From early traders and missionaries to diplomats and GIs, Americans in Thailand traces the impact of the United States on Thailand. Who knew that the first-ever surgery in Thailand was completed by an American missionary, or that a young Thai man traveled across the globe to don a Union uniform, fight in the American Civil War, and return to Thailand as an American citizens. An elegantly designed, illustrated history, Americans in Thailand relates the rich stories and significant roles of American businesses and individuals operating and living in Thailand since the first American arrived in 1818. It follows nearly 200 years of relations between the two countries, including controversy and scandal. The first Americans in Thailand were mostly merchants or missionaries, but when the anti-communist, Cold War agenda took hold in the second half of the 20th century and the two countries formed a close alliance, Americans arrived in greater numbers than ever before. There were U.S. presidents and State Department officials, Peace Corps volunteers and soldiers of fortune, development experts and entrepreneurs, and a steady stream of celebrities and tourists. This American presence would have a lasting impact on Thailand s infrastructure, foreign policy, economy, and values. During these turbulent decades, many of the Americans who came in the name of duty fell in love with Thailand and never left. They carried on as journalists, founded non-profit organizations, or started businesses of their own. Americans in Thailand is a colorful portrait of one of the world s most colorful expatriate communities."


The expression of the transient depression in the rate of DNA synthesis normally observed after exposure of randomly-dividing Chinese hamster V-79 or Chinese hamster CHO cells to ionizing radiation can be postponed or diminished by a post-irradiation treatment with 1.0 to 1.0 mM adenine or 1.5 mM caffeine. Caffeine may exert its effect by creating additional sites for replication in irradiated cells. Cells treated with caffeine or adenine for 2 or 4 hours after exposure to 3000 rad of 300 kVp X-rays exhibit depressed synthesis only after the removal of caffeine or adenine. These alterations in the timing of the X-ray-induced depression of the rate of DNA synthesis have no effect on X-ray-induced cell killing. Although a 4 hour post-irradiation treatment of randomly-dividing Chinese hamster V-79 cells with 1.0 or 2.0 mM caffeine potentiates X-ray-induced cell killing, this reduction in survival is due primarily to effects on cells in S-phase.


During dynamic vulcanization of polypropylene (PP)/ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) blends with dicumyl peroxide/triallyl cyanurate, there is a possibility of the generation of in situ graft links at the interface. Three potential compatibilizers (PP-grafted EPDM, styrene-ethylenebutylene-styrene, and trans-polyoctenamer) for PP/EPDM blends were first investigated as references to obtain a quantified insight into the effects to be expected from in situ graft links. Only the first compatibilizer showed some compatibilizing action in straight, unvulcanized blends, as evidenced by a slight increase in the tensile strength of the blend and a somewhat smaller EPDM particle size within the PP matrix. Also, dynamic mechanical testing, in particular, the glass-transition temperatures of the PP and EPDM components, showed some signs of compatibilization. The PP-grafted EPDM resembled most closely the structures of PP and EPDM. In the spectra obtained with high temperature, solid-state NMR, there was an indication that PP-EPDM graft links were generated during the dynamic vulcanization process that still remained after the extraction of the free PP phase from the thermoplastic vulcanizate film. NMR relaxation experiments gave further evidence for the graft links formed in situ. In all cases, only qualitative indications could be achieved because of the extremely low number of graft links formed.


A non-compact deterministic variational inequality which is used to prove an existence theorem for saddle points in the setting of topological vector spaces and a random variational inequality. The latter result is then applied to obtain the random version of the Fan's best approximation theorem. Several random fixed point theorems are obtained as applications of the random best approximation theorem.


—Determining the importance of prey taxa in the diets of predacious species is a frequent objective in fisheries research. Various indices of prey importance are in common use, and all give different results because of their emphasis on different aspects of fish diets. We explored these differences by empirically comparing four well-known indices—percent weight (%W), percent occurrence (%O), percent number (%N), and percent index of relative importance (%IRI)— as well as a modified %IRI (%MIRI), as applied to an extensive data set on the diets of six fish species in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Correlations among all indices were positive but were weaker among component indices (%W, %O, and %N) than between the two compound indices (%IRI and %MIRI); correlations among component indices were also weaker than correlations of compound with component indices. Correlation strength of %MIRI with the three component indices varied greatly (%N , %O , %W), whereas the correlation strength of %IRI with component indices was similar. Importance values based on %W, %MIRI, and %N depend more on prey size than those based on %IRI and %O. The %W and %MIRI emphasized the importance of large prey taxa, whereas %N emphasized small prey in diets; %IRI and %O were similarly unbiased with respect to prey size. The %O yielded substantially higher importance values than all other indices. Thus, for use as a general index of dietary importance, we believe %IRI provides the optimal balancing of frequency of occurrence, numerical abundance, and abundance by weight of taxa in fish diets. Importance of prey taxa is a frequently used quantitative description of fish diet and the relationship of diet to other characteristics of fish populations and communities (Bowen 1996). Biologists are interested in the importance of prey taxa to predator growth, consumption, competition, predation, and relationships between prey importance and availability. Accurately quantifying importance of prey taxa and understanding the contributions of various prey to predator well-being is essential for effective management of fisheries resources (Bowen 1996). Several indices have been used to express the relative importance of prey taxa, including percentage by number (%N), weight (%W), volume (%V), and occurrence (%O); index of relative im* Corresponding author: email@example.com Received January 3, 2000; accepted January 14, 2001 portance (IRI); and modified index of relative importance (MIRI). Among them, %W (or %V) has been the most popular index to describe prey importance and its relationships with fish well-being and prey availability (e.g., Hubert and Sandheinrich 1983; Wahl and Stein 1993; Hartman and Brandt 1995; Rand and Stewart 1998; Persson and Hansson 1999), followed by IRI (e.g., Sammons et al. 1994; Cortes et al. 1996; Swenson and McCray 1996). Occasionally, %O, %N, and MIRI are used as indices of prey importance (e.g., Pitcher 1980, 1981; Chapman et al. 1989; Bridcut and Giller 1995; Gaughan and Potter 1997). No index is without bias, and biases attributed to dietary indices have stimulated different opinions on their use for several decades (Hynes 1950; Berg 1979; Wallace 1981; Cortes 1997; Hansson 1998). There are two major opinions in this literature. One is to use a component index such as %W, %N, or %O, chosen largely on the basis of


This case study explored collaborative writing in Chinese among 59 primary four Chinese students using a Wiki-based Collaborative Process Writing Pedagogy (WCPWP) in Shenzhen, China. It aimed mainly to design and orchestrate a WCPWP in order to facilitate students' Chinese writing. It investigated students' collaborative writing process and their performance on a wiki, and explored the perceptions and attitudes of the teacher and her students towards WCPWP. A wiki-based writing environment named Joyous Writing Club (JWC) was designed and developed using MediaWiki software. Data was collected from questionnaires, online wiki documents, interviews, and observations. The results illustrated students' collaborative writing process and their products on the wiki. Besides, the results showed that students perceived WCPWP was beneficial in boosting writing motivation, increasing group interactions, and extending the audience for their writing. This study may help primary educators gain a deeper understanding of the relationships between technology, pedagogy and education. It may also provide practical recommendations for primary school Chinese language teachers in the integration of Web 2.0 tools (wikis, Google Docs ) as well as the use of effective pedagogical strategies in the teaching of Chinese writing.


: This paper analyzes the socially optimal forest taxation in the rotation framework when the government has a binding tax revenue requirement. In the Faust-mann model the optimal design of taxation consists of non-distortionary taxes, such as site productivity tax, site value tax or profit tax. A combination of distortionary unit (or yield) tax and timber tax can also be used to collect the tax revenue in a non-distortionary way. In the Hartman model with forest amenity services as a public good, the optimal design consists of a non-distortionary tax and a Pigouvian tax, which adjusts the private rotation age to the socially optimal one. Now only the site productivity tax is non-distortionary, while unit, yield, timber, site value and profit taxes generally serve as corrective Pigouvian taxes. Finally, in the absence of a non-distortionary tax, if the marginal valuation of amenity services is non-decreasing with the age of forest stand, a combination of unit (or yield) and timber taxes can be used to both tax revenue collection and Pigouvian correction.


Three anaerobic bacteria, isolated from the ceca of rats and mice, converted, through a concerted mechanism, beta-muricholic acid, the predominant bile acid in germfree rats, into omega-muricholic acid. One isolate was a Eubacterium lentum strain; the second and third isolates were tentatively identified as atypical Fusobacterium sp. strains. The conversion of beta-muricholic acid into omega-muricholic acid proceeded in two steps: E. lentum oxidized the 6 beta-hydroxyl group of beta-muricholic acid to a 6-oxo group, which was reduced by either of the two other species to a 6 alpha-hydroxyl group, yielding omega-muricholic acid. This transformation occurred both in vitro and in gnotobiotic rats. Monoassociation of germfree rats with the E. lentum strain gave rise to an unidentified fecal bile acid, probably a derivative of beta-muricholic acid having a double bond in the side chain.


