-core" bacterial species/OTUs (operational taxonomic units) detected in ≥80% of all samples collected across the lifespan of individual mice. Despite the shared genetic background and dietary habits, the gut microbiome structure significantly diversified with age and among individuals. We found a strong positive correlation between longevity and the alpha diversity in middle age (500-700 days) and negative correlation in old age (>800 days). Furthermore, host longevity was significantly associated with the abundance of 17 bacterial species/OTUs, most of which were "life-core" species. Our data suggest that temporal dynamics of the gut microbiome are strongly linked to host longevity.


The optimal preservation temperature for liver allografts is unknown. We evaluated the effect of small differences in preservation temperature, 5°C vs 0°C, on outcome of prolonged preservation. Livers of Wistar rats were preserved at these temperatures in UW solution for 40 h. Function was studied during reperfusion on the isolated perfused rat liver system at 37°C. To compare the effects of a small reduction in temperature with known beneficial strategies, the effects of including antiproteases and periodic flushing of the graft with UW solution during cold preservation at 5°C were also studied. Aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase release after 4 h of reperfusion were much higher in the livers stored at 5 than at 0°C (P < 0.0005). Addition of antiproteases to the preservation solution or periodic flushing reduced AST release but neither treatment at 5°C was as good as simple storage at 0°C. Cumulative bite production after 4 h of reperfusion was significantly greater in the 0°C preserved group than in liver at 5°C or 5°C with periodic flushing. The addition of antiproteases resulted in slightly increased bile production (not significant). Platelets and WBCs in the perfusate decreased during reperfusion. This effect was more pronounced in the 5°C preserved livers than in those stored at 0°C. Antiproteases in the preservation solution appeared to inhibit platelet and WBC loss. Perfusate flow was significantly higher in the 0°C group. We conclude that small differences in preservation temperature even at these low temperatures are important in postreperfusion liver function.


Adsorption behaviors (adsorption coefficient, intraparticle effective diffusion coefficient, and axial dispersion coefficient) of benzene and 2,6- and 2,7-dimethylnaphthalene (DMN) on NaY-type zeolite in supercritical carbon dioxide were studied by impulse response analysis. The experiments were performed at temperatures of 308.2, 318.2, and 328.2 K and pressures of 12.0, 14.8, and 19.8 MPa. It was found that larger adsorption coefficients for benzene and 2,6- and 2,7-DMN are obtained at lower pressure and higher temperature and that larger intraparticle effective diffusion coefficients and the larger axial dispersion coefficients for all systems are obtained at higher temperature. However, it was shown that pressure little affects the intraparticle effective diffusion coefficients and the axial dispersion coefficients. The adsorption coefficients for 2,7-DMN are larger than those for 2,6-DMN and the intraparticle effective diffusion coefficients for 2,7-DMN are almost the same as those for 2,6-DMN.


Neural machine translation has achieved impressive results in the last few years, but its success has been limited to settings with large amounts of parallel data. One way to improve NMT for lower-resource settings is to initialize a word-based NMT model with pretrained word embeddings. However, rare words still suffer from lower quality word embeddings when trained with standard word-level objectives. We introduce word embeddings that utilize morphological resources, and compare to purely unsupervised alternatives. We work with Arabic, a morphologically rich language with available linguistic resources, and perform Ar-to-En MT experiments on a small corpus of TED subtitles. We find that word embeddings utilizing subword information consistently outperform standard word embeddings on a word similarity task and as initialization of the source word embeddings in a low-resource NMT system.


To understand better how spontaneous motoneuron activity and intramuscular nerve branching influence motoneuron survival, we chronically treated chicken embryos in ovo with eitherd-tubocurarine (dTC) or muscimol during the naturally occurring cell death period, assessing their effects on activity by in ovo motility measurement and muscle nerve recordings from isolated spinal cord preparations. Because muscimol, a GABAA agonist, blocked both spontaneous motoneuron bursting and that elicited by descending input but did not rescue motoneurons, we conclude that spontaneous bursting activity is not required for the process of normal motoneuron cell death. dTC, which rescues motoneurons and blocks neuromuscular transmission, blocked neither spontaneous nor descending input-elicited bursting and early in the cell death period actually increased burst amplitude. These changes in motoneuron activation could alter the uptake of trophic molecules or gene transcription via altered patterns of [Ca2+]i, which in turn could affect motoneuron survival directly or indirectly by altering intramuscular nerve branching. A good correlation was found between nerve branching and motoneuron survival under various experimental conditions: (1) dTC, but not muscimol, greatly increased branching; (2) the removal of PSA from NCAM partially reversed the effects of dTC on both branching and survival, indicating that branching is a critical variable influencing motoneuron survival; (3) muscimol, applied with dTC, prevented the effect of dTC on survival and motoneuron bursting and, to a large extent, its effect on branching. However, the central effects of dTC also appear to be important, because muscimol, which prevented motoneuron activity in the presence ofdTC, also prevented the dTC-induced rescue of motoneurons.


We have built a multiple autonomous-robots simulator in order to study cooperative learning 'of multiagent systems. By using the simulator, experiments can be done for any tasks by any learning methods with some conditions. The simulator makes it possible to approach empirically to cooperative learning. 'Learning of multi- agent systems' has not been founded yet as a field of study. Certain points have not been made clear: what is learning of multi-agent systems?; what questions should be raised?; what should be achieved; what should be considered as the cost (for example, should the cost of communication between agents be considered?). We intend to found a field, 'learning of multi-agent systems', through the experiment of a concrete example of appropriate complicatedness.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the capability in predicting the prognosis of chronic severe hepatitis among 3 prediction systems: Model for end-stage liver disease (MELD), Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) system, and King's College Hospital (KCP) system, and to explore the capability of MELD in predicting the curative effect of artificial liver.

METHODS
Scoring was made among 66 patients of chronic severe liver diseases with the underlying disease of hepatitis B, 11 in early stage, 14 in middle stage, 15 in late stage, and 26 unclassified, by MELD, CTP, and KCP systems. The accuracy of each system was evaluated by ROC curve, the differences between the systems was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curve.

RESULTS
The MELD score of the patients at admission predicted the mortality within 3 months with the c-statistic of 0.894, higher than those of the CTP and KCP systems (0.703 and 0.89 respectively). The MELD scores of the patients in the early stage was 24 +/- 4, significantly lower than those in the middle and late stages (31.11 +/- 2.90 and 41.38 +/- 9.98 respectively, all P < 0.01). The MELD score was positively correlated with the stage of disease (r = 0.737, P < 0.01). The mortally was 10.7% for the patients with an admission MELD score < or = 30, was 47% for the patients with an admission MELD score of 31 approximately 39, and was 60% the patients with an admission MELD score of > or = 40.

CONCLUSION
The predictive capability of MELD system is better than the KCP and CTP systems. Artificial liver support treatment is the best choice e for the patients with an admission MELD score of 31-39. An admission MELD score > 40 is the indication for liver transplantation.


