National and international studies demonstrate that the number of teenagers using the inter-net increases. But even though they actually do have access from different places to the in-formation and communication pool of the internet, there is evidence that the ways in which teenagers use the net - regarding the scope and frequency in which services are used as well as the preferences for different contents of these services - differ significantly in relation to socio-economic status, education, and gender. The results of the regarding empirical studies may be summarised as such: teenager with low (formal ) education especially use internet services embracing 'entertainment, play and fun' while higher educated teenagers (also) prefer intellectually more demanding and particularly services supplying a greater variety of communicative and informative activities. More generally, pedagogical and sociological studies investigating "digital divide" in a dif-ferentiated and sophisticated way - i.e. not only in terms of differences between those who do have access to the Internet and those who do not - suggest that the internet is no space beyond 'social reality' (e.g. DiMaggio & Hargittai 2001, 2003; Vogelgesang, 2002; Welling, 2003). Different modes of utilisation, that structure the internet as a social space are primarily a specific contextualisation of the latter - and thus, the opportunities and constraints in virtual world of the internet are not less than those in the 'real world' related to unequal distribu-tions of material, social and cultural resources as well as social embeddings of the actors involved. This fact of inequality is also true regarding the outcomes of using the internet. Empirical and theoretical results concerning forms and processes of networking and commu-nity building - i.e. sociability in the internet, as well as the social embeddings of the users which are mediated through the internet - suggest that net based communication and infor-mation processes may entail the resource 'social support'. Thus, with reference to social work and the task of compensating the reproduction of social disadvantages - whether they are medial or not - the ways in which teenagers get access to and utilize net based social sup-port are to be analysed.


Objective: We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of uterine artery Doppler index and nuchal translucency (NT) measurement in determining perinatal problems in patients diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum (HEG). Material and methods: We included 80 pregnant women between the ages of 19–40 years with a singleton, noncomplicated pregnancy, no systemic disease, and no structural and chromosomal disorders in the fetus, who were admitted to our hospital which is a tertiary center with a large patient population in the region, between October 2015 and October 2016 in this study. Further, two group were formed as 40 pregnant women with the diagnosis of HEG (group 1) and 40 pregnant women for control group (group 2). Age, body mass index (BMI), educational status, pregnancy history (live birth, miscarriages), smoking, alcohol consumption, substance use, last menstrual period, serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPPA), free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin, (free ß-hCG), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) levels, nuchal translucency (NT), and uterine artery Doppler measurement values were recorded. The data between two groups were compared. Results: The education level of the group 1 was found higher (p = 0.001). The frequency of smoking in group 1 (n = 18; 45%) was found significantly higher than group 2 (n = 3; 7.5%) (p = 0.001). In group 1, uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) values were found higher than group 2 (p = 0.026 and 0.024, respectively). Conclusion: The uterine artery Doppler PI, RI values measured at 20–24 weeks in patients with HEG were statistically significantly higher than those without HEG.


Background: Cancer patients are vulnerable populations for COVID-19 complications and mortality. We previously reported on the poor single-dose immunogenicity of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in cancer patients, particularly those with haematological malignancies.

Methods: In this prospective, observational study relating to the safety and immunogenicity of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, 201 vaccinated cancer patients (solid cancer n=125; haematological cancer n=76) and 54 healthy controls (mostly health-care workers "HCW") were recruited between December 8th, 2020, and April 23rd, 2021. The previously reported interim results covered a period of 101 days since first patient recruitment, during which time 47 subjects received a second "boost" vaccination on day 21. Because of the change in UK Government policy, all others received a delayed vaccine boost at about 12 weeks after their first vaccination, and had their blood sampled 2 weeks' later. Here, we describe immunogenicity data following the delayed boost in 31 HCWs, 72 solid cancer and 56 haematological cancer patients. Seroconversion, virus neutralisation, and T cell assays were as described previously, with an additional test for neutralisation of the B.1.617.2 (delta) variant-ofconcern (VOC). The primary endpoint of the study was the impact on seroconversion following delayed (>21days) vaccine boosting in solid and haematological cancer patients. The secondary endpoints were: safety following delayed vaccine boost; T cell responses; and neutralisation of SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan ("wild type" [WT]), B.1.1.7 (alpha), and B.1.617.2 (delta) variants.

Findings: Delayed (>21days) boost vaccination of solid cancer patients and haematological cancer patients with the BNT162b2 vaccine was well tolerated, as the primary vaccination had been. There was no vaccine-associated death. Boosting significantly increased solid cancer patients' seroconversion responses, that had been strikingly poor in response to a single dose: from 38% to 84%. Boosting also significantly improved vaccine immunogenicity for haematological cancer patients, but most (57%) still failed to seroconvert. Seroconversion correlated strongly with the capacity to neutralise SARSCoV- 2 cell entry, although neutralisation of the WT variant was typically greater than of the VOC. Neutralisation was significantly increased by boosting for HCWs but not for cancer patients. In comparison to seroconversion, boosting achieved higher rates of functional T cell responsiveness (de novo responses) but had little impact on the magnitude of T cell responses for those who had responded to first-dose vaccination. When patients were scored as showing both seroconversion and T cell responses, the unfavourable situation of haematological cancer patients was overt with only 36% (12/33) defined as being responders compared to 78% (25/32) of solid cancer patients and 88% (15/17) of HCWs. There was no significant difference in any aspect of immunogenicity for HCWs or solid cancer patients receiving the delayed boost versus the day 21 boost (this comparison could not be made for haematological cancer patients because too few received an early boost). Chemotherapy within 15 days either side of the boost exacerbated the likelihood of non-responsiveness to the vaccine.

Interpretation: Boosting at either 3 weeks or longer (up to 12 weeks) post-primary vaccination shows high efficacy in terms of seroconversion of solid cancer patients and increases in their SARS-CoV-2 Spike-specific antibody titres. By contrast, delayed boosting left most haematological cancer patients without serological protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. These data support the ongoing adjustment of health care measures to limit the evident vulnerability of such individuals to SARS-CoV- 2, and to limit their potential to transmit virus variants that might develop in the context of absent or partial immunoprotection. The absence of any clear improvements in immunogenicity of a delayed boost relative to boosting on day 21 emphasizes the importance of early boosting for cancer patients, and potentially of doing so repeatedly, particularly given how well the vaccine was tolerated. Chemotherapy, if possible should be withheld 15 days before and 15 days after the vaccination date.

Trial Registration: The trial is registered with the NHS Health Research Authority (HRA) and Health and Care Research Wales (HCRW) (REC ID: 20/HRA/2031).

Funding: KCL, CRUK, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Wellcome Trust, Rosetrees Trust, Francis Crick Institute.

Declaration of Interest: None to declare.

Ethical Approval: The trial was approved by the institutional review boards of the participating institutions (IRAS ID: 282337 REC ID: 20/HRA/2031).


Diagnosis of psychiatric diseases is currently accomplished with questionnaires filled in by the subjects, usually together with a specialist. Such questionnaires are often based on standard, formal scales, where questions range from the ability to cope with household activities, through social interactions, agitation, level of activity, to quality of sleep. In this paper, we propose a context aware framework to support semi-automation of the diagnosis of such diseases, leveraging on authors experience in the fields of activity and emotion recognition. We also introduce a brief description of the main components defining the architecture of the proposed platform and preliminary work on emotion estimation.


Purpose The main concept analysis (MCA; Kong, 2009) quantifies the effectiveness and efficiency of information transfer during verbal discourse by means of four sets of sequential pictorial stimuli. This test was originally developed for a Cantonese-speaking population. The main goals of this study were (a) to translate and adapt the MCA to Dutch; (b) to establish normative data for healthy native Dutch-speaking adults; (c) to assess the effect of age, education level, and gender on MCA outcome; and (d) to establish inter- and intrarater reliability of the Dutch MCA. Method Language samples were collected from 60 healthy native Dutch speakers, equally recruited in different age (20-39 years, 40-59 years, 60-79 years) and education (middle and highly educated) categories through administration of the MCA. Utterances produced by at least 75% of the participants were included as a main concept in the Dutch MCA. Subsequently, age-specific normative data were established for each of the MCA parameters. Finally, an ICC was calculated in order to verify inter- and intrarater reliability of the Dutch MCA. Results The translated MCA consisted of 19 main concepts. Age-specific normative data were obtained. Both age and education level had a significant effect on MCA outcome. Information transfer in elderly was both less effectively and efficiently compared to young- and middle-aged adults. In addition, highly educated participants transferred information less efficiently compared to middle educated participants. Based on inter- and intrarater reliability measures, the Dutch MCA proved to be a reliable measuring instrument. Conclusions The MCA was translated to Dutch, and age-specific normative data were established for a healthy, Dutch-speaking population. The Dutch MCA is a reliable tool for eliciting and quantifying discourse production. Validation of the test for people with aphasia is necessary in order for the test to be useful in a clinical practice.


Customizing the measurement of coping to a specific situation can answer some of the concerns regarding its measurement by checklist. A context-specific measure of coping with infertility was developed on the basis of theoretical principles of coping, interviews with women and providers, and existing findings. Data on the resulting Coping with Infertility questionnaire was collected from 652 Israeli women undergoing treatment and meta-strategies of coping were identified on the basis of a hierarchical structure of the coping subscales. About half of the women also filled in adjustment measures and findings showed differential associations of coping strategies to negative and positive indicators of psychological adjustment. Taking into account coping specificity can highlight strategies that function in ways that are unique to the context. This approach could be useful as a step in the assessment and understanding of coping with a specific health threat, which can guide further research and interventions designed to improve coping effectiveness.