Experiments were carried out to know whether self-incompatibility reaction is altered in various stages of floral development of Japanese pear.Bud pollination (3-6 days before anthesis) was effective to overcome self-incompatibility but the most effective stage was altered from year to year over 3 years. The percentages of fruit set decreased as pollinated in the later stage of floral bud development and no fruit was obtained as pollinated on and after the day of anthesis.In the fruit obtained by bud self-pollination, several fully developed seeds were formed and they germinated at almost the same rate as compatible ones, though the percentage of fully developed seeds was considerably lower than that of crossed ones.The period of floral development to get the sufficient fruit set following compatible pollination ranged from 4th day before anthesis to 4th day after anthesis.


mercury incurred by dental assistants who do not work with amalgam was offered as a possible explanation. In 1994 as health and safety representative for a surgical ward at a metropolitan hospital, I found that 60% of trays at the base of sphygmomanometers, wall mounted, at the head of each patient's bed, contained leaked mercury.2 Nurses unprotected hands are often in this cuff tray. The inspecting authorities, with a Jerome analyser, found mercury vapour concentrations of 85 ,yg/m' in the breathing zone of a patient at one bed. This is of course the work zone of the nurse. The rate of replacement of thermometers for the complex was 750/month, which becomes 72 kg mercury/ 10 y at 0-8 g/thermometer. Cases of acrodynia caused by one broken thermometer in the domestic environment are documented.' No mercury hygiene protocol was in place. With the same poor hygiene factors that Rowland et al used to assess risk of expo-


Environmental monitoring and mapping operations are an essential tool to combat climate change. An important branch of this domain concerns the construction of reliable gas maps. Adaptive navigation strategies coupled with multi-robot systems improve the outcome of an environmental mapping mission by focusing more efficiently on informative areas. This direction is yet to be explored in the context of gas mapping, which presents peculiar challenges due to the hard-to-sense and expensive-to-model nature of the underlying phenomenon. In this paper, we introduce the application of a multi-robot system to a gas mission with severe time constraints. We study the impact of information-based navigation strategies, coupled with increasing levels of coordination among the robots, on information gathering and consequent map reconstruction performance. We also focus on proposing solutions that inject additional knowledge into the system to enhance the final mapping outcome. We tested the strategies through extensive high-fidelity simulation experiments, and we compared the proposed approaches to three relevant baseline methods.


Today, one of the most detrimental consequences of developing road transportation systems in a country is traffic accident that places a huge financial burden on the society. The large number of passenger carriage together with high rate of crashes on highway corridors increase the necessity of a comprehensive study of regional transportation corridors hazardous zones. Current methods for identification of road segments with high potential of accident are mainly based on statistical approaches. Since there are not enough crash records for recently built roads, statistical methods are useless for this type of road networks. This paper presents a geospatial neuro-fuzzy approach for identification of hazardous zones on regional transportation corridors. It is a new research method for road hazardous zones modeling with abilities to infer meaning from complicated and ambiguous data. To demonstrate the framework, a prototype is developed and tested on Qazvin-Rasht (Iran) regional corridor. The results are compared against the existing black spots in the study corridor which Highway Police has determined based on statistical methods. Results show a correlation between the output of the proposed method and existing black spots. Moreover, the proposed approach has identified a few more zones in the corridor that were not determined by traditional statistical methods. The results confirms that this method is not only a cheaper one but also a robust means of analyzing the level of hazard associated with each road segment under consideration, specially when data are uncertain and incomplete.


Our paper investigates how co-creation as an information systems development (ISD) approach is performed. Our empirical practice study of co-creation for and with youths involved in developing a digital game on a social media platform in a not-for-profit environment contributes to broadening the perspective on ISD and co-creation research. We apply an established taxonomy of co-creation and demonstrate how the taxonomy can be used as a framework to understand what co-creation is, how, when and where it can be performed as an instance of ISD practice. As a result we demonstrate the value and the shortcomings of the taxonomy.


Dense time-series remote sensing data with detailed spatial information are highly desired for the monitoring of dynamic earth systems. Due to the sensor tradeoff, most remote sensing systems cannot provide images with both high spatial and temporal resolutions. Spatiotemporal image fusion models provide a feasible solution to generate such a type of satellite imagery, yet existing fusion methods are limited in predicting rapid and/or transient phenological changes. Additionally, a systematic approach to assessing and understanding how varying levels of temporal phenological changes affect fusion results is lacking in spatiotemporal fusion research. The objective of this study is to develop an innovative hybrid deep learning model that can effectively and robustly fuse the satellite imagery of various spatial and temporal resolutions. The proposed model integrates two types of network models: super-resolution convolutional neural network (SRCNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM). SRCNN can enhance the coarse images by restoring degraded spatial details, while LSTM can learn and extract the temporal changing patterns from the time-series images. To systematically assess the effects of varying levels of phenological changes, we identify image phenological transition dates and design three temporal phenological change scenarios representing rapid, moderate, and minimal phenological changes. The hybrid deep learning model, alongside three benchmark fusion models, is assessed in different scenarios of phenological changes. Results indicate the hybrid deep learning model yields significantly better results when rapid or moderate phenological changes are present. It holds great potential in generating high-quality time-series datasets of both high spatial and temporal resolutions, which can further benefit terrestrial system dynamic studies. The innovative approach to understanding phenological changes' effect will help us better comprehend the strengths and weaknesses of current and future fusion models.


The optimization of maize production systems in southern Brazil depends on the adequate combination between genotype traits and the type of management system. This work was carried out aiming at evaluating the grain yield and gross income of maize cultivars with contrasting genetic variability at different management levels. The experiment was conducted in Lages, SC, using randomized block design with split-plots. Four production systems, equivalent to low (S1), medium (S2), high (S3) and very high (S4) management levels were tested in the main plots. The single-cross hybrid Pioneer 32R21, the double cross hybrid Traktor, and the open-pollinated variety BRS Planalto were assessed in the split-plots. The management systems differed in relation to the quantity and timing of fertilizer application, plant density, row spacing, and water irrigation. The trials were sown in 11/20/2002 and 10/22/2003, under the no-till soil tillage system. Regardless cultivar, maize grain yield and gross income increased with the enhancement in management level, ranging from 1,781 (S1) to 13,848 (S4)kg ha-1 and from 206,00 (S1) to 2,937,00 (S4)R$ ha-1, depending on the cultivar and growing season. The larger genetic variability of the cultivar BRS Planalto did not improve its grain yield when compared to the hybrids in S1. The hybrids were more productive and profitable than the open pollinated variety in S2. The use of a single-cross hybrid promoted the greatest grain yield and gross income in S3 and S4, showing that it is possible to match maximum technical and economic efficiency with a high yield plateau, as long as there is financial condition to invest in cultural practices that optimize maize agronomic performance and genetic potential to explore them.


Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), a leading cause of irreversible vision loss, presents with increased prevalence and a higher degree of clinical severity in the world. Growing evidence has shown that ncRNAs are involved in the fibrotic process, which is thought to be the proegumenal cause of POAG. Here, we screened out a differentially expressed circRNA (named circHBEGF) in human trabecular meshwork cells (HTMCs) under oxidative stress, which is spliced from pre-HBEGF. circHBEGF promotes the expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) genes (fibronectin and collagen I). Further studies revealed that circHBEGF could competitively bind to miR-646 as a miRNA sponge to regulate EGFR expression in HTMCs. Importantly, HBEGF can also activate EGF signaling pathways, through which can transcriptionally activate ECM genes in HTMCs. In summary, this study investigates the functions and molecular mechanisms of oxidative stress-induced circHBEGF in the regulation of ECM production in HTMCs through the miR646/EGFR pathway. These findings further elucidate the pathogenic mechanism and may identify novel targets for the molecular therapy of POAG.


Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine knowledge and preventive behaviors related to HPV and cervical cancer among undergraduate health science students in India. Methods: Six hundred and Thirty nine undergraduate health science students at a private Indian university completed a paper-and-pencil survey. Univariate and bivariate (chi-square and logistic regression) analyses were tabulated using SPSS 13.0. Results: Few (12%) respondents reported seeking preventive health care practices. HPV knowledge was very low (Mean=33.1%). Only half of responders were correct in knowing that the Pap smear tests for cervical cancer (53.6%). Whereas one in five responders (21.6%) reporting knowing a female diagnosed with cervical cancer, only 3.7% of females reporting having had a Pap test. Among those having heard of the HPV vaccine (9.3%), few reported having received the vaccine (5.2%) and most (83.1%) reported that is was Very Unlikely/Unlikely that they would vaccinate their daughters. Conclusion: Future efforts should address the low knowledge and rates of preventive behaviors regarding HPV and cervical cancer among Indian health science students as these emerging health professionals will play an important role in decreasing HPVrelated morbidity and mortality in India.


Migration is one of the key aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To understand global migration patterns, develop scenarios, design effective policies, focus on the population's needs, and identify how these needs change over time, we need accurate, reliable and timely data. The gaps in international migration data have persisted since international organizations collect data. To improve the data gaps, there is a need to conceptualize the types of gaps and pinpoint the gaps within the international data systems. To that end, the ultimate objective of this paper is twofold, (i) to review and categorize the gaps in the literature and (ii) assess the statistical data sources, i.e., United Nations Department of Social and Economic Affairs (UN DESA), Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Eurostat, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Our results demonstrate that the gaps could be categorized under (1) definitions and measures, (2) drivers or reasons behind migration, (3) geographic coverage, (4) gaps in demographic characteristics and (5) the time lag in the availability of data. The reviewed sources suffer from the gaps, which are not mutually exclusive (they are interlinked): the quality and availability of both migration flows and stocks data vary across regions and countries, and migration statistics highly rely on immigrants' arrival.


The efficiency of a gas turbine has an inverse relationship to the clearance between the rotor blades and the casing. Recent efforts in miniaturization of micro gas turbine engines have created a new challenge in blade tip clearance measurement. This paper describes the development of a capacitive tip clearance measurement system, based on a synchronous detection of a phase-modulated signal, for a palm-sized gas turbine engine with an integral ceramic rotor piece. A surface modification of the ceramic compressor and rotor with conductive coating is utilized to create a novel configuration of a tip clearance probe. The probe capacitance varies by approximately 120 fF for a 100-/spl mu/m blade displacement. Periodic autocalibration is used to reduce the effects of temperature drift on the sensor output. The remaining measurement error drift of 1.5 fF//spl deg/C was caused by the temperature drift of the probe parasitic capacitor. The random uncertainty was between 1.9 and 6.9 /spl mu/m depending on the tip clearance gap.


