A software tool that implements Compressive sensing based time-frequency analysis and performs instantaneous frequency estimation, is proposed and described in the paper. A focus is made on the signals with fast varying instantaneous frequency (IF), which can be accurately estimated using complex- time distribution. Therefore, the proposed tool offers different possibilities to adjust parameters of complex-lag distributions in order to comply with fast-varying IF laws. Moreover, beside the standard implementation based on the full set of samples, a compressive sensing based time-frequency approach is included in order to obtain sparse time-frequency representation. Sparse time-frequency representation is reconstructed from very few ambiguity domain observations. The tool performance is tested on real and synthetic signals.


The overarching goal of the State- and Peace-building Fund (SPF) is to address the needs of state and local governance by supporting measures to improve governance, institutional performance, reconstruction, and development in countries emerging from, in, or at risk of sliding into crisis or arrears. Established in FY09, the SPF is the World Bank's only global multi-donor trust fund to support projects that contribute to prevention and recovery from conflict and fragility. With its support to recipient-executed activities, the SPF has become an important entry point for early and catalytic financing for peace-building state-building.


Neutrophils provide the body's first line of defence against invading pathogens. They respond to infection by releasing an array of chemokines, cytokines, and superoxide anions that initiate cascades of other immune mediators and cell types. Although the rapid response and flexibility of neutrophils make them an integral part of the body's immune system, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), paradoxically, may use neutrophil activation for its own evolutionary advantage. Here we report that human peripheral blood neutrophils exposed to a clinical strain of HCMV display a profound survival phenotype that occurs independent of viral gene expression. The initial HCMV driven survival response was partially dependent on ERK1/2 activation and profoundly inhibited by inhibition of NF-kB. Intriguingly, this initial survival event triggered by virus binding was augmented by a cytokine mediated effect whereby supernatants from infected neutrophils provided uninfected neutrophils with substantial protection against apoptosis – a protection which was PI3K as well as ERK1/2 and NF-kB dependent. Concomitant with a transferable survival effect the HCMV-neutrophil secretome also markedly manipulated autologous donor monocytes. Enhanced migration and subsequent differentiation to a permissive phenotype for HCMV infection was suggestive of a mechanism for efficient viral dissemination from the site of initial infection. Fascinatingly, although differentiation to a permissive phenotype was observed this was concomitant with down-regulation of a number of key activators of the adaptive immune response. Overall, these data illustrate the manipulation of an anti-viral response by a pathogen to enhance the outcome of infection which, intriguingly, involves a cell type not productively infected by the pathogen itself. These data further illustrate the complexity of pathogen interactions with the host immune system as well as providing new clues into the mechanisms HCMV exploits for efficient viral dissemination which could have implications on our understanding for HCMV pathogenesis.


We use two approaches to solve the perspective-three-point (P3P) problem: the algebraic approach and the geometric approach. In the algebraic approach, we use Wu-Ritt's zero decomposition algorithm to give a complete triangular decomposition for the P3P equation system. This decomposition provides the first complete analytical solution to the P3P problem. We also give a complete solution classification for the P3P equation system, i.e., we give explicit criteria for the P3P problem to have one, two, three, and four solutions. Combining the analytical solutions with the criteria, we provide an algorithm, CASSC, which may be used to find complete and robust numerical solutions to the P3P problem. In the geometric approach, we give some pure geometric criteria for the number of real physical solutions.


In this Letter, we present an analysis of the relation between the variability of broad absorption lines (BALs) and that of the continuum. Our sample is multi-epoch observations of 483 quasars by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-I/II/III (SDSS-I/II/III). We derive the fractional flux variations of the continuum and fractional equivalent width (EW) variations for C IV and Si IV BALs, and explore the correlations between the three. Our results reveal moderate anticorrelations with high significance level between the fractional flux variations of the continuum and fractional EW variations for both C IV and Si IV BALs. We also prove a significant positive correlation between the fractional EW variations for C IV and Si IV BALs, which is in agreement with several previous studies. Our discoveries can serve as evidence for the idea: Change of an ionizing continuum is the primary driver of BAL variability.


Purpose Oxytocin is the preferred choice for prophylaxis and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage. Intravenous infusion has been a widely accepted route for Oxytocin administration. However, intravenous bolus route is not a readily preferred route due to apprehensions regarding hypotension that it may cause. This trial compares low dose 3 IU intravenous (IV) bolus Oxytocin along with 7 IU Oxytocin in intravenous infusion to 10IU Oxytocin intravenous infusion during cesarean section. Patients and Methods A total of 250 term pregnant women were randomized to either 3 IU intravenous bolus with 7 IU intravenous infusion of Oxytocin or 10IU of intravenous Oxytocin infusion. The difference in pre- and post-operative hemoglobin levels, tone of the uterus, hemodynamic changes, adverse effects of the drug, need for additional uterotonics and need for blood transfusions were assessed. Results There was 6.7% less blood loss in the 3 IU IV bolus Oxytocin with 7 IU Oxytocin infusion group in comparison to the Oxytocin infusion group. The tone of the uterus was firmer in IV bolus Oxytocin with Oxytocin infusion group at 5 minutes (p<0.001) than the Oxytocin infusion group. There was no significant difference in the hemodynamic changes, adverse effects or need for blood transfusions. Conclusion Intravenous bolus of 3 IU Oxytocin along with 7 IU infusion of Oxytocin is as safe and more effective than intravenous infusion of 10 IU of Oxytocin during cesarean section in the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage.


The widely-used estimator of Berry, Levinsohn and Pakes (1995) produces estimates of consumer preferences from a discrete-choice demand model with random coefficients, market-level demand shocks and endogenous prices. We derive numerical theory results characterizing the properties of the nested fixed point algorithm used to evaluate the objective function of BLP's estimator. We discuss problems with typical implementations, including cases that can lead to incorrect parameter estimates. As a solution, we recast estimation as a mathematical program with equilibrium constraints, which can be faster and which avoids the numerical issues associated with nested inner loops. The advantages are even more pronounced for forward-looking demand models where Bellman's equation must also be solved repeatedly. Several Monte Carlo and real-data experiments support our numerical concerns about the nested fixed point approach and the advantages of constrained optimization.


Background Severity status of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient is more extensive characteristic than disease severity as it includes concomitant diseases burden (total comorbidity) as well as decrease of organ functional reserves which steady decline with age. Objectives To develop Functional Reserves Decline Index (FRDI) including assessment of 5 key organ systems against age: cardiovascular system (cardiac output), respiratory system (maximum breathing capacity), nervous system (nerve conduction velosity), urinary tract (glomerular filtration rate) and tissue metabolism (cellular water) using of currently available nomograms [1] and to apply it to the severity status of RA patient. Methods For the calculation of FRDI we have used nomograms by J.F. Fries [1] which present the dependence of organ functional reserves decline with age for 5 organ systems in the age range 20-90. The nomograms were approximated by means of 5 linear functions: Y1=-0.64×X+77.98 (R2=1), where Y1-5– reserve capacity of the mentioned systems, X – age, years, R2 – coefficient of determination; Y2=-0.97×X+100.87 (R2=1); Y3=-X+105.71 (R2=1); Y4=-0.70×X+89.91 (R2=1); Y5=-0.68×X+100.66 (R2=1). Results The functional reserve capacities of each organ system for the age of 20, 30, 40 etc. to 90 years were calculated by the presented formulas and summarized for each range of age and the sum was divided by 5. Then a new summarized linear function of the mentioned parameters was plotted against age (see picture below) and approximated by formula: Ysum = 120 – X, where X – age, years. Functional reserve capacity at 20 years was assumed to be 100%. We have suggested to determine FRDI (%) by formula: 100-(120-X) and to indicate the level of FRDI in points as follows: ≤25% – 0 points, 26% to 50% – 1 points, 51% to 75% – 2 points, ≥76% – 3 points. Example: for the age of 75 FRDI is 100-(120-75)=55%, i.e. 2 points. Image/graph Conclusions The suggested approach allows taking into account the patient's age as FRDI (0-3 points) along with disease severity (0-3 points) and total comorbidity assessed by DUSOI (0-3 points) in the severity status of RA patients. The severity status of RA patient can be determined as the sum of these three indices and graded as follows: minimal (1-3 points), moderate (4-6 points), severe (7-8 points) and critical (9 points). The ranges of severity status are refining in the group of 590 RA patients (2625 follow-ups at present). References Fries, J.F.//The Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly.1983;1:397-419. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Regardless of the paradigm used to model the application domain, most enterprise applications use the relational model for data storage. Relational database technology is mature, widely understood, and successfully deployed in countless applications. However, its dominance has also had some undesirable consequences for application development. For an application that models the business logic in an object-oriented way, the developer faces an impedance mismatch between the application's object model and the data's relational model. Object-relational mapping (ORM) frameworks exist to bridge this divide, but ORMs aren't trivial to use and often introduce more complexity than the problem they solve.