The Neuropeptide S system, consisting of the 20-amino acid peptide neuropeptide S (NPS) and its G-protein coupled receptor (NPSR), modulates arousal, wakefulness, anxiety, and fear-extinction in mice. In addition, recent evidence indicates that the NPS system attenuates stress-dependent impairment of fear extinction, and that NPS-expressing neurons in close proximity to the locus coeruleus region (LC; pericoerulear, periLC) are activated by stress. Furthermore, periLC NPS neurons receive afferents from neurons of the centrolateral nucleus of the amygdala (CeL), of which a substantial population expresses the kappa opioid receptor (KOR) ligand precursor prodynorphin. This study aims to identify the effect of the dynorphinergic system on NPS neurons in the periLC via pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms. Using electrophysiological recordings in mouse brain slices, we provide evidence that NPS neurons in the periLC region are directly inhibited by dynorphin A (DynA) via activation of κ-opioid receptor 1 (KOR1) and a subsequent increase of potassium conductances. Thus, the dynorphinergic system is suited to inactivate NPS neurons in the periLC. In addition to this direct, somatic effect, DynA reduces the efficacy of GABAergic synapses on NPS neurons via KOR1 and KOR2. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence for the interaction of the NPS and the kappa opioid system in the periLC. Therefore, the endogenous opioid dynorphin is suited to inhibit NPS neurons with a subsequent decrease in NPS release in putative target regions leading to a variety of physiological consequences such as increased anxiety or vulnerability to stress exposure.


This research aims to examine the main factors affecting customer loyalty and investigate the relationships between customer satisfaction on service quality and price and customer loyalty toward an economy hotel chain in city of Guangzhou, in the Guangdong province, China. Self-administered questionnaires were collected from 402 customers who have stayed in 7 Days hotels and the Pearson correlation employed for data analysis. The results of this study confirmed that service quality dimensions and perceived price are the main drivers of customer satisfaction in terms of affecting customer loyalty. Surprisingly, the findings also show that perceived price has a stronger impact on customer loyalty than any other service quality dimensions.


The NusG protein family is structurally and functionally conserved in all domains of life. Its members directly bind RNA polymerases and regulate transcription processivity and termination. RfaH, a divergent sub‐family in its evolutionary history, is known for displaying distinct features than those in NusG proteins, which allows them to regulate the expression of virulence factors in enterobacteria in a DNA sequence‐dependent manner. A striking feature is its structural interconversion between an active fold, which is the canonical NusG three‐dimensional structure, and an autoinhibited fold, which is distinctively novel. How this novel fold is encoded within RfaH sequence to encode a metamorphic protein remains elusive. In this work, we used publicly available genomic RfaH protein sequences to construct a complete multiple sequence alignment, which was further augmented with metagenomic sequences and curated by predicting their secondary structure propensities using JPred. Coevolving pairs of residues were calculated from these sequences using plmDCA and GREMLIN, which allowed us to detect the enrichment of key metamorphic contacts after sequence filtering. Finally, we combined our coevolutionary predictions with molecular dynamics to demonstrate that these interactions are sufficient to predict the structures of both native folds, where coevolutionary‐derived non‐native contacts may play a key role in achieving the compact RfaH novel fold. All in all, emergent coevolutionary signals found within RfaH sequences encode the autoinhibited and active folds of this protein, shedding light on the key interactions responsible for the action of this metamorphic protein.


Glioma is one of the most common and aggressive malignant primary brain tumors, with a poor 5-year survival rate. The long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) CTBP1-AS2 has been shown to be correlated with the prognosis of cancer, but the role of CTBP1-AS2 in glioma and its concrete mechanism is fully unknown. The clinical data and tissues of glioma patients were analyzed. Cell viability and migration assays were performed. Western blotting and qRT-PCR were adopted for investigation of target protein expressions. Double luciferase assay was used to investigate the interaction between different elements. The lncRNA CTBP1-AS2 had increased expression profiles in tumor tissues, which is associated with poor prognosis. In detail, CTBP1-AS2 knockdown decreased proliferation and migration phenotypes in both U87-MG and LN229 cells. Moreover, CTBP1-AS2 knockdown suppressed the key epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers by downregulating Wnt7a-mediated signaling. Furthermore, miR-370-3p functioned as a link that could be absorbed by CTBP1-AS2, thus regulating Wnt7a expression. Lastly, the CTBP1-AS2-miR-370-3p-Wnt7a axis modulated EMT in glioma cells in vitro and in vivo. This study provides new insights that a novel lncRNA, CTBP1-AS2, regulates EMT of glioma by modulating the miR-370-3p-Wnt7a axis.


There is a paucity of research of traditional psychotherapy approaches with individuals of South Asian descent, specifically Pakistani-Americans. In particular, there are very few cases in existing literature highlighting the effectiveness of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) with Pakistani-Americans who have experienced sexual abuse. Due to cultural values, individuals of South Asian descent are less likely to pursue traditional psychotherapy and even far less likely to complete and/or benefit from it. The current case study focused on depression and trauma-related symptoms (e.g., guilt, shame, embarrassment) in the context of repeated sexual abuse for over 20 years. The PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) confirmed qualitative reports and therapist observations of improvement. This case suggests a westernized and protocol-driven treatment can be a viable intervention for individuals of SA descent with a history of sexual trauma. A strong therapeutic relationship and open discussion of diversity considerations were necessary for this treatment to work. This case reflects potential support for CPT as a treatment utilized across cultures for trauma-related symptoms.


SARS-CoV-2 infection of host cells starts by binding of the Spike glycoprotein (S) to the ACE2 receptor. The S-ACE2 interaction is a potential target for therapies against COVID-19 as demonstrated by the development of immunotherapies blocking this interaction. Here, we present the commercially available VE607, comprised of three stereoisomers, that was originally described as an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-1. We show that VE607 specifically inhibits infection of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 S-expressing pseudoviral particles as well as authentic SARS-CoV-2. VE607 stabilizes the receptor binding domain (RBD) in its "up" conformation. In silico docking and mutational analysis map the VE607 binding site at the RBD-ACE2 interface. The IC50 values are in the low micromolar range for pseudoparticles derived from SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan/D614G as well as from variants of concern (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron), suggesting that VE607 has potential for the development of drugs against SARS-CoV-2 infections.


The expression of the cellular retinoic acid binding protein type I (CRABP I) was examined in the early phase of cerebellar development in the mouse. The CRABP I was expressed from embryonic day (E) 10.5 to E15.5 in the cerebellar plate. The expression was diffused at E10.5–E11.5 and thereafter localized in a small rostrodorsal area of the cerebellar territory of both sides. By using in situ hybridization and both immunohistochemistry and carbocyanine tracing procedures, we identified the fastigial cells as the population that expresses CRABP I in the cerebellum. The results suggest that these cells play a critical role in the early development of the cerebellum.


Synchronous gastric tumours, though considered rare are now being increasingly reported in literature. They can grow separately within the stomach or merge with each other (collision tumor) or can form a mixed (composite) type of tumor.We present here an unusual case of synchronous gastric carcinoid and adenocarcinoma on the background of chronic atrophic gastritis with associated postcricoid oesophageal web. Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy of this 60-yearold female, who was a known case of hypertension with ischemic heart disease, showed a postcricoid web and a polypoidal, nodular mass along with 2 to 3 separate small nodular lesions in the distal gastric body. Histolopathology and immunohistochemistry of the biopsies from the mass and nodular lesions confirmed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma and carcinoid tumor respectively, with evidence of chronic atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia. H.pylori was negative. Serum gastrin levels were elevated and antiparietal cell antibodies were positive. Laboratory investigations revealed iron deficiency anaemia. There was no lymphadenopathy or distant metastasis on CT abdomen and no symptoms suggestive of carcinoid syndrome. She underwent a total gastrectomy with local lymphadenectomy. Plummer-Vinson syndrome has been described with gastric tumors, but not with the synchronous ones. This might be the first case where it has occurred along with synchronous gastric tumors or might be just a chance occurrence.


In today's world of globalization, engineering students should have high level technical skills and multidisciplinary skills to face current industry requirements. The engineering students should develop the communication skills, leadership skills, management skills, interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team. However, there is a competency gap between the skills required by industry and those developed by students during their undergraduate courses, these skills can be indulged while students are working in laboratories, tutorial classes and projects. The paper proposes an approach called Self Help Group to incorporate the team working spirit. This approach is implemented by involving higher performance students in teaching learning process for improving various skills of weaker students and makes the group asa high achievers group.


Intracoronary streptokinase was given to 40 patients with acute transmural myocardial infarction. In 34 of the patients (85%), it resulted in reflow or improved flow. Six patients showed no reflow and six reocclusion within 2 hours. No consistent explanation was found for this resistance to therapy. Five other patients developed reocclusion after 6 days to 11 months, when heparin or warfarin anticoagulation had been stopped. Percutaneous angioplasty at the time of streptokinase infusion was performed in seven, with six successes. Bypass surgery was performed after successful streptokinase administration in eight. Follow-up revealed recurrent ischemia in patients successfully treated with streptokinase alone, but not in patients with successful angioplasty or bypass surgery. Long-term coronary patency after thrombolysis may require careful anticoagulation or a procedure that modifies or bypasses the residual stenosis.


In Japanese culture, it is customary to put as much care into the wrapping of a gift as into choosing the gift itself. The way a gift is wrapped and the material in which it is presented are considered expressions of the giver's feeling toward the recipient. Using techniques that have been part of Japanese tradition for centuries, Chizuko Morita offers innovative, practical ideas for the Japanese art of wrapping with cloth. In minutes, a piece of cloth can be fashioned into an elegant wrapping for a CD, a book, a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, even a football. Not only are the wraps fool-proof, they rely on only three basic knots. Beautifully illustrated with full-colour photos, engagingly written and with clear, step-by-step instructions, the book includes sections on cloth selection, tying techniques, wrapping, table settings and much more.