Climate change will cause further loss of biodiversity. As negative effects are already taking place, adaptive measures are required to protect biodiversity from the effects of climate change. The EU policy on climate change and biodiversity aims at improving a coherent ecological network in order to have more resilient ecosystems and to provide for connectivity outside core areas. The existing legal framework, the Birds and Habitats Directives, can enable adaptive approaches, by establishing and managing the Natura 2000 network and providing for connectivity measures. However, policy and law so far have mainly been aimed at conserving the status quo of habitats and species within core areas. The question is whether a legal requirement to protect certain species in certain places makes sense when species and even ecosystems are migrating due to climate change. Instead, efforts must be increased to protect ecosystem functions, goods and services from the negative effects of climate change, and to facilitate the ecological restoration of new areas. Even more effort is needed for the implementation of connectivity. If existing legislation proves too weak to face these challenges, a new 'Ecosystem Framework Directive' might provide the necessary legal impetus.


Facing the problem of the waste management in a specific area is without doubt a complicated issue. The difficulties of this mission increase exponentially when it comes to big urban entities with territorial and environmental peculiarities. Taking into consideration that the legislation related to the environmental and territorial planning constitutes one of the most significant tools that play a significant role in waste management, understanding this approach is of particular interest. As is known, the norms that stem from the need to protect the environment lay their emphasis on preventing the construction of infrastructure projects that are considered intrusive or harmful to the natural environment. On the other hand, regulations connected to urban and town-planning focus their interest on the compromise between everlasting conflicting interests and land uses, without losing focus on the primary aim of development. It is obvious that the concurrent application of provisions of different legal gravity for the area of Attica, namely regarding whether they are provisions of normative character as is the case with the environmental regulations or of directive character as the case of town-planning norms, renders not only the soundness but also the legality of the various choices of sites of waste disposal dubious. This paper argues that an antidote to the general uncertainty that characterises the selected sites of disposal of Attica's waste could be: a) the compatibility with the environmental requirements planning of land-use, b) the previous participation and consultation with the interested stakeholders and c) the non-strict coping with waste management within the borders of the standard administrative divisions.


Geographies of Nationhood examines the meteoric rise of ethnographic mapmaking in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a form of visual and material culture that gave expression to territorialised visions of nationhood. In the Russian Empire's Baltic provinces, the development of ethnographic cartography, as part of the broader field of statistical data visualisation, progressively became a tool that lent legitimacy and an experiential dimension to nationalist arguments, as well as a wide range of alternative spatial configurations that rendered the inhabitants of the Baltic as part of local, imperial, and global geographies. The book argues that map production and the spread of cartographic literacy as a mass phenomenon in Baltic society transformed how people made sense of linguistic, ethnic, and religious similarities and differences by imbuing them with an alleged scientific objectivity that was later used to determine the political structuring of the Baltic region and beyond. The book treads new ground by expanding the focus beyond elites to include a diverse range of mapmakers, such as local bureaucrats, commercial enterprises, clergymen, family members, teachers, and landowners. It shifts the focus from imperial learned and military institutions to examine the proliferation of mapmaking across diverse sites in the Russian Empire, including the provincial administration, local learned societies, private homes, and schools. Understanding ethnographic maps in the social context of their production, circulation, consumption, and reception is crucial for assessing their impact as powerful shapers of popular geographical conceptions of nationhood, state-building, and border-drawing.


One of TCP's primary objectives is to provide fairness to all flows competing for resources in a network. Since the popular flavors of TCP were designed to work with electronic packet-switched networks, they behave differently when used over optical burst-switched networks (OBS). In OBS, burst loss occurs due to random contention of data bursts. Since TCP is unaware of the underlying physical media, the responsibility of fairness must be provided by the burst assembler. We investigate several flow-aware and flow-unaware mechanisms that improve TCP fairness over OBS.


Operational activities normally required for the conduct of nuclear explosions include such activities as pre-shot safety studies, emplacement and firing of the nuclear charges, shot time safety and control, and post-shot safety measures. For safety, engineering, and scientific reasons, the 22 nuclear explosives required for Project Carryall will be fired in two stages. When safety permits after the detonations, the site will be returned to highway and railroad engineers for roadway construction. Safety hazards such as radioactivity, fallout, air blast, and ground shock have been thoroughly evaluated on the basis of past experience with nuclear cratering explosions and present knowledge of the Carryall area. These evaluations have shown no hazard great enough to cause significant structural damage or endanger local inhabitants. Initial site investigations will be directed toward a better definition of these problems and a more detailed description of the geology of the area. The present Plowshare experimental program will provide additional data for the conduct and design of nuclear excavation projects such as Carryall. The time schedule for the project is compatible with the Interstate Highway completion schedule, the interests of the Santa Fe Railway Company, and the present experimental schedule of the Plowshare program.


Temazepam, trimeprazine and placebo were compared as premedication in 85 children undergoing routine otolaryngological operations. Premedication with trimeprazine caused significantly more sedation than temazepam or placebo in patients on arrival in the anaesthetic room (P less than 0.02). Recovery time was significantly longer after trimeprazine than temazepam or placebo (P less than 0.012). Significantly more children (P less than 0.05) failed to recall a picture shown immediately before induction after trimeprazine and temazepam than with placebo. Fewer patients vomited after operation with trimeprazine than with temazepam or placebo (P less than 0.01). The majority of children exhibited some behavioural problem during the first 2 weeks at home, although this rarely lasted for more than a few days. More children exhibited apathetic/withdrawn behaviour after receiving placebo (P less than 0.05), although the significance of this should be interpreted with caution.


Number is a mathematical concept that shapes and limits our everyday life, in various forms (time reading and timing, knowledge assessment, revenue, expenses ...). When teaching higher numbers, it is of the utmost importance to choose the right approach if we want to reach the stage where the child understands the concept of a number, and gradually expends that knowledge with and extended range of already familiar numbers. This approach has a great influence on students' motivation to participate in a task, what is more, it challenges their mental activity.
The Master's thesis deals with the content of the teaching of natural numbers at the primary school education. We defined the notion of a natural number, the development of numerical representations in a child and Dienes's principles of teaching and learning mathematics. The work focuses primarily on finding the answer to the question: »How to approach the learning of natural numbers to pupils?« In response, there are presented the components of the learning approach which are considered essential to bring pupils closer to the learning topic, stimulates their motivation and trigger their mental and physical activity. We highlighted the importance of the use of different representations, the implementation of didactic games, the solving of mathematical problems, the integration of the principles of realistic mathematics, the use of diverse learning methods and forms and the implementation of differentiation and individualisation of work. Individual components of learning approach are supported by concrete examples of activities that can serve as a guideline for teachers.
The empirical part presents the findings of the analysis of questionnaires for teachers and pupils of the fourth grades, as well as the analysis of the introductory lesson plans for teaching numbers up to ten thousand. The purpose of the research was to determine the views of the fourth grade teachers and pupils on the approach used for teaching natural numbers up to ten thousand, and to confront teachers with pupils` views. On the basis of the findings, we want to offer teachers an insight into the possibilities of adapting the teaching approach in a way to reach the wishes and needs of pupils.
The results showed that the majority of teachers already respects the principles of good teaching practice, since the most important criterion in planning their lessons is the motivation of pupils and the integration of knowledge with their experience. Most of teacher checks the previous-knowledge of pupils and adapt the tasks (they perform differentiation and individualization of work) and use various concrete tools, while they also include motivational activities such as didactic games, problem solving and tasks of fun mathematics. Only in the choice of the dominant learning form – the frontal and the ways of revision, which is still most often done through solving tasks in a workbook, most teachers remain in traditional frames. The overwhelming general attitude of pupils (regardless of gender) is to change more or at least some kind of thing in a teacher's teaching approach. The most critical are in the learning forms, where they want more work in pairs and groups and more use of information-communication technology. Pupils also gave some interesting suggestions, such as the possibility of outdoor learning and collaborative learning by making posters.


In the dental practice--for more than a 100 years--it has been a vital topic how to prevent, eliminate, or at least relieve pain and fear associated with dental treatments. 'Fogorvosi Szemle,' the scientific journal of the Hungarian Dental Association is now a 100 years old. Authors present how the approaches and methods of relieving pain and fear have changed in the past century, based on the reports published in this journal. The reports are grouped in three main topics: local anaesthetics and sedatives; ambulatory narcosis and sedative analgesia; hypnosis and hypnotherapy. Based on the publications of the last one hundred years, it can be concluded that the Hungarian dental practice has followed the trends and principles of the well-known international dental schools.


The submicroscopic structure of the normal and degenerating cells of the Yoshida sarcoma has been studied in thin cell sections by electron microscopy. The significance of the homogeneous or granular substance appearing in the vesicles in the endoplasm of normal Yoshida sarcoma cells has been discussed in relation to current concepts of function of cell organelles. The first step of degeneration is replacement of the nucleus peripherally by grouped vesicles, vacuoles, and mitochondria.

The lipomatosis has occurred in the area where the mitochondrial cristae degenerate to a more or less homogeneous mass, but the limiting membranes often remain their double-layered structure. At the beginning of lipomatosis, a homogeneous lipide droplet of moderate density is characteristically surrounded by the osmiophilic myelin figures derived from any of the numerous intracytoplasmic lipoprotein systems. As the lipide droplets are accumulated, they become denser and denser, and their irregular shape transforms gradually to a round profile which demonstrates no dense myelin figures.

The cell necrobiosis begins with isolation of the nuclear membrane following pyknosis. The double-layered structure of the nuclear membrane isolated is similar to that of the smooth-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum. Characteristic patterns of the karyorrhexis and karyolysis have been demonstrated in the necrobiotic cell; they are due to a pathological specialization of the cell organelles in their vacuolization resulting in a discontinuance of their normal function.


