Background: Recurrent headache disorders impose a substantial burden on headache sufferers, family and society. In India, 15 to 20% of people suffer from migraine with an adult female: male ratio of 2:1. This study has been done with an aim at documenting the different types of migraine, their clinical presentations among patients presented to the Headache clinic, Neurology outpatient Department, Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai during a one year period.Methods: The patients registered at Headache clinic, Neurology outpatient Department, Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai during one year period between the March 2009 and February 2010 with the diagnosis of migraine as per International Headache Society 2004 criteria were taken for this study. The clinical material was collected from the records and by patient interviews with a detailed pre-prepared proforma. The various parameters of the patients were compared, classified and analysed with specific reference to national and international studies.Results: Migraine is the commonest type of headache comprising of about 76% of total cases of headache. Migraine without aura (48%) was more common than migraine with aura (32%). Female preponderance was noticed in all subtypes of migraine, age of onset being in 2nd and 3rd decade for majority of the subgroups of migraine, with positive family history in 45% of cases, with predominant unilateral in presentation and temporal in location, lasting for 12 to 24 hours in majority of cases.Conclusions: Migraine is the commonest type of headache in patients observed in this study. Among subtypes migraine without aura is the commonest. Second and third decade is the commonest age group of onsets.


In this study, a new approach for the computation of coseismic gravity gradient changes in a spherically symmetric Earth model is presented. We derived the mathematical expressions of gravity gradient changes based on the Green's functions for four independent seismic sources. The results obtained from numerical computations and those calculated using the flat‐Earth model are in good agreement within a near field, verifying that our computing scheme is valid, while the differences in the far field show the advantages of the spherical model. Furthermore, the proposed method was applied to analyze the coseismic gravity gradient changes caused by the 2011 Tohoku‐Oki earthquake. The theoretical gravity gradient changes agree well with the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment observations, indicating that the proposed dislocation theory is important and can be used to efficiently interpret seismic deformations. In addition, the contribution of seawater was discussed.


Purpose Nearly all students use Internet-based social media to communicate and network. For those with complex communication needs who may benefit from augmentative and alternative communication, social media offer specific opportunities to participate. However, do students make use of them-or do they face new barriers? The aim of the study was to collect data on the types, frequency, and duration of Internet and social media use among students with complex communication needs, along with the barriers to and facilitators of use, and to compare their use with peers without disabilities. Method Twenty-four German secondary school students with complex communication needs and motor difficulties were surveyed by a questionnaire based on an Australian study. Results A majority (75%) of the participants used the Internet, with most using daily and on more than one device. Use for school activities played only a minor role. Instead, the Internet was most often used for recreational activities (e.g., listening to music, watching videos), followed by communication by e-mail or chat, and lastly for seeking information. Greater Internet use was desired by 88% of the participants. The data show technical and social difficulties in Internet access and use and indicate that literacy skills and motor skills influence the Internet use. Conclusion School education should address the desire for greater Internet use. The teaching of media literacy and the provision of appropriate assistive and/or mainstream technology are therefore needed. More research is required on how persons with complex communication needs can potentially and actually benefit from the use of social media and on how teaching how to use social media can lead to further digital and social participation.


Free flight is an emerging paradigm in air traffic management. Conflict detection and resolution is the heart of any free-flight concept. The problem of optimal cooperative three-dimensional conflict resolution involving multiple aircraft is addressed by the rigorous numerical trajectory optimization methods. The conflict problem is posed as an optimal control problem of finding trajectories that minimize a certain objective function while the safe separation between each aircraft pair is maintained. The initial and final positions of the aircraft are known and aircraft models with detailed nonlinear point-mass dynamics are considered. The protection zone around the aircraft is modeled to be cylindrical in shape. A novel formulation of the cylindrical protection zone is proposed by the use of continuous variables. The optimal control problem is converted to a finite dimensional nonlinear program (NLP) by the use of collocation on finite elements. The NLP is solved by the use of an interior point algorithm that incorporates a novel line search method. A reliable initialization strategy that yields a feasible solution on simple models is also proposed and adapted to detailed models. Several resolution scenarios are illustrated. The practical issue of flyability of the generated trajectories is addressed by the ability of our mathematical programming framework to accommodate detailed dynamic models.


BACKGROUND
Biomarkers of AKI that can predict which patients will develop severe renal disease at the time of diagnosis will facilitate timely intervention in populations at risk of adverse outcomes.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS
Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry was used to identify 30 potential prognostic urinary biomarkers of severe AKI in a group of patients that developed AKI after cardiac surgery. Angiotensinogen had the best discriminative characteristics. Urinary angiotensinogen was subsequently measured by ELISA and its prognostic predictive power was verified in 97 patients who underwent cardiac surgery between August 1, 2008 and October 6, 2011.

RESULTS
The urine angiotensinogen/creatinine ratio (uAnCR) predicted worsening of AKI, Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) stage 3, need for renal replacement therapy, discharge >7 days from sample collection, and composite outcomes of AKIN stage 2 or 3, AKIN stage 3 or death, and renal replacement therapy or death. The prognostic predictive power of uAnCR was improved when only patients classified as AKIN stage 1 at the time of urine sample collection (n=79) were used in the analysis, among whom it predicted development of stage 3 AKI or death with an area under the curve of 0.81. Finally, category free net reclassification improvement showed that the addition of uAnCR to a clinical model to predict worsening of AKI improved the predictive power.

CONCLUSIONS
Elevated uAnCR is associated with adverse outcomes in patients with AKI. These data are the first to demonstrate the utility of angiotensinogen as a prognostic biomarker of AKI after cardiac surgery.


The strong cultural crisis affecting European today seems to reflect, among other effects, in the lack of enthusiasm with the European Union (EU) - a new polity of sorts - and of cohesion among its members. One of the efforts to foster a 'European identity' was the creation of 'European citizenship.' But citizenship implies a 'people' and the EU citizens already are national 'peoples.' Should EU citizenship override national citizenship or coexist with it? Postnationalists like Habermas have suggested EU citizenship as a way to overcome nationalisms, grounding political belonging on the body of laws that members of the post-national polity generate in the public sphere. Cosmopolitan communitarianits like Bellamy think that EU citizens should form a mixed-commonwealth, with political belonging based on their nations. I will argue that the second option is more desirable and submit the analogical character of the ensuing ideas of citizenship, identity and polity. Cosmopolitan communitarianist citizenship promises to better foster the great richness of European national cultural, religious, historical, political, legal and linguistic diversity while still maintaining a certain unity to form a 'mixed' polity. At the end I consider possible objections and challenges.


Abstract A model of vicariance speciation has been proposed to explain the proliferation of psammophilic (sand loving) species in several endemic genera of scorpions. The current distribution of Paruroctonus utahensis (Williams, 1968) populations on isolated sand dunes seems to fit this model; therefore, this species was examined to test the model for psammophilic population distribution and haplotype variation. A portion of the mitochondrial rDNA gene was sequenced from 44 individuals representing 7 populations of P. utahensis. Three individuals of Paruroctonus gracilior (Hoffmann, 1931) and 1 individual of Paruroctonus boquillas Sissom and Henson, 1998, were used for outgroup comparison. A maximum parsimony heuristic search indicated that the basal populations were in the south and derived populations occurred in the northeastern portion of the range. A nested clade analysis found a statistically significant correlation between haplotypes and their geographical distribution at several clade levels. The biological cause of this association was best explained by allopatric fragmentation. Our data supported the vicariance model of isolation by fragmentation of a larger habitat to explain the variation seen among populations of P. utahensis.


General Introduction - Paul du Gay, Jessica Evans and Peter Redman PART ONE: THE SUBJECT OF LANGUAGE, IDEOLOGY AND DISCOURSE Introduction - Peter Redman Who Needs `Identity'? - Stuart Hall Ideology Interpellates Individuals as Subjects - Louis Althusser Subjectivity in Language - Emile Benveniste The Mirror Stage - Jacques Lacan Feminine Sexuality - Jacqueline Rose Revolution in Poetic Language - Julia Kristeva Suture - Kaja Silverman The Cinematic Model Diff[ac]erance - Jacques Derrida Interrogating Identity - Homi K Bhabha The Post Colonial Prerogative Domain - Michel Foucault Critically Queer - Judith Butler PART TWO: PSYCHOANALYSIS AND PSYCHOSOCIAL RELATIONS Introduction - Jessica Evans Notes on Some Schizoid Mechanisms - Melanie Klein Mirror-Role of Mother and Family in Child Development - D W Winnicott Transitional Objects and Transitional Phenomena - D W Winnicott Social Systems as a Defense against Anxiety - Isabel Menzies Lyth Psychoanalysis, Racism and Anti-Racism - Michael Rustin The Negro and Psychopathology - Frantz Fanon The Narcissistic Personality of Our Time - Christopher Lasch The Oedipal Riddle - Jessica Benjamin The Trajectory of the Self - Anthony Giddens What's Happening to Mourning? - Ian Craib PART THREE: IDENTITY/SOCIOLOGY/HISTORY Introduction - Paul du Gay Homo Clausus and the Civilizing Process - Norbert Elias The Biographical Illusion - Pierre Bourdieu A Note on `Status' - T H Marshall Identity, Genealogies, History - Nikolas Rose A Category of the Human Mind - Marcel Mauss The Notion of 'Person' The Notion of 'Self' The Profession and Vocation of Politics - Max Weber Introduction to `The Use of Pleasure' - Michel Foucault Reflections on the Idea of the `Cultivation of the Self' - Pierre Hadot Persons and Personae - Am[gr]elie Okensberg Rorty


Pain is according to the widely accepted IASP definition "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage". Acute pain has a protective function, but persistent pain is often complex in its nature and is no longer meaningful for the individual. In rheumatology pain is often nociceptive, and associated to inflammation and tissue damage. Neuropathic pain, as a result of direct injury of the nerves, is also often possible to relate to an obvious cause. When pain becomes longstanding some people develop a dysfunction in the nociceptive system, with phenomenon such as central sensitization and loss of central inhibition of pain signals. In these cases pain becomes a disease in its own, complicating the clinical picture and demands other considerations in management than nociceptive and neuropathic pain. The lecture will briefly present the neurophysiology behind pain and also the more complex mechanisms when pain becomes longstanding, leading to suggestions on how to treat pain on a mechanism based approach. This will include both phamacological and non-pharmacological management. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.6299


Dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) uses scanning probes to directly deposit chemical and biological materials on a solid substrate. It offers the advantages of nanometer resolution and flexibility in pattern generation. Conventional DPN uses a single probe and its throughput is limited due to the serial nature of the process. This article reports the development of a linear silicon probe array that enables parallel DPN writing with improved throughput. The probe array has ten probes with tips with 100nm radius of curvature. Each probe in the array is individually controllable by a bimorph thermal actuator on its cantilever. DPN writing tests with octadecanethiol (ODT) as ink on gold surface have been conducted on an atomic force microscope. Simultaneous generation of ten different ODT patterns has been achieved with an average linewidth of 40nm.