Introduction: The maintenance of the quality of fresh produce is still a major challenge for the consumers. The most important qualitative attributes contributing to the marketability of fresh fruit a reappearance, color, texture, flavor, nutritional value and microbial safety. Storage conditions of product after harvest and storage duration are important factors with specific effect on products qualitativeproperties such as acidity, soluble solids materials, phenolic compounds and density. The amount of soluble solids materials is an important qualitative factor that is directly related to fruit quality and ripening.The existence of phenolic compounds, phenol absorption and changes phenol in product has caused changes in color. Shape, size, arithmetic mean diameter, geometric mean diameter, mass, volume, density, and sphericity coefficient are some of the physical properties of products that are crucial to analyze the behavior of matter in the handling.Furthermore, adequate knowledge about the physical properties of the products is of high importance in machines design, transportation and processing of product.
Materials and Methods: In this study, two types of olives, which were bitter and sweeten with 1.5%NaOHbefore the storage, were collected and their physical properties (length, width, thickness, arithmetic and geometric mean diameter, sphericity coefficient, mass, volume, density and primary moisture) were evaluated. Then, tostudy the effect of storage duration,the sweetened olives were stored at two temperatures (25℃ and 4℃temperature of the refrigerator) for 3 months,and during this period, sampling was performed at 10-dayintervals and the amount of total acidity (TA was determined by diluting each 1 ml aliquot of strawberry juice in 10 ml distilled water and then titrated to pH 8.1 using 0.1 N NaOH), total soluble solids materials (TSS was determined by a handheld refractometer device and expressed as ° Brix), phenolic compounds and the density weremeasured. The study was carried out as factorial based oncompletely randomized designwith twoindependent factors of temperature and storage time.
Results and Discussion: Results obtained for physical properties showed that the means of length, width andthickness insweet olive were 9.72, 1.34 and 1.11%respectivelyhigherthan bitter type. Penetration and absorption of NaOH and processing methods of the product can be considered among the possible causes of this increase. Linear regression relations between physical properties for sweet and bitter olives showed that mass and volume of fruit areestimated accurately according to the main dimensions. The results of data variance analysis also showed thatdensity and soluble solids materialswere significantly affected by themain and interaction effects of the twofactors at 1% probability level. Moreover, the main effect of storage time on total acidity and phenolic compoundswassignificant at 5% and 1% levels, respectively. With increasing storage time, density of sweet olive increased and soluble solids materials and phenolic compounds decreased. Acidity changes of olive during storage fluctuated, and an increase was found in the values of density and soluble solids materials along with theincrease of storage temperature from 4℃ to 25℃.With respect to density, the third month of storage showedhigherincrease compared toother months, and maximum value was reported for sweet olive in temperature of 25℃ and 19thday. Increase ofstorage duration resulted in the reduction of moisture content,whichin turns leads to the reductionof product volume and increase of density. The reductionfound in acidity in the second and third months of storage resultedfrom maturation and ripening processes of the fruit. Organic acids are a source of energy,which are consumed in the time ofmetabolism increaseand fruit ripening.Decreasein phenolic compounds also occurs as the result ofphenol penetration from olive flesh into the water - salt solution.
Conclusion: Results of this study showed that length, width, thickness, mass and volume of sweet olive weregreaterthan bitter type, but,by contrast,sphericity coefficient was higher in bitter olive. Moreover, storage time, increase caused an increase in thedensity of sweet olive and decrease insoluble solids materials and phenolic compounds.There was fluctuation inacidity during different storage times. An increase was found in the values of density and soluble solids materials along with the increase in storage temperature from 4℃ to 25℃.


Purpose – One role of a foreign subsidiary within a multinational corporation's (MNC's) global portfolio is to connect the MNC to foreign customers. To examine this key customer contact point, this study aims to examine the linkages between local market conditions and strategic orientation, and how strategic orientation influences knowledge management capabilities of MNC subsidiaries, employing the Miles and Snow strategic orientation perspective. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted of 112 managers in foreign MNC subsidiaries in Croatia. Data were analyzed with both discriminant analysis and MANCOVA. Findings – The results indicate that in highly dynamic and competitively intense markets, MNC subsidiaries primarily employ a Prospector orientation. Furthermore, the results indicate that there is a significant difference in knowledge management capabilities among subsidiaries depending on their strategic orientation, with the Prospector orientation most closely aligned with knowledge acquisition, knowledge conversion and knowledge application. Practical implications – The findings highlight the importance of strategic orientation in MNC subsidiaries tailoring to local market conditions. The results suggest that MNC subsidiaries undertaking a Prospector strategic orientation develop greater knowledge acquisition, conversion and application capabilities. Originality/value – This study conceptualizes the MNC subsidiary as a key marketing element of the global MNC whole and examines the nuanced relationships between the host environment and MNC foreign subsidiary strategic orientation as well as MNC subsidiary strategic orientation and knowledge management relationship.


Multiagent Approach for Power System Reconfiguration by Pinak Tulpule Master of Science in Electrical Engineering West Virginia University Professor Ali Feliachi, Ph.D., Chair The objective of this thesis is to develop an agent based reconfiguration algorithm for power system application with termination detection and to provide communication architecture for these agents. The underlying maximum flow algorithm based on graph theory has proven the concept of autonomous distributed reconfiguration using multiagent systems. The new rule-based algorithm takes into account the requirement of bidirectional power flows, and special power routing for DC devices. Even though the algorithm is self-stabilizing and agents become idle after finite time, implementation of the solution within the actual power system requires that all agents be in an idle state. The process of detecting the idle state of all agents in a distributed environment is called termination detection. After surveying various methods for termination detection, a modified method that is suitable for reconfiguration algorithm is developed. The method uses wave algorithm with tree topology and provides the ability of detecting termination to each of the agents. These reconfiguration agents can perform satisfactorily only if they can communicate and share information with other agents in the system. Thus, it is extremely important to have a uniform agent communication language and messaging scheme among all the agents. With the Controller Area Network as hardware backbone for communication, a new message structure and communication protocol is developed based on CANOpen and standards specified by Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents. The communication architecture provides easy interface between reconfiguration agents and other agent based systems. The designed algorithms are applied to the reconfiguration of power system on all electric ships. The system is simulated on multiple computers and includes a command and control center to monitor and supervise the entire operation of the system. The integrated system is tested for specific scenarios and statistics are recorded to analyze the algorithm performance and robustness. The evaluation of the system for correctness of reconfiguration solutions and the time required to complete the reconfiguration show promising results.


The various types of noncongestive glaucoma have, for the most part, yielded to modern therapeutic maneuvers designed to inhibit aqueous humor formation or increase facility of outflow. Congenital glaucoma has distinguished itself among the glaucomas by its poor response to various medical means of lowering intraocular pressure, but analysis of surgical results indicates about 77% success.1 Until recently, only the carbonic anhydrase inhibitors have been shown to decrease aqueous humor formation. However, evidence has been presented for the existence of the enzyme sodium-potassium activated adenosine triphosphatase (Na-K ATPase) in the ciliary body of cat and man,2and for its role in the formation of aqueous humor in these species.3Inasmuch as the cardiac glycosides are specific inhibitors of this enzyme and, thereby, of aqueous humor formation, a possible therapeutic role of the digitalis compounds suggested itself. Therefore, a systematic study of the use of digoxin in both


D-Cycloserine, known from tuberculosis therapy, has been widely introduced to neuropsychiatric studies, since its central active mechanism as a partial NMDA-agonist has been found. In this review, we evaluate its therapeutic potential in neuropsychological disorders and discuss its pitfalls in terms of dosing and application frequency as well as its safety in low-dose therapy. Therefore, we identified 91 clinical trials by performing a Medline search. We demonstrate in part preliminary but increasing evidence that D-cycloserine may be effective in various psychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, addiction, eating disorders, major depression, and autism as well as in neurological diseases, including dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and spinocerebellar degeneration. D-Cycloserine in low-dose therapy is safe, but there is still a need for new drugs with higher specificity to the different N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor subunits.