Cabergoline (CAB) is the first choice for treatment of prolactinoma and the most common subtype of pituitary adenoma. However, drug resistance and lack of effectiveness in other pituitary tumor types remain clinical challenges to this treatment. Brusatol (BT) is known to inhibit cell growth and promote apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells. In our present studies, we investigate the effects of BT on pituitary tumor cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. BT treatment resulted in an increase in Annexin V-expressing cells and promoted the expression of apoptosis-related proteins in rat and human pituitary tumor cells. Investigation of the mechanism underlying this effect revealed that BT increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibited the phosphorylation of 4EBP1 and S6K1. Furthermore, treatment with a combination of BT and CAB resulted in greater antitumor effects than either treatment alone in nude mice and pituitary tumor cells. Collectively, our results suggest that the BT-induced ROS accumulation and inhibition of mTORC1 signaling pathway leads to inhibition of tumor growth. Combined use of CAB and BT may increase the clinical effectiveness of treatment for human pituitary adenomas.


The virus-specific CD8+ T cell responses of 21 HIV-infected patients were studied including a unique cohort of long-term nonprogressors with low levels of plasma viral RNA and strong proliferative responses to HIV Ags. HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses were studied by a combination of standard cytotoxic T cell (CTL) assays, MHC tetramers, and TCR repertoire analysis. The frequencies of CD8+ T cells specific to the majority of HIV gene products were measured by flow cytometric detection of intracellular IFN-γ in response to HIV-vaccinia recombinant-infected autologous B cells. Very high frequencies (0.8–18.0%) of circulating CD8+ T cells were found to be HIV specific. High frequencies of HIV-specific CD8+ T cells were not limited to long-tern nonprogressors with restriction of plasma virus. No correlation was found between the frequency of HIV-specific CD8+ T cells and levels of plasma viremia. In each case, the vast majority of cells (up to 17.2%) responded to gag-pol. Repertoire analysis showed these large numbers of Ag-specific cells were scattered throughout the repertoire and in the majority of cases not contained within large monoclonal expansions. These data demonstrate that high numbers of HIV-specific CD8+ T cells exist even in patients with high-level viremia and progressive disease. Further, they suggest that other qualitative parameters of the CD8+ T cell response may differentiate some patients with very low levels of plasma virus and nonprogressive disease.


The changes in sialoglycoconjugates synthesis after administration of 14C-glucose to fibrosarcoma bearing rats were studied. After 1 hr treatment 14C-glucose tumor bearing rat synthesized hexosamine which contained more radioactivity when compared to sialic acid. On fractionation of lipoproteins, low density lipoproteins (LDL) contained more sialic acid. This was further confirmed by separating the lipoproteins, as more radioactivity incorporation was observed in the LDL fraction. It is noteworthy that inspite of the tumor, high density lipoproteins (HDL) did not show any change.


The author describes a new smart material system using intercalated graphite as the material and using exfoliation as the phase transition that gives rise to the electromechanical switching action. In this action, a stress of up to 3 MPa (400 psi) or a strain of up to 4500% results reversibly from an applied electric field of only 7 V cm-1. This high-stress, high-strain, low-electric-field type of electromechanical switching is in sharp contrast to the electromechanical switching provided by piezoelectric materials. The exfoliation is a phase transition involving the vaporization of the intercalate between the graphite layers to form bubbles. For bromine as the intercalate, the bubbles remain mostly closed and exfoliation is reversible. The resulting stress or strain is along the c axis of the graphite, so highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and graphite flakes are both possible for achieving electromechanical switching. Applications of this new smart material include electrically activated thermal contacts, electrical contacts and micromanipulations.


We analyze statistical features of the 'optimization landscape' in a random version of one of the simplest constrained optimization problems of the least-square type: finding the best approximation for the solution of a system of M linear equations in N unknowns: ( a k , x ) = b k , k = 1, …, M on the N-sphere x 2 = N. We treat both the N-component vectors a k and parameters b k as independent mean zero real Gaussian random variables. First, we derive the exact expressions for the mean number of stationary points of the least-square loss function in the overcomplete case M > N in the framework of the Kac-Rice approach combined with the random matrix theory for Wishart ensemble. Then we perform its asymptotic analysis as N → ∞ at a fixed α = M/N > 1 in various regimes. In particular, this analysis allows to extract the large deviation function for the density of the smallest Lagrange multiplier λ min associated with the problem, and in this way to find its most probable value. This can be further used to predict the asymptotic mean minimal value Emin of the loss function as N → ∞. Finally, we develop an alternative approach based on the replica trick to conjecture the form of the large deviation function for the density of Emin at N ≫ 1 and any fixed ratio α = M/N > 0. As a by-product, we find the compatibility threshold α c < 1 which is the value of α beyond which a large random linear system on the N-sphere becomes typically incompatible.


The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of interrelated cardiovascular risk factors co-occurring in the same individual. People with this syndrome are at increased risk for developing diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. Accordingly, it is important to elucidate the genetic aetiology governing this trait in order to better comprehend its pathogenesis. In the present thesis, heritability and complex segregation analyses as well as candidate gene and genome-wide scan approaches have been applied to shed some lights on the genetic architecture of the metabolic syndrome and its individual components. A total of three candidate genes have been investigated including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α and PPARγ as well as phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP). It has been shown that polymorphisms in both PPARα and PLTP genes are significantly associated with several indices of adiposity. In addition, significant gene-gene interactions have been observed between PPARα and PPARγ on glucose/insulin parameters. It has also been shown that the HDL2-cholesterol response to gemfibrozil therapy is modulated by the PPARα L162V polymorphism. Genome-wide linkage scans have been performed on lipid and lipoprotein concentrations. Many chromosome regions harbouring lipoprotein/lipid genes have been identified including 1q43, 11q13-q24, 15q26.1, and 19q13.32 for LDL-cholesterol, 12q14.1 for HDL-cholesterol, 2p14, 11p13, and 11q24.1 for triglycerides, 18q21.32 for LDL-apolipoprotein (apo) B, and 3p25.2 for apoAI. The genetic contribution of the variation in LDL peak particle diameter (LDL-PPD) has been also investigated. Overall, the results indicate: 1) that LDL-PPD strongly aggregates within families with heritability estimate above 50%; 2) the existence of a major gene effect affecting the phenotype; and 3) the presence of a major quantitative trait locus located on chromosome 17q. The apo H gene, a positional candidate gene, was then significantly associated with LDL-PPD, suggesting that this gene is responsible for the linkage signal observed on 17q. Finally, factor analyses have been used to construct a quantitative metabolic syndrome variable and a genome-wide linkage scan has been conducted to identify the genomic regions underlying this trait. A major quantitative trait locus has been observed on chromosome 15q suggesting a gene within this region contributing to the clustering of the metabolic syndrome-related phenotypes. Many of these findings must go through independent replication, while others produced new leads that deserve follow-up.


The paper presents a new theory of coupled resonator bandpass microwave filters of arbitrary bandwidth. Constraints on the scattering parameters of lossless, time-invariant, and reciprocal two-port networks, expressed as rational functions of the physical frequency, are presented. Filtering functions exhibiting arbitrarily positioned transmission zeros and locally symmetric or asymmetric responses with respect to the center of the passband, and satisfying these constraints are then introduced. A direct synthesis technique to extract the elements of the transversal equivalent circuit to yield a prescribed response is presented. Response-preserving similarity transformations are then applied to the circuit to force a desired topology. As opposed to the prevailing narrowband approximation, any topology other than the transversal will have off-diagonal elements that depend on frequency. Interesting features that are not found in the narrowband approximation are reported. Examples demonstrating the soundness of the theory are presented.


This paper deals with the problem of pre-runtime allocating and scheduling communicating periodic tasks in a distributed real-time system. The task system is modeled with independent periodic macro-tasks. The physical architecture consists of a network of identical monoprocessor sites, fully connected by a bus. Two medium access control protocols are considered : CSMA/CA and TDMA. Our objective is to find an allocation of tasks to sites and a subsequent schedule for them such that the periodicity and precedence constraints are satisfied. Besides dealing with these constraints (which is often the sole concern of many studies), the effective communication delays due to the message scheduling and the bus access control protocol are taken into account when the task schedule is being built. Two algorithms for solving this problem are presented: a clustering algorithm and a genetic algorithm.


OBJECTIVE
This study provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of a residential program with comprehensive wrap-around services for pregnant and parenting foster care youth with severe mental illness or severe emotional disturbance who are preparing to transition to independent living.

METHODS
Twenty-five females ages 18 to 21 participated. Program effectiveness was determined by tracking monthly status changes, such as education, employment, and hospitalizations, as well as by comparing scores on four bi-annually administered standardized assessments of parenting competency and stress, child maltreatment risk, and mental health symptoms.

RESULTS
Assessment findings indicate that program participation is associated with positive changes in participants' familial relationships, family responsibility and care, proper parenting behavior and feelings, and parental distress and competency, but no change in mental health symptoms. Positive behavior changes associated with program participation were observed in education, employment, and low numbers of suspected and substantiated child maltreatment reports. Negative behavior changes associated with the program were frequency of AWOL incidents and subsequent pregnancies.

CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study to evaluate a program designed for this very unique population and has implications for program design and policy. Future research with more rigorous experimental design is necessary in order to understand the critical ingredients of programs serving this vulnerable population.