We herein describe the case of a 51-year-old male who presented with a mass of the epigastric region. Preoperative contrast enhanced abdominal computerized tomography revealed a solid mass between the left liver lobe and stomach. Histopathologic examination diagnosed the mass as a solitary fibrous tumor. Although solitary fibrous tumors are rare, especially in the abdomen of adults, they are generally benign, but malignant cases have also been reported. Long-term follow-up will be necessary to determine whether the surgery has been curative.


The purpose of this study was to examine stakeholder perceptions of climate change and local adaptation strategies in the New York City area. A side-by-side comparison of expert and resident opinions provided a clear picture of the region's climate change attitude in the year following Superstorm Sandy. Semi-structured interviews with regional environmental experts provided material for a structured survey, which was then distributed to 100 experts and 250 residents in coastal NY and northern NJ counties. In the survey both stakeholder groups were asked to choose the top three climate threats to the NYC region and rate adaptation and mitigation strategies on a 1–5 Likert scale regarding their ability to protect the region and their cost-effectiveness. Results show that experts and residents agree that sea level rise, coastal flooding and storm surge, and an increased frequency and intensity of extreme events pose the greatest threats to NYC over the next 25 years. While both groups showed a preference for long-term planning over immediate action, experts and residents could not agree on which specific strategies would best serve the region. The aftermath of Superstorm Sandy had a strong impact on both the expert and resident opinions and efforts to monitor stakeholder opinions continue.


A solar tracking generating power system is designed and implemented. An expert controller, sensors and input/output interface are integrated with a tracking mechanism to increase the energy generation efficiency of solar cells. In order to track the sun, cadmium sulfide light sensitive resistors are used. To achieve optimal solar tracking, a fuzzy algorithm is developed. A field programmable gate array is applied to design the controller such that the solar cells always face the sun in most of the day time.


The drilling operation of glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) composites has gained importance because they are used as structural components in many industries such as aerospace and aviation. In the drilling of GFRP composites, some problems such as deformation and fiber breakage occur. Thrust force, delamination, surface quality and cutting temperature are affected by drilling parameters and woven types in the drilling of GFRP composites. At the same time, delamination also affects tensile strength. In this study, the effects of drilling parameters and woven types of GFRP composites on thrust force, surface roughness, delamination factor, and cutting temperature were examined in the drilling of GFRP composites produced in unidirectional (UD), ± 45º and 0°/90º woven types. The effects of drilling parameters and the delamination factor on the tensile strength of the drilled specimen were also investigated. The result of this study indicated that thrust force, delamination factor, and surface roughness increased with increasing cutting speed and feed rate. An increase in feed rate decreased the cutting temperature while an increase in cutting speed increased the cutting temperature. Also, it was found that the delamination had a critical influence on the tensile strength of the GFRP composites.


Abstract Two original acid derivatives of methylene diphosphonic acid (MDP) with two inequivalent phosphorus atoms have been synthesised: [(thiophosphonato)-methyl]phosphonic acid, (MDPS), and [(isopropyiamido phosphonato)-methyl] phosphonic acid, (MDPN). A poten- tiometric study allowed to define the stoechiometry of the complex formed between MDP and magnesium (II) in alcaline medium and a 31P NMR study proved the dissymetric structure of this MDPMg2+ complex. The displacement of the coordination equilibrium between Black Eriochrome T and magnesium (II) permitted to compare the coordination strength of MDP, MDPS and MDPN with the cation Mg2+.


The infection of individuals due to their behavior and extent of health education. In marginalized people often live in crowded conditions, limited sanitation, and personal hygiene is lack. they suffer a lack of health education and low income. Aim: This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites at marginalized people (Al-akhdam-The neglected group) and other people in different areas in Al Turbah city, and the relationship between parasites infection and race, age, sex, Family size, educational level, water source and type of job. Methods: The study was carried out from areas in Al-Turbah city, during March to December 2016.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the efficacy of Zhonglun'a-decoction-containing serum (ZHONGL-CS) on the in vitro apoptosis of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from rats with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) by investigating the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway.

METHODS
A CIA rat model was established using bovine type Ⅱ collagen. FLS were isolated, cultured and identified. A cell counting kit-8 was used to detect cell activity. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated. Experimental subjects were divided into control, CIA, ZHONGL-CS, JAK2 inhibitor AG490, and ZHONGLCS with AG490 groups. The in vitro cell cycle and apoptosis rate were detected in FLS by flow cytometry. Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), caspase-3, cyclin D1, phosphorylated JAK2, STAT1, and STAT3 protein expressions in FLS were examined by Western blotting. JAK2, STAT1 and STAT3 mRNA levels were examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS
Compared with the CIA group, FLS proliferation was inhibited, the FLS G0/G1 cell cycle was arrested, and the rate of FLS apoptosis was increased in the ZHONGL-CS group. In the ZHONGLCS group, the protein levels of Bcl-2 and cyclin D1 were reduced compared with the CIA group and the levels of Bax and caspase-3 in FLS were increased. In the ZHONGL-CS group, the expressions of JAK2, STAT1, and STAT3 mRNA and the levels of phosphorylated JAK2, STAT1, and STAT3 proteins were reduced.

CONCLUSION
ZHONGL-CS may induce FLS apoptosis in CIA rats. Activation of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway was inhibited in FLS in vitro.


PURPOSE
NSCLC radiotherapy treatment is a trade-off between controlling the tumor while limiting radiation-induced toxicities. Here we identify hierarchical biophysical relationships that could simultaneously influence both local control (LC) and RP by using an integrated Bayesian Networks (BN) approach.

METHODS
We studied 79 NSCLC patients treated on prospective protocol with 56 cases of LC and 21 events of RP. Beyond dosimetric information, each patient had 193 features including 12 clinical factors, 60 circulating blood cytokines before and during radiotherapy, 62 microRNAs, and 59 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The most relevant biophysical predictors for both LC and RP were identified using a Markov blanket local discovery algorithm and the corresponding BN was constructed using a score-learning algorithm. The area under the free-response receiver operating characteristics (AU-FROC) was used for performance evaluation. Cross-validation was employed to guard against overfitting pitfalls.

RESULTS
A BN revealing the biophysical interrelationships jointly in terms of LC and RP was developed and evaluated. The integrated BN included two SNPs, one microRNA, one clinical factor, three pre-treatment cytokines, relative changes of two cytokines between pre and during-treatment, and gEUDs of the GTV (a=-20) and lung (a=1). On cross-validation, the AUC prediction of independent LC was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.75-0.95) and RP was 0.83 (0.73-0.92). The AU-FROC of the integrated BN to predict both LC/RP was 0.81 (0.71-0.90) based on 2000 stratified bootstrap, indicating minimal loss in joint prediction power.

CONCLUSIONS
We developed a new approach for multiple outcome utility application in radiotherapy based on integrated BN techniques. The BN developed from large-scale retrospective data is able to simultaneously predict LC and RP in NSCLC treatments based on individual patient characteristics. The joint prediction is only slightly compromised compared to independent predictions. Our approach shows promise for use in clinical decision support system for personalized radiotherapy subject to multiple endpoints. These studies were supported by a grant from the NCI/NIH P01-CA59827.


OBJECTIVES
Uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock is the leading cause of potentially preventable death in major trauma patients. Damage control resuscitation (DCR), a strategy combining the techniques of permissive hypotension, hemostatic resuscitation, and damage control surgery, has been highly recommended for trauma patients. This study investigated whether emergency department (ED) crowding was associated with poor performance of the DCR strategies in treating hemorrhagic shock trauma patients.

METHODS
This was a retrospective cohort study in an urban tertiary hospital conducted from January 2010 to December 2013. Major trauma patients who presented to the ED with hemorrhagic shock were included. ED crowding, measured by ED occupancy rate, was categorized into three groups (low, medium, and high). The performance of DCR and inpatient outcomes were analyzed using multivariate logistic analysis.

RESULTS
Of the 3,037 major trauma patients assessed, 852 met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled in the study. Patients in the high-crowding group had delayed initiation of transfusion (high vs. medium and low, 2.5 hours vs. 2.1 hours and 1.0 hours, respectively, p = 0.01), received less blood products in the ED (both comparisons p < 0.01), and experienced delays in procedures (4.5 hours vs. 3.3 hours and 2.4 hours, p < 0.01). However, the amount of crystalloid solution was similar among patients in all three groups (p = 0.17). In multivariate analysis, more patients from the high-crowding group developed traumatic coagulopathy in the intensive care unit (29.7% vs. 24.1% and 16.3%, p < 0.01), while no clear relationship was found between ED crowding and 30-day mortality or early lactate clearance rate (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
ED crowding was associated with poor performance of DCR for major trauma patients in the ED. New strategies should be implemented to ameliorate crowded conditions and potential adverse outcomes.


The stannides Li2CuSn2 and Li2AgSn2 were synthesized by induction-melting (or in a muffle furnace) of the elements in sealed niobium ampoules. The new phases were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction. The structures of both stannides were investigated by X-ray diffraction on single crystals: Li2AuSn2 type, I41/amd, a = 442.6(1), c = 1940.9(8) pm, wR2 = 0.0742, 310 F2 values for Li2CuSn2 and a = 456.33(9) c = 2018.2(6) pm, wR2 = 0.0626, 339 F2 values for Li2AgSn2 with 10 variables for each refinement. The transition metal (T) atoms have tetrahedral tin coordination. The TSn4 tetrahedra are condensed via common corners forming layers that are further condensed by Sn–Sn bonding, leading to three-dimensional [CuSn2] and [AgSn2] networks which leave distorted hexagonal channels for the lithium atoms. The lithium ions show considerable mobility, with activation energies of 0.29 and 0.47 eV extracted from variable temperature 7Li solid state NMR spectra. 119Sn Mossbauer spectra at 78 K show signals at isomer shifts of δ = 2.13(1) mm s–1 for Li2CuSn2 and δ = 2.07(1) mm s–1 for Li2AgSn2. The signals show electric quadrupolar splitting because of the non spherical environment of the tin nuclei. A minor impurity of β-Sn could be identified in both spectra.