Model based development aims to facilitate the development of embedded control systems by emphasizing the separation of the design level from the implementation level. Model based design involves the use of multiple models that represent different views of a system, having different semantics of abstract system descriptions. Usually, in mechatronics systems, design proceeds by iterating model construction, model analysis, and model transformation. Constructing a MATLAB/Simulink model, a plant and controller behavior is simulated using graphical blocks to represent mathematical and logical constructs and process flow, then software code is generated. A Simulink model is a representation of the design or implementation of a physical system that satisfies a set of requirements. A software component-based system aims to organize system architecture and behaviour as a means of computation, communication and constraints, using computational blocks and aggregates for both discrete and continuous behaviour, different interconnection and execution disciplines for event-based and time-based controllers, and so on, to encompass the demands to more functionality, at even lower prices, and with opposite constraints. COMDES (Componentbased Design of Software for Distributed Embedded Systems) is such a component-based system framework developed by the software engineering group of Mads Clausen Institute for Product Innovation (MCI), University of Southern Denmark. The paper describes a safe translation of a restricted set of MATLAB/Simulink blocks to COMDES software components, both for continuous and discrete behaviour. The automated model transformation is the ultimate goal of metamodel-based design, leading to unified modelling techniques of heterogeneous models. Implications of the adopted modelling transformation approaches are discussed in the context of understanding of relationships between various models.


Abstract Psychosocial interventions, such as occupational and behavioral therapy are effective opportunities to support people with dementia and their caregivers in adapting to the cognitive and behavioral changes and the resulting challenges in everyday life they are facing. However, psychosocial interventions do not seem to have found their way into routine care yet. We wanted to get an insight into the knowledge and attitudes general practitioners have about occupational and behavioral therapy. In an online survey we asked medical students about the relevance of dementia, occupational therapy, and behavioral therapy during their studies. In another online survey we asked practitioners what they had learned about these topics and to what extent they are making use of psychosocial interventions. Then semi-structured interviews were carried out with general practitioners all over Germany, exploring their experiences with dementia and psychosocial interventions in primary care as well as their expectations regarding interdisciplinary cooperation. It became obvious that psychosocial interventions are not conveyed sufficiently within medical school. A lack of occupational therapy prescriptions for people with dementia seemed to result from uncertainties regarding the content of the approach and the budgeting of the prescriptions. Barriers for prescriptions of behavioral treatment were a lack of therapy places and the perceived inadequacy of the approach for this target group. General retentions to invest in people with dementia were expressed. These obstacles need to be overcome in order to provide optimal care for people with dementia and their family caregivers.


An analog-digital system for implementation of the robust time-frequency distributions is proposed. It provides an efficient real-time analysis of nonstationary signals corrupted by heavy-tailed noise. The most important part of this system is the realization of the L-estimate short-time Fourier transform that requires sorting operation. The proposed solution is designed to execute sorting operation within a single clock cycle, regardless of the number of inputs. The performance of the proposed hardware is tested on a real signal example.


High-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction imaging was used to examine the state of crystal perfection in the photorefractive ferroelectric materials barium titanate and strontium barium niobate. Ferroelectric 180 degree domains, dislocations, striations, faceted growth remnants, and other lattice features were identified. The technique was also used to image the photorefractive space charge field profile in-situ. Measurements of the field were compared with numerical simulations of the standard model of the photorefractive effect, and simulations of the x-ray image formation process.


In order to gain the high quality wireless communication transmission services, we necessarily eliminate multiple-access interference (MAI) that affects CDMA systems receivers. However, the developed MMSE space-time multiuser detection usually needs more complexity computation in receivers. In this paper, we propose an adaptive MMSE space-time multiuser detector, which adopt the Lagrange multipliers method and extend the constraint space. Simulation results show that the scheme can improve the performance of systems effectively.


For as long as rulers have ruled, they have tried to monopolize and control information. The institution of secrecy is as old as the state. But as new media for communication have appeared, it has become more difficult to control the flow of information, just as the rise of democracy as an ideal has made it harder to justify the institution of secrecy. The articles that follow consider the recurring limits to public knowledge of government policies in a perspective that is specifically American and mainly contemporary.


Recent state-of-the-art (SOTA) effective neural network methods and fine-tuning methods based on pre-trained models (PTM) have been used in Chinese word segmentation (CWS), and they achieve great results. However, previous works focus on training the models with the fixed corpus at every iteration. The intermediate generated information is also valuable. Besides, the robustness of the previous neural methods is limited by the large-scale annotated data. There are a few noises in the annotated corpus. Limited efforts have been made by previous studies to deal with such problems. In this work, we propose a self-supervised CWS approach with a straightforward and effective architecture. First, we train a word segmentation model and use it to generate the segmentation results. Then, we use a revised masked language model (MLM) to evaluate the quality of the segmentation results based on the predictions of the MLM. Finally, we leverage the evaluations to aid the training of the segmenter by improved minimum risk training. Experimental results show that our approach outperforms previous methods on 9 different CWS datasets with single criterion training and multiple criteria training and achieves better robustness.


A new beam diagnostics system is under construction at the Siemens AG Healthcare Sector facility in Rudolstadt, Germany. The project goal is to develop, commission and operate a beam diagnostics system to characterize the compact medical linear electron accelerators and help improve the quality of their output beam. A brief system description together with the main electron beam parameters is given. The diagnostics will allow the characterization of the compact linear accelerators by measuring beam intensity/charge using a toroid, transverse beam profile using scintillating screens and transverse beam emittance by means of the quadrupole scan method. In the longitudinal plane the energy and energy spread will be determined using a spectrometer magnet.


Relativistic Sweet–Parker-type magnetic reconnection is investigated by relativistic resistive magnetohydrodynamic (RRMHD) simulations. As an initial setting, we assume anti-parallel magnetic fields and a spatially uniform resistivity. A perturbation imposed on the magnetic fields triggers magnetic reconnection around a current sheet, and the plasma inflows into the reconnection region. The inflows are then heated due to ohmic dissipation in the diffusion region and finally become relativistically hot outflows. The outflows are not accelerated to ultrarelativistic speeds (i.e., Lorentz factor ≃ 1), even when the magnetic energy dominates the thermal and rest mass energies in the inflow region. Most of the magnetic energy in the inflow region is converted into the thermal energy of the outflow during the reconnection process. The energy conversion from magnetic to thermal energy in the diffusion region results in an increase in the plasma inertia. This prevents the outflows from being accelerated to ultrarelativistic speeds. We find that the reconnection rate obeys the scaling relation , where S is the Lundquist number. This feature is the same as that of non-relativistic reconnection. Our results are consistent with the theoretical predictions of Lyubarsky for Sweet–Parker-type magnetic reconnection.


A294 Previously, we discovered a salicylhydrazide analogue, SC23, with potent anticancer activity against a broad panel of cancer cell lines in a p53-independent manner. Further mechanistic studies using DNA microarray, mass spectrometry, and real-time PCR revealed that SC23 treatment in breast cancer adenocarcinoma cell line, MDA-MB435, increased DNA, RNA, and protein levels of microtubule-associated protein 4 (MAP4), an essential modulator for microtubule dynamics. Similar stimulation of MAP4 expression by SC23 was also observed in a number of other cancer cell lines, including cell lines derived from colorectal adenocarcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), by immunoblotting. The alteration in MAP4 expression by SC23 prompted us to further examine the protein levels of α-tubulin and β-tubulin. As expected, SC23 slightly enhanced the protein levels of both α-tubulin and β-tubulin. Current studies are undergoing to investigate the possible changes in microtubule polymerization by SC23. During the process of screening SC23 cytotoxicity in different cancer cell lines, we found that two cell lines, HT29 and H1975, harboring p53 R273H mutation showed significant resistance to SC23 with an IC50 value around 50 µM. Consistent with the cytotoxicity data, SC23 also failed to increase the protein levels of MAP4 in H1975 cells. Based on these observations, we concluded that SC23 possesses potent anti-tumor activity in a number of cancer cell lines by stimulating MAP4 expression and, therefore, stabilizing the polymerization of microtubules. Even though the presence or absence of wild-type p53 does not affect the cytotoxicity of SC23, R273H point mutation of p53 alters the sensitivity of H1975 and HT29 to SC23 dramatically and may be one of the factors to modulate the molecular mechanisms of SC23.