The cellular immune responses of cattle immunized with antigens of Tritrichomonas foetus were investigated. Subcutaneous injections of antigen preparations primed bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by 30 days of immunization as demonstrated by antigen-specific proliferation and by cytokine production upon antigen challenge of PBMC. Antigen-specific T-cells derived from PBMC responded by production of interferon (IFN)-γ message detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, secreted IFN-γ detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and intracellular IFN-γ detected by flow cytometry. Phenotypic analysis of PBMC responding in vitro to parasite antigen demonstrated a shift from a mixed CD4+, CD8+, γδ+, to predominantly CD4+, CD8−, γδ− phenotype in the Tf190-primed PBMC. In conclusion, systemic immunization of cattle with parasite antigen results in priming of bovine T-cells that are antigen specific and can produce an anamnestic IFN-γ response to subsequent stimulation with antigens of T. foetus.


Distorted-wave Born approximation results for the differential cross section and various angular correlation parameters for electron impact excitation of the 33P, 31D and 33D states of helium are presented and compared with recent experimental data and other theoretical calculations. The connection between the Stokes parameters, the scattering amplitudes and the transferred angular momentum is given and discussed. The results from different distorted-wave models are given and the accuracy of various theoretical approaches for allowed and forbidden transitions is discussed.


Background The Kaiser-Permanente study projected hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) retinopathy rates of 40% after 20 years of use. We have prospectively followed SLE patients in the Hopkins lupus cohort to compare. Methods Patients in the Hopkins cohort are seen quarterly for assessment of disease activity and lupus complications. Yearly ophthalmology examinations are requested. Patients, if insurance allows, are referred to the Wilmer Retina group. Four tests are performed: OCT, ERG, MP-1 and FAF. Results Patients had a variety of retinal testing done, with optical coherence testing most frequent. Table 1 shows the concordance of a test abnormality with the retina expert opinion.Abstract 15 Table 1 Performance of retinal imaging modalities relative to expert diagnosis Test Retinopathy N (%) No Retinopathy N (%) Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT)  Abnormal 25 (93%) 133 (16%)  Normal 2 (7%) 721 (84%)  Total 27 854 Electroretinogram (ERG)  Abnormal 15 (100%) 195 (49%)  Normal 0 (0%) 201 (51%)  Total 15 396 Microperimetry (MP1)  Abnormal 17 (100%) 144 (30%)  Normal 0 (0%) 331 (70%)  Total 17 475 Fundal Autoflourescence (FAF)  Abnormal 19 (83%) 165 (24%)  Normal 4 (17%) 536 (76%)  Total 23 701 The concordance of the test abnormality with the retina expert opinion showed the following sensitivity and specificity, respectively: OCT 93%, 84%; ERG 100%, 51%; MP1 100%, 70%; and FAF 83%, 76%. The frequency of retinopathy increased with years of HCQ use [number of retinopathies per total patients (percent frequency)]: 5 years or less, 1/103 (0.97%); 6–10 years, 2/109 (1.83%); 11–15 years, 3/91 (3.30%); 16–20 years, 11/96 (11.46%); and 21 or more years, 6/75 (8.00%). Conclusions In agreement with the American Academy of Ophthalmology, OCT appears to be the optimum test for yearly monitoring. The frequency of retinopathy was much lower in our prospective study than estimated by the Kaiser-Permanente study. Our data also show the need for ophthalmologists with retinopathy expertise to interpret retina testing, as screening tests are frequently abnormal due to causes other than HCQ retinopathy. Stopping HCQ based on an abnormal test without confirmation from a retinopathy expert could needlessly deprive an SLE patient of an important medication. Funding Source(s): The Hopkins Lupus Cohort was funded by NIH Grant R01-AR069572.


Objective To determine the presence of mental disorder risk and associated factors in European patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Methods Data from 2,166 patients with axSpA in 12 European countries were collected from 2017 to 2018 through the European Map of Axial Spondyloarthritis online survey. Risk of mental disorders was assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Possible predictors included age, gender, relationship status, patient organisation membership, job status, educational level, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), functional limitation (0–54) and self-reported depression or anxiety. Bivariate analyses were conducted to determine predictors of risk of mental disorders (Mann-Whitney and χ2) and multivariable analysis identified factors associated with risk of mental disorders. Results 60.7% of patients reported risk of mental disorders: they were younger (41.7 vs 46.0 years), more likely female (68.2% vs 57.9%), unemployed (7.5% vs 2.7%), on temporary (15.9% vs 5.4%) or permanent sick leave (13.2% vs 8.0%), reported depression (45.2% vs 14.2%) or anxiety (41.3% vs 12.5%), higher disease activity (BASDAI ≥4; 87.6% vs 62.3%) and functional limitation (16.5 vs 10.8). The factors most associated with risk of mental disorders were disease activity (OR=2.80), reported depression (OR=2.42), anxiety (OR=2.39), being unemployed or on sick leave (OR=1.98), functional limitation (OR=1.02) and younger age (OR=0.97). Conclusions Compared with the general population, patients with axSpA show disproportionately worse mental health associated mainly with disease activity and employment status. Healthcare professionals should pay close attention to patients with high disease activity and address internally or refer to specialist services, where appropriate to ensure optimal patient outcomes.


In recent years engineering and construction industry faces formidable challenges in control project and optimization of management decision making. The requirements and challenges of today's world have made managers to explore new methods in dealing with solving management problems, methods with high flexibility, which can adopt plans to real conditions can help one to make a decision at right time. This paper proposes a new method to obtain the optimal solution in construction environment with uncertainty and dynamic. Since linear programming is the most natural mechanism for formulating a vast array of problems with the modest effort, we use fuzzy linear programming and Matlab computation to solve this problem. In this research, we are modeling uncertainty and dynamic of engineering and construction industry with fuzzy theory. The considerable ratio of data about uncertainties is linguistic data and cannot be formulated with classical mathematics, so we use fuzzy theory for the computational model of the linguistic term of expert. After preparation of the dynamic fuzzy linear programming model (DFLP) we solve the optimization problem. Dynamics of the DFLP model able the system to provide decision making in environmental changes.


Redistricting can have considerable electoral consequences because it undermines the incumbency advantage. Numerous voters are drawn into districts with a different incumbent seeking reelection. With regard to vote choice, these redrawn constituents rely more on their partisanship and prevailing political conditions because they lack familiarity with their new representative. Macropartisanship, the aggregate party identification of the electorate, is an excellent barometer of the political climate and hence the partisan direction guiding voters. Because redrawn constituents have at best a tenuous bond with their new incumbent, partisan tides have more influence on their vote choice. Analyses of the 1992 and 2002 U.S. House elections show that higher district percentages of redrawn constituents significantly reduced the vote shares of southern Democratic representatives in 1992 and Democratic incumbents regardless of region in 2002. Given the stated behavioral implications associated with redistricting, these findings speak to the political conditions occurring at the time of these respective elections: a Republican realignment picking up steam in the South in 1992 and a short-term national GOP tide in the first post-9/11 midterm.


Over the last 15 years, there has been an increase in the 3He/4He ratios (Ra) at gas emission sites including springs (liquid-dominated) and mofettes (gas-dominated) in the Vogtland (Germany) and NW Bohemia (Czech Republic), indicating an active magmatic process. The highest Ra value (6.2) was measured at the mofette Bublak. Continuous CO2 flow records at Bad Brambach mineral springs (Vogtland) and Cheb Basin mofettes show a significant and enduring increase in gas flow. This increase ranges from 1.6% at Schillerquelle spring, Bad Brambach, and 61% per year at mofette Bublak. Calculated gas flow ratios between the individual emission sites not only emphasize the greater increase in gas flow over time at the Cheb Basin mofettes compared with the Bad Brambach springs (factor 2.1 to 2.6) but also show a uniform gas flow behaviour within both emission areas. Using simplified models, it is demonstrated that long-term gas flow measurements reveal a gas-hydraulic parameter, the effective cross-sectional ratio, to compare the near-surface gas-bearing fissures and cracks between the emission sites. Thus, the overall cross-sectional area of gas pathways at the mofette Soos is 13.2 times higher than at the Wettinquelle spring, indicating greater overall fissure widths for gas transport at the Cheb Basin mofettes than at the mineral springs. Comparison between the monthly fluctuations of free gas flow and dissolved CO2 at the Wettinquelle spring shows an inverse dependence of both parameters but without a temporal trend of dissolved CO2. This indicates that the mineral water body acts as a kind of buffer saturated by CO2 and being degassed more or less strongly, depending on the flow rate of the ascending free gas. The results suggest increased activity of the magmatic reservoir below the Cheb Basin, not only from the qualitative (3He/4He) but also from the quantitative (amount of magmatic CO2) perspective.


Globalization prompts remote acculturation toward U.S. culture in Jamaica; this study used a bioecological systems approach to examine its proximal impact on nutrition through U.S. cable TV consumption, and maternal influences in the home. Overall, 330 randomly selected adolescent-mother dyads from schools in Kingston, Jamaica (Madolescent_age  = 13.8 years, SDadolescent_age  = 1.8) completed questionnaires reporting American identity and behavioral preferences, daily time spent watching U.S.-produced TV programs, and frequency of eating unhealthy foods. Actor-partner interdependence models revealed that girls' American identity/behavior directly predicted their unhealthy eating, whereas girls' mothers and boys' American identity/behavior indirectly predicted unhealthy eating as mediated by their U.S. TV hours. Additionally, mothers' American identity/behavior predicted daughters' unhealthy eating as mediated by mothers' U.S. TV hours. Remote acculturation theory may facilitate more targeted research and prevention/intervention.