Abstract The article concerns the problem of inland waterways transport of LNG. Its aim is to present the algorithm of conceptual design of inland barges for LNG transport, intended for exploitation on European waterways. The article describes the areas where LNG barges exist, depending on the allowable operating parameters on the waterways. It presents existing architectural and construction solutions of barges for inland LNG transport, as well as the necessary equipment, due to the nature of cargo. Then the article presents the procedure of the conceptual design of LNG barges, including navigation restrictions and functional and economic criteria. The conceptual design algorithm of LGN barges, presented in the article, allows to preliminary design calculations, on the basis of which, are obtained the main dimensions and parameters of unit, depending on the transport task and the class of inland waterways, on which the transport will be realized.


Immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) is a group-specific affinity separation technique, which is based on specific interactions between molecules in solution and metal ions fixed to a solid support. Metal ions, being electron acceptors, react with ligands and electron-donor groups of biomolecules. In biomolecules, electron donors are surface-exposed atoms of nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen, potentially also phosphorus. As biomolecules (e.g. proteins) are bound to metal chelates, weakly bound ligands (e.g. water) are displaced from the metal chelate complex. Elution of the target proteins is achieved mostly by protonation (lowering pH) or by addition of a competing agent (e.g. imidazole). The IMAC with Co 2 + relies on the formation of weak coordination bonds between Co 2 + ions and basic groups of proteins, in particular histidine residues. The use of the IMAC with Co 2 + shows distinct advantages such as high loading, mild elution conditions, simple regeneration and low cost. The technique is therefore used for various purposes, including preparative and analytical purification of proteins and study of their surface topography. Efficient purification of recombinant proteins with engineered histidine affinity tags attached to the N- or C- terminus is another important application of this method.


Background RAPID3 (Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data) indicates differences in efficacy of active versus control treatments at levels similar to DAS28-ESR (Disease Activity Score 28-Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate) and CDAI (Clinical Disease Activity Index) in clinical trials of adalimumab, abatacept, certolizumab. Objectives To compare improvement according to RAPID3, DAS 28-ESR, and CDAI in the RA-BEAM trial of baricitinib vs adalimumab and placebo. Methods Post-hoc analyses were performed of the RA-BEAM trial, in which patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis and an inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX) were randomized to baricitinib, adalimumab, or placebo. All patients were to continue stable background MTX and other DMARDs, as well as stable low-dose prednisone and/or NSAIDs, if indicated. A RAPID3-like index was computed from 3 measures: physical function (FN), pain (PN), and patient global assessment (PATGL). FN on a HAQ (Health Assessment Questionnaire) of 20 items [rather than MDHAQ (multidimensional HAQ) of 10 items] was recalculated from 0–3 to 0–10; PN and PATGL (visual analog scales) were recalculated from 0–100 to 0–10, for a 0–30 total score, hence "RAPID3-like". Mean values at baseline and Week 24 for RAPID3-like, DAS28-ESR, and CDAI, and percent change from baseline were computed in the 3 treatment groups. The proportion of patients with high/moderate activity/severity at Week 24 versus low activity/severity/remission, as well as correlations of the 3 indices at Week 24, were calculated. Statistical significance for percent change was analyzed using Wilcoxon tests, after imputation of missing values using modified last observation carried forward (mLOCF); low activity/severity/remission was compared between groups using a logistic model, adjusting for region and baseline joint erosion status after imputation of missing values using non-responder imputation. Results Improvement from baseline to Week 24 ranged from 19.2% to 37.0% in placebo patients, 40.0% to 65.9% in baricitinib-treated patients, and 37.6% to 60.9% in adalimumab-treated patients (Table), least in DAS28-ESR, intermediate in RAPID3-like, and highest in CDAI. Changes according to RAPID3-like, DAS28-ESR and CDAI were similar in the 3 treatment groups; baricitinib and adalimumab were superior to placebo according to all indices, and baricitinib was superior to adalimumab according to RAPID3-like and CDAI (Table). Correlations of RAPID3-like with DAS28-ESR and CDAI ranged from r=0.61 to 0.75 and for DAS28-ESR with CDAI from r=0.86 to 0.91 (all p<0.001). The proportion of patients with low activity/severity/remission at Week 24 ranged from 9.6% to 19.7% in placebo patients, 31.6% to 49.9% in baricitinib-treated patients, and 33.6% to 47.6% in adalimumab-treated patients. RAPID3-like results were intermediate between DAS28-ESR and CDAI. Conclusions RAPID3-like documented greater efficacy of baricitinib versus adalimumab and placebo in the RA-BEAM trial, with results in similar ranges to DAS28-ESR and CDAI. RAPID3 is feasible to provide quantitative, standard medical history data; almost of the time and effort is by the patient rather than a health professional, assuring quantitative data in the infrastructure of usual clinical care. Disclosure of Interest T. Pincus Shareholder of: Health Report Services, B. Zhu Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, C. Larmore Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, J. Bradley Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, N. Patel Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, C. Gaich Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, A. Koch Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company


s: Ultraviolet radiation divides to three bands UV-A (320-390 nm), UV-B (280-320 nm) and UV-C (254-280 nm). Different bands of ultraviolet radiation have different effects on growth, physiological and biochemical plants. In this research, the effect of different bands of UV radiation on the shoot and root length, quantity of flavonoids, anthocyanine, protein, ethylene, peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activities and the concentration of Ca 2+ , K + , Mg 2+ in seedlings of the pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) were studied. After 10 days, seedlings were exposed to treatment of UV-A, UV-B and UV-C for 3 days. To assess the effect of ultraviolet treatments on electrophoretic polypeptide patterns, shoot proteins were separated on SDS-PAGE gels. The results showed that under the experimental conditions, UV-B and UV-C radiation reduced the length of shoot and root. This study showed that irradiation of the plant with UV-B and UV-C caused significant increase in quantity of protein, anthocyanine, flavonoids, ethylene, the concentration of Ca 2+ , K + , Mg 2+ , activity of enzymes peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase, while in those plants which were treated with UV-A, the activity of enzymes were not significantly different in comparison to the control. These pigments have high absorption in UV spectrum of light and therefore could be used as UV absorption compounds by plants to prevent penetration of UV to the more sensitive tissues. The role of flavonoids in quenching of hydrogene peroxide against UV radiation can de considered as a defensive mechanism.


We report a first measurement for ultrahigh energy cosmic rays of the correlation between the depth of shower maximum and the signal in the water Cherenkov stations of air-showers registered simultaneously by the fluorescence and the surface detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory. Such a correlation measurement is a unique feature of a hybrid air-shower observatory with sensitivity to both the electromagnetic and muonic components. It allows an accurate determination of the spread of primary masses in the cosmic-ray flux. Up till now, constraints on the spread of primary masses have been dominated by systematic uncertainties. The present correlation measurement is not affected by systematics in the measurement of the depth of shower maximum or the signal in the water Cherenkov stations. The analysis relies on general characteristics of air showers and is thus robust also with respect to uncertainties in hadronic event generators. The observed correlation in the energy range around the 'ankle' at lg(E/eV) = 18.5-19.0 differs significantly from expectations for pure primary cosmic-ray compositions. A light composition made up of proton and helium only is equally inconsistent with observations. The data are explained well by a mixed composition including nuclei with mass A > 4. Scenarios such as the proton dip model, with almost pure compositions, are thus disfavored as the sole explanation of the ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray flux at Earth. (C) 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.


PURPOSE
The objective was to utilize and evaluate diagnostic CT-MAR technique for radiation therapy treatment planning.

METHODS
A Toshiba-diagnostic-CT acquisition with SEMAR(Single-energy-MAR)-algorism was performed to make the metal-artifact-reduction (MAR) for patient treatment planning. CT-imaging datasets with and without SEMAR were taken on a Catphan-phantom. Two sets of CT-numbers were calibrated with the relative electron densities (RED). A tissue characterization phantom with Gammex various simulating material rods was used to establish the relationship between known REDs and corresponding CT-numbers. A GE-CT-sim acquisition was taken on the Catphan for comparison. A patient with bilateral hip arthroplasty was scanned in the radiotherapy CT-sim and the diagnostic SEMAR-CT on a flat panel. The derived SEMAR images were used as a primary CT dataset to create contours for the target, critical-structures, and for planning. A deformable registration was performed with VelocityAI to track voxel changes between SEMAR and CT-sim images. The SEMAR-CT images with minimal artifacts and high quality of geometrical and spatial integrity were employed for a treatment plan. Treatment-plans were evaluated based on deformable registration of SEMAR-CT and CT-sim dataset with assigned CT-numbers in the metal artifact regions in Eclipse v11 TPS.

RESULTS
The RED and CT-number relationships were consistent for the datasets in CT-sim and CT's with and without SEMAR. SEMAR datasets with high image quality were used for PTV and organ delineation in the treatment planning process. For dose distribution to the PTV through the DVH analysis, the plan using CT-sim with the assigned CT-number showed a good agreement to those on deformable CT-SEMAR.

CONCLUSION
A diagnostic-CT with MAR-algorithm can be utilized for radiotherapy treatment planning with CT-number calibrated to the RED. Treatment planning comparison and DVH shows a good agreement in the PTV and critical organs between the plans on CT-sim with assigned CT-number and the deformable SEMAR CT datasets.