No one ever said that you could work hard—harder even than you ever thought possible—and still find yourself sinking ever deeper into poverty and debt (Ehrenreich, 2001). Today's reader of Anti-Oedipus cannot help but marvel at the fact that when it was first published in 1972 Deleuze and Guattari thought a revolutionary investment of desire was capable of sowing enough discord to actually bring about radical change at the world-historical level. Capitalist society, they said, 'can endure many manifestations of interest, but not one manifestation of desire, which would be enough to make its fundamental structures explode, even at the kindergarten level' (Deleuze and Guattari, 1983, p. 379). Today, it is hard to be so optimistic because we have lost faith in—and accordingly betrayed—the one genuine weapon we had, on their view of things, namely desire: we consistently mistake it for interest and consequently we cannot work out how to get out of our present fix, a situation in which so many interests now compete that action has become impossible. In conditions as unpromising as this, one can easily sense the appeal of Zˇizˇek's call for a return to Lenin, which he says is 'the endeavour to retrieve the unique moment when a thought already transposes itself into a collective organisation, but does not yet fix itself into an Institution (the established Church, the IPA, the Stalinist Party-State)' (Zˇizˇek, 2002, p. 4). But it doesn't answer the basic question Deleuze and Guattari foreground in the final (which I'm tempted to call 'what is to be done?') section of Anti-Oedipus: 'where will revolution come from, and in what form within the exploited masses?' (Deleuze and Guattari, 1983, p. 378).


Eady's model of baroclinic instability has been generalized by including β (the meridional gradient of planetary potential vorticity) while assuming that total potential vorticity is uniform. Moreover, the problems of Eady and of Phillips have been enriched by including a fixed topography or a free boundary (which implies a flow-dependent geostrophic topography). The most general cases (with β, fixed topography and a free boundary) of both problems are shown to have nearly identical stability properties, mainly determined by two Charney numbers: the planetary one and a topographic one. The question of whether this generalized baroclinic instability problem can be described by wave resonance or component 'resonance' is addressed. By waves are meant physical modes, which could freely propagate by themselves but are effectively coupled by an independent basic shear, producing the instability. Components, on the other hand, are mathematical modes for which the shear is also crucial for their existence, not just for their coupling, hence the quotation marks around 'resonance'. In this paper it is shown that both scenarios, components 'resonance' and waves resonance, cast light on the free-boundary baroclinic instability problem by providing explanations of the instability onset (at minimum shear) and maximum growth rate cases, respectively. The importance of the mode pseudomomentum for the fulfillment of both mechanisms is also stressed.


Background Fatigue, a common complication of radiation therapy, can impact patients' quality of life and ability to engage in their cancer treatments. The pathogenesis of radiation-induced fatigue is unclear. This lack of clear understanding has hindered the development of treatment strategies to overcome this morbidity. The purpose of our exploratory, non-randomized, prospective study is to investigate the factors associated with development of radiation-induced fatigue in women with early breast cancer. Our study is based on the hypotheses that adjuvant radiation therapy given to women with breast cancer for local disease control causes tissue damage by apoptosis and inflammation. This leads to increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and biomarkers of apoptosis. This inflammatory cascade differentially induces fatigue in patients depending on their baseline psychological profile. Trial design Existing patient flow in the radiation oncology division will be utilized to screen eligible subjects. All subjects will assessed at five different time points, beginning immediately before radiation therapy through 1 year after completion of therapy. Detailed clinical evaluation of skin toxicity (RTOG acute toxicity criteria) and laboratory parameters assessing anemia, cardiac and hepatic toxicity will be performed. Comprehensive psychological assessment will be done using questionnaires for fatigue, distress, depression, sleep, quality of life and pain. Buccal mucosa swabs will be obtained for genetic analysis in future studies. Selection criteria Inclusion: Women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy for breast conservation Exclusion: Prior non-breast malignancy with active treatment (radiation or chemotherapy) within 1 year of enrolment on the study Specific aims 1. To measure the severity of radiation-induced tissue damage 2. To measure circulating markers of apoptosis (caspase 3 p17) and inflammation 3. To establish a baseline psychological profile for each subject prior to start of radiation and determine temporal changes during the course of radiation therapy. 4. To determine the correlation between goals 1, 2 and 3. 5. To propose interventions for reducing radiation-induced fatigue which will be evaluated in a future study. Statistical methods The association between fatigue and severity of tissue toxicity (Yes vs. No) will be assessed using chi-square tests (eg, row mean score test). ANOVA will be used to compare mean visual analogue scales (VAS) and psychological questionnaire scores across the levels of the tissue toxicity scale. Mean log cytokine levels will be compared across levels of the dermatitis scale using ANOVA. The association between cytokines and fatigue will be assessed using correlation (eg, VAS) and two-group t-tests (eg, Yes vs. No) depending on which fatigue outcome is used. Two statistical models will be used to assess fatigue and its relationship to dermatitis, cytokine level, and their interactive effects using logistic regression (for dichotomous) and OLS regression (for VAS) approaches. Present accrual: 0; Study initiation planned for July 1, 2013 Target accrual : 100. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr OT2-1-01.


Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an increasingly available treatment option for patients with various oncologic, hematologic, and immunologic diseases. Although HSCT can be curative for some diseases, complications associated with this treatment limit its success and applicability. Gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and hepatic veno-occlusive disease are unique and deadly complications of HSCT. These diseases can mimic other HSCT complications, such as infection, hemorrhage, and hepatotoxicity with cholestasis, but GVHD and veno-occlusive disease require specific treatment. Early treatment improves the probability of treatment success. For these reasons, timely and accurate diagnosis is essential. Abdominal imaging and intervention play an important role in the early, minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment of GVHD and veno-occlusive disease. Imaging findings tend to be nonspecific, but common findings that may guide further management or establish a diagnosis in the clinical setting have been defined. In cases where the diagnosis is unclear and liver biopsy is required, image-guided transvenous liver biopsy may be a safer and more practical option than the transcutaneous approach. Image-guided interventions, including intraarterial steroid-injection therapy in severe, systemic steroid-refractory GVHD and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement in veno-occlusive disease with portal hypertension, have shown some promise in small, uncontrolled series. Larger, controlled studies are needed to define the role of these invasive procedures in this patient population.