There is no doubt that the Asfiyah school, represented by its Sheikh Abdul Aziz Salem Al-Samarrai,isprofoundlyimportanttothedefininganddisseminationofShariasciences in the city of Fallujah. Sheikh Abdul Aziz introduced the curriculum of Sharia science. One of those Islamic sciences was the "Basics of Prophetic Hadith" which was a great pillar of Islam. It is the second source of Islam after the holyQuran. Given the importance of the prophetic Hadith in Islamic life, Sheikh Abdulazeez wrote an introductory book about the"BasicsofPropheticHadith".In this study, we review this book and offer new insights into its teachings. This research was divided into two sections: The first one deals with the biography of Sheikh Abdul Aziz. The second section focuses on the contents and teachings of the book. In the conclusion, we present the most important findings of this study.
Keywords: Abdul Aziz Al-Samarrai, Asfiyah, Editing, Hadith Rules.


This paper presents a design procedure for an HDTV encoder with parallel processing architecture, which could get out the dilemma lying in high-speed digital processing circuitry and real-time compression. In the proposed system, an original HDTV picture is split to multiple sub-pictures of MPEG-2 MP@ML level, and then multiple sub-picture encoding modules (SEM) perform, respectively and simultaneously, MPEG-2 coding in the light of a joint rate control scheme. A normative HDTV PES stream of MPEG-2 MP@HL is built up by compositing multiple ES streams with different bit-rate. The paper hits the high points and supply appropriate implementation strategy during the propose design framework.


We calculate the weak scale MSSM spectrum starting from a heterotic string theory compactified on an anisotropic orbifold. Supersymmetry breaking is mediated by vector-like exotics that arise naturally in heterotic string theories. The messengers that mediate SUSY breaking come in incomplete GUT multiplets and give rise to non-universal gaugino masses at the GUT scale. Models with non-universal gaugino masses at the GUT scale have the attractive feature of allowing for precision gauge coupling unification at the GUT scale with negligible contributions from threshold corrections near the unification scale. The unique features of the MSSM spectrum are light gluinos and also large mass differences between the lightest and the next-tolightest neutralinos and charginos which could lead to interesting signatures at the colliders.


This write up on some aspects of Indian history of depression touches briefly on references to some aspects of depression in Ayurveda, in philosophical texts and in the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.


The authors report the flow cytometric detection of neoplastic T cells in the peripheral blood of four out of five (80%) patients with peripheral blood involvement with mycosis fungoides (Sezary syndrome) based on the levels of T-cell receptor expression as measured by CD3 and TCR-alpha beta staining. Antigen receptor expression was abnormal in terms of increased density of surface CD3 or TCR-alpha beta per cell. Other immunophenotypic abnormalities were present in three of these patients. However, in one patient abnormal T-cell receptor expression was the only immunophenotypic evidence of neoplasia, although morphologically abnormal lymphocytes were present and a T-cell clone was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In another patient, the authors were able to detect development of a new, more aggressive neoplastic T-cell population based on levels of T-cell receptor expression. Levels of T-cell receptor expression may be of diagnostic utility in the evaluation of peripheral blood for the presence of neoplastic T-cell populations.


This research paper looks at the financial disclosures during cross border acquisitions.The acquisition process gives the investors to scan the investment arena to park his funds in a venture. The investors are clueless as to the valuation of the acquisition when their company went on to look at the prior year performances rather the current year financial standing.This is a serious issue especially as the economic buoyancey is escalating. On 10th Feb, 2007 Hindalco acquired Novelis through its owned subsidiary AV metals by purchasing 100% of the issued and outstanding common shares at US$ 44.93 per share, amounting to US$ 3.6 billion. Novelis was the company which was running on loss and had debt of US$2.4 billion. Still, Hindalco went forward to acquire Novelis by paying a premium of 16.6 % on the closing price of Novelis's stock. One of the main events of this acquisition was that Hindalco overvalued this deal because it took into the consideration the financial report of 2005 rather than 2006.The main objective behind this deal for Hindalco was to become a world leader in aluminum flat rolled product. This research paper is case specific as to the governance issues as to: 1. Whether Hindalco is justified in using its funds to acquire another company based on its previous period financial statements. 2. Are the stakeholders are agreeable to an overvalued acquisition even if there is a perceived objective of achieving global leadership? These questions are better answered with the consideration of financial outlays and synergic operations. The latest financial information post acquisition has been provided to facilitate the understanding the deal logic and performance. The question of sustainability and continued governance has enhanced the scope of consolidated business despite melt down.


A therapeutic substitution policy (TSP) for tobramycin and gentamicin sulfate was implemented at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). The policy was designed by various physician-chaired hospital committees and clinical departments that collaborated with the pharmacy service. The goal was to encourage the medical house staff to use the most economical yet safe and effective aminoglycoside, without limiting the medical team's prerogative to select among alternatives within this antibiotic group. Cost data from the first 6 months of aminoglycoside use under the new policy projected an annual savings of $139,071 in drug expenditures and $242,472 in patient charges. Following the implementation of the TSP, a concurrent drug utilization review (DUR) was performed in 50 consecutive inpatients prescribed amikacin, tobramycin, or gentamicin sulfate. The objectives were to identify those aspects of prescribing and monitoring of aminoglycosides by house staff that could be improved by specific policy and/or education, and to evaluate those specific cases in which attending physician's approval allowed house staff to prescribe an aminoglycoside other than designated in the TSP. The audit revealed that house staff were compliant with 72% of the DUR criteria; however, at least one instance (mean of 5.04 +/- 2.21) of noncompliance occurred during the treatment of each patient. The most frequently encountered deficiencies were failure to monitor for ototoxicity, incorrect orders for at least one set of serum aminoglycoside concentrations, and improper dosage adjustments for those patients with renal insufficiency. In three cases, the attending physician approved house staff use of tobramycin instead of gentamicin sulfate for reasons of organism resistance, pre-existing renal impairment, and long-term treatment of osteomyelitis.


This article probes the value of stories, storytelling and storying the PhD. While policies and procedures – rightly – punctuate a doctoral candidature, it is the stories that move a student beyond individual experiences, disappointments and traumas, and into meaning, reflection and propulsion into the future. As the 'new normal' of the post-pandemic PhD becomes clear, there is a necessity to understand, support and enable the very specific cohort of students enrolled during Covid-19. The first half of this article introduces 'storying' as a reflective practice for PhD and post-PhD students, to configure alignments between beginnings and endings, decisions and choices. The second half presents ten mantras, slogans or triggers to commence meaningful storying in and from doctoral education. The goal of this paper is to move (post)pandemic, (post)PhD students beyond remorse, blame, guilt, anger and shame, and to find resonance and purpose in and through decision making.


We compared the ability of tolazoline and yohimbine to antagonize xylazine-induced central nervous system depression, bradycardia, and tachypnea in 9 ewes and 5 rams. Once a week for 3 weeks, each sheep received one IV treatment of 0.4 mg xylazine/kg, 0.4 mg xylazine/kg followed in 10 minutes by 2 mg tolazoline/kg, or 0.4 mg xylazine/kg followed in 10 minutes by 0.2 mg yohimbine/kg. The order of the 3 treatments in each sheep was randomized. Xylazine alone caused recumbency for 41.0 +/- 3.7 minutes (mean +/- SEM). Tolazoline and yohimbine shortened the xylazine-induced recumbency to 12.1 +/- 0.9 minutes and 18.1 +/- 1.5 minutes, respectively. Sheep given xylazine alone had head droop for 34.0 +/- 5.4 minutes after rising. Head drooping of sheep given tolazoline or yohimbine was reduced to 10.1 +/- 1.7 minutes and 14.2 +/- 1.7 minutes, respectively. Both tolazoline and yohimbine reversed the bradycardia and tachypnea that followed xylazine administration. No statistical differences in the rate and magnitude of the reversal were observed between the 2 drugs.


Abstract The Avebury henge is one of the famous megalithic monuments of the European Neolithic, yet much remains unknown about the detail and chronology of its construction. Here, the results of a new geophysical survey and re-examination of earlier excavation records illuminate the earliest beginnings of the monument. The authors suggest that Avebury's Southern Inner Circle was constructed to memorialise and monumentalise the site of a much earlier 'foundational' house. The significance here resides in the way that traces of habitation may take on special social and historical value, leading to their marking and commemoration through major acts of monument building.


Cryptographic applications, such as data confidentiality and authentication, must be used for secure data communications. PRNG(Pseudo-Random Number Generator) is a basic cryptographic component which is supposed to be satisfied by criteria that we provable security and randomness properties. PRNG it used for generating an initial value or key value of cipher and security of whole cryptographic module depends on the security of PRNG. In this paper, we introduce an PRNG based on a block cipher and prove their security.


In our digital societies, individuals massively interact through digital interfaces whose impact on collective dynamics can be important. In particular, the combination of social media filters and recommender systems can lead to the emergence of polarized and fragmented groups. In some social contexts, such segregation processes of human groups have been shown to share similarities with phase separation phenomena in physics. Here, we study the impact of information filtering on collective segregation behaviour of human groups. We report a series of experiments where groups of 22 subjects have to perform a collective segregation task that mimics the tendency of individuals to bond with other similar individuals. More precisely, the participants are each assigned a colour (red or blue) unknown to them, and have to regroup with other subjects sharing the same colour. To assist them, they are equipped with an artificial sensory device capable of detecting the majority colour in their 'environment' (defined as their k nearest neighbours, unbeknownst to them), for which we control the perception range, k = 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13. We study the separation dynamics (emergence of unicolour groups) and the properties of the final state, and show that the value of k controls the quality of the segregation, although the subjects are totally unaware of the precise definition of the 'environment'. We also find that there is a perception range k = 7 above which the ability of the group to segregate does not improve. We introduce a model that precisely describes the random motion of a group of pedestrians in a confined space, and which faithfully reproduces and allows interpretation of the results of the segregation experiments. Finally, we discuss the strong and precise analogy between our experiment and the phase separation of two immiscible materials at very low temperature. This article is part of the theme issue 'Multi-scale analysis and modelling of collective migration in biological systems'.