Purpose To determine whether contrast sensitivity (CS) can represent photophobia in intermittent exotropia (IXT) by comparing the CS test with and without glare stimulus, and to analyze the factors of IXT affecting CS. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 107 patients with basic-type IXT. We compared CS under mesopic and photopic conditions, with and without glare. We compared the difference in CS before and after glare (ΔCS) between mesopic and photopic conditions, and compared CS with glare between patients with and without photophobia. The correlations between the clinical features of IXT and CS were analyzed. Results There was no significant reduction in CS at all spatial frequencies by glare stimulus. ΔCS was greater at high spatial frequencies under photopic conditions than under mesopic conditions. The group with subjective photophobia showed lower CS at 10.2 cpd under mesopic conditions with glare. CS showed a negative correlation with stereopsis under both mesopic and photopic conditions, and a positive correlation with fusional ability at low and intermediate spatial frequencies under mesopic conditions. ΔCS was smaller at intermediate spatial frequencies with better fusional ability, greater at high spatial frequencies with photophobia, and greater at intermediate spatial frequencies with a higher frequency of exotropia. Conclusions The CS test could not represent photophobia in IXT. However, CS tended to decrease with glare stimulus, and CS under mesopic conditions with glare was worse when accompanied by photophobia. Moreover, a poorer degree of stereopsis was associated with lower CS, and better fusional ability was associated with higher CS under mesopic conditions. Therefore, the CS test can be considered helpful in evaluating sensory function in IXT.


This review article describes our neutron scattering experiments made in the past four years for the understanding of the single-particle (hydrogen atom) dynamics of a protein and its hydration water and the strong coupling between them. We found that the key to this strong coupling is the existence of a fragile-to-strong dynamic crossover (FSC) phenomenon occurring at around TL = 225 ± 5 K in the hydration water. On lowering of the temperature toward FSC, the structure of hydration water makes a transition from predominantly the high density form (HDL), a more fluid state, to predominantly the low density form (LDL), a less fluid state, derived from the existence of a liquid-liquid critical point at an elevated pressure. We show experimentally that this sudden switch in the mobility of hydration water on Lysozyme, B-DNA and RNA triggers the dynamic transition, at a temperature TD = 220 K, for these biopolymers. In the glassy state, below TD, the biopolymers lose their vital conformational flexibility resulting in a substantial diminishing of their biological functions. We also performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on a realistic model of hydrated lysozyme powder, which confirms the existence of the FSC and the hydration level dependence of the FSC temperature. Furthermore, we show a striking feature in the short time relaxation (β-relaxation) of protein dynamics, which is the logarithmic decay spanning 3 decades (from ps to ns). The long time α-relaxation shows instead a diffusive behavior, which supports the liquid-like motions of protein constituents. We then discuss our recent high-resolution X-ray inelastic scattering studies of globular proteins, Lysozyme and Bovine Serum Albumin. We were able to measure the dispersion relations of collective, intra-protein phonon-like excitations in these proteins for the first time. We found that the phonon energies show a marked softening and at the same time their population increases substantially in a certain wave vector range when temperature crosses over the TD. Thus the increase of biological activities above TD has positive correlation with activation of slower and large amplitude collective motions of a protein.


Objective: The aim was to identify the factors that influence adolescents to consume alcoholic beverages, their motivations and their knowledge about this practice. Methods: Quantitative-qualitative convergent-care research, involving 21 adolescents from the city of Rio de Janeiro, between 12 and 18 years of age. A semistructured interview was held and a form with closed questions was applied. Results: The results showed that 18 of them consumed alcoholic beverages, that beer is the main drink consumed and that entertainment, the company of friends and the flight from reality are the main goals of the consumption. They knew the risks for themselves and other people, including the deterioration of social contact. Conclusion: The easy access encourages the alcohol consumption and, despite knowing some of the risks, they consume these beverages, generally in groups.


Based on current Internet technologies, several mobile technologies have been developed. The advancement of information technology has generated diverse and innovative environment in our daily environments being related to the future of the Internet. Service innovations are being made in network access technologies, user terminals, devices, applications, and the provision of services. Therefore, the future of the Internet will support flexible, real-time services and operation management that gives users more economic, ubiquitous, and high-quality experience. However, in an Internet of Things (IoT) network environment that is composed of a wide range of devices, the efficiency of executing applications will be affected by unfavorable network environments and the use of equipment. To solve this problem, a network service quality management design, in which the applications of the upper layer are unaffected by changes in the bottom layer, ensuring service quality, must be developed. This work proposes and concentrates on solutions named operation, administration and maintenance (OA&M) architecture that are based on cloud computing and IoT environment architecture. This study gives simulation results to show that this approach is efficient with an average communication delay of 591 milliseconds and a reduction in the data duplicate rate by 81.45%.


Scorpion stings are life threatening in large parts of the world. Toxins from scorpion venom are responsible for severe metabolic and tissue disruption and immunotherapy is the only specific treatment able to neutralize the toxic effects of scorpion venom. The Androctonus mauretanicus (Am) is the most dangerous scorpion in Morocco, whereas in Tunisia Androctonus australis hector (Aah) is causing most casualties. In this work, we investigated the potential of NbF12-10, a new immunotherapeutic concept based on anti-toxin Nanobodies (Nbs) to neutralize Am scorpion venom. We first explored the immune cross-reactivity between Am and Aah scorpions venoms using anti-AahI and anti-AahII polyclonal, NbAahI'F12 (anti-AahI'), monospecific NbAahII10 (anti-AahII) and bispecific NbF12-10 (anti-AahI'/anti- AahII) monoclonal antibodies and subsequently we study the histological damages observed after envenomation with the F3 toxic fraction of Am scorpion venom by intra-cerebroventricular (i.c.v) injection and the capacity of NbF12-10 to reduce tissue damage induced by F3 fraction after i.c.v administration of F3:NbF12-10 mixture, in mice. Results showed significant para-specific activity of anti-Aah polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies towards Am venom fractions. Histological investigations revealed severe tissue damage in brain, lung and liver after i.c.v. administration of F3 fraction. The NbF12-10 pre-mixed with F3 fraction showed an efficient neutralizing capacity against lethal effect of this toxic fraction. Moreover, in vitro pre-incubation of F3 with NbF12-10 at 8-fold molar excess led to significantly reduced tissue damage. Further, NbF12-10 displays a noteworthy potential to neutralize Am toxins and to rescue 50% of envenomed mice from dying. This study provides first evidence that NbF12-10 nano-therapeutic has promising prospective to treat scorpion envenoming in the Maghreb area.


Structural durability is an important design criterion, which must be assessed for every type of structure. In this regard, especial attention must be addressed to the durability of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. When RC structures are located in aggressive environments, its durability is strongly reduced by physical/chemical/mechanical processes that trigger the corrosion of reinforcements. Among these processes, the diffusion of chlorides is recognized as one of major responsible of corrosion phenomenon start. Reinforcements' depassivation occurs when the chloride concentration at the reinforcement surface reaches a threshold value. Consequently, geometrical structural shape and mechanical proprieties of constituent steel are modified. The present work presents a formulation based on the Finite Element Method for the mechanical analysis of reinforced concrete structures subjected to corrosive effects due to chloride penetration. Mazars's damage model and elastoplastic positive isotropic hardening approach are used to simulate physical nonlinearities of concrete and steel, respectively. Fick's second law is used to model the chloride diffusion inside the structure and empirical laws are applied to represent the corrosion rate of reinforcements' steel along time. The corrosion phenomena, as well as the mechanical proprieties of reinforced concrete, have a high level of randomness. Therefore, this problem is only properly addressed in the probabilistic context. Then, a polynomial response surface meta-model is built from the original mechanical model in order to represent the limit state equations. Monte Carlo's Simulation Method is applied on the obtained limit state equation to determinate the failure probability. Hyper-static structures are analysed in order to determine the probability of structural system failure, which is the main contribution of this study. Beams, localized in a saturated chloride environment, subjected to self-weigh and accidental loads are considered. The obtained results indicate that the progressive structural collapse due to corrosion is considerable different from the classical scenario when this chemical effect is not accounted.


Allergic asthma is associated with airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness caused by the dysregulated production of cytokines secreted by allergen-specific helper T type 2 (Th2) cells. Allergic subjects produce relatively low amounts of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), a pleiotropic Th1 cytokine that downregulates Th2-associated responses. In this study, we examined the possibility of modulating ovalbumin (OVA)-induced inflammation and airway hyperreactivity (AHR) by recombinant adenovirus-mediated IFN-gamma (Ad-IFN-gamma) gene transfer. OVA-sensitized mice treated with Ad-IFN-gamma exhibit significantly lower levels of Th2 cytokines interleukin 4 (IL-4) and IL-5, OVA-specific serum IgE, lung eosinophilia, and AHR in response to methacholine challenge compared with control mice. The lung sections of the treated mice show less epithelial damage, mucous plugging, and eosinophil infiltration than controls. In contrast, Ad-IFN-gamma-treated mice express significantly higher levels of IFN-gamma and IL-12 when compared with controls. Moreover, administration of Ad-IFN-gamma to mice with established AHR significantly reduced AHR, Th2 cytokines, and lung inflammation. The IFN-gamma effects were dependent on IL-12 and STAT4 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 4), as mice treated with antibodies to IL-12 and STAT4 deficient mice show attenuated Ad-IFN-gamma responses. Thus, these results demonstrate that mucosal Ad-IFN-gamma gene transfer can effectively attenuate established allergen-induced airway inflammation and AHR, predominantly through an IL-12- and STAT4-dependent mechanism.