Contemporary discussions on hybridity in cultural and ethnic studies have overlooked the work of the Chicago sociologist Robert E. Park. Park's idea of the "marginal man" and his work on cultural and racial hybridity can shed further light on the construction and representation of the hybrid self. The contribution that Park has made to a social theory of hybridity has been overshadowed by research conducted within post-colonial and cultural studies. I do not suggest that recent conceptualisations of hybridity are inadequate; rather that Park has something to contribute to contemporary accounts and in some cases anticipates some of the themes and issues surrounding the concept of hybridity. The following examination connects Park's work on hybridity with ideas such as civilisation, culture and modernity and argues that a mild form of primitivism underlines his notion of the "marginal man".


Dynamic knee valgus during deceleration and drop landing in sport activities can be the cause of many acute and chronic knee injuries in female athletes. This study examined the effect of 3 weeks of neuromuscular training and its retention after 3 months on the movement pattern of drop vertical jump in 15-18-year-old active girls with dynamic knee valgus. Volunteers were screened by double legged squat test and finally, 24 subjects with dynamic knee valgus (12 subjects in the training group and 12 subjects in the control group) were selected as the sample. Knee valgus and flexion angles were calculated using two dimensional evaluation method with two video cameras (CASIO-Ex-F1, made in Japan) before and immediately after the training program in both groups and knee valgus angle was again calculated 3 months later during drop vertical jump test. Repeated measures was used to compare knee valgus and flexion angles before and immediately after and 3 months after the training intervention in control and training groups. In case of significance, independent and dependent t tests were used to recognize within- and between-group differences. The results showed that knee valgus angle mean decreased after training in the training group and this difference was significant (P=0.001). Also, knee flexion angle mean in the training group increased significantly (P=0.04). The results of paired sample t test showed a significant increase in this variable after the training and 3 months later in knee valgus angle in the training group (P=0.05). Results showed that although a 3-week neuromuscular training intervention improved movement pattern of drop vertical jump in active female students, the retention of the effect of this training decreased after 3 months.


The present work analyzes the complex formation ability towards Pb2+ and Cd2+ of a series of kojic acid derivatives that join the chelating properties of the pyrone molecules and those of polyamines, with the aim of evaluating how the different effects of oxygen and nitrogen coordinating groups act on the stability of metal complexes. Experimental research is carried out using potentiometric and spectrophotometric techniques supported by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and DFT calculations. Actually, a different coordination mechanism toward Pb2+ and Cd2+ was proved: in the case of Pb2+, coordination takes place exclusively via the oxygen atoms, while the contribute of the nitrogen atoms appears relevant in the case of Cd2+. Lead complexes of all the studied ligands are characterized by significantly stronger stability than those of cadmium. Finally, on the basis of the measured complex formation stabilities, some of the proposed molecules seems promising effective ligands for lead and cadmium ion decorporation from polluted soils or waste waters.


Seminary field education offers students a hands-on way to connect theology and practice. When that practice occurs in a cross-cultural setting, students and faculty need an educational lens to guide their experiences of teaching and learning. Mezirow's Transformative Learning Theory informs and forms the process of exploring ministry in unfamiliar settings that are right next door.


This study proposes a new self-driven active clamp forward converter eliminating the extra drive circuit for the active clamp switch. The converter used the auxiliary winding of the power transformer to drive the active clamp switch and a simple RC circuit to get the dead time between the two switches. The operation principle was presented and experimental results were used to verify theoretical predictions. A 100-W (5 V/20 A) prototype converter that only exhibited 1.5-turn winding number in the auxiliary winding was sufficient to drive the active clamp switch on the input of 50 V. Finally, the measured efficiency of the converter was presented and the maximum efficiency of 91% was obtained.


Ovarian cysts are common causes of lower abdominal pain and abdominal distention in females. While most of them are benign and rarely grow immensely to achieve a huge size, they may be neoplastic in origin, reaching enormous dimensions with minimum or without raising any symptoms.Here, we present an interesting case of a 19-year-old female,who presented with huge abdominal swelling and pain in whole abdomen from whom a 9.1 kg borderline mucinous ovarian cyst, occupying the whole abdominal cavity was removed.
J Bangladesh Coll Phys Surg 2021; 39(2): 137-141


The attacks on public sector collective bargaining rights during the past year have arguably been the most important development in U.S. labor and employment law in recent memory. While the most famous and radical moves took place in Wisconsin and Ohio, over a dozen states have enacted significant restrictions on the rights of government employees and their unions. This is important, not least because public sector workers now comprise more than half the total number of union members in the U.S., and because of the broader political implications of "defunding" and otherwise crippling a major constituent of the Democratic Party. This article, based on a symposium paper, discusses not only these developments but also other key events in public sector labor relations in recent years: the battle for collective bargaining rights at the Transportation Safety Administration; and recent cases interpreting a 2007 decision of the Missouri Supreme Court which held that the Missouri Constitution provided a right to collective bargaining for all public employees in the state (without defining what that right specifically entails).


The ability to achieve continuous monitoring of the global water supply from satellite imagery is an ongoing effort in the remote sensing community. Historically, sensors such as SeaWiFs and MODIS have been used over the open ocean and along coastal regions to determine the constituents in the water body. Due to their poor spatial resolution, these satellites are ineffective in monitoring many inland and near shore, case 2 waters whose constituents can have large spatial variability. Alternatively, current Landsat instruments have adequate spatial resolution but lack the radiometric fidelity necessary to perform constituent retrieval. In this paper, a new sensor being developed by NASA is introduced that is potentially both spectrally and spatially sufficient for the monitoring of case 2 waters. This study presents the relevant sensor design parameters and initial results of an experiment to determine what impact the improved features of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission's (LDCM) Operational Land Imager (OLI) will have on water resource assessment. Specifically, we investigate how the addition of a deep blue band, 12-bit quantization, and improved signal-to-noise ratios affect our ability to retrieve water constituents. Preliminary results of a simulated case study indicate that the LDCM instrument introduces retrieval errors of less than 6% for three constituents while its predecessor, the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), introduces errors of over 20%. This suggests that LDCM's OLI instrument exhibits the potential to be a useful tool for the continuous monitoring of coastal and inland water resources. To actually achieve the potential demonstrated in this study, ongoing work focuses on atmospherically compensating simulated OLI data.


Infantile marasmus is commonly attributed either to chronic inanition or to a derangement of tissue metabolism. According to the former and generally accepted view, the undernutrition is merely the end-result of prolonged starvation (insufficient caloric intake) or of repeated gastrointestinal upsets (defective absorption of foodstuffs) induced by or independent of parenteral infections. A few authors, 1 however, maintain that the basic fault is a derangement of the energy metabolism resulting from defective utilization or from excessive combustion of foodstuffs in the tissues. They believe that some marantic infants fail to thrive in spite of an adequate diet and in the absence of parenteral or alimentary infection. The experimental evidence at hand is inadequate to enable one to decide finally on the merits of this view. The only systematic study of the subject was made by Fleming and Hutchinson, 2 who concluded that evidence of defective absorption or of abnormal utilization


A novel electronic beam-steering subsystem providing true time-delay technique has been developed for an ultra-wideband (UWB) phased array. The relative time delay for phase interpolation is variable from 100 to 500 ps. Scanned angles from 9deg to 59deg were achieved. The chip is designed using 0.25-mum CMOS silicon operating at 2.5 V, and its outputs are matched to 50 Omega loads using bipolar buffers. The design of the beam-steering architecture will be presented. The measured results of the chip and the UWB phased array, including radiation patterns and pulse-width distortions, will be discussed