Painful hip with normal X-rays (including false-lateral view of both hips) is the main indication for hip arthrography, searching for focal chondropathy. In the presence of moderate hip degenerative arthritis contrasting with increasing disability, a labrum lesion must be investigated. Such lesions are of two kinds, mainly degenerative (of the superior labrum) or post-traumatic (of the posterior labrum). Arthrography allows the diagnosis of cystic changes located in the acetabulum. It also allows the diagnosis and evaluation of the extent of synovial osteochondromatosis or villonodular synovitis. In three indications, computed tomographies must be added to plain arthrography: posterior labrum lesions, osteochondromatosis (looking for foreign bodies in the acetabular fossa) and cystic changes in the acetabulum (with density measurements). In all cases, a complete conventional radiological assessment must be available. Strict asepsis must be ensured. When osteochondromatosis is suspected, evaluation of articular capacity must be systematic.


In this article the structure of radial limit sets is investigated for typical mappings defined in the unit ball in -dimensional Euclidean space for and belonging to various function spaces. The structure of the sets of all such mappings in these function spaces is also studied. As an auxiliary result we obtain a description of the structure of typical compact sets in for .


Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality in the world. Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent psychological disorders in patients with CRC. This study aims to investigate whether there is a correlation between anxiety, depression and serum cytokines in CRC patients. The study group consisted of 19 patients hospitalized for surgical resection of CRC and 20 healthy volunteers comprised the control group. Depression and anxiety were analyzed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and serum levels of IL-1, IL-6, IL-12, TNF-α, TGF-β and IL-10 were measured by ELISA. We found that among CRC patients, 47.4% and 52.6% manifested clinically significant levels of anxiety and depression, respectively and 57.9% manifested a combination of severe anxiety and depression. Furthermore, these patients had increased serum levels of IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α, but lower concentrations of IL-12. Analysis of correlation between HADS scores and serum levels of cytokines in CRC patients revealed a positive association of anxiety and/or depression with IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α and a negative correlation with IL-12. These initial results indicate a correlation between serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, anxiety and depression in CRC patients and suggest that cytokines are involved in the pathophysiology of these comorbidities in this sample.


Two cycles breeding program of Acacia mangium was practiced by Center for Forest Biotechnology and Tree Improvement Research. Although improved seed from the breeding program have been used in operational plantation, the real amount of gains in productivity was not verified together yet. This study was aimed to observe realized genetic gain and projected increase in stand volume from the two cycles breeding of A. mangium, and to discuss the implications on plantation productivity and sustainable forestry in Indonesia. Improved seed from first and second-generation seed orchard were tested together with an unimproved seed in genetic gain trial in West Java, with spacing of 3 x 3 m. Measurements were done at three years ages for height, dbh, and stem volume. Realized genetic gain was calculated as the percentage increase of improved seed over the unimproved one. Results of study showed that improved seed performed better growth than the unimproved with realized gain of 5-24% (height), 3-44% (dbh) and 11-90% (stem volume). Improved seed from second-generation outperformed that from the first-generation, with an improvement of 6-16% (height), 3-26% (dbh) and 20-53% (stem volume). Genetic gains increased with increasing ages for height, but it tended to decrease for dbh and stem volume. At given site and silvicultural practices, projected increase in stand volume at 8 years rotation reached 290-325 m3/ha, which is equal to 30-50% of gains. The uses of high genetically improved seed, in combination with intensive silviculture, would provide significant impacts on plantation productivity and sustainable forestry in Indonesia.


Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 2 (PDK2) activity is enhanced by the dihydrolipoyl acetyltransferase core (E2 60mer) that binds PDK2 and a large number of its pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1) substrate. With E2-activated PDK2, K(+) at approximately 90 mM and Cl(-) at approximately 60 mM decreased the K(m) of PDK2 for ATP and competitive K(i) for ADP by approximately 3-fold and enhanced pyruvate inhibition. Comparing PDK2 catalysis +/- E2, E2 increased the K(m) of PDK2 for ATP by nearly 8-fold (from 5 to 39 microM), increased k(cat) by approximately 4-fold, and decreased the requirement for E1 by at least 400-fold. ATP binding, measured by a cold-trapping technique, occurred at two active sites with a K(d) of 5 microM, which equals the K(m) and K(d) of PDK2 for ATP measured in the absence of E2. During E2-aided catalysis, PDK2 had approximately 3 times more ADP than ATP bound at its active site, and the pyruvate analogue, dichloroacetate, led to 16-fold more ADP than ATP being bound (no added ADP). Pyruvate functioned as an uncompetitive inhibitor versus ATP, and inclusion of ADP transformed pyruvate inhibition to noncompetitive. At high pyruvate levels, pyruvate was a partial inhibitor but also induced substrate inhibition at high ATP levels. Our results indicate that, at physiological salt levels, ADP dissociation is a limiting step in E2-activated PDK2 catalysis, that PDK2.[ADP or ATP].pyruvate complexes form, and that PDK2.ATP.pyruvate.E1 reacts with PDK2.ADP.pyruvate accumulating.


In this paper we define and study real fibered morphisms. Such morphisms arise in the study of real hyperbolic hypersurfaces in Pd and other hyperbolic varieties. We show that real fibered morphisms are intimately connected to Ulrich sheaves admitting positive definite symmetric bilinear forms.


Flow assurance has been a big focus of oil and gas operation in ensuring the delivery of the targeted production. A few fields located offshore Malaysia have been experiencing solid deposition inside tubing and stable micro-emulsion from early stage of their life. Oil production from Field W begin in January 2003, unfortunately the wells produced viscous stable emulsion which caused the production decline significantly. Multiple analyses and efforts, including chemical and mechanical treatments, conducted over the years with minimal success. The damaging mechanism was determined to be caused by rare organic deposit that have caused a significant pressure drop in the tubing, which consequently restrict oil production and tested to only disperse at above 90°C. It was suspected that the organic deposit was a naturally occurring component of the crude oil itself, separating from the bulk of the crude as a consequence of the fluids movement towards the wellbore and the consequent drop in fluid pressure.
 This paper focuses on the step-by-step workflow developed to identify the solid deposition, laboratory testing, treatments conducted and the result of different chemical treatments in Field W. The ultimate effort was by developing an advanced eco-friendly nano-fluid to remediate the rare issue of High Molecular Weight Organic Deposit (HMWOD) in the fields. The nano-fluid pilot treatment was conducted in 2014 and successfully rejuvenate the well with total of 20,000bbl incremental oil volume. Early 2018, subsequent treatments were conducted that contributed substantial improvement to the field production and at lower total treatment cost. This advanced chemical using nano-fluid technology concept is deemed feasible and will be further replicated in other fields.
 This paper is highly beneficial to Operators, Petroleum and Flow Assurance Engineers experiencing flow assurance issue on organic scale such as microcrystalline wax, high molecular weight wax and stable emulsion in the crude production. This paper also promotes the use of nano-fluid technology as part of the solution to flow assurance issue in Oil and Gas industry.


Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), which includes white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), silent brain infarction (SBI), and cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), develops in a conjunction of cumulated injuries to cerebral microvascular beds, increased permeability of blood-brain barriers, and chronic oligemia. SVD is easily detected by routine neuroimaging modalities such as brain computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Research has revealed that the presence of SVD markers may increase the risk of future vascular events as well as deteriorate functional recovery and neurocognitive trajectories after stroke, and such an association could also be applied to hemorrhagic stroke survivors. Currently, the specific mechanistic processes leading to the development and manifestation of SVD risk factors are unknown, and further studies with novel methodological tools are warranted. In this review, recent studies regarding the prognostic impact of WMHs, SBI, and CMBs on stroke survivors and briefly summarize the pathophysiological concepts underlying the manifestation of cerebral SVD.


A report of recent developments in silicon microdosimetry is presented. SOI based microdosemeters have shown promise as a viable alternative to traditional tissue-equivalent proportional counters. The application of these silicon microdosemeters to such radiation therapy modalities as boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), boron neutron capture synovectomy (BNCS), proton therapy (PT), and fast neutron therapy (FNT) has been performed. Several shortcomings of the current silicon microdosemeter were identified and will be taken into account in the design of a second-generation device.


The lack of subtype-selective compounds for AMPA receptors (AMPA-R) led us to search for compounds with such selectivity. Homoibotenic acid analogues were investigated at recombinant GluR1o, GluR2o(R), GluR3o and GluR1o+ 3o receptors expressed in Sf9 insect cells and affinities determined in [3H]AMPA radioligand binding experiments. (S)-4-bromohomoibotenic acid (BrHIBO) exhibited a 126-fold selectivity for GluR1o compared to GluR3o. Xenopus laevis oocytes were used to express functional homomeric and heteromeric recombinant AMPA-R and to determine BrHIBO potency (EC50) at these channels. (R,S)-BrHIBO exhibited a 37-fold selectivity range amongst the AMPA-R. It is hoped that BrHIBO can be used as a lead structure for the development of other subtype-selective compounds.


This article is a reflexive analysis with bioethical concerns on death and the process of dying in intensive care from a professional perspective, employing the bibliographic review method. It should be emphasized that despite death being part of the working context of these health professionals, it brings about feelings of impotence, indifference and even of flight and denial. The professionals demonstrate uneasiness or even attempt to hide their real feelings about death. Death is thus conceived as loss, suffering, uneasiness, unhappiness, fear, absence and the end of everything. The present study evidences the difficulties experienced by health professionals in accepting the idea of death in an ICU where an intensive struggle for life occurs. Such difficulty is the result of contemporary education and of non-humanized training, removed from an awareness of death and the concept of the death process as part of life.