CRISPR/Cas technology has revolutionized the fields of the genome- and epigenome-editing by supplying unparalleled control over genomic sequences and expression. Lentiviral vector (LV) systems are one of the main delivery vehicles for the CRISPR/Cas systems due to (i) its ability to carry bulky and complex transgenes and (ii) sustain robust and long-term expression in a broad range of dividing and non-dividing cells in vitro and in vivo. It is thus reasonable that substantial effort has been allocated towards the development of the improved and optimized LV systems for effective and accurate gene-to-cell transfer of CRISPR/Cas tools. The main effort on that end has been put towards the improvement and optimization of the vector's expression, development of integrase-deficient lentiviral vector (IDLV), aiming to minimize the risk of oncogenicity, toxicity, and pathogenicity, and enhancing manufacturing protocols for clinical applications required large-scale production. In this review, we will devote attention to (i) the basic biology of lentiviruses, and (ii) recent advances in the development of safer and more efficient CRISPR/Cas vector systems towards their use in preclinical and clinical applications. In addition, we will discuss in detail the recent progress in the repurposing of CRISPR/Cas systems related to base-editing and prime-editing applications.


Abstract: Introduction: Medical teams constantly work with patients in critical conditions and complex environments. Within these environments, it is understood that cognitive, metacognitive and affective processes coexist, promoting or preventing an adequate performance1),(2. In this study, a case of medical misdiagnosis is analyzed from a metacognitive perspective. Objectives: 1- Describe the thinking processes that led to the misdiagnosis, 2- Investigate possible contributions of metacognitive processes to medical education. Methods: Group interview3 with the winning team of a simulation contest for attending critical patients held at a national medical education congress. Content analysis4, coded by Atlas-ti™, according to Efklides5, followed by the extraction of empirical categories in the SimpleMind™ Mind Map Editor. The study was registered (CAAE 96007018.5.0000.5286) and approved (Opinion No. 2,938,945) by the Research Ethics Committee of Institute of Collective Health Studies at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Results: Before the contest, the team predicted possible scenarios. During the contest, the simulated scenario presented to the participants was similar to one of the previously predicted scenarios. It was then observed that the team unconsciously biased all their reasoning aiming to confirm the previously predicted diagnosis. Different metacognitive mechanisms involved in this process are described. The team had sufficient knowledge to establish the correct diagnosis but did not do it due to the distortion of their thinking processes. This case illustrates the fact that, to practice medicine, knowledge is not enough; learning to think is also necessary. In addition, a proposal for a theoretical framework is established, where the simulation presents itself as a problematizing methodology, providing a context where metacognition and the Maguerez Arch6 are harmoniously integrated with Ausubel's Meaningful Learning Theory7),(8 for professional competence6 development. Conclusions: It is concluded that metacognition can elucidate events such as those described here, also suggesting that its teaching and practice could contribute to the reduction in medical misdiagnosis.


In settler states, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) girls and young women are targeted for specific kinds of social service interventions embedded in the gendered genocidal logics of colonial ideologies. Interlocking forms of violent carceral capture operate across settler institutions such as child welfare, immigration, and justice systems that are tasked with policing and criminalizing nonwhite girls. Conceptualizing these interconnected systems as a transcarceral pipeline, we examine their inner workings and impacts on Indigenous girls and BIPOC refugee girls in Canada through two sites of inquiry: child welfare systems targeting Indigenous girls and young mothers; and the immigration-child-welfare pipeline for refugee girls of color. Our analysis stresses the urgency of anticolonial systems of care grounded in sovereignty-making collective relations.


Remove Incentives for Producing Ethanol Act of 2011 or the RIPE Act of 2011- Amends the Clean Air Act to repeal the renewable fuel standard. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate the excise tax credit for alcohol fuel mixtures and the income tax credit for alcohol used as fuel. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to provide for the duty free treatment for ethyl alcohol or a mixture containing ethyl alcohol if it is to be used as fuel. Applies such treatment to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouses for consumption, on or after the 15th day after the enactment of this Act.


OBJECTIVE
There have been mixed findings regarding the prognostic significance of age of onset, executive dysfunction, and hyperintensity burden on treatment outcome in late-life depression.

METHODS
Growth curve models were fit to data from the only 8-week, double-blind, placebo controlled trial of citalopram (20-40 mg/day) in patients aged 75 years and older with unipolar depression. Baseline assessment included Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) (to determine age at onset), Stroop Color-Word Test (to assess the response inhibition component of execution dysfunction), and structural magnetic resonance imaging (to determine hyperintensity burden).

RESULTS
In the citalopram condition, patients with response inhibition (most impaired quartile) scored higher at endpoint than those without response inhibition. There were no effects for age of onset or hyperintensity load on response in the citalopram condition. In the placebo condition, patients with early-onset depression had higher depression scores at endpoint than patients with late-onset depression.

CONCLUSION
Only response inhibition, a fundamental executive function, predicted poor treatment response to antidepressant medication. Although patients with response inhibition also showed deficits in reaction time, adjusting for reaction time in our final response inhibition model did not substantively change the findings.


Median ectopic thyroid may be encountered anywhere from the foramen caecum to the diaphragm. Non lingual median aberrant thyroid (incomplete descent) usually found in the infrahyoid region and malignant transformation in this ectopic thyroid tissue is very rare. We report an extremely rare case of papillary carcinoma in non lingual median aberrant thyroid in a 25-year-old female. The differentiation between a carcinoma arising in the median ectopic thyroid tissue and a metastatic papillary carcinoma from an occult primary in the main thyroid gland is also discussed.


Before the development of the first prototype duplex ultrasound scanner at the University of Washington in the late 1970s, the only noninvasive tests available for extracranial carotid artery disease were indirect methods, such as the periorbital Doppler examination and oculoplethysmography. The duplex scanner combined real-time two-dimensional B-mode imaging and pulsed-Doppler flow detection in a single instrument and provided Doppler spectral waveforms from discrete sites within the vessel lumen. Spectral waveforms allowed characterization of the flow patterns and velocity changes associated with normal and diseased arteries. In a series of validation studies, Dr. D. Eugene Strandness, Jr. and colleagues compared various spectral waveform parameters obtained from internal carotid arteries to independently read carotid arteriograms and established quantitative threshold criteria for classification of carotid artery disease. These criteria were based on peak systolic velocity and end-diastolic velocity, as well as features such as spectral broadening and flow separation. Internal carotid arteries were classified as normal, 1% to 15% diameter reduction, 16% to 49% diameter reduction, 50% to 79% diameter reduction, 80% to 99% diameter reduction, and occluded. Since the 1980s, the University of Washington carotid duplex criteria have been widely used and modified in vascular laboratories throughout the world. Additional clinically relevant criteria have also been developed, such as a threshold for the 70% to 99% North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET) stenosis. Validation of carotid criteria has always depended on comparing spectral waveform parameters to the "gold standard" of contrast arteriography. However, experience has shown that the relationship between velocity and arteriographic stenosis is subject to significant variability. Based on these observations, standardization of carotid duplex criteria should lead to more consistent reporting among vascular laboratories, but it is unlikely to result in improved correlation with arteriography.


This article argues that the 2014 adoption of the US shopping tradition of Black Friday sales to stores and supermarkets in the United Kingdom and beyond represents an important point of enquiry for the social sciences. We claim that the importation of the consumer event, along with the disorder and episodes of violence that accompany it, are indicative of the triumph of liberal capitalist consumer ideology while reflecting an embedded and cultivated form of insecurity and anxiety concomitant with the barbaric individualism, social envy and symbolic competition of consumer culture. Through observation and qualitative interviews, this article presents some initial analyses of the motivations and meanings attached to the conduct of those we begin to understand as 'extreme shoppers' and seeks to understand these behaviours against the context of the social harms associated with consumer culture.


The Illinois Interstate highway network is deteriorating rapidly due to its age and heavy truck loadings. Unfortunately, the funds required for rehabilitation far exceed the available funds. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) faces many difficult decisions concerning prioritizing rehabilitation projects and anticipating future pavement conditions and rehabilitation needs. To assist IDOT in making these decisions, three analyses were conducted using the ILLINET pavement network rehabilitation management program. The first of these was an analysis of the accuracy of ILLINET's pavement condition prediction models. The second was an analysis of the remaining life of each of the more than 1200 pavement sections in the Illinois Interstate network. The third was a comparison of the rehabilitation needs predicted by ILLINET to IDOT's latest multi-year program. The results of these analyses are of immediate practical use to IDOT in forecasting pavement rehabilitation needs for individual pavement sections, Interstate routes, and the entire Interstate network.


Suture-related complications can occur in response to a patient's immune system activation regardless of surgical site. However, there is minimal literature describing complications related to commonly used Polydek sutures. We report the diagnosis, treatment, and follow up of four cases of Polydek suture-related complications post-eyelid lateral tarsal strip procedures, including an early wound healing problem/infection and later granuloma formation and/or suture extrusion that only resolved after removal of the Polydek suture or granuloma tissue. Use of non-Polydek sutures may reduce the likelihood for post-operative suture complications.


A learning environment based on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets is presented allowing for fast and systematic exploration of different implementations of integer adder designs. The spreadsheet properties are exploited to illustrate both layout and timing properties of an adder design. The usefulness of the learning environment is demonstrated by several different examples. We also describe how the spreadsheet representation can aid the designer at the VHDL level.