It is a fundamental principle of medical law and ethics that a medical practitioner should obtain the informed consent of a competent patient before treating such a patient. This is in tandem with the 'principle of autonomy' (self-determination) and best interests of a patient as gone are the days when 'a trust me, I'm a doctor' approach justified the imposition of treatment on a patient. Operating on a competent patient without obtaining her or his consent would amount to a contravention of a patient's right not to suffer torture or inhuman and degrading treatment. However, certain circumstances exist in the doctor-patient relationship wherein a patient lacks capacity to grant such consent to the medical professional – hence, the need for such consent to be given on her or his behalf in accordance to her or his best interests. This work therefore, considers how decisions made on behalf of those lacking capacity (in the medical context) under the English and Nigerian legal systems meet the needs of our contemporary societies with the aim of recommending the best practices for Nigeria as we strive to develop an efficient health care environment. Keywords: Decisions, Lack of Capacity, Medical Context, English Law, Nigerian Law


This study examined the relationship between savings and investment in the G-7 countries for the period of 1970 to 2015. The stationary analysis of the data has been done by adopting the panel Levin, Lin & Chu, Breitung, Pesaran & Shin, ADF-Fisher & PP-Fisher criteria while the long run relationship has been tested by employing the Pedroni residual test of co-integration. The results neglected the existence of a long run correlation between saving and investment in G-7 countries. Further, joint causality between the savings and investment has also been tested using the fixed effect VAR model. Wald test explains that the two consecutive lags i.e. S (-1) and S (-2) of savings is jointly causing savings in the current year in the G7 countries. While the same two lags of investment i.e. I (-1) and I (-2) does not jointly granger cause savings in the G7 economies. The results are in line with Feldstein and Horioka (1980) that there is a stable and significant association between the increasing rates of savings and investment in the short run while this relationship weaken in the long run.


A 4.5GHz Class F GaN MMIC power amplifier design is presented in this paper. The MMIC is designed to be used with an envelope tracking amplifier for efficiency enhancement. The characterization and modeling of a 6×100 um die for the power amplifier design to be used in an envelope tracking system is described and discussed. The design was fabricated in a 0.14 um GaN HEMT process. The results of an inverse Class F design at 10GHz fabricated in the same process are presented as well. The 32W inverse Class F design achieved 54.4% system drain efficiency at 6.6dB back-off, with a 20MHz 16 QAM LTE signal, the highest reported efficiency at 10GHz in signal back-off. The design, characterization and modeling provide new insight into the strategy necessary for the successful realization of envelope tracking power amplifiers.


The three-phase dual-active bridge (DAB) is a dc–dc converter, which provides galvanic isolation, inherent soft-switching capability, and small filter size. In this study, the dynamic behavior of three-phase DAB is analyzed and a dynamic control strategy is developed. Furthermore, a compensation technique is implemented to compensate unbalanced transformer phase currents. The latter is often caused by asymmetric leakage inductances. State space averaging and first harmonic approximation models, both for the steady state and transient analysis, are developed to describe the dynamic behavior of the three-phase DAB. The accuracy of the models is compared with a detailed circuit simulation and the benefits of each model are identified. When the transferred power of the DAB changes fast, the transformer currents can become unbalanced, leading to oscillations in the output current. A unique control method is presented, which allows settling of the transformer currents within one-third of the switching period. Additionally, the transformer currents stay symmetrical and oscillations are avoided. Based on this fast current control, an outer voltage controller is designed. The comparison of the control system using the fast current control and the conventional quasi-steady-state control demonstrates the potential advantages of the new approach under dynamic conditions. In practice, it is difficult to achieve completely symmetrical short-circuit impedances in a high-power medium-voltage transformer. Asymmetric leakage inductances, however, result in unbalanced phase currents and higher dc current ripple in a three-phase DAB. The new control scheme that is developed here can be extended to compensate any unbalances in the transformer. This approach enables effectively the balancing of the three-phase currents. The new control schemes are experimentally verified.


Introduction Our retrospective cohort study investigated the effect of tumor site and stage on the associations between the allelic variants of glutathione S-transferase (GST) and DNA-repair genes and overall survival (OS) in CRC patients treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Material and Methods We genotyped GSTM1, GSTT1, GSTP1 Ile105Val, XRCC1 Arg399Gln, XRCC3 Thr241Met, and XPD Lys751Gln in 491 CRC patients between 1995 and 2001. A Cox proportional-hazards model was used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the relationships between the allelic variants and OS. Survival analyses were performed for each allelic variant by using the log-rank test and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results The CRC patients with the XPD Gln allelic variants had poorer survival than patients with the Lys/Lys genotype (HR  = 1.38, 95% CI  = 1.02–1.87), and rectal cancer patients had the poorest survival among them (HR  = 1.87, 95% CI  = 1.18–2.95). A significantly shorter OS was observed among stage II/III colon cancer patients with the XRCC1 Gln allelic variants (HR  = 1.69, 95% CI  = 1.06–2.71), compared to those with XRCC1 Arg/Arg genotype. In the combined analysis of the XRCC1 and XPD genes patients with stage II/III tumors, the poorest OS occurred in colon cancer patients with the XRCC1 Gln and XPD Gln allelic variants (HR  = 2.60, 95% CI  = 1.19–5.71) and rectal cancer patients with the XRCC1 Arg/Arg and XPD Gln allelic variants (HR  = 2.77, 95% CI  = 1.25–6.17). Conclusion The XPD and XRCC1 allelic variants may be prognostic markers for CRC patients receiving 5-FU based chemotherapy. The contributions of the XPD and XRCC1 allelic variants to OS are tumor site- and/or stage-dependent.


This dissertation investigates the impact of different context factors such as domain, identity, and measurement on political ideology and its psychological underpinnings. Taking on an ecological perspective along the lines of Brunswik (1955, 1956), a special focus is given to representative sampling of experimental stimuli. The first project tested the ideology-symmetry-hypothesis with regard to domain-specificity of need for cognitive closure. Across three operationalizations, conservatives demonstrated more need for cognitive closure than liberals regarding a conservative domain, and vice versa, liberals exhibited more need for cognitive closure regarding a liberal domain. The second project examined the entanglement of political attitudes and identity dependent on one's political orientation. In two studies, individuals endorsed counter-attitudinal issues stronger when their personal identity was salient, and pro-attitudinal issues more strongly when their political identity was salient. The third project investigated the effect of exposure to in- or out-group fake news on political polarization. Exposure to in- and out-group fake news was associated with high affective polarization while higher levels in attitude polarization were found after exposure to out-group fake news. Informing participants about the fake news nature of the post attenuated affective polarization for those perceiving the sender to be an out-group member only. The fourth and final project aimed at providing a systematic review of political ideology measurement with a special focus on replicability and validity. Results suggested substantial heterogeneity in and oftentimes insufficient documentation of measurement practices. Taken together, the four lines of research highlight the necessity of representative sampling and context sensitivity when assessing the psychological foundations of political attitudes.


Business relationships can be divided in vertical and horizontal relationships. Vertical relations, such as the relation to suppliers and contractors, are of great importance and often determine a firms success. In general, many scholars produced numerous models of business relationships covering with a wide array of variables. However, models with a focus on vertical relationship did not receive much attention. This paper deals with problems related to vertical relationships and a the business model paying special attention to vertical relationships is developed. Vertical relationships span over a wide range of industries, including industrial electronics and automotive firms. In Chapter 2, the theoretical approach needed to develop a process model to examine the vertical relationships is developed. Chapter 3 features core findings about business relationships. Chapter 4 deals with vertical relationships as developed between the core business process model. Finally, Chapter 5 of the study covers limitations and future research directions.


