Phospholipase C (PLC) is a membrane-associated enzyme that regulates several cellular behaviors including cell motility, growth, transformation and differentiation. PLC is involved in cancer migration, invasion and drug resistance. However, the expression status and prognostic role of PLCB4 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remain unclear. In the present study, the complete clinical and mRNA expression data of 285 pediatric patients with de novo AML were obtained from the Therapeutically Available Research to Generate Effective Treatments database. The association between PLCB4 expression and clinical and molecular features was explored. The expression of PLCB4 was significantly higher in patients with AML who relapsed compared with those with long-term complete remission. Patients with PLCB4 upregulation had significantly lower overall survival (OS) and event free survival (EFS) rate compared with those with low PLCB4 expression. Multivariate Cox's regression analyses demonstrated that high PLCB4 expression was an independent risk factor of adverse OS (P<0.01; HR, 2.081) and EFS (P<0.01; HR, 2.130). Following stratification analysis according to transplant status in cases of first complete remission, the patients with high expression of PLCB4 had significantly lower OS and EFS rate in the chemotherapy group, but not the stem cell transplant group. Furthermore, PLCB4-associated genes were identified using Spearman's rank correlation analysis. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that PLCB4 and its associated genes were mainly involved in three potential pathways, including the Rap1 signaling pathway. Overall, the findings of the present study suggest that increased PLCB4 expression is associated with poor clinical outcome in pediatric patients with AML, and thus may represent a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for AML.


ABSTRACT The petroleum geologist's search for energy sources leads him to prospective areas where he conceives structural or stratigraphic traps. This is only the beginning, however, for in order to understand and delineate the potential of an area one needs a clear and concise concept of the depth -- burial -- migration sequence of the prospect. In an effort to clarify and relate this concept to future prospects, the writers have chosen to analyze Old Ocean Field. An explanation is offered for the absence of significant hydrocarbons in pre-F-21 sands. The F-21 is local nomenclature for a producing sand body found approximately 300 feet below the top of the Lower Frio. One gas-condensate reservoir (F-21) and one oil reservoir (F-12) with a sizeable gas cap are analyzed by following their structural development from the time of earliest closure to the completion time of hydrocarbon migration. This is done through the presentation of a series of cumulative isopach maps. In the case of the F-21 reservoir, a small anticlinal trap was available to migrating hydrocarbons as early as the time of deposition of the F-19 sand. In the instance of the F-12 reservoir, closure was established by the time of deposition of the Nodosaria blanpiedi marker. Migration could have started this early, provided a supply of hydrocarbons was available. Based on the size of the traps then available, the depth of burial at that time and the associated pressure -- volume -- temperature relationships, it was deduced that accumulation in both reservoirs could have been completed by the beginning of Miocene deposition, but not much earlier. This time coincides approximately with cessation of movement on the principal fault. The structure was located in an area of drainage that was large enough and sufficiently rich in hydrocarbon source rocks to provide the known reserves. It is further concluded that a trap existed at such time as physical and chemical conditions permitted release of oil and gas from the source material, and they became free to migrate. End_of_Record - Last_Page 96--------


Purpose: The aim of this study was to validate data arising from the Rostock Cornea Module (RCM) of the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph. Morphological parameters of the cornea were analyzed according to their dependency on patient's age. Methods: RCM measurements of 60 healthy eyes within 2 different age groups (group 1 <35 years, group 2 >50 years) were compared with the corneal thickness determined by the Oculus Pentacam and the endothelial cell density measured by the Tomey endothelial microscope, EM-2000. Results: The mean corneal thickness measured with the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph/RCM was 517 ± 31 μm and 542 ± 30 μm with the Oculus Pentacam (correlation coefficient, R = 0.78). Group 1 showed a corneal thickness of 509 ± 24μm with the RCM and 531 ± 27μm with the Pentacam. In group 2, the corneal thickness was 525 ± 34 μm and 553 ± 29 μm, respectively. A significant increase in corneal thickness for older patients could be shown. The differences between the methods and the age groups were statistically significant (P < 0.0001). The average endothelial cell density measured with the RCM was 2779 ± 472 cells per square millimeter. Between the age groups and the methods (RCM and endothelial microscope), no statistically significant differences could be found. Cell densities for the epithelial cell layers and keratocytes showed no significant correlation with age and sex of the patients. Conclusions: The RCM provides a reliable procedure for the evaluation of all corneal layers including morphological parameters. Endothelial cell densities either determined with the RCM or the EM-2000 are generally comparable to each other and showed no significant differences. It is suggested that lower corneal thickness measurements of the RCM can be caused by pressure during examination. An increased corneal thickness in the older group could be determined with the RCM and the Oculus Pentacam.


Abstract The problem of modeling non-stationary signals with long range dependence is considered in this paper by using piecewise fractional autoregressive integrated moving average processes. In this piecewise model the number and the locations of structural change points as well as the parameters of each stationary regime are assumed to be unknown. We propose a procedure to find out all the parameters of the model. Its effectiveness is shown by Monte Carlo simulations and our method is applied to model Internet traffic data.


An experiment is proposed to test the theory recently advanced by Feynman and Gell-Mann on the vector interaction in P decay. According to the theory, the Fermi coupling constant is not appreciably altered by renormalization, in agreement with experiment. A further property of the theory is exploited here, that analogous y and P transitions in light nuclei have proportional matrix elements, as far as the V interaction is concerned. In particular, the V interaction gives rise to "weak magnetism" analogous to the magnetic effects that induce the emission of 351 photons. This "weak magnetism" obeys Gamow-Teller selection rules and interferes with the A coupling, distorting the spectra of high-energy P transitions with nJ=1 (no). It is suggested that the P spectra of B" and N' be measured accurately and compared. Departure from linearity of the Kurie plot should be noticed in each case; the ratio of the spectra can be calculated with confidence on the basis of the theory, which predicts a 20% effect. The measured y-ray width of the 15.11-Mev state in C'2 is used in the calculation.


ABSTRACT Scholarly literature on science-policy interaction is typically divided between advocating that science and policy need to be brought closer together or separated. In a recent article in this journal, Sundqvist and colleagues [Sundqvist et al. (2018) Oneworld or two? Science–policy interactions in the climate field, Critical Policy Studies, 12:4, 448–468] proposed a typology that structures this debate. We use their typology to conduct a text analysis on empirical material from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) internal consultation on its future. We find that science-policy practitioners are not as divided as the scholarly debate. Moreover, while the typology is a powerful tool in unearthing differences in opinion regarding science-policy interaction, it comes at the price of reductionism. We suggest that a continuum, instead of separate boxes, helps visualize the large spectrum of ideas. However, regardless of type of typology, it is important that the discussion goes beyond the relationship between science and policy, and beyond an unconstructive battle between extremes. It is neither possible nor normatively desirable to demarcate 'science', 'policy' and other actors. Whilst this discussion is of central importance to the IPCC, greater focus should be put on its relationship with society.


This work presents a large dataset of High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) sequences aimed at creating a reference for researchers involved in video quality research. Ten sequences with different characteristics have been encoded with different parameters, resulting in 59520 videos which have been processed to provide objective quality measurements at frame-level granularity. The ultimate objective is to make this database, which is already publicly available, a reference for researchers involved in designing hybrid video quality measurements, so that it can be used for both investigation and reproduction of results. Besides describing the context and database content, this paper also provides a glimpse on the possible uses of the already available data, as well as the two directions towards which the project is being expanded: incorporating new objective measurements and evaluating quality for corrupted videos with realistic loss traces.


The purpose of this article is to analyse what motivates the migrants from the Central African Region who are in the diaspora, to remit part of their earnings to target development within their region of origin. This contribution is based on the hypothesis that the remittances of the migrants living abroad are organized and motivated by altruism to contribute to the improvement of the social welfare. We have used a utility function, and an altruistic preference function to show that altruism is the main driving force for diasporans to continue supporting various development projects in their countries of origin. The main result is that, altruistic diasporans are the key strategic agents that make the nexus between migration and development a reality.


Promising results of an efficient and convenient strategy for the annulation of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), employing orthoquinones as starting material and comprising allylation, pinacol rearrangement, ring-closing metathesis (RCM), and one-pot reduction followed by Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement, are presented. The strategy involves introducing triallylborane prepared in situ in the allylation step. Moreover, a novel expedient method for the preparation of 9,10-diallylphenanthrene was introduced.


This paper describes a solution algorithm for ultrawideband orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) signal processing. A single pointlike target is assumed, and stripmap SAR geometry is used for the analysis. The peculiarity of extracting phase history from a multicarrier return signal-such as OFDM-is in solving for the phase component using all signals' subbands in frequency domain. The least squares approach is used to find the solution form, and a grid search algorithm is used to find the phase history sample estimates. Simulation results illustrating the algorithm's performance in a 1-D cross-range profile reconstruction case, as well as in 2-D SAR imaging scenarios, are presented and discussed. It is shown that the proposed method is effective in reconstructing cross-range profiles and possesses high potential for adaptive SAR imaging while exhibiting good computational performance approximating that of range-Doppler algorithm.


The determination of alloying and impurity elements was performed from a stainless steel matrix and inclusions in process samples. An electrolytic extraction method was applied for the separation of inclusions using two different but commonly used electrolytes, 10% HCl and 10% acetylacetone in methanol. The elemental analyses were performed using atomic absorption spectrometry. The elements of interest were aluminum, arsenic, copper, vanadium, titanium and chromium. The aluminum containing inclusions were imaged using a field emission scanning electron microscope. The results for copper and chromium in both electrolytes, vanadium in 10% HCl electrolyte and arsenic in 10% acetylacetone electrolyte were in good agreement with industrial data. Titanium and aluminum were measured from the dissolved steel matrix but titanium was also detected in the inclusions. It was concluded that the analytical results for titanium and aluminum measured using an optical emission spectrometer is affected by the inclusions within the stainless steel.