Complex networks are often organized in groups or communities of agents that share the same features and/or functions, and this structural organization is built naturally with the formation of the system. In social networks, we argue that the dynamic of linguistic interactions of agreement among people can be a crucial factor in generating this community structure, given that sharing opinions with another person bounds them together, and disagreeing constantly would probably weaken the relationship. We present here a computational model of opinion exchange that uncovers the community structure of a network. Our aim is not to present a new community detection method proper, but to show how a model of social communication dynamics can reveal the (simple and overlapping) community structure in an emergent way. Our model is based on a standard Naming Game, but takes into consideration three social features: trust, uncertainty and opinion preference, that are built over time as agents communicate among themselves. We show that the separate addition of each social feature in the Naming Game results in gradual improvements with respect to community detection. In addition, the resulting uncertainty and trust values classify nodes and edges according to role and position in the network. Also, our model has shown a degree of accuracy both for non-overlapping and overlapping communities that are comparable with most algorithms specifically designed for topological community detection.


This paper is one in a series of two, and discusses the body wave propagation and the eigenmodes for a layer of discrete particles. This configuration is a representation for a ballast layer used in ordinary railway tracks. The discrete nature of the ballast is simulated via an elastic nine-cell square lattice. After deriving the equations of motion for the lattice, the long-wave approximation for the equations of motion is compared with the equations of motion for a classic elastic continuum. This comparison yields relations between the macroscopic continuum parameters and the microscopic lattice parameters. Then, the dispersion curves that characterize the eigenmodes of the discrete layer are derived. The differences between these dispersion curves and those of a continuous layer are elucidated. By means of a parametric study, the influence is shown of the particle diameter and thickness of the layer on the dynamic response. In an accompanying paper, the layer response to a moving, harmonically vibrating load is analyzed, which is a representation for a ballast track that is subjected to an instantaneous train axle passage.


Background After the unprecedented Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in the western hemisphere from 2015–2018, Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus are now well established primary and secondary ZIKV vectors, respectively. Consensus about identification and importance of other secondary ZIKV vectors remain. This systematic review aims to provide a list of vector species capable of transmitting ZIKV by reviewing evidence from laboratory vector competence (VC) studies and to identify key knowledge gaps and issues within the ZIKV VC literature. Methods A search was performed until 15th March 2022 on the Cochrane Library, Lilacs, PubMed, Web of Science, WHOLIS and Google Scholar. The search strings included three general categories: 1) "ZIKA"; 2) "vector"; 3) "competence", "transmission", "isolation", or "feeding behavior" and their combinations. Inclusion and exclusion criteria has been predefined and quality of included articles was assessed by STROBE and STROME-ID criteria. Findings From 8,986 articles retrieved, 2,349 non-duplicates were screened by title and abstracts,103 evaluated using the full text, and 45 included in this analysis. Main findings are 1) secondary vectors of interest include Ae. japonicus, Ae. detritus, and Ae. vexans at higher temperature 2) Culex quinquefasciatus was not found to be a competent vector of ZIKV, 3) considerable heterogeneity in VC, depending on the local mosquito strain and virus used in testing was observed. Critical issues or gaps identified included 1) inconsistent definitions of VC parameters across the literature; 2) equivalency of using different mosquito body parts to evaluate VC parameters for infection (mosquito bodies versus midguts), dissemination (heads, legs or wings versus salivary glands), and transmission (detection or virus amplification in saliva, FTA cards, transmission to neonatal mice); 3) articles that fail to use infectious virus assays to confirm the presence of live virus; 4) need for more studies using murine models with immunocompromised mice to infect mosquitoes. Conclusion Recent, large collaborative multi-country projects to conduct large scale evaluations of specific mosquito species represent the most appropriate approach to establish VC of mosquito species.


This paper describes an algorithm for model checking a fragment of the logic of knowledge and probability in multi-agent systems, with respect to a perfect recall interpretation of knowledge and agents' subjective probability. The algorithm has been implemented in the epistemic model checker MCK. Some experiments with the implemented algorithm are reported, in which some properties of agents' probabilistic knowledge are verified in two security protocols: Chaum's Dining Cryptographers protocol, and a protocol for Oblivious Transfer due to Rivest.


San Giovenale is a small inland Etruscan community approximately 60 km north of Rome. The site was excavated between 1956 and 1965 and the focus of the research has been aimed at the archaic period as well as the proto- Villanova period. The Late Etruscan period has up to now been more or less neglected. This resent work is to a large extent based on pottery and one cornerstone of the study is the belief that a majority of this Late Etruscan pottery is locally produced, not only the coarse ware but also the simpler tableware such as Late Creamware. One possible way to verify the hypotheses of a local production is by comparing the raw material components of the coarse ware and the tableware as well as clay deposits around the San Giovenale site. Very little of this kind of combined work between clay surveying, laboratory analyses of clays and pottery (thin-section analyses, thermal analyses, XRF-analyses, Carbon analyse and Mossbauerspectroscopy) and traditional studies of vessel shape, decoration and vessel function has previously been done on the small Etruscan inland settlements. (Less)


Factors controlling the concentration of titanium-iron oxides in the sands of the Cohansey Formation of New Jersey include source rock, climate, and depositional environment. The microtextures of the titanium-iron oxides in the Cohansey sands match those in Precambrian gneisses that crop out in the New Jersey highlands and eastern Pennsylvania. Palynological evidence indicates a warm subtropical climate during titanium-rich sand deposition. Such a subtropical environment favors deep saprolitic weathering of the source rock.The highest heavy mineral values (5-25 wt %) found in the Cohansey Formation correlate with the highest degrees of sorting (standard deviation 0.5-0.8), with positive to slightly negative skewness (0.8--0.4), and with a laminated and burrowed sand facies found in the lower portion of the formation. Peat interbedded with titanium-rich sand contains subtropical palynomorph suites and dinoflagellates. The peat is interpreted as a lagoonal deposit that was flooded with marine water. The titanium-iron oxide-rich sands are interpreted as a backshore beach and dune facies that was preceded by sublittoral Kirkwood Formation sand deposition.Present climatic and physiographic conditions of Georgia and South Carolina, where thick titanium-rich saprolites, fluvial placers, and beach placers occur, are analogous to the conditions that prevailed in the New Jersey area during the deposition of the Cohansey titanium-iron oxide-rich sands. This warm Cohansey event represents the last major Neogene warming trend and on the basis of climatic periodicity modeling coincides with the Miocene-Pliocene boundary.


Abstract This article describes a case study in which pre-service teachers mentored students over the Internet as part of their teacher education program. The pre-service teachers used Knowledge Forum software to communicate with students engaged in collaborative on-line science investigations. Two reoccurring (and possibly related) problems were identified. First, the pre-service teachers had little previous experience facilitating student-led investigations, and often attempted to direct student research. Second, the messages they wrote sometimes closed down student threads. Despite these problems, interview data suggest that the pre-service teachers found the experience to be professionally valuable. Telementoring may offer schools of education a means of exposing new teachers to alternative instructional methodologies and forging tighter links between educational theory and educational practice.


The quadruple perovskite oxides RCu3Fe4O12 (R: rare-earth metals) exhibit large latent-heat capacities (25 J g-1 at maximum) with variable transition temperatures between 254 and 368 K, whereas their transition entropies are almost completely retained. This finding proposes an effective way to design robust thermal-energy-storage materials with various operating temperatures.


The visual cortex is part of the occipital cortex that makes up the primary and secondary visual areas [1,2]. In the primary visual areas of rodents, as in other isocortical areas, two main neuronal types are present: inhibitory interneurons and projecting neurons [3,4]. The inhibitory interneurons belong to several GABAergic subpopulations, while the projection neurons are excitatory pyramidal neurons that are classically distributed in 5 layers, each of which is associated with a preferential projection area [3,4]. Accordingly, the pyramidal neurons of layers II, III and IV give rise to corticocortical connections, while those of layers V and VI project to subcortical structures. In the primary visual cortex pyramidal neurons of layer V project to superficial collicular layers and they give rise to collaterals that project to the pontine nuclei.


The use of the marine gearbox is very important in most propulsion systems based on gas turbines, due to the high value of the turbine speed – propeller shaft ratio. Particular ships' characteristics differ from the civilian ships with several features which gives them the ability to navigate for a long time under different conditions. As a result of this navigating conditions, the main gearing inside the gearbox will find itself under different stages of structural stress. The stages will be analyzed by using the finite element analysis. The stress degree can be minimized by carefully choosing the correct type of material for the gearing, which is in close connection with the amount of heat that is dissipated due to meshing under different conditions. The purpose of this paper is the optimization of the gearing inside the gearbox such it can suffer as small as possible structural deformations under the factors determined by the use of the gearbox under different working conditions.


Microprocessor designs are on the verge of a post-RISC era in which companies must introduce new ISAs to address the challenges that modern CMOS technologies pose while also exploiting the massive levels of integration now possible. To meet these challenges, we have developed a new class of ISAs, called explicit data graph execution (EDGE), that will match the characteristics of semiconductor technology over the next decade. The TRIPS architecture is the first instantiation of an EDGE instruction set, a new, post-RISC class of instruction set architectures intended to match semiconductor technology evolution over the next decade, scaling to new levels of power efficiency and high performance.


Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) is an immunomodulatory and proinflammatory cytokine implicated in neuro-inflammation and neuronal damage in response to cerebral ischemia. The present study tested the hypothesis that anti-TNF-α agents may be protective against cerebral infarction. Transient focal ischemia was artificially induced in anesthetized adult male Wistar rats (300–350 g) by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) with an intraluminal suture. TNF-α function was interfered with either a chimeric monoclonal antibody against TNF-α (infliximab-7 mg/kg) aiming to TNF-α soluble and membrane-attached form; or a chimeric fusion protein of TNF-α receptor-2 with a fragment crystallizable (Fc) region of IgG1 (etanercept-5 mg/kg) aiming for the TNF-α soluble form. Both agents were administered intraperitoneally 0 or 6 h after inducing ischemia. Infarct volume was measured by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Cerebral infarct volume was significantly reduced in either etanercept or infliximab-treated group compared with non-treated MCAO rats 24 h after reperfusion. These results suggest that anti-TNF-α agents may reduce focal ischemic injury in rats.