The majority of commercially available mosquito repellents contains N, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide compound (DETT). The long term uses of DETT have a negative influence on the nervous and *immune systems. Therefore, the development of mosquito repellents that are DETT-free is important. In this study, essential oils of lavandula angustifolia, Melaleuca Alternifolia, Mentha piperita, Eucalyptus globules, and Eucalyptus citriodora are evaluated in terms of the repellent efficacy against F. taiwana by using a Y-tube olfactometer test. Their repellent efficacy is then compared. The combination of 200 μl lavandula angustifolia and Eucalyptus citriodora attains a repellent efficacy of 70% and 65%, respectively. Conversely, using Melaleuca Alternifolia, Mentha piperita, and Eucalyptus globules does not result in any significant repellence against F. taiwana, which may be ascribed to the high concentration. When 1μl of these essential oils are added, they have a repellent efficacy of 61-65%. The repellent efficacy of different essential oils is ranked as Eucalyptus globules>Mentha piperita = Melaleuca Alternifolia> lavandula angustifolia> Eucalyptus citriodora.


As young people transition into adulthood, one of the key challenges they face is finding employment. We live in a time when Slovenia is experiencing a high unemployment rate and young people represent one of the most vulnerable groups in that respect. Paid work enables a young person to become (to an extent or completely) financially independent, thereby fulfilling the main condition that has to be met in order for one to start addressing housing issues and contemplating having a family.
For some time now it has been apparent that a formal proof of education no longer suffices as grounds for one's first employment. What is more, (too) highly educated individuals may find their education to be a hindrance in their search for work, as employers frequently decide on candidates who have acquired more basic levels of education, since their financial commitments to such workers are generally lower.
What is it, then, that employers look for in candidates? Perhaps experience, practical skills or suitable personal(ity) traits? One of the important factors in entering the labour market is certainly social capital. Crudely put, the term denotes how well connected an individual is socially and who they know or are at least acquainted with. These connections may vary in strength, but are likely to help an individual reach their goal(s), including finding employment. There is an unwritten rule that individuals with higher social capital will find it easier to find employment or change their job for a more desirable one.
My undergraduate thesis focuses on studying the importance of social capital in the transition of young social science graduates to the labour market. I find this to be an issue of current interest that is widely applicable, since the importance of social capital pervades all aspects of social life and presents a very important social element in the structure of today's society at both the macro- and micro-level. It is my belief that knowing social capital, its significance, its modus operandi and its influence on the quality of our social, as well as individual lives, is of utmost importance. In our professional career, social pedagogues frequently (intentionally or inadvertently) find ourselves in the role of those trying to open doors and provide access to social strata hitherto out of reach of vulnerable individuals or groups. In other words, we attempt to directly increase social capital.
The main aim of my research is therefore to study social capital and its importance in the transition of young social science graduates to the labour market. I am primarily interested in individuals' personal stories and experiences, their estimates and experiences of their own informal social networks, the level of their inclusion in and cooperation with different organizations and societies, as well as their view on the importance of social capital in searching for one's (first) job.


For many a patient suffering from moderate to severe pain, opioid analgesics offer the anxiously sought-after relief, but at a high price. While the pain is wearing off, distressful constipation, abdominal discomfort, nausea and urinary retention ensue. These unwanted effects have been difficult to deal with, and the laxatives that are usually prescribed ameliorate constipation in no more than 50% of the patients receiving opiates. A new treatment concept emerged from the development of opioid receptor antagonists with a peripherally restricted site of action. One of these treatments is methylnaltrexone, which clinical trials have shown to be of benefit in opioid-induced constipation, postoperative ileus and urinary retention, while analgesia remains unabated. The drug is well tolerated and holds great promise in freeing opioid therapy of some of its most-feared adverse aspects. In 2008, methylnaltrexone (Relistor™) was approved in the USA, Canada and Europe for the treatment of opioid-induced constipatio...


A new scanning spectrometer is described herein which is based almost exclusively on very recent technological advances and which, over the ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared region to 6 microns is capable of resolution and wavelength measuring accuracy comparable, on a wave-number basis, with the best that has been accomplished with spectrographs limited to the photographic region. The instrument is of the Ebert type and employs gratings as large as 5×7 inches, has a focal length of 72 inches, uses circularly curved slits 2 inches long, and can be triple passed. Specifications and performance are outlined.


Heart rate recovery (HRR) after maximal load exercise affects mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the associations of clinical characteristics with HRR after the 6‐min walk test (6MWT), which is defined as a submaximal load test, remain unclear. We showed that HRR in patients with COPD after 6MWT was related to 6‐min walk distance and percutaneous oxygen saturation recovery. HRR after the 6MWT may be useful to assess exercise capacity in COPD.


Since direct contact between Europeans and West Africans was established in the mid-15th century by the Portuguese, Euro-African trade relations have played a major role in West Africa's long-run socioeconomic development. This critical role was connected to two totally different kinds of trade conducted by Europeans at different points in time: trade in commodities (the products of West African labor and natural resources) and trade in human captives. The first 200 years (1450–1650) of European commercial enterprise in West Africa were dominated overwhelmingly by trade in commodities; trade in human captives overwhelmingly dominated in the 200 years which followed (1650–1867). Trade in commodities returned with a bang in the last decades of the 19th century (1870–1900). The respective effects of these two trades on the development process in West Africa were as different as the trades themselves. The early trade in commodities contributed positively to the process; the transition from the trade in commodities to the trade in human captives had a disastrous effect; the 19th-century transition to commodity trade made an immense positive contribution. The positive contribution was significantly enhanced by the ending of the socioeconomic crises engendered by the trade in human captives, and by the establishment of general peace (Pax Britannia) by British colonial rule, with its free trade policy. However, the failure of the colonial administration to take advantage of the general increase in real household incomes and purchasing power and encourage domestic manufacturing in the colonies prevented the transformation of short-term growth into structural transformation and long-run development.


This review deals with the synthesis involving alkenyl nitriles of heterocyclic systems arranged by increasing ring size and the heteroatoms. Reagents containing alkenyl nitriles and aryl nitriles centers are very important in organic synthesis since they can be versatile and effective species for the efficient construction of rather complex structures from relatively simple starting materials. These reagents have proven to be valuable tools in the synthesis of a wide variety of molecular heterocyclic systems. Their importance stems from the facile bond formation at cyanide centers which can react selectively under suitable conditions. The aim of this review is the analysis and comparison of the various models having evolved on the basis of alkenyl nitriles and their application toward stereoselective synthesis.