The use of information technology has become a very influential factor in the company. Information technology is now in the direction of mobile smart devices (mobile / smartphones). One application of information and communication technology used is the development of employee attendance systems by utilizing GPS (Global Positioning System) which is associated with the filing function of employee leave. Employee attendance includes hours of entry and completion of work, while leave includes maternity leave, sick leave, annual leave, and leave for important reasons. The employee attendance and leave application development uses Android operating system based programming used in smartphones. By using the SWOT analysis method (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) the problems that occur in the existing system are procedures for approval of attendance and leave which are still carried out outside the existing system. So it still has to ask for verbal approval to the boss after input leave in the system. The alternative problem solving provided aims to maximize the functions of the existing system in order to accommodate the needs of the employee leave procedure. This development aims to make it easier for employees, superiors, and the human resources department to submit, approve and check employee absences and leave


The efficient separation of CO2 from other light gases has received growing attentions due to its importance in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and applications in gas purification. In this work, we developed a series of composite membranes composed of ether-functionalized pyridinium-based ionic liquids ([EnPy][NTf2]) and cellulose acetate (CA) polymer matrices to improve CO2 separation performance. CA + [EnPy][NTf2] and CA + [CnPy][NTf2] composite membranes were fabricated by a casting method. The CO2, N2 and CH4 permeabilities of the CA + IL composite membranes were measured, and the CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 permselectivities were further calculated. The results showed that the CA + 40 wt% [E1Py][NTf2] composite membrane exhibits approximately a seven-fold increase in CO2 permeability with CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 permselectivities of 32 and 24, respectively. The characterization results showed that the mechanical properties and thermal stabilities of the CA + [E1Py][NTf2] composite membranes are affected by both plasticizing effect and affinity of the ILs for the gases, which also lead to the changes in the CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 permselectivities. Compared with membranes containing the non-functionalized analogues [CnPy][NTf2], the addition of [EnPy][NTf2] improves the ideal permselectivities of CA + IL composite membranes, whereas it decreases slightly the gas permeabilities.


Fitness to plead is a fundamental legal concept. Its determination in England and Wales rests on professional interpretation of the 'Pritchard' criteria (1836). In the United States, the determination of the analogous concept of competence to stand trial rests on professional interpretation of the 'Dusky' criteria (1960). Numerous assessment instruments have been developed in North America to help guide professional determinations of competence to stand trial, but such assessments are not routinely employed in British settings. The evidence reviewed calls into question the utility of the fitness to plead construct as currently formulated and highlights the inadequacy of the procedures employed in its determination. We argue that both conceptual and procedural changes are required.


ABSTRACT: Herpes zoster ophthalmicus can be complicated by a delayed ipsilateral cerebral angiitis which may cause infarction and a smoldering meningoencephalitis. We describe such a case treated successfully with steroids and acyclovir. It is important to consider the diagnosis of this disorder early since therapeutic intervention may prevent an otherwise high morbidity and mortality. Steroids may have to be continued for some time after clinical resolution, using the ESR as a guideline for decreasing dosages.


Objective: To investigate the outcomes of knee dislocations treated with primary repair and an early rehabilitation protocol. Design: Retrospective. Settings: Level 1 Trauma Center. Patients: Consecutive patients with knee dislocation referred to a single surgeon for care between 1994 and 2002 were included, for a total of 27 patients with 30 knee dislocations. Twenty-five patients (28 knees) were evaluated by an independent observer at a mean of 48 months (13-82 months). Intervention: All patients underwent primary repair of all injured ligaments using a consistent technique and early rehabilitation protocol. Main Outcome Measurements: In addition to range of motion and stability assessment, Lysholm and Tegner scores were used to evaluate outcome. Results: The mean post-operative Lysholm score was 89.0. Range of motion analysis for the 22 unilateral dislocations available for examination showed a mean extension loss of 1.9° and mean flexion loss of 10.2°, with a mean arc of motion of 119.3°. Overall, the knees were found to be clinically stable. Conclusions: Primary repair of ligaments coupled with an early rehabilitation program provides comparable outcomes to published results of ligament reconstruction. Primary repair of ligaments in the dislocated knee should be considered as an effective option in the trauma population.


Significance Geochemical models of the phosphorus (P) cycle uniquely ignore microbial redox transformations. Yet phosphite is a reduced P source that has been detected in several environments at concentrations that suggest a contemporary P redox cycle. Microbial dissimilatory phosphite oxidation (DPO) converts soluble phosphite into phosphate, and a false notion of rarity has limited our understanding of its diversity and environmental distribution. Here we demonstrate that DPO is an ancient energy metabolism hosted by taxonomically diverse, autotrophic bacteria that exist globally throughout anoxic environments. DPO microorganisms are therefore likely to have provided bioavailable phosphate and fixed carbon to anoxic ecosystems throughout Earth's history and continue to do so in contemporary environments. Phosphite is the most energetically favorable chemotrophic electron donor known, with a half-cell potential (Eo′) of −650 mV for the PO43−/PO33− couple. Since the discovery of microbial dissimilatory phosphite oxidation (DPO) in 2000, the environmental distribution, evolution, and diversity of DPO microorganisms (DPOMs) have remained enigmatic, as only two species have been identified. Here, metagenomic sequencing of phosphite-enriched microbial communities enabled the genome reconstruction and metabolic characterization of 21 additional DPOMs. These DPOMs spanned six classes of bacteria, including the Negativicutes, Desulfotomaculia, Synergistia, Syntrophia, Desulfobacteria, and Desulfomonilia_A. Comparing the DPO genes from the genomes of enriched organisms with over 17,000 publicly available metagenomes revealed the global existence of this metabolism in diverse anoxic environments, including wastewaters, sediments, and subsurface aquifers. Despite their newfound environmental and taxonomic diversity, metagenomic analyses suggested that the typical DPOM is a chemolithoautotroph that occupies low-oxygen environments and specializes in phosphite oxidation coupled to CO2 reduction. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the DPO genes form a highly conserved cluster that likely has ancient origins predating the split of monoderm and diderm bacteria. By coupling microbial cultivation strategies with metagenomics, these studies highlighted the unsampled metabolic versatility latent in microbial communities. We have uncovered the unexpected prevalence, diversity, biochemical specialization, and ancient origins of a unique metabolism central to the redox cycling of phosphorus, a primary nutrient on Earth.


PURPOSE
To study the relationship between atrophic glossitis and anemia, anemia types and other related factors(oral candida infection, xerostomia) in 124 consecutive cases.

METHODS
One hundred and twenty-four cases with atrophic glossitis and 53 healthy controls were collected from Qingdao local population. The main indexes including general status, oral examination findings, hemoglobin (Hb), mean red blood cell volume (MCV), vitamin B12, ferritin, folic acid, anemia and anemia type, xerostomia and candida infection were statistically analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software package for Student's t test.

RESULTS
Among 124 cases of glossitis group, 48.39% were found with anemia, 41.94% with xerostomia, 79.03% with Candida infection, 29.03% with Vitamin B12 deficiency, 22.58% with ferritin deficiency, 11.29% with folic acid deficiency. The contents of hemoglobin, ferritin and vitamin B12 in glossitis group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05), and the number of glossitis patients with anemia, xerostomia and candida infection were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in folic acid content between the two groups(P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Occurrence of atrophic glossitis is closely related to anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency, ferritin deficiency, xerostomia, oral candida infection. There is no correlation with folic acid deficiency. Patients with atrophic glossitis accompanied by anemia have a higher proportion of macrocytic anemia.


Introduction: More than 80% of men with aggressive prostate cancer (PCa) develop metastatic disease and skeletal complications leading to a dramatic reduction in quality of life. There is a deficit in effective biomarkers predicting disease progression, response to treatment, or metastasis at early stages when intervention would be possible. A critical need exists for novel therapeutic targets to prevent PCa metastasis to bone. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are informative biomarkers, as they circulate, are easily detected in human serum, and are coupled to targets reflecting deregulated pathways. Secreted miRNAs may be bound to proteins, membrane-encapsulated, or free RNA molecules and can act as intercellular signaling molecules. Here we tested the hypothesis that miRNAs secreted from prostate cancer cells in the primary tumor function locally and at distal sites to alter the normal tissue environment and promote PCa. Objective: Use global miRNA and gene expression analysis to 1) define cohorts of miRNAs secreted from prostate cancer cells representing different disease stages, 2) identify expression levels of their target mRNAs, and 3) provide insight into mechanisms of secreted miRNA activity in promoting prostate cancer tumor growth and metastasis. Methods: RNA was isolated from normal prostate epithelial (RWPE-1), early stage, androgen responsive PCa (LNCaP), and late stage, androgen insensitive PCa (PC-3) cell lines and from their conditioned media. Global expression of both secreted and extracellular miRNAs were interrogated using Affymetrix miRNA v4.0 microarrays (miRBase v20). Stranded RNA-seq was performed in parallel to identify differential expression of miRNA target mRNAs. We utilized the RNA-seq data to limit predicted mRNAs to those having reciprocal expression changes to their targeting miRNA. Enriched biological pathways of candidate miRNAs were identified for these predicted mRNA targets. Results: To identify secreted miRNAs that are candidates for promoting prostatic tumor growth, cancer progression, and metastatic bone disease, we compared differentially expressed miRNAs between PCa cell lines and their conditioned media. While numerous miRNAs are found to be both secreted and expressed robustly in the cell layer, we find unique subsets of miRNAs in each cell line that are either preferentially secreted or retained within the cell. We examined putative mRNA targets of these miRNAs in our gene expression data and established reciprocal mRNA-miRNA relationships. The miRNAs were found to be associated with pathways known to play a role in PCa and metastatic bone disease including ErbB, Wnt, TGF-beta, and MAPK signaling, as well as previously unassociated biological processes. Functional in vitro assays were performed for several candidate miRNAs that were overexpressed or inhibited in normal prostate epithelial RWPE-1 and highly metastatic PC-3 cell lines. Phenotypic changes, including motility, invasion, migration, and proliferation, were monitored. As an example, inhibition of miR-30a-5p, an established tumor suppressor, increases the rate at which RWPE-1 and PC-3 cells migrate to heal a cell layer scratch while overexpression prevents wound closure in RWPE-1 cells. In vivo orthotopic experiments to assay the ability of candidate miRNAs to promote local and metastatic PCa tumor growth are ongoing. Conclusion: Our combined data identify, for the first time, miRNAs secreted from prostate tumor cells that promote metastatic events of prostate cancer. Several of these miRNAs have been reported to be elevated in PCa patient serum and can provide diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers of tumor development, response to treatment, and recurrence. Our findings link these miRNAs to deregulated cellular pathways for potential intervention of prostate cancer progression. Citation Format: Nicholas H. Farina, Cody J. Callahan, Coralee E. Tye, Joseph R. Boyd, Gary S. Stein, Janet L. Stein, Jane B. Lian. Secreted microRNAs from prostate cancer cells: Novel therapeutic targets. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Noncoding RNAs and Cancer: Mechanisms to Medicines ; 2015 Dec 4-7; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(6 Suppl):Abstract nr B34.