Global warming effects have become very apparent in many parts of the world causing governments to force their industries to be environmentally conscious. Small individual contributions will help abate global warming. The steel industry, if left unattended, has great potential of releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In this paper a life cycle assessment (LCA) for steel balls used as grinding media in mines that are produced at Craster International in Zimbabwe is discussed. Knowing the life cycle environmental impacts of the steel balls is very important since they produce greenhouse gases in their production. The emitted carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrous oxides and other trace greenhouse gases have adverse effects on flora, fauna, water bodies and humans. Interviews, questionnaire and direct observation and measurements were used to generate the data. The data is analyzed and a new LCA diagram from the results of the research and recommendations was made.


We imaged and quantitatively characterized electromagnetic hot spots near the surfaces of plasmon resonant gold nanocubes. The strongest fields are localized at the nanocube corners as compared to those on the sides. The near-field enhancement on the surface of the cube was imaged as a function of incident polarization, leading to information on the localization of fields on specific regions on the surface. We found that the field intensity drops dramatically when the nanocube corner is slightly tilted with respect to the incident laser polarization. This dramatic dependence on angle was verified by electrodynamics simulations. These results will enable the use of gold nanocubes in field enhancement applications and refractive-index sensing.


The spectrum of primordial gravitational waves is one of the most robust inflationary observables, often thought of as a direct probe of the energy scale of inflation. We present a simple model, where the dynamics controlling this observable is very different than in the standard paradigm of inflation. The model is based on a peculiar finite density phase—the magnetic gaugid—which stems from a highly non-linear effective theory of a triplet of abelian gauge fields. The gaugid extends the notion of homogeneous isotropic solid, in that its spectrum of fluctuations includes helicity-2 phonons. We show how, upon implementing the gaugid to drive inflation, the helicity-2 phonon mixes with the graviton, significantly affecting the size of the primordial tensor spectrum. The rest of the features of the theory, in particular the vector and scalar perturbations, closely resemble those of solid inflation.


In this paper, a mobile augmented reality (AR) based system for individual location recommendation is proposed. The system consists of the modules of user location, marker detection, 3D display and location guide by combing AR with navigation technology. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system is both efficient and effective in helping people location their position, it also enhance users' senses experience by providing users with a more intuitive, three-dimensional, dynamic information display and sharing capabilities.


The Camp Fire was one of California's deadliest and most destructive wildfires, and its widespread smoke threatened human health over a large area in Northern California in November 2018. To analyze the Camp Fire influence on air quality on a 200 km distant site in Berkeley, highly time-resolved total carbon (TC), black carbon (BC), and organic carbon (OC) were measured using the Carbonaceous Aerosol Speciation System (CASS, Aerosol Magee Scientific), comprising two instruments, a Total Carbon Analyzer TCA08 in tandem with an Aethalometer AE33. During the period when the air quality was affected by wildfire smoke, the BC concentrations increased four times above the typical air pollution level presented in Berkeley before and after the event, and the OC increased approximately ten times. High-time-resolution measurements allow us to study the aging of OC and investigate how the characteristics of carbonaceous aerosols evolve over the course of the fire event. A higher fraction of secondary carbonaceous aerosols was observed in the later phase of the fire. At the same time, the amount of light-absorbing organic aerosol (brown carbon) declined with time.


Styles, traits and disorders of personality: inter-relationships and differences associated to sex The search for the basic structure of personality is a current topic of interest and in the last years the research has focused in the big five traits or factors model. The possibility to establish a reliable classification of the personality disorders is a permanent concern for the researchers in the field; an example of its current state can be found in the section on personality disorders of the DSM-IV. The present work has tried to found the existing relationships between those two fields, the normal and the pathological personalities and more specifically, the relationships between the big five traits and the styles/disorders of personality in base to the DSM-IV. The sample in this work was composed by 545 university students of diverse careers. The self-report instruments used to assess personality areas were the "Big Five Questionnaire" (BFQ; Caprara, Barbaranelli, & Borgogni, 1995) (for traits), the "Exploratory Questionnaire of Personality" ( Cuestionario exploratorio de la personalidad , CEPER; Caballo, 1997) (for styles) and the "Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II" (MCMI-II; Millon, 1987) (for disorders). The results show that three of the big traits, Extroversion, Emotional Stability and Agreeableness were significantly related to some styles/disorders of personality, particularly the last two traits. On the other hand, men scored significantly higher that women in traits like Extroversion and Emotional Stability and in styles/disorders such as Antisocial, Narcissistic and Sadistic, while women scored higher on the Agreeableness trait and in styles/disorders of personality such as Borderline, Dependent and Depressive. The implications of these results for clinical practice are discussed.


A new approach to sample enrichment and analyte determination is reported. An imprinted dispersion polymer capable of molecular recognition of pentamidine (PAM), a drug used for the treatment of AIDS-related pneumonia, was used in solid-phase extraction in order to selectively retain PAM from a dilute solution. At a physiological concentration (30 nM) this gave an enrichment factor of 54 using a PAM-selective polymer whereas the enrichment factor on a benzamidine- (BAM-) imprinted reference polymer was only 14. The high selectivity of the polymer allowed the drug to be detected directly in the desorption step, thus eliminating the need for a successive chromatographic analysis. In this way, PAM could be enriched and directly analyzed when present in low concentration in a urine sample


A new surgical approach for removal of isolated maxillary sinus pathology, mainly of symptomatic maxillary sinus cysts, is presented. It is based on the principles of osteoplastic sinus surgery and uses the transnasal approach. It allows a safe removal under direct vision or endoscopic control with standard surgical instrumentation. The normal maxillary ostium and healthy ethmoidal cells are not sacrificed and thus the lymphatic pathways as well as the mucociliary transport are not endangered.


Eleven partial splenectomies are performed in pigs. Simultaneous section and hemostasis are obtained with continuous 80 W power shoot. There is no hemorrhagic or septic complication and normal splenic weight is recovered in 5 months. Platelets elevation observed in post-operative. Platelets elevation observed in post-operative period returns to normal rate between 20th and 30th day. Acute cellular damage of cut splenic edge does not exceed 3 mm in thickness. Semi-thick and electron microscopic examination reveals at day 10 mitotic figures of lymphocytes (i.e. splenic regeneration) and at day 30 high density of mast cells and plasmocytes i.e. cellular biostimulation).


Objective To explore the impact of appendectomy history on emergence of Parkinson's disease (PD). Background Although there are several studies to investigate the relationship between appendectomy history and emergence of PD, the results are still controversial. Methods We performed a comprehensive electronic search of the literature (the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and the Web of Science) up to April 2020 to identify studies that had employed databases allowing comparison of emergence of PD between patients with and those without appendectomy history. To integrate the impact of appendectomy history on emergence of PD, a meta-analysis was performed using random-effects models to calculate the risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the selected studies, and heterogeneity was analyzed using I2 statistics. Results Four studies involving a total of 6 080 710 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Among 1 470 613 patients with appendectomy history, 1845 (.13%) had emergences of PD during the observation period, whereas among 4 610 097 patients without appendectomy history, 6743 (.15%) had emergences of PD during the observation period. These results revealed that patients with appendectomy history and without appendectomy had almost the same emergence of PD (RR, 1.02; 95% CI, .87-1.20; P = .83; I2 = 87%). Conclusion This meta-analysis has demonstrated that there was no significant difference in emergence of PD between patients with and those without appendectomy history.


We present an online visual tracking algorithm by managing multiple target appearance models in a tree structure. The proposed algorithm employs Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to represent target appearances, where multiple CNNs collaborate to estimate target states and determine the desirable paths for online model updates in the tree. By maintaining multiple CNNs in diverse branches of tree structure, it is convenient to deal with multi-modality in target appearances and preserve model reliability through smooth updates along tree paths. Since multiple CNNs share all parameters in convolutional layers, it takes advantage of multiple models with little extra cost by saving memory space and avoiding redundant network evaluations. The final target state is estimated by sampling target candidates around the state in the previous frame and identifying the best sample in terms of a weighted average score from a set of active CNNs. Our algorithm illustrates outstanding performance compared to the state-of-the-art techniques in challenging datasets such as online tracking benchmark and visual object tracking challenge.


ABSTRACT Background: Immune checkpoint blockade antibodies (imAbs), such as the anti Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Antigen-4 (CTLA-4) ipilimumab (IPI) raised overall survival (OS) in metastatic melanoma (MM). Further, long-term OS is a crucial endpoint in MM. Thymosin alpha-1 (Tα1) with dacarbazine (DTIC) showed activity in a phase II trial and a compassionate use program (EAP). We report on long-term follow-up of patients treated with Tα1 to investigate the preconditioning role of Tα1 in imAbs-treated patients. Methods: Records of patients with melanoma treated with Tα1 within a phase II trial and EAP program were reviewed comparing median OS among patients that sequentially received anti-CTLA-4 imAb and Tα1. Further, the effect of Tα1 on IPI long-term survivor patients was investigated. Results: Among patients treated with Tα1, 21/61 patients received sequentially even anti CTLA-4 imAbs. Median OS at the data cut-off was 57.8 and 7.4 months in patients treated sequentially with anti-CTLA-4 imAbs or not, respectively. Moreover, pretreatment with Tα1 in all (95) IPI-evaluable patients confirmed a significant increase in long-term OS. Conclusion: This is the first report on long-term follow-up of Tα1-treated patients. Moreover, an advantage in OS in patients sequentially treated with Tα1 and IPI was seen that suggests a synergistic effect.


This paper discusses a number of image analysis challenges emerging from longitudinal small animal molecular imaging studies. Three steps towards a quantitative 3D analysis of follow-up small animal imaging are presented: whole-body articulated registration, change visualization in follow-up data and fusion of optical and 3D structural imaging data. Several application examples are presented in the context of translational cancer research.