969 Our research is to characterize factors that regulate expression of p53 during normal cell cycling and how these pathways become defective in cancer. By Northern analysis we found that p53 mRNA levels in Swiss3T3 cells are regulated by serum starvation and stimulation. p53 mRNA decreases when cells are arrested and increases upon stimulation. Flow cytometry indicates that cells arrest in G1/G0 and that induction of p53 occurs in late G1. We cloned a region of the murine p53 gene that is 1Kbp upstream of the previously cloned 0.7Kbp promoter. By transient transfections, we found expression of the 1.7Kbp promoter to be almost half that of the 0.7Kbp promoter indicating the presence of a negative regulatory element. When the 1.7Kbp and 0.7Kbp transfectants were serum starved and stimulated, the 0.7Kbp promoter was constituently expressed and the 1.7Kbp promoter was induced by serum. This indicates that a cell cycle regulatory element exists within the p53 promoter. To identify element(s) within the upstream region, PCR-directed deletion was carried out. Each deletion was tested for activity. To date, three regulatory elements have been identified, one positive and two negative. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) have enabled us to further define the elements, identify binding factors and determine which of these factors are involved in cell cycle regulation of p53. We examined the binding patterns of factors from extracts prepared from Swiss3T3 cells that have been serum starved and then stimulated. We found a factor that binds within the positive element of the p53 promoter to exhibit a binding pattern representative of a cell cycle regulated response. A database search of the binding site identified the factor as C/EBPβ, a DNA binding protein shown to activate the c-fos serum response element. Binding by C/EBPβ was confirmed by EMSA in the presence of anti- C/EBPβ antibody. We are identifying other factors by yeast one-hybrid assays. In vitro footprinting will further define binding patterns and possible overlap of the elements. In vivo footprinting will allow us to look at protein interactions on the endogenous p53 promoter in the presence of chromatin and provide insight into possible collaboration between elements. How p53 is regulated during the cell cycle is not well defined. Several factors bind the promoter but those that regulate its expression during the cell cycle are not known. We have identified a candidate, C/EBPβ. This factor exhibits a binding pattern indicative of a cell cycle regulated response, but further work to characterize the activity of this protein is needed. Once we have an understanding of p53 regulation in normal cells we will be better equipped to understand aberrant p53 expression in cancer cells.


PURPOSE
To evaluate tear film osmolarity in patients with no symptoms of ocular discomfort treated with intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering medication and compare it with tear film osmolarity of controls.

METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study of 61 patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension (study group) and 32 age-matched normals (control group). Neither group of patients reported ocular discomfort. Tear film osmolarity was measured with the TearLab Osmolarity System (TearLab Corp, San Diego, CA), and results were compared between groups. Correlation of osmolarity with parameters associated with medication use (time, number of medications, and number of instillations) was assessed.

RESULTS
Mean age of the patients in the medication group was 71±10.18 years and in the control group was 69±10.23 years (P=0.247). In the medication group, the tear film osmolarity was 295.56±12.54 mOsms/L and in the control group, it was 294.84±14.73 mOsms/L (P=0.807). Regarding the percentage of patients with tear film hyperosmolarity (osmolarity≥316 mOsms/L), in the group of normal patients, 3 had osmolarity more than or equal to the selected cutoff value (9.3%) and in the medication group, 7 patients (8.2%). Difference of the percentage between groups was not statistically significant (P=0.999, chi-square test). Tear film osmolarity in the medication group was not correlated to any of the parameters related to treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients treated with IOP-lowering medication do not exhibit tear film hyperosmolarity as long as they do not report symptoms of ocular discomfort.


We introduce a class of Paxos algorithms called Vertical Paxos, in which reconfiguration can occur in the middle of reaching agreement on an individual state-machine command. Vertical Paxos algorithms use an auxiliary configuration master that facilitates agreement on reconfiguration. A special case of these algorithms leads to traditional primary-backup protocols. We show how primary-backup systems in current use can be viewed, and shown to be correct, as instances of Vertical Paxos algorithms.


A wide variety of consumer products that contain radionuclides are available to the general public. Estimation of radiation doses to man from exposures to these products requires that the entire life span of each product be defined in a manner that identifies persons who may be exposed and quantifies the conditions under which exposures may occur. This paper presents models of steps which make up the paths for transportation and distribution of consumer products. Fire probabilities and damage rates to parcels during transportation are included. Transportation steps considered include those used to move parcels via truck, air, first-class mail, and parcel delivery. Distribution steps include handling in distribution centers, warehouses, and retail stores. A hypothetical distribution scheme is presented to illustrate application of the exposure scenarios described in model.


Phthalate esters, mainly di-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP), represent a class of chemicals primarily used as plasticizers for polyvinyl chloride in a wide range of domestic and industrial applications. These phthalate esters are low-toxicity environmental contaminants. To address these drawbacks, POLYSORB® ID 37, a blend of diesters obtained from esterification of isosorbide with plant-based fatty acids, was developed. The company can now offer PVC manufacturers a new product which competes with phthalates and other such chemicals. The market for plasticizers is very important, and ROQUETTE intends to provide a more sustainable and safer product. Isosorbide diester is bio-based (made from glucose and vegetable fatty acids). This plasticizer is registered in REACH regulation for high volumes (>1000 T/year). Risk assessment was obtained by conducting a wide range of biodegradability and toxicological protocols, using rodent models, according to established guidelines. Overall, all of the toxicological and biodegradability studies demonstrated that POLYSORB® ID 37 is nontoxic to mammalian life and is readily biodegradable.


Fifteen silkworms, Bombyx mori L., seven breeds and eight hybrid combinations
were subjected to a comparative study. The silkworms were breaded in specific Transylvanian
conditions, being assured the same microclimate and were fed with the same mulberry leaves of
Morus alba (Ukraina 107 variety). In this study we analyze some productive parameters in cocoons of
Bombyx mori L.: raw and dried cocoon mass (g), longitudinal and transversal axis of raw and dried
cocoon (cm), longitudinal/transversal ratio raw and dried cocoon, silk incartment (g), cocoon waste
(g), filament length (m). Data obtained after measurements, indicates that hybrid B1 X SVILA2 had the
best values for the biological parameters of the raw cocoon, also for the incartment. For the dried
cocoon, breeds RG90 and AC29/T were highlighted. According to the filament length, the best values
were obtained for AC29/T XS8 hybrid.


The NASA Astrophysics Data System article service provides access to scanned images of journal articles published since 1975 on the World Wide Web. The journals currently on-line include the Astro-physical Journal Letters and recent years of the Astrophysical Journal. Work is underway to complete coverage of the Astrophysical Journal and to scan all the other major US astronomical journals. The documents may be accessed by either requesting an article by specifying the journal name, volume and page, by requesting a table of contents of a particular journal, or directly from the list of references generated by a query to the ADS abstract service. For each available article we provide the options of browsing the pages on-line, retrieving either a PostScript or a PCL document suitable for printing, requesting the document to be faxed anywhere in the US, or downloading the scanned images to a local computer.


Abstract:  To evaluate the effect of age at diagnosis on the treatment outcome after breast conservative therapy (BCT), retrospective analysis was done for 378 patients undergoing BCT for early breast cancer. Patients were divided into two groups according to their age: 'younger' (<40 years, n = 108) and 'older' (≥40 years, n = 270). Multivariate analysis was performed on the variables including tumor characteristics, the use of systemic therapy, and age to assess risk factors for local‐regional relapse‐free survival (LRRFS), distant metastasis‐free survival (DMFS), and overall survival rates (OS). The median follow‐up duration was 94 months. The 8‐year LRRFS, DMFS, and OS for younger and older groups were 88.1% and 96.5% (p = 0.0022); 85.7% and 93.7% (p = 0.0310); 89.2% and 95.9% (p = 0.0205), respectively. On multivariate analysis, younger age was the only significant predictor of poor LRRFS (p = 0.0022). Younger age and ER negativity showed borderline significance for DMFS (p = 0.0828 and 0.0618, respectively). Younger age had trend toward inferior OS (p = 0.0702). In conclusion, age younger than 40 years was associated with inferior LRRFS in early breast cancer patients treated with BCT. There was also a trend for inferior DMFS and OS in younger patients. Age at diagnosis should be considered for individualized patient management.