Aims and method To describe the characteristicsof probationers assessed(n=83) and supported (n=31) by a mental health worker (MHW)attached to a probation service. A survey of cases and case descriptions. Results Referrals were predominantly White, unemployed males on probation orders. Most had acquisitive/property and violent convictions along with substance misuse problems and personality disorder diagnoses. The MHW supported probationers already in contact with psychiatric services and provided a safety net, and sometimes sole support, to those who were not. Clinical implications The MHW helped to bridge the gap between criminal justice and mental health systems by facilitating contact between probationers and psychiatric services. The clinical effectiveness of the scheme should now be examined.


The plenary talk at DASC 2016 by Dr. Parimal Kopardekar, the Principal Investigator of NASA UTM program, highlighted understanding the role of volume, noise and spectrum considerations in airspace demand-capacity modeling as the three requests from UTM developers to the avionics research community [1]. This paper proposes initial answers to all three requests, for the case of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operating in low-altitude uncontrolled airspace above populated areas: we estimate airspace capacity under several metrics centered on traffic volume manageability, drones noise pollution and spectrum demand. Our work aids in bridging regulators and the industry, by providing policy makers with decision support tools which help to quantify technological requirements which the manufacturers must follow in order to ensure seamless operation of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) in an urban airspace.


In order to evaluate myocardial viability, we developed a new method for quantification of redistributed area in Tl-201 myocardial SPECT, and it was applied to 71 patients with LAD lesion. Initial image was subtracted from delayed image, and redistributed area was displayed as an unfolded map (viability map). Extent and viability score, which correspond to extent and degree of the viable area, was also calculated. In the cases with prior myocardial infarction, viability score was widely distributed and extent score was smaller, while the cases with angina pectoris had larger extent score. Visual assessment of redistribution to the infarcted area was compared with % score, which was calculated as ratio to initial defect score. When the criteria of viability was defined as % viability score greater than 36 or % extent score greater than 16, quantitative evaluation agreed with visual assessment, and corresponded to clinical course. This method was considered to be effective for evaluation of extent and degree of myocardial viability, but further evaluation need to be done in comparison with reinjection, PET study, and so on, and usefulness in multi-vessel disease.


Qualitative research is adventurous and creative, and committed to understanding unique human experiences in specific cultural ecologies. Qualitative interviewing with Deaf participants is far more challenging for hearing researchers who do not understand sign language, and for this reason such interactions may require the use of a sign language interpreter to facilitate the interview process. However, the quality of sign language interpreter-mediated interactions is likely to be compromised due to omissions, oversights, misinterpretations or additions that may occur during translation. An unthoughtful and poor interpretation of a communicative event by a sign language interpreter during a qualitative interview with Deaf participants may lead to an imposition of the interpreter's or the researcher's realities on Deaf participants' lived experiences. It is thus important that qualitative researchers who conduct sign language interpreter-mediated interviews with Deaf participants employ practical and flexible ways to enhance such interactions. To understand the everyday realities of Deaf people amid the Covid-19 pandemic in Ghana, and document same to inform policy and practice, we conducted qualitative interviews with Deaf participants in Ghana. In this article, we draw insights from our data collection experiences with Deaf participants in Ghana to offer some useful methodological reflections for minimizing omissions in sign language-mediated qualitative interviews and thereby enhancing qualitative data quality. We particularly discuss how qualitative researchers can use language flexibility and post-interview informal conversations with a sign language interpreter to create a natural non-formal interactional atmosphere that engenders natural conversational flow to minimize interpretation omissions and differential power relations in sign language interpreter-mediated qualitative interviews with Deaf participants.


Due to its crucial role in DNA synthesis, thymidylate synthase (TS) has been considered as a potential therapeutic target. Inhibition of the enzyme is a promising strategy for the treatment of some hyperproliferative diseases, including infections. As TS species‐specific inhibitors would be able to distinguish between the host and the pathogens, developing highly selective inhibitors is of great clinical importance. TS is among the most highly conserved enzymes over evolutionary history, making the design of its species‐selective inhibitor significantly challenging. The chemical interaction space, governed by a set of non‐selective TS inhibitors, has been explored for human TS and its homologous proteins in both Toxoplasma gondii and Escherichia coli using proteochemometrics modeling (PCM). Validity, robustness, and prediction power of the PCM model have been assessed applying a diverse set of internal/external validation approaches. Our PCM model has provided major structural information, which is indeed of great help to design new TS species‐specific inhibitors with the simultaneous inhibition ability toward both T. gondii and E. coli. To show applicability of the PCM model, new compounds have been designed based on structural information provided by the constructed model. Final results have been very promising with regard to selectivity ratios of the designed compounds for different TS isoforms, confirming the applicability of the PCM model.


Objectives To evaluate the effect of psychotherapy for depression in patients receiving disability benefits. Methods Using administrative data from a large Canadian, private, disability insurer, we evaluated the association between the provision of psychotherapy and other potentially predictive factors with time to long-term disability (LTD) claim closure. Results We analysed 10,338 LTD claims in which depression was the primary disabling complaint. Depression management included psychotherapy in 1580 (15.3%) LTD claims. In our adjusted analyses, receipt of psychotherapy was associated with faster claim closure (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.33 to 1.52). Older age per decade (0.83 [0.80 to 0.85] respectively), a primary diagnosis of recurrent depression (0.80 [0.74 to 0.87]) versus major depression, a secondary psychological (0.77 [0.72 to 0.81]), or non-psychological diagnosis (0.66 [0.61 to 0.71]), a longer time to claim approval (0.995 [0.992 to 0.998], and an administrative services only policy (0.87 [0.78 to 0.96] or refund policy (0.73 [0.69 to 0.77]) versus non-refund policy were associated with longer time to claim closure. Residing in the Prairies (1.46 [1.35 to 1.57]) and Quebec (1.93 [1.82 to 2.05]) versus Ontario were associated with faster LTD claim closure. Conclusions We found multiple factors, including psychotherapy, which were predictive of time to LTD claim closure. Our findings may however be influenced by selection bias and other biases that present challenges to the analysis and interpretation of administrative data, and highlight the need for well-designed prospective studies.


In this paper we describe a speaker diarization system that enables localization and identification of all speakers present in a conversation or meeting. We propose a novel systematic approach to tackle several long-standing challenges in speaker diarization tasks: (1) to segment and separate overlapping speech from two speakers; (2) to estimate the number of speakers when participants may enter or leave the conversation at any time; (3) to provide accurate speaker identification on short text-independent utterances; (4) to track down speakers movement during the conversation; (5) to detect speaker change incidence real-time. First, a differential directional microphone array-based approach is exploited to capture the target speakers' voice in far-field adverse environment. Second, an online speaker-location joint clustering approach is proposed to keep track of speaker location. Third, an instant speaker number detector is developed to trigger the mechanism that separates overlapped speech. The results suggest that our system effectively incorporates spatial information and achieves significant gains.


A new series of flurbiprofen derivatives containing thiosemicarbazide moiety ( 3-7 ) was synthesized from flurbiprofen as parent nucleus by esterification, hydrazide formation, and heating with different aryl isothiocyanate substituents, respectively. Flurbiprofen was also treated with thiosemicarbazide in the presence POCl 3 as a catalyst, to produce 1,3,4 -thiadiazole -2-amine ( 8 ). Treatment of ( 8 ) with different aryl isothiocyanates produced thiourea derivatives ( 9-12 ). Also, the reaction of ( 8 ) with different benzoyl chloride substituents produced benzamide compounds ( 13-15 ). Eventually , treatment of ( 8 ) with ethyl acetoacetate(EAA) produced [1,3,4]thiadiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-7-one ( 16 ) .The new compounds were characterized by spectroscopic techniques :FTIR, 1 HNMR, and CHNS analysis. A molecular docking study for the synthesized compounds ( 3-16 ), against the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor receptor (VEGFR-2) was applied and it indicated that compounds 4,7,13, and 15 ,exhibited the optimum binding energy of -6.77, -6.12,-6.68, and -6.43 kcal/mol, respectively. Target compounds were also assessed for their in vitro anticancer effects in a cell-line study. All of the compounds tested showed the most plausible anticancer activity, compared to a positive control(Sorafenib), using in vitro MTT cytotoxic assay ,against human breast tumor (MCF-7), and normal WRL-68 cell line. The in vitro results revealed that compounds 4,5,10,11,13 , and 15 exhibited the highest inhibitory activity at their IC 50 concentrations, against MCF-7 cell lines, as follows (122.7,113.9,95,7. 109.1,40.32 and 112.29µg/mL, respectively. While their cytotoxic effect against normal WRL-68 cell line at their IC 50 concentrations, as follow 210.2, 181.3 ,151.7,278.7,80.28, and 236 µg/mL, respectively, therefore, such compounds were considered more selective toward MCF-7 than normal WRL-68,and their selectivity index (SI): 1.71,1.59,1.59 ,2.55 ,1.99 , and 2.10,respectively . Among the synthesized compounds, the compound 15 was chosen to screen its effect in vitro through multi-parameter cytotoxic assay against MCF-7 breast cancer implemented in High Content Screening (ArrayScan XTI, Thermo Scientific),which could be taken in consideration as a starting point for the development of new anticancer drugs.