The reaction of benzazole ligands 2-(2'-hydroxylphenyl)benzimidazole (Hpbm), 2-(2'-hydroxylphenyl)benzoxazole (Hpbx), and 2-(2'-hydroxylphenyl)benzothiazole (Hpbt), with [Ni(Tp*)(μ-OH)]2 (Tp* = hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate), leads to pentacoordinate nickel complexes [Ni(Tp*)(pbz)] (pbz = pbm (1), pbx (2), pbt (3)). The structures of 1, 2, and 3 were determined by X-ray crystallography. The pentacoordinate nickel complexes have distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometries with Addison's τ parameter values of 0.63, 0.73, and 0.61 for 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The benzazolates are bonded in an η(2)(N,O) fashion to the nickel atoms. DFT calculations are carried out to optimize the structures of the three complexes giving a good agreement with the X-ray structures. The (1)H NMR spectra of complexes 1-3 exhibit sharp isotropically shifted signals. The complete assignment of these signals required an application of two-dimensional {(1)H-(1)H}-COSY techniques. The experimental absorption spectra of the three complexes in chloroform solution each show an intense absorption band in the ultraviolet region ca. 240 nm, followed by three less intense bands, the first two at ∼295 and ∼340 nm, and the last more disperse one, at wavelengths between 360 and 410 nm. The absorption spectra are simulated by TD-DFT and reproduce the main features of the experimental spectra well. The analysis of the electronic transitions by inspection of the frontier molecular orbitals and also the natural transition orbitals allowed us to characterize and assign the observed bands properly. The three complexes are moderately blue luminescent at room temperature, both in the solid state and in solution. Emission spectra at room temperature display broad structureless bands in chloroform solution at 460, 482, and 512 nm for complexes 1, 2 and 3, respectively, and structured emission in solid state with λmax values of 473, 486, and 516 nm. Complexes containing different donor atoms in the benzazole ligand are furthermore observed to give different luminescence responses in the presence of Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II), and Cu(II).


Skin technology has become a world interest recently and further investigations could improve the current application of skin and leather. Aligning to this, a biomechanical analysis of animal skin is carried out, where the sheepskins are investigated thoroughly using uniaxial tensile tests. The main aim of this study is to compare the biomechanical properties of sheepskin in means of hair effect and orientation layout between horizontal and vertical orientation. The testing specimens are taken from the fresh slaughtered Boer sheepskin and they are prepared into four categories; horizontal (unshaved), horizontal (shaved), vertical (unshaved) and vertical (shaved) according to ASTM International Standard test method for tensile strength of leather (D2209). As a result, the characterisation techniques show that the Ogden s coefficient, μ and Ogden s exponent, α, are 0.369 (MPa) and 7.604 respectively for horizontal (unshaved). However, μ and a for horizontal (shaved) are 0.512 (MPa) and 8.930. In contrast, the value of μ and a for vertical (unshaved) are 0.444 (MPa) and 9.928 and for vertical (shaved) are 0.539 (MPa) and 10.617. This study has contributed to the knowledge of biomechanics especially biomechanical properties of sheepskin. This could be useful for future investigation and analysis of softtissues, hyperelastic modeling and animal dermatology.


We develop a probit choice model under optimal sequential search and apply it to the study of aggregate demand of consumer durable goods. In our joint model of search and choice, we derive a semi-closed form expression for the probability of choice that obeys the full set of restrictions imposed by optimal sequential search. Our joint model leads to a partial simulation-based estimation that avoids high-dimensional integrations in the evaluation of choice probabilities and that is particularly attractive when search sets are large. We illustrate the advantages of our approach using aggregate search and choice data from the camcorder product category at Amazon.com. We show that the joint use of search and choice data provides better performance in terms of inferences and predictions than using search data alone and leads to realistic estimates of consumer substitution patterns.


Atmospheric pressure water vapor plasma technology was developed, tested and implemented for the experimental research of fuel conversion processes. The present study offers a methodology for production of hydrogen-rich gas and additional deposition of small metal oxide dispersed particles by the employment of nonequilibrium water vapour arc plasma at atmospheric pressure. The results of the present study enables constructing a specific device which allows a highly efficient production of the synthetic gas containing an increased amount of hydrogen and its use in the production of second generation fuels. The injection of copper dispersed particles causes the oxidation and removal of dissociated oxygen and simultaneous synthesis of fine particles. The relation between the yield of hydrogen in an exhaust gaseous product, the arc current, particle material, and water vapor flow rate in the plasma torch was determined. PACS: 52.40.Hf, 52.50.Dg, 52.77.-j


A fast checking algorithm and evaluation of a high-hitting pattern checker (MACH) for VLSI mask data are presented. A two-dimensional-limited searching algorithm has realized O(Nv), where Nv is the number of vectors. The processing speed of MACH is 6,000 vectors per second. MACH can handle VLSI data of more than 10,000,000 vectors that include diagonal vectors. The designer can describe arbitrary design rules using a Design Rule Description Language. We have defined two quality measures for a pattern checker, that is, Detecting Rate and Hitting Rate. MACH has achieved the best detecting rate of 100% and a high hitting rate of more than 80%.


Introduction. The aim of this work was to study the mycobiota of anthropogenic materials, soil and air in the settlement Barentsburg (Spitsbergen archipelago), to assess the spread of invasive species and to identify potentially pathogenic microfungi. Material and methods. The material for the study was collected in the period of research work of the Russian expedition of the AARI (2017-2018) in the area of the settlement Barentsburg (located at 78° N, 14° E). Isolation and identification of microfungi were carried out using standard microbiological methods according to cultural and morphological characteristics and sequencing in the ITS1 and ITS2 regions. Results. As a result of the research, a high level of microbiological colonization of anthropogenic substrates has been established, the places of accumulation of potentially pathogenic microorganisms were found out. 24 species of microfungi were identified from anthropogenic materials, 46 and 43 species from aeromycota and the soils of the observed territory. The genus Penicillium (12 species) prevailed by the number of species, followed by Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Cadophora (3 species each). For disturbed ecosystems the following peculiarities have been established: 1) a change in the structure of microfungi complexes and increase in the CFU number of microfungi at aeromycota and soil, 2) aeromycota formation occurs partly due to introduced species, 3) a clear dominance of dark-colored fungi on anthropogenic materials, 4) among the introduced microfungi a significant proportion were destructors of the materials as well as potentially human pathogens; 5) introduced species are able to adapt to arctic conditions. Conclusion. On the example of the village of Barentsburg (arch. Svalbard) it is shown that anthropogenic impact leads to changes in the main characteristics of microscopic fungi complexes in the Arctic territories.


Morphological adaptations for burrowing, such as an elongated body, and a small head may constrain feeding behaviour in fossorial reptiles. We experimentally examined the effect of prey type on prey capture and handling behaviour of the amphisbaenian Blanus cinereus. This amphisbaenian showed four different handling modes according to the characteristics of each prey type. When prey diameter was narrower than gape-size, prey were consumed without prey processing; when prey diameter was wider than gape-size, B. cinereus shifted handling mode to prey processing. Amphisbaenians scraped or tore off bite-sized pieces of large prey and showed longer handling times for some prey types than most epigean saurians. Flexibility in feeding behaviour may allow amphisbaenians to exploit variable underground trophic resources, overcoming constraints of morphological adaptation to fossoriality.


A coating composition for a food or beverage can that includes an emulsion polymerized latex polymer formed by combining an ethylenically unsaturated monomer component with an aqueous dispersion of a salt of an acid-or anhydride-functional polymer and an amine, preferably, a tertiary amine.


Objective of this research was to formulate and evaluate extended release ocular inserts/films of anti-conjunctival drug, Sodium Cromoglycate. Novel natural polymer namely, Pullulan and synthetic polymer namely, Hydroxy Ethyl Cellulose (HEC) were used as biodegradable, biocompatible polymers. Standardized glass mould was used to prepare ocular inserts. The ocular inserts were prepared with constant drug content and 10% concentration of polymer. The aim was to maintain the thickness of ocular insert at not more than 0.40 mm. Ocular inserts were prepared using Pullulan 10% and HEC 10%. Formulated ocular inserts were evaluated for parameters like appearance, thickness, weight variation and uniformity of drug content. For in vitro studies, In-House (IH) vial method was used to determine the rate of dissolution using phosphate buffer saline (pH 7.4). Ocular inserts prepared from both polymers showed differences with respect to physical properties such as appearance, weight and thickness. Films of both the polymers showed differences with respect to physico-chemical properties such as appearance, weight and thickness. The films were smooth, thin, soft and pliable. Appearance of Pullulan 10% films was almost clear to slightly opaque whereas films of HEC 10% were slightly off white in color. The Pullulan 10% films had average thickness of 0.21mm and films of HEC 10% had average thickness of 0.19mm. The average weights of Pullulan 10% films were 10.8 mg whereas average weight of HEC 10% films was found to be 14.8 mg. The drug content of Pullulan 10% film and HEC 10% film was confirming to limits. The in vitro release study was carried out using phosphate buffer saline of pH 7.4. Both the films dissolved completely over a period of time. Pullulan 10% films showed in vitro release for 3 hours whereas HEC 10% films showed in vitro release for 6 hours. However, since the thickness of Pullulan 10% films are well within required specification of less than 0.40 mm, further studies shall be carried out with Pullulan by increasing the concentration and shall then evaluated for thickness and in vitro release studies. We assume that higher concentration of Pullulan films can extend the drug release for few more hours thus yielding promising result.


Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) guarantees the security of communication with quantum physics. Most of widely adopted QKD protocols currently encode the key information with binary signal format---qubit, such as the polarization states. Therefore the transmitted information efficiency of the quantum key is intrinsically upper bounded by 1 bit per photon. High dimensional quantum system is a potential candidate for increasing the capacity of single photon. However, due to the difficulty in manipulating and measuring high dimensional quantum systems, the experimental high dimensional QKD is still at its infancy. Here we propose a sort of practical high-speed high dimensional QKD using partial mutual unbiased basis (PMUB) of photon's orbital angular momentum (OAM). Different from the previous OAM encoding, the high dimensional Hilbert space we used is expanded by the OAM states with same mode order, which can be extended to considerably high dimensions and implemented under current state of the art. Because all the OAM states are in the same mode order, the coherence will be well kept after long-distance propagation, and the detection can be achieved by using passive linear optical elements with very high speed. We show that our protocol has high key generation rate and analyze the anti-noise ability under atmospheric turbulence. Furthermore, the security of our protocol based on PMUB is rigorously proved. Our protocol paves a brand new way for the application of photon's OAM in high dimensional QKD field, which can be a breakthrough for high efficiency quantum communications.


The design of piezoelectricaly actuated plano-convex shaped resonators has been studied to optimize their Q-factor and signal spectrum at high temperatures. The investigated arrays of thickness-shear-mode (TSM) resonators consist of langasite, a high temperature stable material. As viscoelastic damping and an increasing conductivity decreases the Q-factor at elevated temperatures, design optimizations have to counteract these effects. Two and three dimensional finite element (FE) models have been solved to analyze the resonant behavior and the effects of energy confinement at different temperatures depending on geometry. The separation and suppression of spurious modes, the improvement of the Q-factor and the confinement of the TSM could be shown. The simulated effects of energy confinement could be proofed by impedance measurements.


Natural products of microbial origin have proven to be the wellspring of clinically useful compounds for human therapeutics. Streptomyces species are predominant sources of bioactive compounds, most of which serve as potential drug candidates. While the exploitation of natural products has been severely reduced over the past two decades, the growing crisis of evolution and dissemination of drug resistant pathogens have again attracted great interest in this field. The emerging synthetic biology has been heralded as a new bioengineering platform to discover novel bioactive compounds and expand bioactive natural products diversity and production. Herein, we review recent advances in the natural products exploitation of Streptomyces with the applications of synthetic biology from three major aspects, including recently developed synthetic biology tools, natural products biosynthetic pathway engineering strategies as well as chassis host modifications.


For the past several years reality shows are very popular and common on Dutch television. What makes reality TV so popular and why do we like to watch these shows? Several studies have shown that a number of motives play a major role for watching reality TV. However, these studies focused on reality TV in general and there was no distinction made between different genres. This study focused on which motives play a role in various genres of reality TV and on whether these motives for viewing different genres are different between gender and age or not. This is examined by a five-point Likert Scale survey, for five different genres. The participants had to answer different propositions to what degree they applied to them. These propositions offered different viewing motives. The results showed that the motives entertainment and voyeurism plays an important role. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that the differences between gender and age groups are not the same for each genre. This indicates that it is important to distinguish between different genres of reality TV and that it cannot be seen as one genre.


A promising approach for scalable Gaussian processes (GPs) is the Karhunen-Lo\`eve (KL) decomposition, in which the GP kernel is represented by a set of basis functions which are the eigenfunctions of the kernel operator. Such decomposed kernels have the potential to be very fast, and do not depend on the selection of a reduced set of inducing points. However KL decompositions lead to high dimensionality, and variable selection becomes paramount. This paper reports a new method of forward variable selection, enabled by the ordered nature of the basis functions in the KL expansion of the Bayesian Smoothing Spline ANOVA kernel (BSS-ANOVA), coupled with fast Gibbs sampling in a fully Bayesian approach. It quickly and effectively limits the number of terms, yielding a method with competitive accuracies, training and inference times for tabular datasets of low feature set dimensionality. The inference speed and accuracy makes the method especially useful for dynamic systems identification, by modeling the dynamics in the tangent space as a static problem, then integrating the learned dynamics using a high-order scheme. The methods are demonstrated on two dynamic datasets: a `Susceptible, Infected, Recovered' (SIR) toy problem, with the transmissibility used as forcing function, along with the experimental `Cascaded Tanks' benchmark dataset. Comparisons on the static prediction of time derivatives are made with a random forest (RF), a residual neural network (ResNet), and the Orthogonal Additive Kernel (OAK) inducing points scalable GP, while for the timeseries prediction comparisons are made with LSTM and GRU recurrent neural networks (RNNs) along with the SINDy package.


It has been argued that language is a Platonic object, and therefore that a biolinguistic ontology is incoherent. In particular, the notion of language as a system of discrete infinity has been argued to be inconsistent with the assumption of a physical (finite) basis for language. These arguments are flawed. Here I demonstrate that biolinguistics and mathematical Platonism are not
mutually exclusive and contradictory, but in fact mutually reinforcing and consilient in a coherent and compelling philosophy of language. This consilience is effected by Turing's proof of the coherency of a finitely procedure generative of infinite sets.


This study examines the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and tax avoidance. It also examines the impact of ownership structure on this relationship. Based on a sample of 300 European companies during the period 2014 2019, we use OLS regression models and find a negative association between corporate social responsibility and tax avoidance, which is consistent with agency theory concepts. In addition, we find that the variable family owned-firms moderate this relationship. These findings indicate that family firms are more socially responsible than non-family firms witch socio-emotional endowments and therefore are less tax avoidant.


PURPOSE
This descriptive study explored attitudes toward community-based long-term care services and factors influencing service utilization among Japanese American families.

DESIGN AND METHODS
Using grounded theory methodology, the Japanese American sample included 26 family caregivers, 4 persons receiving care, and 14 professional providers (n = 44).

RESULTS
Attitudes toward services were identified along six dimensions: ability to meet care needs, autonomy in daily life, quality of care and staff, cost, emotional connotations, and social and physical environment. Participants used formal services in a dynamic manner, meeting both episodic and chronic needs. Families played an active role in sustaining and augmenting the caregiving situation, regardless of living arrangement.

IMPLICATIONS
This research highlights the range of criteria included in attitude formation about services and the dynamic nature of the interplay between families and formal services.


Derived adjectives do not form their polysemantic structures in the same way as the nouns they were derived from do. This paper shows that suffixes hinder to a great extent the development of the secondary meaning by the process of metaphor and synecdoche. At the same time, it shows that a metaphor could be realized through the process of identification or comparison. Its more typical form is realized through the process of identification, as in the examples On je medved or On je zlato. Comparison is less convincing way of a metaphor manifestation. This type of metaphor will be called delayed metaphor (metafora sa zadr?kom). It occurs in derived forms, for example On je medvedast or On je zlatan. In both the former and latter examples, On je medved and On je medvedast, the subject is described in the same way. The subject is the third person singular of the personal pronoun -on, and it is described directly by the predicate nominative (je [=copula] + predicate). However, the deep semantics of these examples shows that the metaphor by which the subject is described could be complete (first example) or incomplete (second example). Thus, it can be concluded that there are another important component which a suffix introduces into semantics of derivatives.


Abstract Purpose To assess the effectiveness and safety of uterine artery embolization (UAE) using progressively larger calibrated gelatin sponge particles for symptomatic uterine fibroids. Material and methods Thirty patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids underwent UAE. Calibrated gelatin sponge particles were used in all patients, beginning with 355-500 μm particles, progressively increasing to 500-710 μm and finally to 710-1000 μm particles. Changes in tumor, uterine volume, and tumor infarction rate were assessed using pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The level of complication, improvement of clinical symptoms, and Uterine Fibroid Symptom and Quality of Life (UFS-QOL) score were assessed. Results MR imaging revealed the mean largest tumor volume reduction was 56.23 ± 16.25% at three months and 72.61 ± 14.47% at 12 months after the procedure. 100% infarction of the dominant fibroids was 91.27 ± 5.02% at three months and 96 ± 5.20% at 12 months after the procedure. Menorrhagia improved markedly in all 23 patients. Bulk-related symptoms improved in 12 (92.30%) of 13 patients. The baseline UFS-QOL score was 43.13 and improved to 11.88 (p < 0.001). No major complications were observed. Conclusion UAE using progressively larger calibrated gelatin sponge particles is an effective and safe treatment for symptomatic uterine fibroids.


Financial account is known to serve to finance the current account imbalances. Yet, financial globalization seems to have changed this causality at least for some of the developing world countries.The aim of this paper is to analyze the interrelationship between the financial account, its components and the current account for Turkey. Results of the unit root tests reveal that the variables are naturally cointegrated as they are all integrated of order I (0). Granger causality analysisunder VAR framework disclosesthe existence of a unidirectional causality that runs from financial account to current account. The analysis also depicts that amongst the components of financial account there is aunidirectional causality that runs from fdi, equities and bank liabilities to current account. The results demonstrate that capital inflows cause current account deficitsand that the current account sustainability may be achievedvia better management of financial accountin Turkey.The short term bank liabilities should be further discouraged. Also, the financial market development should be further encouraged for the economy to increase its absorption capacity of massive financial account inflows.


On September 1, 1989, Texas reinstituted mandatory helmet use for motorcyclists of all ages. Time series analyses of police-reported crashes in the state indicate an 11% reduction in serious injury crashes per registered motorcycle as a result of the law change, which corresponds to about 500 fewer serious injury crashes during 1990. A comparison of hospital injury information during the first nine months of the law with information from a study of the same hospitals three years earlier confirmed that injured cyclists not wearing helmets were twice as likely to have suffered a head injury and four times as likely to have suffered a serious one (AIS 3-6) as injured cyclists who were wearing helmets. Compared with cyclists injured before the law, those injured after the law suffered less serious injuries (as measured by Injury Severity Scores). Motorcyclists reporting to the hospitals with injuries after the law change were less likely to have head, face, or external (superficial cuts and bruises) injuries.