ABSTRACTNumerous positive child outcomes are associated with parental involvement in their child's school, but the longitudinal impact of parenting stress and parent-child engagement on parental school involvement remains less understood. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 528), this study examined the impact of single mothers' parenting stress at child age three and parental engagement at child age five on parental home-based school involvement at child age nine. Analyses were based on structural equation modeling that tested direct and indirect effects. Higher levels of single mothers' parenting stress lowered parental engagement at age five, and higher levels of parental engagement at child age five increased home-based school involvement at child age nine. Tests of indirect effects confirmed that parental engagement mediated the relation between parenting stress and home-based school involvement.


The eosinophilic granulocyte is commonly associated with allergic inflammation. Although blood eosinophilia frequently accompanies atopic dermatitis, accumulation of tissue eosinophils is not prominent. Recent studies have elucidated the structure, content, and activities of the eosinphil. In addition, immunofluorescence localization of eosinophil granulate proteins has shown that eosinophils disrupt in tissue depositing toxic granule proteins in several diseases. Here, evidence for eosinophil degranulation in atopic dermatitis is presented and mechanisms whereby eosinophil degranulation may mediate pathophysiologic effects in atopic dermatitis and related conditions are discussed.


The CO2 removal model inter-comparison (CDRMIP) has been established to approximate the usefulness of climate mitigation by some well-defined negative emission technologies. I here analyze ocean alkalinization in a high CO2 world (emission scenario SSP5-85-EXT++ and CDR-ocean-alk within CDRMIP) for the next millennia using a revised version of the carbon cycle model BICYCLE, whose long-term feedbacks are calculated for the next 1 million years. The applied model version not only captures atmosphere, ocean, and a constant marine and terrestrial biosphere, but also represents solid Earth processes, such as deep ocean CaCO3 accumulation and dissolution, volcanic CO2 outgassing, and continental weathering. In the applied negative emission experiment, 0.14 Pmol/yr of alkalinity—comparable to the dissolution of 5 Pg of olivine per year—is entering the surface ocean starting in year 2020 for either 50 or 5000 years. I find that the cumulative emissions of 6,740 PgC emitted until year 2350 lead to a peak atmospheric CO2 concentration of nearly 2,400 ppm in year 2326, which is reduced by only 200 ppm by the alkalinization experiment. Atmospheric CO2 is brought down to 400 or 300 ppm after 2730 or 3480 years of alkalinization, respectively. Such low CO2 concentrations are reached without ocean alkalinization only after several hundreds of thousands of years, when the feedbacks from weathering and sediments bring the part of the anthropogenic emissions that stays in the atmosphere (the so-called airborne fraction) below 4%. The efficiency of carbon sequestration by this alkalinization approach peaks at 9.7 PgC per Pmol of alkalinity added during times of maximum anthropogenic CO2 emissions and slowly declines to half this value 2000 years later due to the non-linear marine chemistry response and ocean-sediment processes. In other words, ocean alkalinization sequesters carbon only as long as the added alkalinity stays in the ocean. To understand the basic model behavior, I analytically explain why in the simulation results a linear relationship in the transient climate response (TCR) to cumulative emissions is found for low emissions (similarly as for more complex climate models), which evolves for high emissions to a non-linear relation.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) on clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke undergoing thrombolytic therapy.

METHODS
The clinical data of 330 patients with acute ischemic stroke who received intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) therapy in the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine between June 2009 and August 2013 were reviewed. Clinical outcomes in AF and non-AF groups were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. Favorable outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-2 on day 90. Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) was classified as hemorrhagic infarction (HI) and parenchymal hematoma (PH) within the first 24h according to ECASS II criteria. Hypoperfusion and severe hypoperfusion were defined as Tmax >6 s and >8 s, respectively. The rate of reperfusion was compared between AF and non-AF groups.

RESULTS
Among 330 patients, 137(41.5%) had AF. Compared with non-AF patients, patients with AF were older [(71.7±11.5)y vs (63.4±13.2)y, P<0.001], had higher baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [IQR, 13(8-16) vs 9(5-15), P<0.001], higher rate of HT(HI: 28.5% vs 17.1%, P=0.015; PH: 13.9% vs 4.1%, P=0.002), and lower rate of favorable outcome (41.5% vs 58.0%, P=0.005) at d 90. After adjustment, AF was not a risk factor for favorable outcome (OR=0.920, 95%CI:0.533-1.586; P=0.763) and mortality (OR=1.381, 95%CI:1.096-1.242; P=0.466) on day 90. AF was also not associated with HI (OR=1.676, 95%CI: 0.972-3.031; P=0.088), but it increased the rate of PH (OR=3.621, 95%CI: 1.403-9.344; P=0.008). Among 94 patients with pre- and post-thrombolytic perfusion-weighted image, AF was not associated with increased rate of reperfusion for hypoperfusion (Tmax >6 s, OR=1.12, 95%CI: 0.35-3.63, P=0.849), but was correlated with increased rate of reperfusion for severe hypoperfusion (Tmax>8 s, OR=10.57, 95%CI:1.16-96.50, P=0.037).

CONCLUSION
The presence of AF has no independent impact on neurological outcome in thrombolytic patients with acute ischemic stroke. It is associated with increased reperfusion rate of more severe hypoperfusion area and higher frequency of PH.


Although needs assessment surveys are carried out after many large natural and man‐made disasters, synthesis of findings across these surveys and disaster situations about patterns and correlates of need is hampered by inconsistencies in study designs and measures. Recognizing this problem, the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) assembled a task force in 2004 to develop a model study design and interview schedule for use in post‐disaster needs assessment surveys. The US National Institute of Mental Health subsequently approved a plan to establish a center to implement post‐disaster mental health needs assessment surveys in the future using an integrated series of measures and designs of the sort proposed by the SAMHSA task force. A wide range of measurement, design, and analysis issues will arise in developing this center. Given that the least widely discussed of these issues concerns study design, the current report focuses on the most important sampling and design issues proposed for this center based on our experiences with the SAMHSA task force, subsequent Katrina surveys, and earlier work in other disaster situations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


As part of efforts to establish simulation tools that simulate and evaluate the safety of highways and other transportation facilities, cellular-based traffic models were improved. The proposed improvements incorporated parameters that affect driver risk-taking and attentiveness behaviors. The likelihood of vehicles to crash in the model was assessed by examining time-to-collision and the rates of vehicles' decelerations applied to avoid imminent collisions. Simulation results indicated driver behavior has significant impact on the safety of highways. Further, the results revealed a high probability of vehicle crashes in the synchronized traffic flow phase. The implication of these results is for safety engineers to move towards a proactive approach of predicting vehicular conflicts to institute corrective measures through micro-simulations as early as in planning and design stages of transportation projects.


This study investigated the effect of marital counselling on women's attitude towards marital stability. The study adopted a pre-test post-test quasi experimental design. The sample consisted of 52 married women (academic and non-academic) staff of the Faculty of Education, University of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State of Nigeria. 26 each were assigned to experimental and control groups respectively. The participants were given a pre-test self-designed questionnaire titled 'Women's Attitude towards Marital Stability Questionnaire' (WATMSQ). The experimental group was lectured for a period of four weeks on marital counselling programme. After four weeks, the post test programme was administered on both groups. The results were analyzed using mean scores and standard deviation for the research questions and t-test for the research hypothesis. Result of the hypothesis indicated that there was a significant difference between the experimental group's mean scores which was higher than that of the control group. It showed that marital counselling had a significant effect on women's attitude towards marital stability. Based on the findings, the implications for counselling include organizing seminars and workshops by counsellors to teach women skills that will enhance positive marital attitudes, adoption of marital counselling programmes by employers of labour to assist women maintain desirable marital attitudes in order to promote their input at work, amongst others.