This work is focused on the evaluation of the anti anti-inflammatory activity of fractionated extracts of Salvia officinalis in experimental model of peritonitis. The extract of Salvia officinalis was produced by maceration with ethanol and fractionated by increasing the polarity of the solvents from hexane to methanol in a thin layer chromatographic column with Silica Gel 60 as stationary phase. The acute induced-peritonitis assay was used as model of inflammation, were the fractionated extracts of S. officinalis were administered subcutaneously. After 4h of induction of inflammation the number of total circulating leukocytes was not increased in animals that received the methanol extract. After the induction of inflammation, all animals except those treated with the fraction of ethyl acetate and methanol showed an increased number of circulating neutrophils. The results obtained suggesting the occurrence of inhibition of the total leukocytes recruitment in the circulating blood after the induced-inflammatory process by ethyl acetate and methanolic extracts of S. officinalis in a single dose of 25 µg.kg -1 . It was concluded that the extracts of S. officinalis could be used as anti-inflammatory agent.


Novel nanomaterials are expected to play key roles for the promotion of innovations in the various industrial products. In order to make such novel nanomaterials to be socially acceptable and widely used, it is very important and necessary to establish the reliable nano-characterization methodology for the industrial nanomaterials under the authorized international scheme for standardization. Among the nano-characterization methods, scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is the most versatile both in the measurement functions and the operational environments. Whereas there are various nanomaterials of industrial application, fullerene nanomaterials (FNM) have attracted much attention due to their unique physical properties. Here we show the importance of the quantitative analysis and standardization of SPM using FNM as a typical example.


Abstract. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a particle cluster with diameters less than or equal to 2.5 μm. Over the past few decades, regional air pollution composed of PM2.5 has frequently occurred over Central and Eastern China. In order to estimate the concentration, distribution and other properties of PM2.5, the general retrieval models built by establishing the relationship between aerosol optical depth (AOD) and PM2.5 has been widely used in many studies, including experimental models via statistics analysis and physical models with certain physical mechanism. The statistical experimental models can't be extended to other areas or historical period due to its dependence on the ground-based observations and necessary auxiliary data, which limits its further application. In this paper, a physically based model is applied to estimate the concentration of PM2.5 over Central and Eastern China from 2007 to 2016. The ground-based PM2.5 measurements were used to be as reference data to validate our retrieval results. Then annual variation and distribution of PM2.5 concentration in the Central and Eastern China was analysed. Results shows that the annual average PM2.5 show a trend of gradually increasing and then decreasing during 2007–2016, with the highest value in 2011.


This review looks at carbon nanotubes (CNT) capabilities as toughening agent in ceramic composite. CNT have
exceptional mechanical strength of up to 60 GPa and stiffness of 1 TPa. Ceramic however is hard, brittle and lack of
toughness. CNT were found to be capable to provide up to 173% improvement in fracture toughness of ceramic with 19
vol.% CNT. The degree of toughness improvement on CNT ceramic composite is dependent on the following parameters;
i) CNT homogenous dispersion in the composite, ii) inter-wall and interfacial strength between CNT and ceramic, iii)
method of producing the CNT ceramic composite, and iv) the resultant toughening mechanisms.


Food allergy is a common health problem and can cause anaphylaxis. Avoidance of the offending food allergen is still the mainstay therapeutic approach. In this study, we investigated the role of plasma cell reduction by proteasome inhibition in a murine model of food allergy and examined the impact of this treatment on the systemic and local immune response. For this purpose, intestinal anaphylaxis was induced in BALB/c mice with the food allergen hazelnut, in conjunction with different adjuvants (alum and Staphylococcal enterotoxin B SEB) and different administration routes (oral and intraperitoneal). In both models, allergy symptoms were observed, but the clinical severity was more pronounced in the hazelnut‐alum model than in the hazelnut‐SEB model. Accordingly, allergen‐specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) against hazelnut was detectable, and mast cell protease‐1 in serum was increased after allergen provocation. Treatment with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib reduced plasma cells and resulted in an abolishment of hazelnut allergen‐specific IgE, which was associated with amelioration of clinical symptoms as well as a significant decrease in both CD19+ and follicular B lymphocytes. Our data demonstrate the importance of allergen‐specific IgE in food allergy and point to B cells as potential therapeutic targets for its treatment.


We discuss a simple, exactly solvable model of stochastic stock dynamics that incorporates regime switching between healthy and distressed regimes. Using this model, which is analytically tractable, we discuss a way of extracting expected returns for stocks from realized CDS spreads, essentially, the CDS market sentiment about future stock returns. This alpha/signal could be useful in a cross-sectional (statistical arbitrage) context for equities trading.


A report is presented on GaAs/(Al,Ga)As terahertz (THz) quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs) based on alternating photon and longitudinal optical (LO) phonon-assisted transitions between quasi-minibands. The design is optimised for low threshold current densities and low operating voltages, resulting in reduced ohmic heating during continuous-wave (CW) operation. The QCLs exhibit lasing over a broad range of frequencies from 2.91 to 3.21 THz. Using single-plasmon waveguides, pulsed operation up to 114 K and CW operation up to 65 K has been achieved.


Third and higher order quantum virial coefficients require the solution of the corresponding quantum many-body problem. Nevertheless, in an earlier paper (Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 260402 (2012)) we proposed that the higher-order cluster integrals of a dilute unitary fermionic gas may be approximated in terms of the two-body cluster, together with an appropriate suppression factor. Although not exact, this ansatz gave a fair agreement up to fugacity z=6 with the experimentally obtained equation of state. The objective of the present note is to give some physical arguments in favor of this ansatz.


The RELAP5 independent assessment project at Sandia National Laboratories is part of an overall effort funded by the NRC to determine the ability of various systems codes to predict the detailed thermal/hydraulic response of LWR's during accident and off-normal conditions. The RELAP5 code is being assessed at SNLA against test data from various integral and separate effects test facilities. As part of this assessment matrix, a small break transient and subsequent partial core uncovery transient performed at the LOFT facility have been analyzed. The results show that RELAP5/MOD1 does very well on predicting the qualitative behavior for this small break experiment, although there are a number of quantitative disagreements.


Workplace stress is common across occupations and across nations. However, there has been limited research examining the similarities and differences across cultures, and none that seem to have used a direct comparison across one professional area using the same extensive and validated questionnaire. One such questionnaire is the Occupational Stress Inventory-Revised (OSI-R: Osipow 1998) which assesses three main dimensions related to stress: "occupational roles" (stressors), "personal strain" (experienced stress), and "personal resources" (coping resources). The current study examined a cross-national application of the OSI-R among Australian and Turkish teachers to identify whether patterns of latent structure of the OSI-R were similar (and therefore whether the questionnaire would be useful in wider research and professional application). Structural equation modeling and fit indices results generally confirmed the three-dimensional model posited by Osipow and also suggested that the occupational role stress dimension could be subdivided: the similar latent factor results obtained across cultures for the teacher samples suggesting the stability of the OSI-R in this cross-cultural workplace setting. The general implications for research and practice are discussed.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether perioperative ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) combined with general anesthesia is more effective and safer than current analgesic techniques for postoperative analgesia after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).

METHODS
PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE were searched for clinical trials published up to July 31, 2019. Outcomes, including operative duration, postoperative pain scores, postoperative analgesia use, patient satisfaction with analgesia, time to chest tube removal, length of stay, and adverse effects were analyzed.

RESULTS
Four clinical trials, including 262 patients, met inclusion criteria. Ultrasound-guided SAPB reduced pain scores at zero, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes in the postoperative anesthesia care unit (all P < 0.05) and at one, two, six, 12, and 24 hours in the ward (all P < 0.001). Additionally, postoperatively, morphine consumption at 15 and 30 minutes, overall morphine consumption, and total consumption (morphine plus tramadol) were significantly lower in the SAPB cohort (P  < 0.05). Similarly, postoperative tramadol consumption at one, two, six, 12, and 24 hours was also lower in this cohort (all P  < 0.05). The postoperative consumption of fentanyl, tramadol, and total morphine in patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) at 24 hours was significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Moreover, SAPB provided better patient satisfaction with analgesia (P = 0.0038). However, no statistically significant difference was found in duration of operation, time to chest tube removal, length of stay, or side effects (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Perioperative ultrasound-guided SAPB combined with general anesthesia provided more effective postoperative analgesia after VATS. However, no significant advantage was found regarding side effects.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Nitric oxide (NO) is crucial for body homeostasis at moderate levels, but cytotoxic at high levels, thus making it a potential candidate for anticancer therapies and antibacterial surface coatings. To date, NO use has been limited due to its very short half-life. Many strategies have been utilized in an attempt to control the half-life of NO, including (but not limited to) lipid-based carriers, due to their biocompatibility and versatility. Areas covered: In this review, we discuss the latest studies that aimed to control the release of NO via a variety of lipid-based delivery carriers, such as liposomes (echogenic and normal) and microbubbles. In addition, we discuss the different types of NO donors used to control and target the release of NO. Expert opinion: Achieving a NO releasing lipid-based systems to mimic the natural release rate of NO remains a challenging task. Many promising strategies are still to be tackled, such as NO release supported lipid bilayers using GPx mimicking catalysts instead of vesicles, or the use of lipophillic NO donors such as nitrooleate instead of the conventional hydrophilic NO donors. These new strategies may present us with better alternatives to the previously published systems.