Two recently identified (S)-selective ω-transaminases (ω-TAs) that originate from Paracoccus denitrificans (Strep-PD-ωTA, cloned with an N-terminal Strep-tag II) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (PF-ωTA) were employed for the asymmetric amination of selected prochiral ketones. The substrates tested were transformed into optically pure amines (>99 % ee) with high conversion (up to >99 %). The ω-TAs led to higher conversion in the absence of dimethyl sulfoxide as a cosolvent than in its presence (15 %, v/v). Additionally, it was shown that a His-tagged recombinant transaminase from Vibrio fluvialis (His-VF-ωTA, cloned with an N-terminal His6-tag) showed for a single substrate, ethyl acetoacetate, significantly higher stereoselectivity for the amination compared to the corresponding commercial enzyme preparation (>99 vs. 50 %).


Adaptive maternal responses to stressful environments before young are born can follow two non-exclusive pathways: either the mother reduces current investment in favor of future investment, or influences offspring growth and development in order to fit offspring phenotype to the stressful environment. Inducing such developmental cues, however, may be risky if the environment changes meanwhile, resulting in maladapted offspring. Here we test the effects of a predator-induced maternal effect in a predator-free postnatal environment. We manipulated perceived predation-risk for breeding female great tits by exposing them to stuffed models of either a predatory bird or a non-predatory control. Offspring were raised either in an environment matching the maternal one by exchanging whole broods within a maternal treatment group, or in a mismatching environment by exchanging broods among the maternal treatments. Offspring growth depended on the matching of the two environments. While for offspring originating from control treated mothers environmental mismatch did not significantly change growth, offspring of mothers under increased perceived predation risk grew faster and larger in matching conditions. Offspring of predator treated mothers fledged about one day later when growing under mismatching conditions. This suggests costs paid by the offspring if mothers predict environmental conditions wrongly.


Catheter based ablation of cardiac tissue has been shown to provide an immediate and long lasting cure for cardiac arrhythmia. However, the procedure does not always allow placing the catheter in close proximity to the pathological tissues requiring ablation. Use of non-invasive focused ultrasound ablation in the moving heart is an attractive potential alternative to catheter based ablative therapy. In this paper, initial studies have been performed to explore the feasibility of using ultrasound phased array technology for this application. A 3-D treatment planning software package was developed to study the available acoustic windows allowing ultrasound to be focused on the myocardium. Numerical simulation studies of the feasibility of precise beam forming by propagating ultrasound around the ribs shows that the beam, even though formed by an irregularly shaped subset of phased array elements not blocked by ribs and air, was very sharply focused at the target. Using invasive phase aberration correction algorithms developed in the authors' lab, experiments with pork and human rib phantoms confirm the ability to precisely form beams with phased array through the available noncontiguous windows.


An architectural study of the genus Gutierrezia Lag. was carried out, and seven different models were established. Differences in architecture between North American and South American species are pointed out. A key to differentiate the models is provided.


The widespread use of acacia (gum arabic) in medicine and commerce makes it of interest from the standpoint of allergy. In the present paper is reported a case of atopy to acacia which we believe is the first one to be so proved. At the same time, a general review is made of the subject of acacia from the point of view of its chemical and therapeutic interest, and its importance allergically is stressed. T. P. C., a white man, aged 53, a plaster molder in a large candy factory, admitted to the New York Hospital Allergy Clinic, Oct. 20, 1932, complained of bronchial asthma. His asthma started in July, 1931, six months after he started to work in the factory. Since that time it has been perennial, with increased severity in June and September. There has been no definite history of hay fever. The patient noticed, however, that on


Problems related with controlled release dosage forms are reported. The need for a standard criteria regarding both nomenclature and dissolution test is pointed out. The purpose is to permit a suitable control of the controlled release characteristics.


The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of SEAMEO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries.


areas and facilities use of mobility impaired people on takino suzuran hillside national park was discussed. Monitoring results of activity surveys for wheel chair users, powered wheel chair users, stick users and stroller users showed that powered wheel chair greatly contributed to improve accessibility of park facilities and programs. On the other hand, many facilities were still difficult for wheel chair user. These results were considered that various assistive technologies and management on walking distance would be effective tools for making accessible park.


The Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) is located in northern Israel in an area of complex tectonic setting where the Dead Sea Fault (DSF) (Figure 1) crosscuts other fault systems. This transform is more than 1000 km long, and is a plate boundary separating the Sinai and Arabian plates (Garfunkel et al., 1981). This lake is located with a larger Kinneret - Bet Shean basin which is a part of a series of rhomb-shaped grabens (pull apart basins) along the DSF (Freund et al., 1970). The lake is the main source of fresh water in Israel with an average surface of 166 km2 and an average volume of 4·109m3. Maximal depths of the lake (about 50 m) are located in the NE part of the basin (Figure 1C). The present configuration of Lake Kinneret was formed about 24,000 years ago (Hazan et al.,, 2005). Geological studies indicate that rock outcrops in this area and rock samples discovered in wells surrounding the lake range from Jurassic to Quaternary.


Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) assists blood circulation and gas exchange via a heart–lung machine. ECMO is used mainly in intensive care units as bridging therapy until heart and respiratory failure can be addressed or until transplantation can be performed. ECMO is sometimes used during surgery under general anaesthesia, depending on the patient's underlying diseases and the nature of the operation. If the oxygen supply and carbon dioxide removal capacity are limited, venovenous (VV)-ECMO can be helpful. Here, we describe the use of VV-ECMO for surgical resection of an endotracheal mass through rigid bronchoscopy in a patient who developed decompensating dyspnoea due to central airway obstruction (CAO).


Aim There is a high incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery in children, which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Serum creatinine (sCr), currently used as an indicator of renal function, only responds to significant kidney injury and following a time delay, resulting in missed and late diagnoses of AKI post-cardiac surgery. Novel biomarkers may provide a more sensitive and timely diagnosis of AKI. The aim of this study was to systematically review the diagnostic value of novel urinary biomarkers of AKI in children undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods The databases Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL and Web of Science were systematically searched for studies assessing the diagnostic value of any non-creatinine biomarker in identifying AKI in children (<18 years) undergoing any form of cardiac surgery. Screening for eligibility was performed independently by two authors. Random effects meta-analyses were performed where at least three separate studies reported an area under the receiver operator characteristics curve (AUROC) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) or standard error, for a single biomarker. Results Twenty-five citations were included in the final review. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) were the most frequently studied biomarkers, and were the only ones with sufficient data for a meta-analysis. A summary of the pooled AUROC values (with 95% CI) and study heterogeneity (I2) for NGAL, NGAL corrected for urine creatinine (NGAL-uCr) and IL-18 are summarised in the table. There was significant clinical and methodological heterogeneity between included studies, as evidenced by the high I2 values. Abstract G448(P) Table 1 Pooled AUROC (95% CI) l2 NGAL 0.80 (0.74 to 0.87) 81% NGAL-uCr 0.80 (0.71 to 0.90) 88% IL-18 0.74 (0.67 to 0.80) 72% Many other biomarkers were only reported in a single, or a few, studies which meant there were insufficient for a meta-analysis. These displayed a wide range of diagnostic utility. Conclusion NGAL, NGAL-uCr and IL-18 are modest discriminators of AKI when measured within 24 hours of surgery, although other biomarkers (such as KIM-1 and L-FABP) are promising candidates for further research. Larger studies are required to determine biomarker diagnostic/prognostic performance in predicting AKI, and its complications, in children after cardiac surgery.