A problem of coupling between fast and slow magnetosonic waves in Earth's magnetosphere (magnetosonic resonance) is examined. Propagation both slow magnetosonic wave and Alfven wave can easily be canalized along the magnetic field line direction. The main difference between the two is that slow magnetosonic waves dissipate strongly due to their interaction with the background plasma ions, whose temperature is above the electron temperature. In Earth's magnetosphere, however, there is a region where the dissipation of slow magnetosonic waves can be weak—the inner plasmasphere. The slow magnetosonic waves generated there can be registered directly. In other regions, with strong dissipation of slow magnetosonic waves, their signature may be detected through their impact on the Alfven resonance at frequencies for which the resonant Alfven and slow magnetosonic waves exist simultaneously in the magnetosphere. Owing to their strong coupling with the background plasma ions, resonant slow magnetosonic waves can transfer the energy and impulse from the solar wind to the magnetospheric plasma ions via fast magnetosonic waves penetrating into the tail lobes. A problem of resonant conversion of fast magnetosonic waves into slow magnetosonic oscillations in a magnetosphere with dipole-like magnetic field is also examined.


The signalling pathways underpinning cell growth and invasion use overlapping components, yet how mutually exclusive cellular responses occur is unclear. We developed 3-Dimensional culture analyses to separately quantify growth and invasion. We identify that alternate variants of IQSEC1, an ARF GTPase Exchange Factor, act as switches to promote invasion over growth by spatially enriching cortical phosphoinositide metabolism. All IQSEC1 variants activate ARF5- and ARF6-dependent PIP5-kinase to promote PI(3,4,5)P3-AKT signalling and growth. In contrast, select pro-invasive IQSEC1 variants restrict PI(3,4,5)P3 production to discrete cortical domains to form invasion-driving protrusions. Inhibition of IQSEC1 attenuates invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo. Induction of pro-invasive IQSEC1 variants and elevated IQSEC1 expression occurs in a number of tumour types and is associated with higher-grade metastatic cancer, activation of PIP3-signalling, and predicts long-term poor outcome across multiple cancers. Spatial enrichment of phosphoinositide metabolism therefore is a switch to induce invasion over growth in response to the same external signal. Targeting IQSEC1 as the central regulator of this switch may represent a therapeutic vulnerability to stop metastasis. Highlights Spatial enrichment of PI(3,4,5)P3 is a molecular switch to promote invasion. IQSEC1 is a GEF for ARF5/6, promoting PIP5K-dependent PI(3,4,5)P3 production downstream of the HGF receptor Met. Pro-invasive IQSEC1 variants restrict cortical PI(3,4,5)P3 production to subdomains that convert into invasive protrusions. IQSEC1 inhibition attenuates in vitro invasion and metastasis in vivo. IQSEC1 module is associated with poor outcome across tumour types.


Efficacy of ammonium thiosulfate and hydrogen cyanamid on the fruit quality and return bloom in 'Golden Reinders' apple grafted on the M9 rootstock was evaluated in this experiment. Studies were conducted at the Egirdir Fruit Research Institute for two years on same trees. Three different doses of ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) (1%, 2%, and 3%) and hydrogen cyanamid (0.25%, 0.5%, and 0.75%) (Dormex) were used asthe flower thinners at the full bloom period. To compare chemical applications, hand fruit thinning (HFT) at the producer level was performed after June drop. The effect of thinning practices on the fruit quality and yield was found the different year to year. Percentage of large fruit (75- 85 mm diameter) increased by hand thinning and ATS 2% in the first year of the study. In the second year, the majority of fruits were into 75-85 mm size category and fruit yield with high commercial value was higher in 3% ATS and 0.75% Dormex. 2%, 3% ATS and 0.75% Dormex were effective applications to partially or even reduce alternate bearing compared to other applications. However, fruit thinning was not effective in reducing biennial bearing severity.


Early after the identification of β2‐microglobulin amyloidosis (Aβ2M) as the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome, it was thought that hemodialysis was a major cause in the development of the disease. It was subsequently shown that hemodialysis was not necessary for the development of dialysis‐related amyloidosis; however, it was believed that the different dialysis membranes did modulate the progression of the disease. Current data demonstrate that hemodialysis fails to prevent or reverse the disease, but there is substantial evidence that high‐flux, high‐efficiency dialyzers slow its progression. Many factors related to hemodialysis have been evaluated in relation to Aβ2M, including the effect of the bioincompatibility of the membrane, the capacity of the different membranes to remove β2M, and the effect of reuse on β2M levels. Moreover, there have been intensive efforts to evaluate, explore, and improve the different mechanisms in β2M removal, with adsorption as a promising prospect. With the available evidence, it seems that the removal of β2M by the membrane plays the most important role in modulating the disease outcome and rate of progression, although a large, long‐term, multicentered and randomized study is still lacking to prove this relationship. However, it is possible that with the continuing advances in optimizing the β2M removal efficiency of the different membranes, the frequency and severity of the disease can be substantially decreased.


Introduction: Cognitive deficits in bipolar disorders persist after the subsidence of active symptoms. This study was carried out to assess the working memory of patients with bipolar disorder in euthymic state.
Material And Method: Forty euthymic bipolar patients attending a tertiary care mental hospital with equal number of matched controls in terms of age, sex and education were included in the study. Working memory assessments was done using WAIS-III digit span subtest.
Results: The mean of total digit span test for case group was 8.48±2.04 similarly it was 10.33±2.32 for the controls. The result showed that the mean digit span of cases and control groups are significantly different (p value of < 0.01). The Pearsons correlation between the clinical variables and working memory test in euthymic bipolar patients (case group) was found that the total score for digit span test was negatively correlated with all other clinical variables However, this correlation was found to be non-significant.
Conclusion: The working memory impairment persists in remitted bipolar disorder patients and this may represent underlying trait abnormality not the state abnormality.


Optimizing nutritional delivery in the intensive care unit (ICU) continues to be a challenge. Nutritional guidelines were developed at a metropolitan Level I trauma center as an institutional response to ensure the timeliness of patient evaluation, initiation of therapy, and attainment of goal therapy. A post-implementation review of 525 consecutive ICU patients revealed that the guidelines enabled the staff to evaluate 86% of all ICU patients and initiate appropriate therapy in 68% of them within 48 hours of admission. Goal therapy was achieved in more than 90% of patients within 72 hours. The establishment of nutritional guidelines is an integral step to improving nutritional therapy in the ICU.


Peculiarities of the course of a wound process in 52 patients ranging in age from 16 to 60 years with the extremely severe burns were studied. Suppression of the vascular reaction and deceleration of the cellular reactions of the extravascular phases of inflammation, alteration of protease-antiprotease activity at the region of injury in dynamics of a wound process were revealed. Antiinflammatory action of the combined methods of general and local sorptive detoxication were substantiated. Certain mechanisms of increase in anti-infective resistance of the organism of the sufferers were elucidated.