Stones falling from the sky have been collected since prehistoric times. They were, until recently, the only source of extraterrestrial material available for laboratory studies and they remain, even in our space age, a valuable source for investigation of the solar system's early history. It is estimated that, on the average, each square kilometre of the Earth's surface is hit once every million years by a meteorite heavier than 500 grammes. Most are lost in the oceans, or fall in sparsely populated regions. As a result, museums around the world receive as few as about 6 meteorites annually from witnessed falls. Others are due to accidental finds. These have most often fallen in prehistoric times. Each of the two groups, 'falls' and 'finds', consists of material from about one thousand catalogued, individual meteorites. The total number of fragments is considerably higher, since many break up when hitting the atmosphere. Mineralogically, they can be divided into three classes: stones, irons and stony-irons. Falls are largely stony, while finds have a high percentage of irons. This is due to the stony meteorites' faster erosion and lesser visibility. The geographical pattern of falls is strongly correlated with population density: most are reported from Europe and North America. Finds, on the other hand, depend more on the preserving conditions of the terrain, and the extent to which it allows meteorites to be spotted. Most meteorites are found by chance. Active searching is, in general, too time consuming to be of interest. However, the blue-ice fields of Antarctis have proven to be a happy hunting ground. During the last two decades some 7,500 meteorites were recovered by Japanese and American expeditions. They come from a smaller, but yet unknown number of independent falls. The meteorites appear where glaciers are pressed up towards a mountain range, allowing the ice to evaporate. Some have been Iying in the ice for as much as 700,000 years.


This technical report presents the 1st place winning solution for the Waymo Open Dataset 3D semantic segmentation challenge 2022. Our network, termed LidarMultiNet, unifies the major LiDAR perception tasks such as 3D semantic segmentation, object detection, and panoptic segmentation in a single framework. At the core of LidarMultiNet is a strong 3D voxel-based encoder-decoder network with a novel Global Context Pooling (GCP) module extracting global contextual features from a LiDAR frame to complement its local features. An optional second stage is proposed to refine the first-stage segmentation or generate accurate panoptic segmentation results. Our solution achieves a mIoU of 71.13 and is the best for most of the 22 classes on the Waymo 3D semantic segmentation test set, outperforming all the other 3D semantic segmentation methods on the official leaderboard. We demonstrate for the first time that major LiDAR perception tasks can be unified in a single strong network that can be trained end-to-end.


Phosphatidylserine (PS) is involved in various cellular processes in yeast and animals. However, PS functions in plants remain unclear. In Arabidopsis, PS is relatively enriched in flower and root tissues, and the genetic disturbance of PS biosynthesis in PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE SYNTHASE1 (PSS1)/pss1 heterozygotes induces sporophytic and gametophytic defects during pollen maturation. This study functionally characterized PS in Arabidopsis roots and observed that pss1 seedlings exhibited a short-root phenotype by reducing the meristem size and cell elongation capacity. Confocal microscopy imaging analyses of PS with GFP-LactC2 and the endocytic activity with FM 4-64 revealed that although GFP-LactC2 (or PS) was localized in the plasma membrane and endocytic membranes, the lack of PS in pss1 roots did not affect the constitutive endocytosis. Instead, a fluorescence imaging analysis of the cytokinetic phases in the dividing zone of pss1-2 roots revealed a significant delay in telophase progression, requiring active cargo vesicle trafficking for cell plate formation. Confocal microscopy imaging analysis of transgenic GFP-LactC2 root cells with developing cell plates indicated that GFP-LactC2 was localized at the cell plate. Moreover, confocal microscopy images of transgenic pss1-2 and PSS1 roots expressing the cell plate-specific syntaxin construct ProKNOLLE:eGFP-KNOLLE showed abnormal cell plate development in pss1-2 ProKNOLLE:eGFP-KNOLLE roots. These results suggested that PS is required for root cytokinesis, possibly because it helps mediate the cargo vesicular trafficking required for cell plate formation.


. Winter windstorms are one of the most damaging meteorological events in the extra-tropics. Their impact on society makes it essential to understand and improve the seasonal forecast of these extreme events. Skilful predictions on a seasonal time scale have been shown in previous studies by investigating hindcasts from various forecast centres. This study aims to connect forecast skill to relevant dynamical factors. Therefore, 10 factors have been selected which are known to influence either windstorms directly or their synoptic systems, cyclones. These factors are tested with ERA5 and GloSea5 seasonal 5 hindcasts for their relation to windstorm forecast performance. Following GloSea5 factors' validation contributing to windstorms, the seasonal forecast skill of the factors themselves and the relevance and influence of their forecast quality to windstorm forecast quality is assessed. Factors like mean-sea-level pressure, sea surface temperature, equivalent potential temperature and Eady Growth Rate show coherent results within these three steps, meaning these factors are skilfully predicted in relevant regions leading to increased forecast skill of winter 10 windstorms. Nevertheless, not all factors show this clear signal of forecast skill improvement for winter windstorms, and this might indicate potential for further model improvements or further understanding to improve seasonal winter windstorm predictions.


The microstructure and magnetic properties of CoPtCr thin films with 〈1120〉 restricted fiber texture grown on (100) planes of Cr single‐crystal films were characterized and subsequently correlated with the domain configuration during the magnetization reversal process. These films exhibited a bicrystal mode associated with two orthogonal easy axes of magnetization in the plane of the film. The domain configuration of these films during the magnetization‐reversal process consisted of two sets of domains extending in two orthogonal directions. These properties were compared with those of CoPtCr films with random crystallographic orientation.


Bisphosphonates are molecules derived from pyrophosphates,but, unlike pyrophosphates, they are resistant to enzymatic hydrolysis. Bisphosphonates are used in the treatment of Paget's disease, cancer-related osteolysis, myeloma, primary hyperparathyroidism, and osteoporosis. In dialysis patients bisphosphonates may be used to reduce bone pain due to renal osteodystrophy. We describe the case of a 60-year-old woman with a history of breast cancer who had been on dialysis for 8 years. She had been receiving clodronic acid at 100 mg per week intravenously for the last 2 years. A year ago, the patient underwent surgical extraction of the lower right second molar. Her jaw pain increased in the following days. An orthopanthograph and a CT scan of the head showed osteolysis, and a surgical osteotomy was performed. Histological examination led to a diagnosis of avascular osteonecrosis of the jaw. Avascular osteonecrosis is typically described in the jaw. In this case, prolonged bisphosphonate treatment may have worsened the osteonecrosis.


The temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficient of particles is studied on lattices with disorder. A model is investigated with both trap and barrier disorder that was introduced earlier by Y Limoge and J L Bocquet (1990 Phys. Rev. Lett. 65 60) to explain an Arrhenian temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficient in amorphous substances. We have used a generalized effective-medium approximation (EMA) by introducing weighted transition rates as inferred from an exact expression for the diffusion coefficient in one-dimensional disordered chains. Monte Carlo simulations were made to check the validity of the approximations. Approximate Arrhenian behaviour can be achieved in finite temperature intervals in three- and higher-dimensional lattices by adjusting the relative strengths of the barrier and trap disorder. Exact Arrhenian behaviour of the diffusion coefficient can only be obtained in infinite dimensions.


Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) enables applications ranging from neuroprosthetics to causal circuit manipulations. However, the resolution, efficacy, and chronic stability of neuromodulation is often compromised by the adverse tissue responses to the indwelling electrodes. Here we engineer ultraflexible stim-Nanoelectronic Threads (StimNETs) and demonstrate low activation threshold, high resolution, and chronically stable ICMS in awake, behaving mouse models. In vivo two-photon imaging reveals that StimNETs remain seamlessly integrated with the nervous tissue throughout chronic stimulation periods and elicit stable, focal neuronal activation at low currents of 2 μA. Importantly, StimNETs evoke longitudinally stable behavioral responses for over eight months at markedly low charge injection of 0.25 nC/phase. Quantified histological analysis show that chronic ICMS by StimNETs induce no neuronal degeneration or glial scarring. These results suggest that tissue-integrated electrodes provide a path for robust, long-lasting, spatially-selective neuromodulation at low currents which lessen risks of tissue damage or exacerbation of off-target side-effects.