Laparoscopic and endoscopic cooperative surgery (LECS) is a newly developed concept for tumor dissection of the gastrointestinal tract that was first investigated for local resection of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). The first reported version of LECS for GIST has been named 'classical LECS' to distinguish it from other modified LECS procedures, such as inverted LECS, a combination of laparoscopic and endoscopic approaches to neoplasia with a non‐exposure technique (CLEAN‐NET), and non‐exposed endoscopic wall‐inversion surgery (NEWS). These modified LECS procedures were developed for dissection of malignant tumors which may seed tumor cells into the abdominal cavity. While these LECS‐related procedures might prevent tumor seeding, their application is limited by several factors, such as tumor size, location and technical difficulty. Currently, classical LECS is a safe and useful procedure for gastric submucosal tumors without mucosal defects, independent of tumor location, such as proximity to the esophagogastric junction or pyloric ring. For future applications of LECS‐related procedures for other malignant diseases with mucosal lesions such as GIST with mucosal defects and gastric cancer, some improvements in the techniques are needed.


Chemical compositions of petals of Chrysanthemum spp. were determined to renew its interest as a food material. The moisture contents of wild Chrysanthemum boreale and holticulturized Chrysanthemum morifolium were 11.7% and 11.0%. The proximate chemical compositions were 6.1% and 11.7% in protein, 3.7% and 5.2% in ash, 11.1% and 12.8% in reducing sugar, of C. boreale and C. morifolium, respectively. Free sugars were mainly composed of fructose, glucose and sucrose. In fatty acid composition, the ratios of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids were 1.2:1 and 3.0:1, respectively. The amino acids determined were found 0.18 and 0.26 in the ratio of essential to total amino acids in each sample. Major elements of Chrysanthemum petals were Ca, K, Fe, Mg and Na, but the contents of Ca and Fe were more than twice higher in C. boreale than C. morifolium. Major volatile flavor components were 28.22% of epi-bicyclophellandrene and 24.55% of camphor in C. boreale, and 14.24% of 4-methyl-1-(1-methylethyl)-3-cyclohexen-1-ol, 10.74% of camphor and 7.64% of 1,8-cineol in C. morifolium.


The dynamics of nociceptive reactions and character of 3H-naloxone binding to hypothalamus and midbrain synaptic membranes were studied in rats subjected to repeated cold swim stress (3 min. daily during 3, 5 and 15 days). It was shown that an increase of latencies of background nociceptive reactions (hot-plate and tail-flick tests) was accompanied by an ambiguous changes of kinetic parameters of 3H-naloxone binding in the studied brain structures. The results suggest that an increase of antinociceptive systems tone under repeated cold swim stress may be caused by a dynamic transformation of opiate u-receptor apparatus in various brain structures.


Groups of male B6C3F1 mice (N = 12) were exposed to ambient air or to gaseous 1,3-butadiene (BD) at 6.25, 62.5, and 625 ppm for 10 exposure days (6 hr + T90/day). Exposure to BD induced in bone marrow: 1) a significant increase in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations (CA); 2) a significant elevation in the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE); 3) a significant lengthening of the average generation time (AGT); 4) a significant depression in the mitotic index (MI); and, as measured in the peripheral blood, 5) a significant increase in the proportion of circulating polychromatic erythrocytes (%PCE), and 6) a significant increase in the level of micronucleated PCE (MN-PCE) and micronucleated normochromatic erythrocytes (MN-NCE). The most sensitive indicator of genotoxic damage was the frequency of SCE (significant at 6.25 ppm), followed by MN-PCE levels (significant at 62.5 ppm), and then by CA and MN-NCE frequencies (significant at 625 ppm). The most sensitive measure of cytotoxic damage was AGT (significant at 62.5 ppm), followed by %PCE (significant at 625 ppm), and then by MI (significant by trend test only). Because each cytogenetic endpoint was evaluated in every animal, a correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate the degree of concordance among the various indicators of genotoxic and cytotoxic damage. The extent of concordance ranged from a very good correlation between the induction of MN-PCE and the induction of SCE (correlation coefficient r = 0.9562) to the lack of a significant correlation between the depression in the MI and any other endpoint (r less than 0.37).


Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) are reduced in amplitude during movement (gating). The mechanism involves central gating of afferent input and competition from other afferents activated by the movement. We distinguished these two by giving 11 normal subjects a warning sound followed 1 s later by an electric stimulus to the right median nerve at the wrist. The latter served both as a cue to start a finger movement and as stimulation to evoke SEPs. Gating effects were widespread in frontal (N30) and central (N60) areas, but were also seen, albeit to a lesser extent, in the recordings at P3 (P30). Since finger movement began after the stimulus, such gating must have been purely central in origin, presumably reflecting motor preparation.


Secondary precipitates (iron oxide, calcite, etc.) are currently observed in cold-climate Pleistocene deposits. Some have micro- and ultrastructures quite different from precipitates of vadose, phreatic and biogenic origin, and seem to have originated by freezing processes. The microstructures of calcite coatings from a Pleistocene cryopediment in the Mendoza Pre-Cordillera, from a Lower Pleistocene cryogenic slope deposit in Western Transbaikalia and from the present active layer in Antarctica are described. They show similar patterns: fibrous crystals often consisting of piles of platelets, some with internal holes, assembled in millimetre-scale fringes on the lower face of clasts. Observational (mainly fabric) evidence confirms that such peculiar crystals are formed during freezing. The features are unknown in other climates and, when found in past sediments, can be diagnostic of cryogenic palaeoenvironments.


Elsayed, H. H. A., Farag, R. M. A. & Ramadan, A. K. E. (2022). Economic impact for the adoption of the recommended improved varieties on wheat production in Egypt. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 28 (3) , 369–375 The study tries to answer questions e.g. what are the economic impacts of using of improved varieties recommended by the National Campaign to Uprise Wheat Production (NCUWP)? The results revealed farmers within NCUWP added about 1.564 ton/ha to the average yield gained by farmers without NCUWP. Farmers of NCUWP achieved more economic efficiency in terms of total revenue per ha. This could be due to increasing the yield and decreasing the costs of production. The results showed statistically significant effect of improved varieties on increasing wheat production. About 71% of the changes in wheat production was attributed to changing the quantities of seeds, organic fertilizers, nitrogenous and phosphorus fertilizers, labour and mechanical work. Education, off-farm employment, and making bread at home were the most important determinants of the decision to adopt these varieties. Our results showed that high costs of production and low level of water are the key problems facing farmers in the study sample. Capacity building for extension agents is essential for disseminating the improved varieties of NCUWP, as well as providing the agricultural extension service with enough number of agents.


Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the Dutch pastor, theologian, and statesman Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920) argued for the foundation of an independent university to pursue, from a thoroughly confessional Christian perspective, the entire curriculum of human learning. In one of his convocation speeches, Kuyper made clear that "there are three wonderful things about science: it brings to light the hidden glory of God; it gives you joy in the act of digging up the gold that lies hidden in creation; and it grants you the honor of raising the level and well-being of human life." In this, Kuyper attempted to clearly delineate the uniqueness of the calling to pursue scholarship even as he sought to avoid the danger of unduly separating theory from praxis, the academy from the rest of the world, and theology from piety. A solid understanding of the economics of the theological vocation should thus be situated in the broader framework of the interrelationship and interdependence of the various spheres, the broader economy, so to speak, of social life. Jordan J. Ballor: "Editorial:The Theological Vocation and the Economy of Social Life," Journal of Markets & Morality 18, no. 2 (Fall 2015): 251-254.


Volume 113 of Terrorism: Commentary on Security Documents, Piracy and International Maritime Security provides key international materials on piracy. International treaties, such as the Draft Convention on Piracy, the Geneva Convention on the High Seas, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea are provided, which help to define piracy under international law. This volume also contains documents that discuss international jurisdiction over the crime of piracy and its enforcement. Piracy is one of the few international crimes subject to universal jurisdiction, which gives all states the right but not the duty to prosecute. International case law on the use of force in apprehending pirates is provided, along with national piracy legislation and cases.


This article analyzes bureaucratic reforms for the second period of Jokowi's leadership—the last stage of the grand design for bureaucratic reform. This moment is the last chance for Jokowi to shows his commitment to good governance. However, there are things that cannot be denied, the experience of the last five years (2014-2019) of Jokowi's leadership still leaves a lot of homework that needs to be addressed. The bureaucracy performance is still low. The research design in this article uses descriptive research methods supported by a literature study approach that traces the actual secondary data as a study material. The results of this study predict the two aspects mentioned by Jokowi in the "Vision of Indonesia" speech, namely structural reform and mindset reform. Structural improvement is used to create a fast and agile bureaucracy in providing public services. And reforming the mindset can be done by adapting the mindset capacity in dynamic governance, which is to encourage bureaucrats to think ahead, think again, and think across to open opportunities to create productive, innovative and competitive bureaucracies.


There are few studies which examine the relationship between assessment, intervention planning and supervision (APIS) in detail, and none within the context of youth justice in the UK. One such study in probation which looked at risk assessment and intervention planning was Merrington (2001). The study upon which this article is based (Sutherland et al., 2005) aimed to replicate Merrington's research to allow reflection on current practice in a small sample of Youth Offending Teams (YOTs). The rationale for the original study was to inform changes to the youth justice system related to the introduction of an explicit risk-led (`scaled') model of practice (YJB, 2006a, 2007a). This article reports findings relating to the basic practice model suggested by this framework and reflects on the implications for YOTs and young people of the `scaled approach'.