The Odden sea ice feature of the Greenland Sea is identified in a rotated principal component analysis of Hadley Center winter sea ice concentration data extending from 1951–2005. Time series of the Odden ice extent are evaluated in the context of sea level pressure, surface wind, air temperature, cloud, and energy flux variations using NCEP‐NCAR reanalyses. Odden was a recurring feature in winters 1966–1972, during the Great Salinity Anomaly (GSA), and appeared occasionally in the 1980s and 1990s but has occurred rarely since 2000. Odden formation is associated with northernmost Atlantic high pressure, a negative North Atlantic Oscillation, and anomalous westerly winds. Its formation is most highly correlated, however, to air temperature and fluxes of sensible/latent heat, and downward longwave radiation. Air temperature and downward longwave flux anomalies in the preceding autumn are also unusually low in advance of a winter Odden ice cover while heat fluxes are weakly positive. All parameters, including the ice cover anomaly, exhibit significant winter to winter persistence over time.


Qing, S.; Hao, Y.L., and Bao, Y.H., 2019. Retrieval of inorganic suspended particle size with Landsat-8 OLI data in the Yellow River estuary. In: Jung, H.-S.; Lee, S.; Ryu, J.-H., and Cui, T. (eds.), Advances in Remote Sensing and Geoscience Information Systems of Coastal Environments. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 90, pp. 19-26. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Particle size distribution (PSD) is relevant to many physical and biogeochemical processes in marine ecosystems. Field investigation or satellite data with coarse resolution have limitations in description of detailed PSD in a small scale region, e.g. river estuary. In this study, Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) data was used for estimating inorganic suspended particle size in the Yellow River estuary. A simple empirical model using ratio of green to red bands was developed based on in situ measured remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) and median particle size (Dv50) for inorganic materials. Validation against in situ measurements showed that retrieved Dv50 was in good accordance with in situ measurements with the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 24.0 % and root mean square error (RMSE) of 4.310µm. Application of the model to OLI data retrieved a clear and reasonable spatial distribution of Dv50 in the Yellow River estuary. OLI retrieved Dv50 agreed well with that from MODIS data (R2=0.89, MAPE=6.4 %, RMSE=0.6 µm). Dv50 maps characterized a river mouth to offshore changing trend, demonstrating the model potential for understanding of the detailed information of a local scale region. The empirical algorithm developed here can be easily applied to other satellite data with similar bands of Landsat-8 OLI data and fine spatial resolution.


A mathematical analysis is made Land's recent experiments which showed that fully colored pictures can be produced by a two-color projection system. Although Land's results apparently had been at variance with the classical theories of color perception, it has now been found possible to explain the experiments within the framework of those theories and in conjunction with well-known phenomena in the field of experimental psychology. The results are interpreted in terms of a mechanism of color transformation.


The human mediated transfer of aquatic organisms and pathogens via shipping, specifically with ballast water, is a continuing global threat to biodiversity, human health and economic values. In February 2004, as a result of long-term effort of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations body which deals with shipping, the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) was adopted by the international community setting global standards. In the absence of efficient Ballast Water Treatment Systems (BWTS) on existing ships, Ballast Water Exchange (BWE) is currently the only available method approved by IMO. However, BWE has serious limitations that make it biologically inefficient and often impractical under certain conditions. A key question is whether all ships should be requested to conduct BWE (i.e., blanket approach) or whether it is more appropriate that port states determine BWE requirements on a ship-to-ship basis (i.e., selective approach) supported by a decision support system based on risk assessment? In this paper BWE in the framework of the BWM Convention is discussed. The applicability and effectiveness of BWE is studied and suggestions are given for an effective ballast water management approach, including options for a decision support system, in Europe.


State guarantees are usually associated with a loan or other financial obligation contracted by a borrower with a lender. Under certain circumstances they may be considered as state aid. If aid is involved, the beneficiary is in most cases the borrower because he can raise funds at a lower cost than would be possible without the guarantee. The European Commission recently adopted a notice on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to state aid in the form of guarantees. The notice gives a definition of state guarantees and explains how the element of a guarantee should be calculated. The notice also provides a list of circumstances in which the Commission assumes that no aid element is contained in a guarantee. The notice does not however contains any provisions on the question of compatibility as it makes the general rules on state aid applicable to state guarantees. Furthermore, the notice explains the consequences of failure to notify state aid in the form of guarantees. The present article critically examines the content of the notice in the light of the previous practice of Commission and of the principles of Community state aid law as elaborated by the case law of the European Courts.


In 1944 the first recordings of pulmonary artery pressure (Ppa) in normal humans were published (6a). Dock (7), a Brooklyn physician, foresaw that in the upright position, with such a low Ppa, the upper quarter of the lung would be relatively ischemic in most people. He linked this notion to the apical (cranial) location of tuberculous lesions in humans in contrast to its caudal and dorsal distribution in quadrupeds and bats (8). Dock in 1947 did not consider a gradient of increasing blood flow below the bloodless apical regions; in 1960, West and Dollery (25) found a systematic increase in blood flow per unit volume from apex to base in the erect lung with a tenfold increase from top to bottom (Fig. 1). Apical blood flow increases at the onset of exercise and decreases when exercise stops (14), in keeping with the known increases and decreases in pulmonary artery pressure—further confirmation of Dock's reasoning. Postural changes. Subsequently, with a variety of radiotracers and detection systems and also contrast enhanced computed tomography [electron-beam CT or EBCT (16)], a vertical gradient of blood flow from upper to lower regions has been found in other postures [prone and/or supine (1, 5, 16 –20), right and left lateral decubitus (1, 17, 20), supine anesthetized (23)] in keeping with a gravitationally determined gradient. Despite widely different methodologies and techniques such as 1) single breath hold at TLC (17) or at midlung volumes (17, 18) or steady-state tidal breathing (1, 5, 20), 2) front and back detector pairs (17) or gamma cameras (1) or single photon emission tomography (SPECT; Refs. 19, 20, 23) or positron emission tomography (PET; Refs. 5, 18) or EBCT (16), 3) inert gas radiotracers (1, 5, 17–20) or radiolabel led albumin macroaggregates (MAA; Refs. 19, 23), the data in humans have been remarkably consistent. Interestingly, no vertical gradient was found in the dependent lung in lateral decubitus (1), where the lower lung is relatively compressed by the mediastinum above, in keeping with earlier studies (2, 15) showing loss of the vertical gradient in the erect position at low lung volumes. SPECT is the one technique that has at times been out of line. Hakim et al. (13) found in supine humans that, in any given sagittal slice, blood flow diminished from the center in a concentric fashion without a recognizable gravity gradient. This finding has not been confirmed. Another SPECT study (19) found no vertical blood flow gradient in the prone posture, but four other studies, using EBCT (16), PET (5, 18), and SPECT (20), disagree. Finally, a recent SPECT study (21) suggested that flow tracer distribution is determined by the posture during imaging, not the posture during the flow measurement, with a dorsal predominance of flow in prone (but imaged supine) identical to that in supine. The authors' postulate that vertical redistribution of tissue occurred when posture changed and that flow predominance seen in dorsal regions in both supine and prone was caused by a greater number of alveoli and blood vessels per unit volume dorsally rather than by gravity. However, the reconstruction algorithms are of such complexity that verification of these findings is needed using a different approach. Changes in gravity. Acceleration of erect subjects [increasing the head to foot gravity vector (Gz) 3or 4-fold] in a centrifuge increased in a systematic fashion the unperfused region [ zone 1 where alveolar pressure (Palv) exceeds Ppa] at the apex of the lung in line with a fall in pulmonary artery pressure (9); at the same time the gradient of increasing blood flow from apex to base became steeper (6, 9). No topographic measurements have been made in microor zero gravity ( weightlessness) but cardiogenic oscillations in CO2, an indirect index of uneven blood flow, were reduced to 60% during and after exposure to microgravity in the Spacelab Life Sciences-1 Mission (22). Gravity and the microvasculature. In addition to topographic differences between regions of lung 1–5 cm apart or 0.6 – 6 cm in volume, gravity has an important role to play in terms of capillary recruitment and distension. The generally accepted zone I, II, III model is based on measurements of blood flow distribution in isolated perfused lungs and on the relationships between pulmonary artery, Palv, and venous (Pv) pressures (27). The driving pressure ( P) for flow in zone II is the Ppa Palv difference (Palv is Pv),