Describing the "desolate" Campagna surrounding Rome, Dickens remarks in Pictures from Italy: [it] reminded me of an American prairie; but what is the solitude of a region where men have never dwelt, to that of a Desert, where a mighty race have left their footprints in the earth from which they have vanished. (396) It is the only extended reference in the text to Dickens's other famous travelogue, American Notes. Yet the first journey shadows the second in ways that reward close examination. More than any other factor, Dickens's intense experiences as a celebrity tourist in America determined the way he chose to experience Italy--the length and traveling conditions of his journey, the pace and rhythm of his trip, the sights he chose to see, even the personae he adopted as a traveler. Dickens's Italian travels can thus be seen as both a sequel and a revision of his American journey, extending the range of his observation into a new sphere and challenging his way of thinking about fundamental concepts like "home" and "away." In traveling to Italy Dickens was, in important ways, completing the intellectual and imaginative labor of his earlier trip, one part of which was to work out the role of travel in his writing life and the methods by which experiences of other places and cultures could be truthfully rendered. Indeed the original impulse to "fade away from the public eye for a year, and enlarge my stock of description and observation by seeing countries new to me" (Letters 3: 587) was born of Dickens's American experiences; it was a specific reaction to the frustrations he felt at the negative reviews of American Notes and the disappointing sales of Martin Chuzzlewit. He could not write, he told Forster, because "a wrong kind of fire is burning in my head" (Letters 3: 516). Italy was thus conceived as a kind of antidote to America, "the step to set me right," offering him an opportunity to recoup his finances and his creative energies, satisfy his "natural desire" to place himself among "those great scenes," and indulge both his need for rest and his perennial wanderlust (Letters 3: 588, 591). Dickens's earliest anticipations of the Italian trip show his playful determination to escape the perceptual prison of his own celebrity--his chief impediment, as it had turned out, to truly "seeing" America. Fantasizing about the upcoming journey in a letter to Angus Fletcher in May 1844, he imagines himself in full visual command of the Italian landscape "on the roof with a telescope at my Eye." But, he adds, "little of me is visible behind my moustache [which is of a] swarthy and Bandit hue" (Letters 4: 124). The moustache is a classic Dickensian flourish, theatrical in an exuberantly self-mocking way, but it is also the visible embodiment of a new insight. Dickens makes a distinction, as he did not in American Notes, between traveling as his well-known public self and self-consciously adopting a role. Even before the journey began, he had become in his own mind the "unreliable" narrator Clothilde de Stasio describes in her essay, "The Traveller as Liar" (8). Revealingly, Dickens's note to Fletcher proposes play and play-acting as a metaphor for travel. America had been essentially an extended tour of inspection. Italy was to be a more open-ended and improvisational journey of exploration--a journey possible only under conditions of disguise or anonymity. Allowing himself to become the focal point for the observation of others, Dickens knew to his cost, would inevitably have a limiting and distorting effect both on what is and on what can be seen. At the very outset of his journey, Dickens sought to appropriate what Stephen Bann has called "the mastery of the non-reciprocal gaze" (212). These ideas, hinted at in Dickens's correspondence, frame the opening passages of Pictures from Italy, which often seem to parody or critique the well-known narrative of Dickens's experiences in America. …


By extending the EPR bipartite entanglement to multipartite case, we briefly introduce a continuous multipartite entangled representation and its canonical conjugate state in the multi-mode Fock space, analyze their Schmidt decompositions and give their entangling operators. Furthermore, based on the above analysis we also find the n-mode Wigner operator. In doing so we may identify the physical meaning of the marginal distribution of the Wigner function.


There is an urgent need to improve the translational validity of Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse models. Introducing genetic background diversity in AD mouse models has been proposed as a way to increase validity and enable the discovery of previously uncharacterized genetic contributions to AD susceptibility or resilience. However, the extent to which genetic background influences the mouse brain proteome and its perturbation in AD mouse models is unknown. In this study, we crossed the 5XFAD AD mouse model on a C57BL/6J (B6) inbred background with the DBA/2J (D2) inbred background and analyzed the effects of genetic background variation on the brain proteome in F1 progeny. Both genetic background and 5XFAD transgene insertion strongly affected protein variance in the hippocampus and cortex (n = 3,368 proteins). Protein co-expression network analysis identified 16 modules of highly co-expressed proteins common across the hippocampus and cortex in 5XFAD and non-transgenic mice. Among the modules strongly influenced by genetic background were those related to small molecule metabolism and ion transport. Modules strongly influenced by the 5XFAD transgene were related to lysosome/stress responses and neuronal synapse/signaling. The modules with the strongest relationship to human disease—neuronal synapse/signaling and lysosome/stress response—were not significantly influenced by genetic background. However, other modules in 5XFAD that were related to human disease, such as GABA synaptic signaling and mitochondrial membrane modules, were influenced by genetic background. Most disease-related modules were more strongly correlated with AD genotype in the hippocampus compared with the cortex. Our findings suggest that the genetic diversity introduced by crossing B6 and D2 inbred backgrounds influences proteomic changes related to disease in the 5XFAD model, and that proteomic analysis of other genetic backgrounds in transgenic and knock-in AD mouse models is warranted to capture the full range of molecular heterogeneity in genetically diverse models of AD.


The simultaneous use of 2-pyridyl oximes (pyridine-2 amidoxime, H2pyaox; 2-methyl pyridyl ketoxime, Hmpko) and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (H3btc) provided access to five new compounds, namely [Zn(H2btc)2(H2pyaox)2]•2H2O (1•2H2O), [Zn(Hbtc)(H2pyaox)2]n (2), [Cu(Hbtc)(H2pyaox)]n (3), [Cu(Hbtc)(HmpKo)]n (4) and [Cu2(Hbtc)2(Hmpko)2(H2O)2]•4H2O (5•4H2O). Among them, 3 is the first example of a metal-organic framework (MOF) containing H2pyaox. Its framework can be described as a 3-c uninodal net of hcb topology with the layers being parallel to the (1,0,1) plane. Furthermore, 3 is the third reported MOF based on a 2-pyridyl oxime in general. 2 and 4 are new members of a small family of coordination polymers containing an oximic ligand. 1–5 form 3D networks through strong intermolecular interactions. Dc magnetic susceptibility studies were carried out in a crystalline sample of 3 and revealed the presence of weak exchange interactions between the metal centres; the experimental data were fitted to a theoretical model with the fitting parameters being J = −0.16(1) cm−1 and g = 2.085(1). The isotropic g value was also confirmed by electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Reactivity studies were performed for 3 in the presence of metal ions; the reaction progress was studied and discussed for Fe(NO3)3 by the use of several characterization techniques, including single crystal X-ray crystallography and IR spectroscopy.


In this study, the design and implementation of a microcontroller-based single phase on-line UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) with PFC (Power Factor Correction) were made practically. SP-320-24 SMPS (Switch Mode Power Supply) module was used to correct the input power factor. Input power factor value was held at the desired value in uninterrupted power supply topologies. In the realized system, two PIC16F876 were used as microcontroller. One of them was used to generate sinusoidal PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signals that are used to drive n-channel MOSFETs in push pull inverter and to assure feedback control. Other one was used to control and display units. Harmonics were eliminated and output filter was simplified by using sinusoidal PWM technology.


Lymphocytes are highly sensitive to DNA damage-induced apoptosis. In thymocytes, the tumor suppressor p53 has been shown to be required for this type of apoptosis. However an as yet unknown, p53-independent pathway(s) appears to mediate the same event in mitogenically activated mature T lymphocytes. By using mice with a null mutation in the IRF-1 gene, we revealed that DNA damage-induced apoptosis in the latter cell type is dependent on the anti-oncogenic transcription factor interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1). Thus two different anti-oncogenic transcription factors, p53 and IRF-1, are required for distinct apoptotic pathways in T lymphocytes. Furthermore, we found that mitogen induction of the interleukin-1 beta-converting enzyme (Ice) gene, a mammalian homolog of the Caenorhabditis elegans cell death gene ced-3, is also IRF-1-dependent. An IRF-1 binding sequence was identified in the 5' flanking region of the Ice gene. In addition, ectopic overexpression of IRF-1 results in the activation of the endogenous Ice gene and enhances the sensitivity of cells to radiation-induced apoptosis. Thus, induction of Ice gene may be involved in IRF-1 dependent DNA damage-induced apoptosis in activated mature T lymphocytes.


A teaching method is presented which has been used successfully in both undergraduate and graduate courses. It is based on using printed class notes as programmed learning material. The material is used in class with the instructor taking the role of a teaching machine. Courses taught using the method are listed and further applications suggested. An example is presented from material developed for an electromagnetic fields course.


Purpose: To evaluate corneal stromal demarcation line depth after very high intensity (18 mW/cm2) ultraviolet-A irradiation for a 5-minute corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) protocol with the use of anterior segment optical coherence tomography. Methods: This prospective interventional study enrolled 14 patients (18 eyes) with progressive keratoconus who underwent CXL with an ultraviolet-A irradiation intensity of 18 mW/cm2 for 5 minutes. One month postoperatively, corneal stromal demarcation line depth was measured with the use of anterior segment optical coherence tomography by 2 independent observers. The rate of reepithelialization and endothelial cell density at a 3-month follow-up period were also evaluated. Results: No intraoperative or postoperative complications were observed in any of the patients. No statistically significant difference between the 2 observers' measurements was observed (P = 0.989). Mean corneal stromal demarcation line depth was 223 ± 32 &mgr;m (range, 159–265 &mgr;m). The mean endothelial cell density decreased from 2714 ± 174 preoperatively to 2671 ± 192 at 3 months postoperatively; however, this decrease was not statistically significant (P = 0.221). Conclusions: Corneal stromal demarcation line depth after a very high intensity 5-minute CXL protocol seems to be shallower than the standard Dresden protocol.


Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Sciences, UFZ Leipzig we are very grateful to the reviewer for the helpful comments and suggestions. In the following we address individually the comments to the manuscript 'URANOS v1.0 the Ultra Rapid Adaptable Neutron-Only Simulation for Environmental Research' submitted to GMD. Reviewer's comments on the manuscript are bold, our answers italic and the latexdiff of the submitted paper indented in quotation.


Self-efficacy in the mathematics/science domain is conceptualized as partially determining whether science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students would persist toward reaching important milestones like graduating with a bachelor's degree. The authors conducted a longitudinal study to examine if mathematics/science self-efficacy would significantly predict graduation status 4 to 8 years later after high school academic performance and mathematics aptitude were controlled in a university sample of introductory science students. Moreover, they looked at whether mathematics/science self-efficacy would significantly predict graduation status 4 to 8 years later after first semester grade point average (GPA) was controlled in addition to prior performance and aptitude. The sample consisted of 211 university students who graduated with a bachelor's degree and 69 university students who did not graduate with a bachelor's degree. The authors reported that mathematics/science self-efficacy significantly predicted graduation status 4 to 8 years later after controlling for prior performance and aptitude. The addition of mathematics/science self-efficacy improved the accuracy of identifying which participants dropped out before graduation by 4.4% in this sample. When first semester GPA was included in the control variables, the incremental contribution of mathematics/science self-efficacy to the prediction of retention status was null as expected. Findings are related to theory and prior research.