Dominance of an immune response by secondary cells was demonstrated in a cell transfer system utilizing allotype-congenic mice. Spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized with TNP-KLH were adoptively transferred into sublethally irradiation (200 R) congenic partners of a different allotype (C.B.-17 mice). Subsequent to the cell transfer, the recipients were challenged with TNP-KLH and bled periodically. Anti-TNP antibodies were isolated and analyzed for their content of donor and host IgG allotypes. Through day 58 after the adoptive transfer, 80% or more of the IgG antibody measured was of donor allotype. By day 110, most but not all recipients made IgG antibody principally of host allotype. In contrast, control C.B-17 recipients, which received nonimmune BALB/c spleen cells but otherwise treated as above, produced IgG antibodies almost entirely of host allotype. Total anti-TNP synthesis was reduced markedly in recipients of immune BALB/c cells so that there was a decrease of about 95% in the production of anti-TNP antibodies of host allotype, as compared with controls that received nonimmune cells. The results are discussed in terms of dominance of an immune response by secondary B cells.


We find that variability of the iron K alpha line is common in Seyfert 1 galaxies. Using data from the ASCA archive for objects that have been observed more than once during the mission, we study the time-averaged spectra from individual observations, thereby probing variability on timescales that range from days to years. Since the statistics of the data do not warrant searches for line variability in terms of a complex physical model, we use a simple Gaussian to model the gross shape of the line and then use the centroid energy, intensity, and equivalent width as robust indicators of changes in the line profile. We find that approximately 70% of Seyfert 1 galaxies (10 out of 15) show variability in at least one of these parameters: the centroid energy, intensity, and equivalent width vary in six, four, and eight sources, respectively. Because of the low signal-to-noise ratio, limited sampling, and time averaging, we consider these results to represent lower limits to the rate of incidence of variability. In most cases changes in the line do not appear to track changes in the continuum. In particular, we find no evidence for variability of the line intensity in NGC 4151, suggesting an origin in a region larger than the putative accretion disk, where most of the iron line has been thought to originate. Mrk 279 is investigated on short timescales. The time-averaged effective line energy (as measured by the Gaussian center energy, which is weighted by emission in the entire line profile) is 6.5 keV in the galaxy rest frame. As the continuum flux increases by 20% in a few hours, the Fe K line responds within approximately 10,000 seconds with the effective line energy increasing by 0.22 keV (approximately 10,500 kilometers per second). We also examine the ROSAT PSPC spectrum of Mrk 279 but find inconsistencies with ASCA. Problems with the ASCA and ROSAT calibration that affect simultaneous spectral fits at low energies are discussed in an appendix.


The transition from late gestation to early lactation is associated with extensive changes in metabolic, endocrine, and immune functions in dairy cows. Skeletal muscle plays an important role in maintaining the homeorhetic adaptation to the metabolic needs of lactation. The objective of this study was to characterize the skeletal muscle metabolome in the context of the metabolic changes that occur during the transition period in dairy cows with high (HBCS) versus normal body condition (NBCS). Fifteen weeks antepartum, 38 pregnant multiparous Holstein cows were assigned to 1 of 2 groups, which were fed differently to reach the targeted BCS and back fat thickness (BFT) until dry-off at -49 d before calving (HBCS: >3.75 and >1.4 cm; NBCS: <3.5 and <1.2 cm). During the dry period and the subsequent lactation, both groups were fed identical diets. The differences in both BCS and BFT were maintained throughout the study. The metabolome was characterized in skeletal muscle samples (semitendinosus muscle) collected on d -49, 3, 21, and 84 relative to calving using a targeted metabolomics approach (AbsoluteIDQ p180 kit; Biocrates Life Sciences AG, Innsbruck, Austria), which allowed for the quantification of up to 188 metabolites from 6 different compound classes (acylcarnitines, amino acids, biogenic amines, glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, and hexoses). On d -49, the concentrations of citrulline and hydroxytetradecadienyl-l-carnitine in muscle were higher in HBCS cows than in NBCS cows, but those of carnosine were lower. Over-conditioning did not affect the muscle concentrations of any of the metabolites on d 3. On d 21, the concentrations of phenylethylamine and linoleylcarnitine in muscle were lower in HBCS cows than in NBCS cows, and the opposite was true for lysophosphatidylcholine acyl C20:4. On d 84, the significantly changed metabolites were mainly long-chain (>C32) acyl-alkyl phosphatidylcholine and di-acyl phosphatidylcholine, along with 3 long-chain (>C16) sphingomyelin that were all lower in HBCS cows than in NBCS cows. These data contribute to a better understanding of the metabolic adaptation in skeletal muscle of dairy cows during the transition period, although the physiological significance and underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for the regulation of citrulline, hydroxytetradecadienyl-l-carnitine, carnosine, and phenylethylamine associated with over-conditioning are still elusive and warrant further investigation. The changes observed in muscle lysophosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylcholine concentrations may point to an alteration in phosphatidylcholine metabolism, probably resulting in an increase in membrane stiffness, which may lead to abnormalities in insulin signaling in the muscle of over-conditioned cows.


The main types of modern multisensor systems of the electronic tongue type as well as the sensitive materials and sensors (transducers) employed in such systems are considered. The most commonly used analytical applications of the electronic tongue including recognition and classification of various liquid media, quantitative analysis, process monitoring and taste assessment of foodstuffs are discussed.


With increasing global demand for learning English as a second language, there has been considerable interest in methods of automatic assessment of spoken language proficiency for use in interactive electronic learning tools as well as for grading candidates for formal qualifications. This paper presents an automatic system to address the assessment of spontaneous spoken language. Prompts or questions requiring spontaneous speech responses elicit more natural speech which better reflects a learner's proficiency level than read speech. In addition to the challenges of highly variable non-native, learner, speech and noisy real-world recording conditions, this requires any automatic system to handle disfluent, non-grammatical, spontaneous speech with the underlying text unknown. To handle these, a state-ofthe-art speech recognition system is applied in combination with a Gaussian Process (GP) grader. A range of features derived from the audio using the recognition hypothesis are investigated for their efficacy in the automatic grader. The proposed system is shown to predict grades at a similar level to the original examiner graders on real candidate entries. Interpolation with the examiner grades further boosts performance. The ability to reject poorly estimated grades is also important and measures are proposed to evaluate the performance of rejection schemes. The GP variance is used to decide which automatic grades should be rejected. Back-off to an expert grader for the least confident grades gives gains.


We derive an electron-vibration model Hamiltonian in a quantum chemical framework and explore the extent to which such a Hamiltonian can capture key effects of nonadiabatic dynamics. The model Hamiltonian is a simple two-body operator, and we make preliminary steps at applying standard quantum chemical methods to evaluate its properties, including mean-field theory, linear response, and a primitive correlated model. The Hamiltonian can be compared to standard vibronic Hamiltonians, but it is constructed without reference to potential energy surfaces through direct differentiation of the one- and two-electron integrals at a single reference geometry. The nature of the model Hamiltonian in the harmonic and linear-coupling regime is investigated for pyrazine, where a simple time-dependent calculation including electron-vibration correlation is demonstrated to exhibit the well-studied population transfer between the S2 and S1 excited states.


Labor productivity is very important phenomena to maintain the sustainable economic growth. Actually, there are many studies in the economic literature about determining the factors affecting labor productivity. At this point, this study aims to investigate the relationship between labor productivity and government educational expenditure by using the data covering the period of 1971-2015 for Turkey. To this aim, it is applied linear and non-linear autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL). By using the bound testing approach, the long run relationship between variables has been investigated. Both models have been applied to determine whether the relationship between variables is linear or nonlinear. An asymmetric relationship between labor productivity and government educational expenditure was determined. For this reason, nonlinear model is preferred. The empirical findings indicate that positive changes in educational expenditure has negative effect on labor productivity and negative changes in educational expenditure has positive effect on labor productivity. The long run coefficient of openness is significantly positive; the short run coefficient of it is significantly negative for all lags. On the other hand, the effect of GDP growth on the labor productivity is significantly positive in both short and long run. While the effect of average annual labor worked hours is significantly negative for the first two lags, it is significantly positive the last two lags in short run, it is positive but not significant in long run.


Introduction: A combination of the novel corticosteroid FF and long acting beta2-agonist VI (FF/VI) is currently under development as a once-daily inhaled treatment for asthma and COPD.

Objective: To determine the absolute bioavailability of FF and VI when administered in combination as FF/VI from a novel dry powder inhaler in healthy subjects.

Methods: In this open-label, non-randomised, three-way crossover, single-dose study, male and female subjects [N=16] received (in order) a single inhaled dose of FF/VI 800/100mcg (4 inhalations of 200/25mcg), a single 250mcg intravenous (i.v.) dose of FF and a single 55mcg i.v. dose of VI. FF and VI pharmacokinetic data were obtained up to 48h post-dose.

Results: The average absolute bioavailability of FF when inhaled as FF/VI relative to i.v. FF was 15% (90% CI: 13, 18). The average absolute bioavailability of VI when inhaled as FF/VI relative to i.v. VI was 27% (90% CI: 22, 35). Both FF and VI were rapidly cleared and widely distributed following i.v. dosing. FF showed longer retention in the lung than VI following inhaled administration with the time for 90% of the total to be absorbed from the lung on average, 35.2h and 3.8h, respectively. All treatments were safe and well tolerated even though this study evaluated multiples of the likely inhaled therapeutic dose (200/25mcg).

Conclusion: In healthy adult subjects the absolute bioavailability of FF was 15% and for VI was 27% following a single inhaled dose of FF/VI delivered via a novel dry powder inhaler.

Funded by GSK (HZA102934, [NCT01299558][1])

 [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT01299558&atom=%2Ferj%2F38%2FSuppl_55%2Fp3976.atom