Networked systems that occur in various domains, such as electric networks, the brain, and opinion networks, are known to obey conservation laws. For instance, electric networks obey Kirchoff's laws, and social networks obey opinion consensus. Conservation laws are often modeled as balance equations that relate appropriate injected flows and potentials at the nodes of the networks. A recent line of work considers the problem of estimating the unknown structure of such networked systems from observations of node potentials (and only the knowledge of the statistics of injected flows). Given the dynamic nature of the systems under consideration, an equally important task is estimating the change in the structure of the network from data – the so called differential network analysis problem. That is, given two sets of node potential observations, the goal is to estimate the structural differences between the underlying networks. We formulate this novel differential network analysis problem for systems obeying conservation laws and devise a convex estimator to learn the edge changes directly from node potentials. We derive conditions under which the estimate is unique in the highdimensional regime and devise an efficient ADMM-based approach to perform the estimation. Finally, we demonstrate the performance of our approach on synthetic and benchmark power network data.


Gallium nitride based core/shell nanowire heterostructures are promising components for UV optoelectronic nanodevices. A better understanding of their growth mechanisms is required to tailor the growth and the properties of these structures. We report an investigation of GaN-based radial nanowire heterostructures grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy combined with Atomic Layer Deposition of HfO2 dielectric cladding. The structural quality of GaN nanowire samples coated with different materials, the elemental distribution along the nanowires' length, as well as the elemental incorporation mechanism are discussed.


The inflammasome is an intracellular molecular complex, which is mainly involved in innate immunity. Inflammasomes are formed in response to danger signals, associated with infection and injury, and mainly regulate the secretion of interleukin-1β and interleukin-18. Inflammasome dysregulation is known to be associated with various diseases and conditions, and its regulatory mechanisms have become of great interest in recent years. In the colon, inflammasomes have been reported to be associated with autophagy and the microbiota, and their dysregulation contributes to colitis and. However, the detailed role of inflammasomes in inflammatory bowel disease is still under debate because the mechanisms that regulate the inflammasome are complex and the inflammasome components and cytokines show seemingly contradictory multiple effects. Herein, we comprehensively review the literature on inflammasome functioning in the colon and describe the complex interactions of the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome components with inflammatory cytokines, autophagy, and the microbiota in experimental colitis models and patients with inflammatory bowel disease.


General ideas about joint working have been commonplace in the UK for several decades and those more specifically about joint commissioning have been popular since the quasi-market reforms of the early 1990s. The Labour Government is now placing a heavy premium upon 'partnership working' and expects this to breathe new life into joint commissioning initiatives; especially those involving social care and primary health care. However, despite the relatively lengthy experience of joint commissioning, we still know very little about how it works in practice. This article reviews joint commissioning as a policy concept, describes some recent research findings and pulls out messages for policy and practice. It concludes that although effective joint commissioning is attainable, there can be no 'quick fix' at local level.


Family support is crucial for managing chronic conditions but it is often overlooked when designing behavioral interventions in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). As part of the formative phase of a feasibility randomized control trial (RCT), we conducted 20 semistructured interviews with people with T2DM from Lima, Peru. Based on such results, we describe the support people with T2DM receive from their families and the role that such support has in their efforts to implement diabetes management practices. We learned that participants receive support from family members, but mostly from their spouses and children. Their relatives encourage them and motivate them to fight for their health, they also provide instrumental support by preparing healthy meals, reminding them to take medications, and sharing physical activity. Participants also reported controlling actions which were not always "well received." Thus, any intervention supporting self-management practices need to work with key family members. We support the literature that suggests that interventions should target family members to ensure improved T2DM self-management practices.


In 2012, the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE), representing the Tri-Council of Nursing, namely, AONE, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American Nurses Association, and the National League for Nursing, was selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as the national program office for the Academic Progression in Nursing (APIN) initiative. This article discusses the impact APIN has had in the 9 states that received APIN grants, essential elements for successful APIN projects, and highlights of the last year of the grant in moving closer to the 80/20 goal from the Institute of Medicine.


Members of the Meis family of TALE homeobox transcription factors are involved in many processes of vertebrate development and morphogenesis, showing extremely complex transcriptional and spatiotemporal expression patterns. In this work, we performed a comprehensive study of chicken Meis genes using multiple approaches. First, we assessed whether the chicken genome contains a Meis3 ortholog or harbors only two Meis genes; we gathered several lines of evidence pointing to a specific loss of the Meis3 ortholog in an early ancestor of birds. Next, we studied the transcriptional diversity generated from chicken Meis genes through alternative splicing during development. Finally, we performed a detailed analysis of chick Meis1/2 expression patterns during early embryogenesis and organogenesis. We show that the expression of both Meis genes begins at the gastrulation stage in the three embryonic layers, presenting highly dynamic patterns with overlapping as well as distinct expression domains throughout development. Developmental Dynamics 240:1475–1492, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Pulse shape discrimination of alpha and beta rays with liquid scintillation counting was investigated for the purpose of low level alpha activity measurements. Various liquid scintillators for pulse shape discrimination were examined by means of pulse rise time analysis. A new scintillator of low cost and of superior characteristics was found. The figure of merits better than 3.5 in rise time spectrum and the energy resolution better than 9% were obtained for carefully prepared samples. The background counting rate for a sample of 10 ml was reduced to 0.013 cpm/MeV in the range of alpha ray energy 5 to 7 MeV.


Over the past 15 years there has been a lot of published studies about primary ACL reconstruction, however there is relatively little literature on revision ACL reconstruction. There have been several case series describing surgeons' experiences in revision reconstructive surgery, but these are generally of evidence levels III or IV. The majority of these authors concluded that revision ACL reconstruction has a worse outcome than primary ACL reconstruction. Revision ACL reconstruction has been found to be a strong predictor for a lower perceived knee-related quality of life 2 with a significant difference in median scores between primary reconstructions and revision reconstructions (P value=0.001). Revision reconstruction has been described as a 'salvage procedure' 16 and it has been suggested that significant time should be spent counselling patients and discussing their expectations prior to surgery 3. Despite this studies have shown that revision surgery can be comparable to those achieved in primary reconstruction, with only little less satisfactory results 6. This however was again only level of evidence IV, and it highlights the need for high evidence level trials involving prospective controlled trials. The Multicenter ACL Revision Study (MARS) 2 has set out to do this. MARS intends to develop a prospective longitudinal cohort, to provide the highest level of evidence so that it can guide clinical practice on revision ACL reconstruction. A collaboration of approximately 70 surgeons intends to identify prognosis and independent predictors of poor outcomes on revision ACL reconstruction. It is clear that more high level research needs to undertaken with regards to revision ACL reconstruction and the results of the MARS could help determine the best practices for revision ACL reconstruction and hopefully improve results of this surgery in the future. In this review there is not figures and outcomes.


The authors report a comparative biomechanical study of the suitability of four types of stainless steel wire for sublaminar fixation. Tensile and fatigue tests were performed on wires in the configuration used at surgery. They conclude that annealed 18-gauge (1.2 mm) wire should be used at each end of a scoliosis fusion, at the upper end of a lumbar fusion, and throughout for thoracolumbar fractures. Cold-worked 20-gauge (0.87 mm) wire may be used in all other situations, but the use of annealed 20-gauge wire should be restricted to the cervical spine. The authors emphasize the importance of achieving the correct balance between wire stiffness and flexibility, of care in the handling of wires, and of proper technique in achieving secure fixation.


AHLs are signaling molecules produced by Gram-negative bacterium during their proliferation. These molecules are closely related with bacteria pathogenicity. AiiA protein, functioning as a intracellular lactonase, hydrolyses AHLs at lactone loop in the molecule to reduce its biological activity and also dramatically reduces pathogenicity of bacterium at the same time. In this study, DNA fragment encoding aiiA gene was amplified from the plasmid derived from Bacillus thuringiensis by PCR. Expression vector, pET29a-aiiA, was constructed and transformed into bacteria strain of E. coli BL21 (DE3) for expression of AiiA protein. After 25 h induction with 0.8 mmol/L IPTG at 20 degrees C, the protein AiiA expressed in soluble form by recombinant strain reached about 54.4 microg/mL. The recombinant protein was purified with Ni-affinity chromatography. Biological activity analysis showed that AiiA protein had a capability to hydrolyse AHLs, and strong antimicrobial activity for Eriwinia carotovora.


Abstract : This thesis explores concepts for a closed-loop optimal control implementation of minimum-time attitude maneuvers of spacecraft. The most common implementation of optimal control solutions is via open-loop commands. However, ignorance of the true system parameters can undermine the open-loop optimal control solution. While traditional closed-loop control methods can compensate for significant levels of uncertainty, this comes at the cost of optimality. This work focuses on optimization of eigenaxis maneuvers, but the concepts are not limited to this constraint. The study begins with an examination of candidate control architectures, weighing the advantages of various closed-loop feedback architectures. A control architecture consisting of a traditional proportional-derivative (or quaternion error) feedback loop and a feed-forward control torque signal is deemed to have the best performance and is then selected for further study. Next, through the analyses of a series of optimal control problems, several real-time optimal control algorithms are developed that continuously adapt to feedback on the systems actual states throughout the maneuver. These algorithms demonstrate significant performance improvements over conventional open-loop implementations, most notably shorter overall maneuver times. The results of this work, therefore, provide an algorithmic enhancement of spacecraft agility.


Safe-interval path planning (SIPP) is a powerful algorithm for finding a path in the presence of dynamic obstacles. SIPP returns provably optimal solutions. However, in many practical applications of SIPP such as path planning for robots, one would like to trade-off optimality for shorter planning time. In this paper we explore different ways to build a bounded-suboptimal SIPP and discuss their pros and cons. We compare the different bounded-suboptimal versions of SIPP experimentally. While there is no universal winner, the results provide insights into when each method should be used.