Reactive power optimization with time-varying load demand in distribution systems is investigated in this paper. The objective of this paper is to determine the proper setting values of capacitor banks and transformer taps for the 24 hours in the next day. A heuristic and algorithmic combined approach is proposed in this paper. The approach simplifies the mathematical model of the daily setting values of reactive power/voltage control devices, solves the temporal optimization of each control device by heuristic rules, and then converts the optimization model with time-varying load into the same one as conventional optimization model with constant load. Therefore, the algorithms applied to the conventional optimization model can be easily used to solve the optimization model with time-varying load demand. Results from numerical examples show that a proper dispatch schedule for capacitor banks and transformer taps can be reached by this approach efficiently.


In this paper, we present a method to discover, visualize, and predict behavior pattern of attackers in a network based system. We proposed a system that is able to discover temporal pattern of intrusion which reveal behaviors of attackers using alerts generated by Intrusion Detection System (IDS). We use data mining techniques to find the patterns of generated alerts by generating Association rules. Our system is able to stream real-time Snort alerts and predict intrusions based on our learned rules. Therefore, we are able to automatically discover patterns in multistage attack, visualize patterns, and predict intrusions.


Background Professional, financial and ethical reasons require nursing to gain an increased understanding of student nurse attrition.1 Attrition has been previously identified as multifactorial.2 Further work is required to understand its complexities. Few previous studies have specifically focussed on children's nursing or been conducted following introducing degree based courses to England. Aim To explore causes of attrition from pre-registration children's nursing courses across four London universities Methods Following University research ethics approval, an exploratory mixed methods study was conducted. To understand attrition rates and yearly variation, three years' data were obtained from a centrally collated portal. Attrition causes were explored through 1:1 semi-structured interviews with participants who had faced challenges and either 'left' or 'stayed' on their programme. Interview questions were based on a literature review, previous exit data and expert opinion. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Results Attrition varied according to University and year. Overall, most attrition occurred in the first year of programmes and was primarily due to academic failure or personal circumstances. Between July and September 2015, 18 (5 'left', 13 'stayed') participants were interviewed. Reasons for actual or potential attrition were connected to academic, placement and/or personal issues. Emerging themes were 'Expectations of pre-registration children's nursing', 'Realities of a pre-registration children's nursing course', 'Decision to stay or leave course', 'Factors that influence students leaving or staying on the course', and 'Advice for future nurses'. Many participants were reluctant to disclose issues on the course. Key academic, placement and services were identified however large variations existed in delivery. Support to continue on the programme was often obtained away from universities and students often relied on self-determination. Conclusions This study has implications for future pre-registration children's nurse provision. This includes targeted areas of intervention that focus on a student's first year and reducing variation in provided services. With improved understanding of attrition from children's nursing courses, targeted interventions can be developed. Through this study it is envisaged that strategies can be introduced and evaluated. References Urwin S, Stanley R, Jones M, et al. Understanding student nurse attrition: learning from the literature. Nurse education today 2010;30(2):202–07 Orton S. Re-thinking attrition in student nurses. Journal of Health and Social Care Improvement 2011;(1): 1–7


We present a kinetic theory for all-to-all coupled networks of identical, linear, integrate-and-fire, excitatory point neurons in which a fast and a slow excitatory conductance are driven by the same spike train in the presence of synaptic failure. The maximal-entropy principle guides us in deriving a set of three (1+1) -dimensional kinetic moment equations from a Boltzmann-like equation describing the evolution of the one-neuron probability density function. We explain the emergence of correlation terms in the kinetic moment and Boltzmann-like equations as a consequence of simultaneous activation of both the fast and slow excitatory conductances and furnish numerical evidence for their importance in correctly describing the coarse-grained dynamics of the underlying neuronal network.


The scarcity and environmental effect of the nonrenewable energies and the abundance and opportunities of renewable energies lead to the development of a hybrid solar system with diesel and electric sources. This research has considered a PV solar cell to design a hybrid solar system for the railway train traction system. In this study, the widely known Angstrom correlation has been used to compute the daily radiation and energy utilization on the Ethio-Djibouti railway route. The data which has been used in the computation covers from 3 to 5 years sunshine hour data that was collected by the Ethiopian National Metrology Agency Service. This has been compared with the calculated value. Based on the technical proposal of the ERC; Box type, YZ25G, DFN7G and AALRT, tram train cars had been selected for the installation of solar panels at the top roof surface area of the car. To compute and to model the hybrid solar system, MATLAB, CATIA, Microsoft Visio and Microsoft Excel software were used. The amounts of solar energy generated for the traction, reduction of carbon emission and cost levelization of the system have been included in the research. The generated energy may cover 4.455 to 356.9% of required energy based on the sunshine hour duration, types of car and configuration;, Therefore, the excess energy shall be sent to the main grid for other purposes to reduce the wastage. For all selected trains, it was calculated that a total number of 2011 panels with a total of 30 years' service and life cost of 56,764,325bir will be required. Considering the minimum energy production and maximum configuration, the cost return time may be 12 years. Therefore, it will operate for 18 years with profit. The reduction of carbon emission which is found based on the amount of fuel consumed ranges from 214.63 kg to 6845.85 kg and 107.313 kg to 3447.02 kg per trip for freight and passenger transportation respectively. The research generally shows the possibility of application of solar energy through the selected route and the best solution for sustainable energy supply which helps the overall economic development and environmental protection in the country. Keywords: Photovoltaic, levlization, hybrid, dispatcher, rooftop-camber


The level lifetimes in partner bands of 130Cs have been measured using the Doppler Shift Attenuation method (DSAM). The high-spin states of 130Cs were populated via fusion evaporation reaction 124Sn(11B; 5n)130Cs at a beam energy of 65 MeV. The absolute M1 and E2 transition probabilities have been deduced. The results indicate that the partner bands of 130Cs indeed manifest chiral properties.


Before the transition in forestry can be made from conventional approaches of the past century to the ecosystem approach of the next, a consensus must be reached on the meaning of "sustainable forestry." "Defining Sustainable Forestry" presents the results of a national conference convened by The Wilderness Society, American Forests, and the World Resources Institute to help establish a common framework upon which to guide the future development of forestry.


Estrogenic and antiestrogenic properties of E-492 a nonsteroidal compound (3 methyl-4-(beta-pyrrolidinoethoxy)-23-diphenyl propiophenone) were assessed on the basis of ponderal histologic and biochemical changes in the uterus cervix and vagina of ovariectomized adult rats. This compound was studied at its maximum effective antifertility dose of .5 mg/kg/day for 5 days. Estradiol-dipropionate (EDP) was studied at a dose of 1 mcg/kg/day. EDP and E-492 separately increased the weight of the 3 genital accessories. Histologically the organs presented an infantile condition characterized by atrophic epithelia compact stroma and inconspicious muscularis. The uterine glycogen level was raised by EDP (p less than .01) but not by E-492 (p greater than .05). Lactic acid was increased by EDP in all target organs (p less than .01) and by E-492 in the uterus and vagina (p less than .01) but not in the cervix (p greater than .05). Combined therapy antagonized EDP effect at the uterine and vaginal levels. Alkaline phosphatase was enhanced by EDP in all 3 organs (p less than .01) and by E-492 in the uterus and cervix (p less than .01). These results indicate that on the basis of changes in weight and histology E-492 has both estrogenic and antiestrogenic potencies.


Nano-sized Titanium nitride powders were synthesized by electrical explosion of Ti wire under nitrogen atmosphere ranging from 0.2 to 1.5 atm. Electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the reaction products are cube-shaped single phase TiN nanoparticles. The lattice parameter of TiN nanoparticles increased with nitrogen pressure in the chamber. The nitrogen content of nanoparticles was estimated from their lattice parameter being comparable to the stoichiometric composition of TiN. Small amount of TiN0:3 phase was formed when nitrogen pressure in the chamber was low. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.M2009297]


We study the problem of identification of the long regression E(y|x,z) when the short conditional distributions P(y|x) and P(z|x) are known but the long conditional distribution P(y|x,z) is not known. This problem often arises when a researcher utilizes data from two separate data sets. (A leading example is the ecological inference problem of political science, where voting behavior across electoral districts is observed from administrative records, the demographic composition of voters within a district is observed from census data, and the researcher wants to infer voting behavior conditional on district and demographic attributes.) We isolate an identification region containing feasible values of the long regression, and show that this region forms a sharp bound on the long regression. The identification region can be calculated precisely when y has finite support. When y has infinite support we characterize two sets, one that contains the identification region, and one that is contained by it. Following this completely nonparametric analysis, we examine the identifying power yielded by exclusion restrictions across distinct covariate values. Such restrictions cause the identification region to shrink, in many cases to a single point. To illustrate the theory, we pose and address this hypothetical question: What would be the outcome if the 1996 U.S. presidential election were re-enacted in a population of different demographic composition, ceteris paribus?


INTRODUCTION
Opportunities to determine optimal rates of fluid ingestion could reduce the mass soldiers might need to carry on military missions.

PURPOSE
The first objective was to evaluate the effects of an ad libitum fluid replacement strategy on total body water (TBW), core temperature, serum sodium concentrations [Na+], and plasma osmolality (POsm). The second objective was to determine if an ad libitum water intake was sufficient to maintain these variables during exercise. A third objective was to determine if changes in body mass are an accurate measure of changes in TBW.

METHODS
A field study was conducted with 15 soldiers performing a 16.4-km route march. The average age of 15 subjects was 27 yr (SD = 4.6 yr).