Pulmonary function tests are seldom performed in preschool children with asthma. The aim of this multicenter study was to compare pulmonary function in 74 preschool children with asthma (height of 90-130 cm) and 84 healthy control subjects. Functional residual capacity (helium dilution technique) and expiratory interrupter resistance (interrupter technique) were measured. As compared with control children, children with asthma had a significantly higher resistance (0.77 +/- 0.20 vs. 0.92 +/- 0.22 kPa. L-1. second, p < 0.001) and significantly lower specific expiratory interrupter conductance (p < 0.005) values. Resistance values were significantly higher in children with asthma with than without symptoms on exertion (p < 0.05). The effect of bronchodilator administration, expressed as the percentage of baseline and predicted resistance values, was significantly greater in children with asthma than in control subjects (-18.6 +/- 13.6% vs. -11.2 +/- 15.2%, p </= 0.001, and -23.2 +/- 19.2% vs. -12.6 +/- 17.8%, p < 0.001), respectively. A 35% decrease in resistance after bronchodilation expressed as the percentage of predicted values had a likelihood ratio of 3 for separating the bronchodilator response in children with asthma from that in healthy control subjects. Pulmonary function tests that do not require active cooperation may help in the management and follow-up of preschool children with asthma who are unable to perform forced expiratory maneuvers.


INTRODUCTION AND AIMS
To develop new strategies for preventing violence in high-risk licensed premises, we identify behavioural indicators of apparent motives for aggression in these settings and outline the implications of different motivations for prevention.

DESIGN AND METHODS
The four types of motives for aggressive or coercive acts defined by the theory of coercive actions framed the research: gaining compliance, expressing grievances/restoring justice, attaining a favourable social identity and pursuing fun/excitement. Incidents of aggression from the Safer Bars evaluation research were analysed to identify behavioural indicators of each motivation.

RESULTS
Compliance-motivated aggression typically takes the form of unwanted social overtures, third party intervention to stop conflicts or staff rule enforcement. Prevention strategies include keeping the aggressor's focus on compliance to avoid provoking grievance and identity motives that are likely to escalate aggression. Grievance motives are typically elicited by perceived wrongdoing and therefore prevention should focus on eliminating sources of grievances and adopting policies/practices to resolve grievances peacefully. Social identity motives are endemic to many drinking establishments especially among male patrons and staff. Prevention involves reducing identity cues in the environment, hiring staff who do not have identity concerns, and training staff to avoid provoking identity concerns. Aggression motivated by fun/excitement often involves low-level aggression where escalation can be prevented by avoiding grievances and attacks on identity.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
Knowledge of behavioural indicators of motives can be used to enhance staff hiring and training practices, reduce environmental triggers for aggression, and develop policies to reduce motivation for aggression.


Chronic rhinosinusitis occurs to 5% of the population with upper respiratory infections. The objective of this study is to know the main symptoms in a pediatric population younger than 14 years with the diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis, to know age and sex distribution and evolution. We did a medical history, physical examination, nasal cytology, skin tests and sinus X rays in each of 100 patients. Results the main symptoms were: cough, halitosis, postnasal discharge, fever, headache, sore throat, facial sensitivity and periorbital edema. This findings predominated in males and the average evolution time was 1-2 years.


This short proposes a nascent power-proficient Chien seek (CS) engineering for parallel Bose–Chaudhuri–Hocquenghem (BCH) codes. For disorder predicated unraveling, the CS assumes a considerable part in discovering blunder areas, yet thorough calculation brings about a cosmically tremendous misuse of strength utilization. In the proposed design, the testing procedure is disintegrated into two stages predicated on the paired lattice portrayal. Dissimilar to the initial step got to each cycle, the second step is initiated just when the initial step is prosperous, bringing about striking force safeguarding. Moreover, a productive engineering is exhibited to shun the defer increment in basic ways caused by the two-stage approach. Test comes about demonstrate that the proposed two-stage design for the BCH (8752, 8192, 40) code jelly control utilization by up to half contrasted and the customary engineering.


24,982 detections of HIV-antibodies were performed between 1st October 1985 and 31 October 1986, on Reunion Island (550,000 inhabitants) and also on three groups of population: blood donors (23,413), in-patients (505) out-patients (974). 17 tests Pasteurs Elevia confirmed by Western-blotting were found positives. These safe-carriers were essentially detected in homosexual population, some drug people (intravenous injections) and hemodialyzed patients. Virus was recently introduced in island. No AIDS case has been observed to day.


Witzleb, Normann, Alfonso Martinez Arranz, and Pascaline Winand, eds. The European Union and Global Engagement: Institutions, Policies and Challenges. Northampton: Edward Elgar, 2015. xix + 323 pages. Hardcover, $135.00. The European Union and Global Engagement: Institutions, Policies and Challenges--edited by three Monash University academics: Normann Witzleb (law), Martinez Arranz (environmental/energy policy), and Winand (politics)--is the compilation of eighteen, expert, indepth accounts of the key issues confronting the European Union (EU) today. The book addresses the interplay between the EU's internal developments and global challenges. On the domestic front, many of the analyses are grounded in historical developments that have led to the current situation, namely: the Lisbon Treaty, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), challenges in monetary and fiscal policy, human rights, social policy, as well as environmental and energy policy. The external analyses focus on trade, security, and the EU's relationship to significant world regions, particularly post-communist Eastern Europe, North America, the Asia-Pacific, and Oceania. The book has three distinct parts: Institutions, Policies, and Global Engagement. Part I discusses the institutional structure of the EU after the 2007 Lisbon Treaty, European legal integration, and the consequences and reactions of the EU following the 2008 global financial crisis. As a backdrop, the origin of the EU is traced to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, which aimed to unite member states. The European Economic Community (EEC), stemming from the 1957 Treaty of Rome, created a common market and a customs union for the six original EU members: Belgium, France, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg, and West Germany. The EEC members agreed to a demand by France for central planning in agriculture, known as the Common Agricultural Policy, which included price controls and production quotas. The 1992 Maastricht Treaty transformed the EEC into the EU. Thus, from a free-trade and a customs union, the EU has grown into a supranational institution that controls many aspects of the daily lives of citizens of its twenty-eight member states. The integration achievements of the EU include: a free trade zone, a common agricultural policy, free movement and migration within the EU, and an Office of High Representative (EU Foreign Minister). Shared difficulties involve the sovereign debt crisis (Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain--PIGS), and a single monetary policy without strong federal fiscal policy. The latter normally entails a political union that most EU member states are not ready for. By and large, members have relinquished, completely or partially, part of their sovereignty to EU institutions. In some cases, elected public officials at the national level are required to implement decisions made in Brussels; however, migration policy, in particular, has generated growing resentment in the richer countries. Unsurprisingly, the rising support for nationalist parties across Europe and the recent referendum decision in the United Kingdom to leave the EU (Brexit) has raised fears about the future survival of the union. Part II deals with EU policies, including CAP, human rights, social policy, trade policy, and the integration of environmental and energy policies. …


Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a common treatment modality that has shown good clinical results in patients with cervical degenerative disc disease. ACDF remains the procedure of choice for most patients given its satisfactory clinical outcomes and proven radiological fusion ranging from 90-100%. Five-level ACDF is a very rare type of surgery, even in large spine centers. This type of procedure is unique because, beyond three or four levels, the surgeon needs to switch from a transverse incision to a longitudinal incision along the medial sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle border, which is less preferred for cosmetic reasons. Another reason why this procedure is seldom performed is that extreme multilevel ACDF is associated with higher complication and failure rates. Literature covers one, two, and three-level anterior surgeries, but there are few studies reporting the outcomes of five-level ACDF. In the few studies that do report five-level ACDF, the data is controversial. Some studies show the risk of adjacent-segment disease increasing with a higher number of fused levels and increasing incidences of reoperation. Other studies show no changes in the risk of adjacent segment disease in multilevel ACDF in comparison with single-level ACDF. One study even showed a decreased level of adjacent-segment disease and reoperation rates in multilevel ACDF when compared to single-level ACDF. To contribute to current knowledge, we share our experience with five-level ACDF. We report the case of a 63-year-old female who presented with complaints of progressively worsening weakness in the upper extremities. MRI of her cervical spine demonstrated multilevel degenerative disc disease throughout C3-T1 with reversal of normal lordosis and a kyphotic deformity. We performed a successful ACDF at C3-T1 as well as partial corpectomy of the C5 and C6 vertebrae. We did it through a standard transverse incision from the midline to the medial border of the SCM within a preexisting neck crease, demonstrating that in select patients, extreme multilevel ACDF can be performed with proper anatomical dissection and without the need for multiple or longitudinal incisions.


textabstractThe discovery of somatostatin and the cloning and characterisation of its five receptor
subtypes have led to many intriguing developments in clinical nuclear medicine. It was found
that somatostatin administration resulted in inhibition of hormonal overproduction syndromes
[5], which are found in several neuro-endocrine tumours. In addition, these tumours were
shown to exhibit a high expression of somatostatin receptors [8-10].

Somatostatin itself can not be used for treatment purposes because it is metabolised very
rapidly [5]. Analogues were made, of which octreotide was the most important. This eight-
amino acid peptide has a longer plasma half-life and is now used for treatment of neuro-
endocrine tumour-related hormonal overproduction syndromes [5]. The next step was the
development of specific targeting and visualisation of the somatostatin receptor on the tumour
cell surface. Octreotide was radiolabelled with the gamma-emitter 111In, using the attached
chelator DTPA ([111In-DTPA0]octreotide, Octreoscan®). In 1994, Octreoscan® was approved
for diagnostic use by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration in patients and it has become one
of the most important imaging investigations in the initial identification and staging of
gastroenteropancreatic neuro endocrine tumours [16-18, 234].

Patients with neuro-endocrine tumours have a number of therapeutic options (surgery,
unlabelled somatostatin analogues, hepatic artery embolisation, ablation, chemotherapy and
interferon-alpha), but these seldom result in cure [5, 235]. So, it was aimed to deliver
therapeutic radioactivity to the tumour, adding a new therapeutic modality to the current
available treatment options.


The role of health and environmental consciousness in consumers lifestyle is often explored in the US and Europe. The study mainly targets one element of this topic: consumers' priorities in foodstuff markets, while exploring trends with respect to health and environmental consciousness. I conducted a nationwide primary research in Hungary in March 2012, the main results of which are published in this study. The goal was to assertain the place and role of these elements in our foodstuff consumption. In my research the main question being: How self-restrictive and self-conscious are we when purchasing and consuming foodstuff? with every foodstuff purchase we make decisions about our environment, which indirectly has an effect on the producers, manufacturers and dealers. I will briefly review the foodstuff consumers segments in Hungary, which first have been identified using factor analysis followed by cluster analysis. I have identified the following consumer groups based on health consciousness: Conscious majority, Conscious by commitment, Economist "housewife†, Youthfully eclectic and Passives.


Twenty-seven patients with familial amyloidosis with polyneuropathy were studied with regard to the morphology of the small intestine, and this was correlated to symptoms and malabsorption features. The mucosa was normal in all cases investigated by the dissecting microscope, the light microscope, and the scanning electron microscope. Amyloid was demonstrated in 83% of the cases by the presence of green birefringent material in the biopsy specimens stained with alkaline Congo red and examined in polarized light. Nineteen patients had steatorrhea, and 12 had pathological D-xylose test results. The degree of amyloid infiltration did not correlate with these data, nor did the symptomatic state correlate with the amount of amyloid in the biopsy specimens. The surface ultrastructure was normal when investigated by means of the scanning electron microscope in all patients except five in whom the glycocalyx was altered. As a group, however, those five did not differ in any respect from the rest of the patients. Rod-shaped microorganisms were shown to adhere to the surface in one patient. The results suggest that mechanisms other than bowel-wall deposition of amyloid cause the dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract in familial amyloid polyneuropathy.


INTRODUCTION
Rectovaginal fistulas (RVFs) are abnormal connections between the rectum and vagina.

CASE REPORT
A 61-year-old female patient was admitted to the authors' hospital with swelling, extending from the left thigh to the left lower abdomen and crepitus. An axial computed tomography scan showed air in the soft tissue of the left thigh, left buttock, perineal region, and left lower abdomen. Gas gangrene was suspected. Accordingly, the patient was administered meropenem, clindamycin, and vancomycin and underwent emergency debridement. An intraoperative examination revealed necrotizing fasciitis in the left buttock but no inflammatory signs in the thigh. On postoperative day 8, fecal matter was discharged from the patient's vagina, and an RVF was detected by colon fiberscopy. The patient underwent resurfacing surgery with a free skin graft, and a colon stoma was fashioned 15 days after the primary surgery. The patient was discharged on day 14 following surgery with wound healing.

CONCLUSION
The existence of free air in subcutaneous tissue combined with an infection, particularly in the extremities, is generally suggestive of gas gangrene. In the present case, subcutaneous gas was not caused by gas gangrene but rather by air inflow from an RVF. Appropriate treatment of the RVF was necessary to avoid the exacerbation of Fournier's gangrene and prevent necrosis spreading to the thigh.


Current Flight Management Systems (FMS) can autonomously fly an aircraft from takeoff through landing but may not provide robust operation to anomalous events. We present an adaptive trajectory planner capable of dynamically adjusting its world model and re-computing feasible flight trajectories in response to changes in aircraft performance characteristics. To demonstrate our approach, we consider the class of situations in which an emergency landing at a nearby airport is desired (or required) for safety considerations. Our system incorporates a constraint-based search engine to select and prioritize emergency landing sites, then it synthesizes a waypoint based trajectory to the best airport based on post-anomaly flight dynamics. We present an engine failure/fuel starvation case study and illustrate the utility of our approach during a simulated thrusting power failure for a B-747 over the Bay Area.


Studies on model organisms have been found to be invaluable in clarifying the cellular and molecular basis of normal cellular processes and disease pathogenesis. Drosophila mutants and transgenes have provided a platform to understand the mechanisms associated with degenerative disease. Studies on the role of polyphenols in protecting against neurodegenerative diseases are limited. In the present study, the effect of curcumin at various doses was studied on the climbing ability of the transgenic Drosophila melanogaster that expresses normal human α-synuclein in the neurons. A significant dose-dependent protection against loss of climbing ability was observed. The results suggest that curcumin can strongly improve the climbing ability of Parkinson's disease model flies and also supports the utility of this model in studying the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.