The objective of this paper is to provide general principles that should guide any future discussions regarding the redefinition of the SI base units. The suggestion is to use the envisaged redefinition of the unit of mass, the kilogram, as an opportunity to generally check the compliance of all base units with modern demands and the needs of economy, science and society. In order to meet these requirements it is proposed principally to separate the 'carrier' of the definition and the 'carriers' of the realization of the SI units. By providing an example of a revised SI it is shown that these considerations could add value to the International System of Units.


Anaphoric reference is an aspect of language interpretation covering a variety of types of interpretation beyond the simple case of identity reference to entities introduced via nominal expressions covered by the traditional coreference task in its most recent incarnation in ONTONOTES and similar datasets. One of these cases that go beyond simple coreference is anaphoric reference to entities that must be added to the discourse model via accommodation, and in particular split-antecedent references to entities constructed out of other entities, as in split-antecedent plurals and in some cases of discourse deixis. Although this type of anaphoric reference is now annotated in many datasets, systems interpreting such references cannot be evaluated using the Reference coreference scorer Pradhan et al. (2014). As part of the work towards a new scorer for anaphoric reference able to evaluate all aspects of anaphoric interpretation in the coverage of the Universal Anaphora initiative, we propose in this paper a solution to the technical problem of generalizing existing metrics for identity anaphora so that they can also be used to score cases of split-antecedents. This is the first such proposal in the literature on anaphora or coreference, and has been successfully used to score both split-antecedent plural references and discourse deixis in the recent CODI/CRAC anaphora resolution in dialogue shared tasks.


Allergen inhalation challenge has been useful for examining the mechanisms of allergen-induced airway inflammation and the associated physiological changes and for documenting the efficacy of drugs to treat asthma. Allergen inhalation by a sensitized subject results in acute bronchoconstriction, beginning within 15-30 min and lasting 1-3 hr, which can be followed by the development of a late asthmatic response. Individuals who develop both an early and late response after allergen have more marked increases in airway hyperresponsiveness, and greater increases in allergen-induced airway inflammation, particularly in airway eosinophils and basophils. All of the currently available and effective treatments for asthma modify some aspects of allergen-induced responses. These medications include short-acting and long-acting inhaled β2-agonists, inhaled corticosteroids, cromones, methylxanthines, leukotriene inhibitors, and anti-IgE monoclonal antibody. In addition, allergen inhalation challenge has become a useful method which can, in a very limited number of patients, provide key information on the therapeutic potential of new drugs being developed to treat asthma.


The relationship between music and politics in the discourse of creative practitioners is often reduced to assertions of causality between specific musical works or aesthetic traits and particular political actions or ideologies. The association between the musical avant-garde and emancipatory politics (and their perceived common failure to fulfil a historical destiny) is evidence that a unidimensional understanding of the interconnections between these two practices can have a saturating effect on musical reception and creation. A direct result of this reductive approach is the emergence of an artistic category that could be labelled, imaginary musical radicalism—a creative approach in which artists replicate musical strategies of the avant-garde movements, detached from their original modernist vision (Rancière). This article proposes a heuristic and multidimensional approach, based on a radical historicist analysis (Rockhill) of musical and political practices as an alternative model for the creative practitioner working at the intersection of music and politics.


An automated technique is described that uses holographic interferometry to determine the translation of a diffusely reflecting rigid body. The photographs of the reconstructed virtual image of a double-exposed hologram were digitized. The CDC 6600 computer was used to process the reconstructed virtual image data by recording the number of fringes that moved over specified image points as the viewing direction of the hologram was varied. Contours were made by connecting all image points over which an equal number of fringes passed. A surface resolution (distribution of image points interrogated) of 0.0368 cm was used. By using this technique a 6.35-microm linear displacement of a 3.68-cm diam aluminum object was verified with an error </=4.3% over the entire object. It appears this technique can be extended to three-dimensional objects.


An experiment was carried out during winter (rabi) season of 2007 and 2008 to assess the correlation, path coefficient and genetic diversity in 30 morphological diverse accessions of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) under rainfed conditions. Days to 50% flowering, biological yield/plant, seed yield/plant and 100-seed weight showed significant differences and wide variations during both years. Low differences between phenotypic coefficient of variability and genotypic coefficient of variability were observed for all the descriptors during both years. Pods/plant, days to 50% flowering, biological yield/plant, seed yield/plant and 100-seed weight in both the years showed high heritability coupled with high genetic advance (per cent of mean) signifying the influence of additive gene effects. The characters viz., biological yield/plant and number of primary branches/plant showed positive and significant correlations with seed yield/plant and exerted positive and high direct effects on seed yield/plant for both years. D2 analysis groped accessions into three clusters having 16, 10 and 4 accessions. The highest genetic diversity was observed between cluster I and III. Hence, accessions belonging to cluster I and III can be used as parents for hybridization programme for the development of high yielding lentil genotypes under rainfed conditions.


In the coming years, NASA's Curiosity rover will pass rocks on Mars that, seen from orbit, seem to host mysteriously intermittent dark streaks—perhaps marking seasonal water seeps that could host martian life. But NASA's planetary protection office, charged with keeping earthly microbes from colonizing other bodies, has said it may nix a visit. It fears that Curiosity could contaminate this so-called special region because the rover was not fully sterilized before launch. Many planetary scientists, however, believe that now is the time to loosen restrictions on visiting these areas, before human exploration contaminates the planet. And, after years of stasis, the planetary protection office seems primed for a shakeup, thanks to an internal move and potential change in leadership, along with outside review of its policies by independent scientists.


was recently introduced, so it will be interesting to see if this changes the trends in the future. Most patients tend to do well when withdrawal is identified quickly. Very few patients had more serious complications from their withdrawal: rhabdomyolysis in 8%, seizures in 5%, multi organ system failure in 2%, hallucinations in 1%, and loss of consciousness in 1%. No one had DIC or death. Most patients went to surgery, if required, 1 day into their hospitalization. Most patients were done with their withdrawal symptoms 1 day following their surgery. Clearly, more work needs to be done to further evaluate acute ITB withdrawal and to determine the best treatment methods for it. A prospective study would best be suited for this. The creation of gold standard guidelines would improve the quality of care for all pump patients.


Background This report describes the status of renal replacement therapy (RRT), particularly continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), in Romania (a country with previously limited facilities), outlines the fast development rate of CAPD, and presents national changes in a European context. Methods Trends in the development of RRT were analyzed in 2003 on a national basis using annual center questionnaires from 1995 to 2003. Survival data and prognostic risk factors were calculated retrospectively from a representative sample of 2284 patients starting RRT between 1 January 1995 and 31 December 2001 (44% of the total RRT population investigated). Results The annual rate of increase in the number of RRT patients (11%) was supported mainly by an exponential development of the CAPD population (+600%); the hemodialysis (HD) growth rate was stable (+33%) and renal transplantation had a marginal contribution. The characteristics of both HD and PD incident patients changed according to current European epidemiology (increasing age and prevalence of diabetes and nephroangiosclerosis). There were significant differences between PD and HD incident populations, PD patients being significantly older and having a higher prevalence of diabetic nephropathy and baseline comorbidities, probably reflecting different inclusion policies. The estimated overall survival of RRT patients in Romania was 90.6% at 1 year [confidence interval (CI) 89.4 – 91.8] and 62.2% at 5 years (CI 59.4 – 65.0). The initial treatment modality did not significantly influence patients' survival. There was no difference in unadjusted technique survival during the first 2 years; afterwards, there was a clear advantage for HD, with more patients being transferred from PD to HD. Several factors seemed to significantly and negatively influence PD patients' survival (Cox regression analysis): male gender, lack of predialysis erythropoietin treatment, and initial comorbidities. Stratified analysis to discover the influence of these factors on patients' survival revealed that HD was associated with an increased risk of death in the younger nondiabetic end-stage renal disease population, regardless of other coexisting comorbid conditions. However, in older patients (>65 years) and in diabetics, regardless of the presence or absence of associated comorbid conditions, there was no significant difference in death rates between HD and PD patients. Conclusions We report an impressive quantitative and qualitative development of CAPD in one of the rapidly growing Central and Eastern Europe countries. CAPD should be the method of choice for young nondiabetic end-stage renal disease patients. Improvement in predialysis nephrologic care and in transplantation rates is required to further ensure the ultimate success of the Romanian PD program.


We compared the response of the pulmonary microcirculation to a 5-hr infusion of soybean lipoxygenase with that seen after endotoxin. We monitored microvascular integrity using lung lymph flow QL and lymph/plasma (L/P) protein ratio in unanesthetized sheep. We noted a twofold to threefold increase in QL and a slight decrease in L/P ratio beginning about 1 hr after onset of the lipoxygenase infusion. Leukocyte count decreased significantly and lymph lysosomal enzyme activity increased. Pulmonary artery pressure initially increased from 16 to 31 mm Hg, then decreased to 25 mm Hg during continued infusion. Platelet count remained constant. Parameters returned to baseline several hours after infusion. This pulmonary vascular pressure and lymph flow response was very similar to that seen in the increased permeability phase of endotoxin. A decrease on the L/P ratio and a constant rather than a decreased platelet count were findings different from those seen after endotoxin.