RESULTS
Their mean hourly ad libitum fluid intake was 383 mL (SD = 150 mL). Predicted sweat rate was 626 +/-122 mL.h-1. Despite an average body mass loss of 1.0 kg (SD = 0.50 kg) TBW, POsm and serum [Na+] did not change significantly during exercise. There was a significant (P < 0.05) linear relationship with a negative slope between postexercise serum [Na+] and changes in both body mass and percentage of TBW. Postexercise POsm and serum [Na+] were significantly related (P < 0.05). Higher postexercise percentage of TBW was associated with lower postexercise POsm and serum [Na+] levels. There was no relation between percent body mass loss and postexercise core temperature (38.1 degrees C +/- 0.6 degrees C).

CONCLUSIONS
A mean ad libitum water intake of 383 mL.h-1, replacing approximately 61% of body mass losses during 4 h of exercise, maintained TBW, core temperature, POsm, and serum [Na+] despite a 1.4% body mass loss. A reduction in body mass of 1.4% (1.0 kg) was not associated with a reduction in TBW.


In this paper we propose novel algorithms for total variation (TV) based image restoration and parameter estimation utilizing variational distribution approximations. By following the hierarchical Bayesian framework, we simultaneously estimate the reconstructed image and the unknown hyper parameters for both the image prior and the image degradation noise. Our algorithms provide an approximation to the posterior distributions of the unknowns so that both the uncertainty of the estimates can be measured and different values from these distributions can be used for the estimates. We also show that some of the current approaches to TV-based image restoration are special cases of our variational framework. Experimental results show that the proposed approaches provide competitive performance without any assumptions about unknown hyper parameters and clearly outperform existing methods when additional information is included.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether patients with vestibular migraine are more likely to suffer from an occipital headache than patients with migraine without vestibular symptoms.

BACKGROUND
Vestibular migraine is an underdiagnosed disorder in which migraine is associated with vestibular symptoms. Anatomical evidence and symptomatology hint at the involvement of brain structures in the posterior fossa (back of the head location). We hypothesized that vestibular migraine patients are more likely than migraineurs without vestibular symptoms to experience headaches located in the back of the head, that is, occipital headaches.

METHODS
A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. Chart analysis of 169 patients was performed. The primary outcome was the location of the headache in vestibular migraine patients and migraineurs without vestibular symptoms. The secondary outcomes included the association of vestibular migraine with gender, age at onset of headache, age at onset of vestibular symptoms (such as vertigo, head motion-induced dizziness), aura, motion sickness, other associated symptoms, family history of headaches, and family history of motion sickness.

RESULTS
In vestibular migraine group, 45/103 (44%) had occipital location for their headaches vs 12/66 (18%) in migraine patients without vestibular symptoms, for an odd's ratio of 3.5 (95% CI = 1.7-7.2, P < .001). Additionally, the age at onset of headache was greater in the vestibular migraine group (28 ± 12 vs 18 ± 9 years, P < .001) and motion sickness was more common (41/98 (42%) in the vestibular migraine group, 1/64 (2%) in the migraine without vestibular symptoms group, P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that patients with vestibular migraine are more likely to have occipital headaches than patients with migraine without vestibular symptoms. Our data support the initiation of a prospective study to determine whether a patient presenting with occipital headaches, with late onset of age of headache, and with a history of motion sickness is at an increased risk for the possible development of vestibular migraine.


Percutaneous catheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is difficult when the ductus is large and long or shows calcification. We created a patient-specific 3-dimensional (3D) model for PDA, with which we simulated device deployment, thereby selecting the device/size in a patient-by-patient manner. We assessed whether this 3D model is effective for catheter PDA closure.The 3D model was created in this institute, requiring 3 days and 90 US dollars. After its introduction, 7 consecutive patients (the study group) with severe PDA underwent closure with the aid of the 3D model. The control group consisted of 4 patients before 3D-model introduction, with all having severe PDA: the requirement of computed tomography was considered a criterion of severe or difficult-procedure-requiring PDA.In all study group patients, the devices/sizes could be pre-selected based on the simulation, whereas devices were changed during the procedure in 2 of 4 in the control group. In the study group, compared with the control group, the fluoroscopic (median 31 [interquartile range of 16-42] versus 39 [19-71] minutes, respectively) and total procedural times (median 107 [interquartile range 67-114] versus 124 [78-184] minutes, respectively) were shorter. A questionnaire confirmed the doctors' understanding of the procedure.This 3D model may be effective for percutaneous catheter closure of PDA. This may be especially true in cases of severe or difficult-procedure-requiring PDA.


Detecting irregularly shaped spatial clusters within heterogeneous point processes is challenging because the number of potential clusters with different sizes and shapes can be enormous. This research develops a novel method, expansion-based spatial clustering for inhomogeneous point processes (ESCIP), for detecting spatial clusters of any shape within a heterogeneous point process in the context of analyzing spatial big data. Statistical testing is used to find core points—points with neighboring areas that have significantly more cases than the expectation—and an expansion approach is developed to find irregularly shaped clusters by connecting nearby core points. Instead of employing a brute-force search for all potential clusters, as done in the spatial scan statistics, this approach only requires testing a small neighboring area for each potential core point. Moreover, spatial indexing is leveraged to speed up the search for nearby points and the expansion of clusters. The proposed method is implemented with Poisson and Bernoulli models and evaluated for large spatial data sets. Experimental results show that ESCIP can detect irregularly shaped spatial clusters from millions of points with high efficiency. It is also demonstrated that the method outperforms the spatial scan statistics on the flexibility of cluster shapes and computational performance. Furthermore, ESCIP ensures that every subset of a detected cluster is statistically significant and contiguous. Key Words: cyberGIS, spatial algorithm, spatial analysis, spatial clustering.


In this paper an analytical crack propagation scenario is proposed which assumes that a crack propagates in the tooth root in both the crack depth direction and the tooth width direction, and which is more reasonable and realistic for non-uniform load distribution cases than the other presented scenarios. An analytical approach is used for quantifying the loss of time-varying gear mesh stiffness with the presence of crack propagation in the gear tooth root. The proposed crack propagation scenario can be applied for crack propagation modelling and monitoring simulation, but further research is required for comparison and evaluation of all the presented crack propagation scenarios from the condition monitoring point of view.


Despite the effectiveness of convolutional neural networks (CNNs), especially for image classification tasks, the effect of convolution features on learned representations is still limited, mainly focusing on an images salient object but ignoring the variation information from clutter and local objects. The authors propose a multiple vector of locally aggregated descriptors (VLAD) encoding method with CNN features for image classification. To improve the VLAD coding methods performance, they explore the multiplicity of VLAD encoding with the extension of three encoding algorithms. Moreover, they equip the spatial pyramid patch (SPM) on VLAD encoding to add spatial information to CNN features. The addition of SPM, in particular, allows their proposed framework to yield better performance compared to the traditional method.


Instrumental and sensory evaluations were conducted on frankfurters manufactured with an increased monounsaturated/saturated (M/S) lipid ratio and 25% less fat than control. The M/S ratio was altered by using lean and fat from pigs fed 0%, 10%, or 20% canola oil (CO) which is high in oleic acid. Incorporation of 10% and 20% CO pork tissue into the product decreased saturated fat by 11.0% and 18.6%, respectively. Instron texture analysis indicated slight increases in cohesiveness with elevated CO, whereas decreasing fat increased gumminess and chewiness. Sensory evaluation demonstrated that the overall palatability ratings of the test frankfurters were similar to the control product. Frankfurters with significantly less total fat and saturated fatty acids without adverse sensory and storage characteristics were produced.


The identity of the protein antigens targeted by anti-cytoplasmic antibodies in lupus was discovered 30 years ago. These antigens are three acidic ribosomal phosphoproteins, P0, P1, and P2. Precise identification of the shared epitope on these three proteins enabled sensitive and specific immunoassays to be developed. Anti-P antibodies are highly specific for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and occur in 15%–35% of patients, depending on ethnicity as well as the age of onset. Increased frequencies of detection of anti-P have been reported in childhood SLE as well as in neuropsychiatric, renal, and hepatic disease. While longitudinal studies by the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) consortium supported the association of anti-P with neuropsychiatric lupus, the predictive value of antibody determination remains controversial. This is likely explained by the heterogeneity of neuropsychiatric lupus as well as by the different methodologies used for assay. A number of experimental studies have suggested a direct pathogenic role for anti-P antibodies in brain disease. Findings include cross reactivity between anti-P and a neuronal surface antigen, which was detected in areas of the brain involved in memory, cognition, and emotion. Direct injection of anti-P antibodies into the brains of rodents was also associated with abnormal electrical activity and behavioral disturbances. Taken together, research over the last 30 years has established anti-P antibodies as a useful diagnostic marker of SLE and at least a subset of patients with neuropsychiatric disease. Further research is required to fine tune the association of anti-P with clinical manifestations and establish beyond high probability a pathophysiologic role for the antibodies.


In this paper, I argue for a new ancient Middle Eastern chronology in which the Mesopotamian "high" chronology is used in correlation with K. A. Kitchen's "low" chronology for the Egyptian Twelfth Dynasty. Although my primary focus is on the Akkadian empire and the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties in Egypt, I also show that this chronological reconciliation obtains widespread consistency with data over the total period of Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilisation throughout the third and second millennia B.C. I also discuss the Hebrew chronology in the framework of this new ME chronology.


A quasi-linear viscoelastic relation that stems from an implicit viscoelastic constitutive body containing a crack is considered. The abstract form of the response function is given first in [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], due to power-law hardening; second in [Formula: see text] due to limiting small strain. In both the cases, sufficient conditions on admissible response functions are formulated, and corresponding existence theorems are proved rigorously based on the variational theory and using monotonicity methods. Due to the presence of a Volterra convolution operator, an auxiliary-independent variable of velocity type is employed. In the case of limiting small strain, the generalized solution of the problem is provided within the context of bounded measures and expressed by a variational inequality.