A semi-analytical method is proposed in this study to estimate tube wall temperature versus time for Waste Heat Recovery Units (WHRU) and fired heaters in a typical LNG plant. The results are used to estimate Safety Time to avoid failure of tubes. Safety time estimation is crucial for control loop design of equipment in the operating plant. Two case studies are presented based on real control loop design data for an LNG plant. The results show that for both case studies, process safety time for control loop is less than the tubes safety time. Therefore the control system is capable of safely stopping the equipment from operation without tube failure or degrading of the process fluid.The proposed semi-analytical method is capable of calculating the Safety Time for WHRUs and fired heaters in an economical way while the method offers a reasonable accuracy due to its analytical nature. The proposed method can be used in Fundamental Engineering and Evaluation Designs (FEEDs), Hazard and Operability studies (HAZOPs) and Hazard Identification (HAZID) studies for LNG plants and power plants.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


This study measures the impact of the implementation of a dedicated research semester on various perceived competencies related to research. In 2016, surveys were conducted on final undergraduate Pharmacy students in regard to appraisal and critical thinking skills. Students' perceptions of the impact of research in enhancing their employment potential were investigated. Our evaluation included students' self-assessment of their writing, presentation, critical thinking and research skills. To assess qualitative parameters, the data obtained were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. A total of 113 responses was received. A majority of students indicated that the research semester prepared them in undertaking their research projects. They acknowledged that research helped in building confidence and to acquire the ability to work independently. Most students perceived that the experience gained in research would enhance their employment potential. Overall, students developed critical thinking skills through their respective research project.


A notable contrast in modern economic history has been the rapid economic growth of China and the slower and volatile economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. As the engagement between the two continues to grows, there will be a greater cross-fertilization of experiences. Total factor productivity comparisons suggest that capital accumulation in China coupled with more efficient factor usage explains the differential with Africa. Although the two have similar populations and patterns of inequality, their growth trajectories have been divergent. What can Africa learn from China? Although the lessons vary depending on country location and resource endowment, seven basic lessons are visible. First, the political economy of Chinese reforms and the shared gains between political elites and the private sector can be partially transplanted to the African context. Second, the Chinese used diaspora capital and knowledge in the early reform years. Third, rural reforms in China helped accelerate economic takeoff through a restructuring of property rights and a boost to both savings rates and output. Fourth, Chinese growth has taken place in the context of a competitive exchange rate. Five, port governance in China has been exemplary, and African landlocked economies can benefit significantly from port reform in the coastal countries. Six, China has experimented with a degree of decentralization that could yield benefits for many Sub-Saharan African countries. Seventh, Africa can learn from China's policies toward autonomous areas and ethnic minorities to stave off conflict. Africa can learn from China's experiences and conduct developmental experiments for poverty alleviation goals.


In its 11-year history, "Oppositions", the journal of the New York-based Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies (IAUS), set the agenda, introduced key players and published seminal pieces on the theorization of architecture in the late 20th century. This text collects essays from 26 issues of "Oppositions". Contributions from architects, theorists and historians such as Aldo Rossi, Alan Colquhom, Leon Krier and Denise Scott Brown, amongst others, are included.


The effect of pH on the kinetic parameters (Km and Ki) for extracellular acid Penicillium brevicompactum RNAse (pH max 4.7+/-0.1), non-specific to the chemical nature of nucleic bases, was studied. The pKm--pH dependence curve showed bends within the following intervals of pH: 3.5--4.0 and 5.6--6.0 (upward side concavity) and 6.2--6.8 (downward side concavity). The pKi--pH dependence for adenosine-3'-monophosphate as an inhibitor is identical to the pH dependence on pKm for the substrate. On the other hand, the pKi--pH dependence curves obtained for the base-free inhibitors (ribose-5'-monophosphate, or phosphate (adenosine) show no bends within the pH intervals of 3.0--4.0 and 5.6--7.0 respectively. A possibility is discussed of the presence of a carboxylic (pK 3.58+/-0.1) and two imidazole groups (pK 6.42+/-0.1--a weakly protonated and 5.8+/-+/-0.1--a strongly protonated group) in the RNAse active site and their participation in the formation of the RNAse-nucleotide (RNAse-substrate) complex.


This paper analyses the diversification potential of direct and listed real estate markets. In a first step, we consider a parametric and non-parametric correlation analysis among 15 national real estate market annual return indices covering the period 2001-2017. To correct for small sample potential biases, confidence intervals are estimated with a percentile t-bootstrap methodology. Our findings are in line with previously reported results in the literature in that it confirms that real estate markets do not present significant diversification opportunities except for a few countries including Australia, Germany and South Africa. In a second step, we calculate the associated coherences to distinguish between long-run and short-run diversification benefits. It appears that the prospects for diversification are generally low in the long run as markets tend to move together internationally whereas diversification can be achieved in the short run in many cases. Finally, we consider a well-known CAPM specification using the S&P global All Property Index. The model is estimated in a panel fashion as in Petersen (2009) and Ando and Bai (2014) with country fixed effects. Three CAPMs are estimated using the direct real estate returns by property type in the 15 markets, including their short and long-run components.


The "cognitive sonar" (CS) is a novel concept which depicts the vision of next generation sonar systems. The CS can adaptively adjust strategies of transmitting and receiving algorithms by the feedback from complex underwater acoustic environment and various kinds of targets. The adjustable transmitting waveform is one of CS basis. Dolphin sonar system is able to perform the task of detection and recognition well in the noisy and highly reverberant environments. The crucial foundation of dolphin sonar system is the complex broadband click. In order to design optimal sonar waveform for the cognitive sonar system, this article introduces a multi-components signal model of bio-inspired dolphin click to serve as the cognitive sonar waveform (CSW). The model of CSW is established by components with different parameters, such as duration, frequency band, waveform, and delay between the components. In this signal model, the parameters can be adjusted flexibly. The speed and range resolution of CSW is analyzed by the tool of ambiguity function. Using a Q-function, the anti-reverberation performance is analyzed. The results show that the resolution can be flexibly adjusted by controlling the parameters of CSW and adapt to different environments and various targets. Also, the synthetic signals have a good performance of reverberation suppression.


Monocyte deactivation has been identified as a major factor of immunosuppression in sepsis and is associated with a loss of surface human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR) expression on circulating monocytes. Using flow cytometry, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, we investigated this phenomenon in septic patients. We confirmed the early loss of monocyte HLA-DR expression in all infected patients and demonstrated that this persistent lowered expression at Day 6 correlated with severity scores, secondary infection, and death. This phenomenon occurred at a transcriptional level via a decrease in the class II transactivator A (CIITA) transcription. Furthermore, these abnormalities correlated with the high cortisol levels observed in sepsis and not with those of other putative factors such as catecholamines or interleukin-10. Finally, in vitro studies evidenced that glucocorticoids decrease HLA-DR expression at a transcriptional level via a decrease in CIITA mRNA levels, mainly by down modulating its isoforms I and III. We conclude that in human sepsis, the loss of HLA-DR expression on circulating monocytes is associated with a poor outcome. We suggest that the high endogenous cortisol level observed in septic shock may be a possible new factor involved in the loss of HLA-DR expression on monocytes via its effect on HLA-DR and CIITA transcription.