Krogh, E. & Penne, S. (2015). Introduction to Languages, Literatures, and Literacies. Researching Paradoxes and Negotiations in Scandinavian L1 Subjects. A special issue Paradoxes and Negotiations in Scandinavian L1 Research in Languages, Literatures and Literacies, edited by Ellen Krogh and Sylvi Penne. L1-Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 15, p. 1-16. http://dx.doi.org/10.17239/L1ESLL-2015.15.01.12 Corresponding author: Ellen Krogh, Department of the Study of Culture, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK 5230 Odense M, Denmark, email: email@example.com © 2015 International Association for the Improvement of Mother tongue Education. LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND LITERACIES. RESEARCHING PARADOXES AND NEGOTIATIONS IN SCANDINAVIAN L1 SUBJECTS


We propose a scheme to generate the multi-photon cluster states via the cavity input-output process and the single-bit rotations. The method can be generalized to construct a series of multi-photon graph states, and the successful probability is close to unity in the ideal condition.


Nine cases of Spigelian hernia treated during a period of five years are presented. The literature is reviewed and the importance of recognizing the condition is stressed. The main pathological and clinical features are discussed.


Emotion lexicons describe the affective meaning of words and thus constitute a centerpiece for advanced sentiment and emotion analysis. Yet, manually curated lexicons are only available for a handful of languages, leaving most languages of the world without such a precious resource for downstream applications. Even worse, their coverage is often limited both in terms of the lexical units they contain and the emotional variables they feature. In order to break this bottleneck, we here introduce a methodology for creating almost arbitrarily large emotion lexicons for any target language. Our approach requires nothing but a source language emotion lexicon, a bilingual word translation model, and a target language embedding model. Fulfilling these requirements for 91 languages, we are able to generate representationally rich high-coverage lexicons comprising eight emotional variables with more than 100k lexical entries each. We evaluated the automatically generated lexicons against human judgment from 26 datasets, spanning 12 typologically diverse languages, and found that our approach produces results in line with state-of-the-art monolingual approaches to lexicon creation and even surpasses human reliability for some languages and variables. Code and data are available at https://github.com/JULIELab/MEmoLon archived under DOI 10.5281/zenodo.3779901.


Background: Long-acting contraceptive methods can play a pivotal role in reducing maternal mortality. In Etiopia, the total fertility rate per woman is 4.6. However, this rapid population growth is not in line with the weak economic growth of the country. Therefore, this study was performed to explore the lived experiences of women who underwent early removal of long-acting contraceptive methods in Bedesa town, Southern Ethiopia.Methods: A phenomenological study design was employed to include a total of 10 in-depth interviews of sampled women. Participants were recruited through the criterion sampling method. Open code version 4.03 was used to code and facilitate analysis. Transcripts were read and re-read separately to identify emerging themes. A thematic analysis technique was used.Results: This study revealed that the side effects of long-acting family planning methods were the main reason for early removal. Furthermore, heavy and irregular menses were mentioned as the most frequently occurring side effects. Delayed fertility after removal of long-acting contraceptives was one of the most frequently stated fears by clients. It was also stated that counseling provided by health professionals was not adequate.Conclusion: The majority of study participants taught that the side effects of long-acting family planning methods outweigh the benefits. In addition, the counseling services provided by health care providers were not adequate. Therefore, proper counseling services should be given to mothers who are taking long-acting family planning methods.


Abstract Interpretation of historical art-technical terminology is often problematic. All periods have lacked a standardized terminology. Both historically and recently the use of words has been inconsistent, varying between periods, regions or individual users. For nineteenth-century painters' materials this terminology problem was acute, and remains so. A new source of documented usage has recently become available: the unpublished nineteenth-century manuscripts of paint recipes of the English manufacturer and exporter of artists' materials, Winsor & Newton. These provide explicit definitions and contextual information which enables many art-technical terms to be interpreted. The methodology of interpreting such works is outlined. A glossary of interpreted terms is presented. While some conventional interpretations are confirmed, many unexpected alternative usages are documented in the Winsor & Newton Archive.


The boundary element method (BEM) is known to be efficient for elastic wave propagation when unbounded domains are involved, like in the diffraction of waves on elastic inclusions. At the interface between the inclusion and the outer domain, stress concentration occurs, which can lead to material damage in the case of the forward. The stress concentration factor is not a direct output of the BEM but is obtained with a special output treatment of the tangential surface derivatives of the displacements so that the error estimation on this quantity is not straightforward. To provide a stable computation of this quantity, we propose a symmetric, regularized variational formulation of the integral boundary equations. Then, an adjoint BEM formulation is used for the goal-oriented error estimation. It is strongly connected with the equivalent of a seismic moment of the residual error at the interface. Several numerical examples will be provided for the diffraction of plane waves against a cavity and an elastic inclusion to show the efficiency of the proposed approach.


A linear arrangement problem, called the minmax mincut problem, emerging from circuit design is investigated. Its input is a series-parallel directed hypergraph (SPDH), and the output is a linear arrangement (and a layout). The primary objective is to minimize the longest path, and the secondary objective is to minimize the cutwidth. It is shown that cutwidth D, subject to longest path minimization, is affected by two terms: pattern number k and balancing number m. Also, k and m are both lower bounds on the cutwidth. An algorithm, running in linear time, produces layouts with cutwidths $D \leq 2(k+m)$. There exist examples with $k=\Omega (N)$, where $N$ is the number of vertices; however, m is always O(log N). We show that every SPDH, after $local\ logic\ resynthesis$ (specifically, after reordering the serial paths), can be linearly placed with cutwidth D=O(log N). Simultaneously, its dual SPDH can be linearly placed with the same vertex order and with cutwidth D=O(log N). Therefore, after local resynthesis the area can be reduced by a factor of N/log N.
Application to gate-matrix layout style is demonstrated.


Urban air quality is a global health concern and is a growing problem due to large migration of people from rural areas to cities, a phenomenon occurring in many parts of the world. This means that more and more people can be expected to be exposed to high levels of air pollutants, many of which are associated with the urban environment. The exposure situation is characterised by different compounds emitted from different sources such as traffic, industry, wood burning and energy production. Air pollution levels tend to vary temporally both during the day and between seasons. Another important atmospheric constituent to consider is pollen which together with air pollutants can cause severe health effects in sensitive people. The climate and weather governs the atmospheric processes responsible for ventilation and stagnation of the air, which in turn also provides conditions for good or poor air quality. This thesis has investigated the urban air pollution levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2), ozone (O3), particles (PM10 and PNC, particle number concentration) and birch pollen levels in relation to meteorology and atmospheric circulation. In this study circulation was represented by the large scale circulation pattern called the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and by the synoptic circulation classification scheme Lamb Weather Types (LWT). The city of Gothenburg has been the main location but air quality and pollen in Malmo has also been investigated. It was shown that air pollution has a strong association to the variation in weather conditions represented by both NAO and LWTs. In winter calm and stagnant air masses were associated with high levels of NO and NO2, these conditions were more common NAO was in its so called negative mode (characterized e.g. by low wind speeds) and in LWTs associated with calm conditions and thus limited ventilation. Ultrafine particles (UFP), considered to be of large importance for health effects, are in many cases the dominating fraction in PNC. NOx was found to be a good proxy of PNC, e.g. situations with high NOx can be expected to have high PNC. Furthermore, the occurrence of high NO2, O3 and PM10 were co-varying very well with the occurrence of high birch pollen counts in Gothenburg. These situations were also associated with high sales of over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines, indicating a combined effect on health symptoms represented by OTC sales, especially during calm and dry weather conditions. Finally, the usefulness of LWTs was illustrated by to their strong association with anomalies of inter-annual air pollution levels. By adjusting annual concentration/deposition trends of air pollutants for the yearly LWT variability, temporal trends were greatly improved, e.g. the relative importance of weather was quantified permitting more accurate evaluation of emission changes on air pollution levels. Furthermore, the strong association between urban air quality and atmospheric circulation shown in this thesis highlights the LWT classification as a good option to be integrated in a tool for risk assessment and information system for urban air quality including both air pollutants and pollen.


Enterprise architecture has received limited attention in the accounting information systems literature. However, enterprise architecture can provide an important approach for transforming an organization and bringing strategy into organizations. Recently, The Hartford implemented an approach that used Kaplan and Norton's well known "strategy maps" as part of the enterprise architecture process to transform the finance department and embed strategy into accounting and finance.

The process generated a creative future state that included a linear flow of information that mirrored the information life cycle, while providing a "single source of truth" archive for financial information. This paper reviews and analyzes The Hartford's unique use of strategy maps to redesign the finance function in order to attain "high performance finance." In so doing, the paper investigates a unique approach, an "innovative practice," that allows grounding accounting and financial information systems in an organization's strategy formulation process.


MapReduce is a platform for analyzing large amounts of data on clusters of commodity machines. MapReduce is popular, in part thanks to its apparent simplicity. However, there are unstated requirements for the semantics of MapReduce applications that can affect their correctness and performance. MapReduce implementations do not check whether user code satisfies these requirements, leading to time-consuming debugging sessions, performance problems, and, worst of all, silently corrupt results. This paper makes these requirements explicit, framing them as semantic properties and assumed outcomes. It describes a black-box approach for testing for these properties, and uses the approach to characterize the semantics of 23 non-trivial MapReduce workloads. Surprisingly, we found that for most requirements, there is at least one workload that violates it. This means that MapReduce may be simple to use, but it is not as simple to use correctly. Based on our results, we provide insights to users on how to write higher-quality MapReduce code, and insights to system and language designers on ways to make their platforms more robust.


The representation theory of Clifford algebras has been used to obtain information on the possible orders of amicable pairs of orthogonal designs on given numbers of variables. If, however, the same approach is tried on more complex systems of orthogonal designs, such as product designs and amicable triples, algebras which properly generalize the Clifford algebras are encountered. In this paper a theory of such generalizations is developed and applied to the theory of systems of orthogonal designs, and in particular to the theory of product designs.