Throughout the late 1970s and the early 1980s, over 50% of all first-time first-year college students started in a junior college. Despite such a large role in higher education, we know relatively little about how well they serve their role of providing an education for all who want to attend college. Junior colleges affect educational attainment in two ways. First, the schools provide a place in higher education for those who might not have otherwise attended college, the democratization effect; however, they also draw away some students who might otherwise have attended a four-year college, the diversion effect. The democratization effect is nonnegative; however the effect of diversion on educational attainment is unclear, a priori, as some students might be better off starting in a four-year school. This paper attempts to sort out the overall impact of junior colleges on educational attainment. I use the natural experiment arising from variation in access to junior colleges across cities and states to address the problem of self-selection into types of colleges. This approach is implemented by an instrumental variables strategy in which distance to junior college and average state two-year college tuition are used to instrument for junior college attendance in an educational attainment equation. The results suggest that on net junior colleges increase total years of schooling, but do not change the likelihood of attaining a BA.


Quantifying temporal variation in demographic rates is a central goal of population ecology. In this study, we analyzed a multidecadal age-structured time series of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) abundance in Lake Mývatn, Iceland, to infer the time-varying demographic response of the population to reduced harvest in the wake of the fishery's collapse. Our analysis shows that while survival probability of adults increased following the alleviation of harvesting pressure, per capita recruitment consistently declined over most of the study period, until the final three years when it began to increase. The countervailing demographic trends resulted in only limited directional change in the total population size and population growth rate. Rather, the population dynamics were dominated by large interannual variability and a shift towards an older age distribution. Our results are indicative of a slow recovery of the population after its collapse, despite the rising number of adults following relaxed harvest. This underscores the potential for heterogeneous demographic responses to management efforts due to the complex ecological context in which such efforts take place.


A problem of tracking tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs) in a long-range air-surveillance radar is considered. An effective tracking algorithm is presented, which is based on continuous-time dynamic models of object motions and on a discrete-time model of measurement process. The estimator utilises an innovative combination of kinematic models of TBM movements in radar 'range–azimuth–elevation' coordinates, continuous–discrete extended Kalman filtering, interacting multiple-model state estimation and probabilistic data association. The performance and robustness of the new algorithm was proved by extensively testing using real and simulated radar data. For the purpose of this study its properties are illustrated using simulations.


A dark state tertiary structure in the cytoplasmic domain of rhodopsin is presumed to be the key to the restriction of binding of transducin and rhodopsin kinase to rhodopsin. Upon light-activation, this tertiary structure undergoes a conformational change to form a new structure, which is recognized by the above proteins and signal transduction is initiated. In this and the following paper in this issue [Cai, K., Klein-Seetharaman, J., Altenbach, C., Hubbell, W. L., and Khorana, H. G. (2001) Biochemistry 40, 12479-12485], we probe the dark state cytoplasmic domain structure in rhodopsin by investigating proximity between amino acids in different regions of the cytoplasmic face. The approach uses engineered pairs of cysteines at predetermined positions, which are tested for spontaneous formation of disulfide bonds between them, indicative of proximity between the original amino acids. Focusing here on proximity between the native cysteine at position 316 and engineered cysteines at amino acid positions 55-75 in the cytoplasmic sequence connecting helices I-II, disulfide bond formation was studied under strictly defined conditions and plotted as a function of the position of the variable cysteines. An absolute maximum was observed for position 65 with two additional relative maxima for cysteines at positions 61 and 68. The observed disulfide bond formation rates correlate well with proximity of these residues found in the crystal structure of rhodopsin in the dark. Modeling of the engineered cysteines in the crystal structure indicates that small but significant motions are required for productive disulfide bond formation. During these motions, secondary structure elements are retained as indicated by the lack of disulfide bond formation in cysteines that do not face toward Cys316 in the crystal structure model. Such motions may be important in light-induced conformational changes.


Background For some time now, integrated care has been put forward to create a more demand-driven, patient-centred and cost-effective care system. Various conceptual frameworks have been developed to shed light on the complex concept. However, they lack insight into the mechanisms driving integrated care in practice. The aim of this paper is to gain insight into how integrated care is realised in practice. Methods Six cooperation projects in Flanders were compared on five integration mechanisms. A content analysis of secondary sources on each of the cases and semi-structured interviews with representatives of these cases was conducted. The data were analysed using comparison tables. Results Six cases representing five cooperation models in the Flemish health and social care were analysed for the presence of integrated care mechanisms. Six of the 22 mechanisms are present in all case examples. Half of the identified mechanisms concern the integration of professionals. Integrated care in these Flemish cases refers mainly to organising a case meeting, appointing a case manager and dividing the tasks between care professionals. Integration of support is less developed. Conclusions The bottom-up approach to study the practical implementation of mechanisms is a fruitful approach, since it brings into light the complex realities and practicalities of the mechanisms of integration and how they are shaped by local actors in local contexts. The approach shows how Flemish and Belgian policy makers are struggling to scaling up these integration models, whilst at the same time responding to local conditions and needs.


We have identified a unique mouse model in which oral immunization with soluble protein, without a potent mucosal adjuvant, is highly effective at stimulating strong gut IgA responses. In fact, cholera toxin (CT), which is the gold standard for oral adjuvants, did not enhance the gut IgA response to ovalbumin (OVA) in this model. As we dissected the mechanism allowing for an unadjuvanted strong gut IgA response we found that adoptively transferred OVA-peptide-specific TCR Tg DO11.10 CD4 T cells into nude Balb/c mice were sufficient to promote the gut IgA response. However, only CD4 T cells with a rearranged TCR a-chain, reactive to unknown, but possibly microbial, antigens in the gut, were effective, because SCID DO11.10 CD4 T cells failed to support a gut IgA response. Co-transfer of wild-type CD4 T cells with DO11.10 CD4 T cells into nude Balb/c hosts completely obliterated the response, but not if the CD4 T cells were isolated from IL-10−/− mice. Hence, the gut IgA response was under strict regulatory CD4 T cell control. By contrast, if CT adjuvant was admixed with OVA we completely rescued the gut IgA response following oral immunization. Thus, oral CT adjuvant primarily exerted a modulating effect on the regulatory CD4 T cell control in Peyer's patches (PP), impacting on the balance between follicular helper and regulatory T cells. While both Th17 and CD25+ Tregs, have been claimed sufficient for supporting gut IgA responses, our model clearly suggests that the regulatory environment in PP is more complex, as will be discussed.


Abstract. The control simulation experiment (CSE) is a recently developed approach to investigate the controllability of dynamical systems,
extending the well-known observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) in meteorology.
For effective control of chaotic dynamical systems,
it is essential to exploit the high sensitivity to initial conditions for dragging a system away from an undesired regime by applying minimal perturbations.
In this study, we design a CSE for reducing the number of extreme events in the Lorenz-96 model. The 40 variables of this model represent idealized meteorological quantities evenly distributed on a latitude circle.
The reduction of occurrence of extreme events over 100-year runs of the model is discussed as a function of the parameters of the CSE:
the ensemble forecast length for detecting extreme events in advance,
the magnitude and localization of the perturbations,
and the quality and coverage of the observations.
The design of the CSE is aimed at reducing weather extremes when applied to more realistic weather prediction models.


Clinical supervision, which can be viewed as a process of engaging in a potentially supportive, trusting, and respectful relationship with a colleague, can be the gateway to a self-actualizing process that assists the nurse in performing to his or her fullest potential by fostering the growth of skill development. Clinical supervision can be therapeutic as feelings and concerns are ventilated as they relate to the educational process of learning within nurse-patient relationships. Psychiatric nurses require an orientation to the clinical supervision to reduce any misconceptions and fears. Investing time in the self-actualizing process of clinical supervision is a symbol of the nurse's commitment to quality patient care.


This article is concerned with the effects of social change on the role relationships and adjustment of Chinese Americans. The influences of cultural and social assimilation have undermined the commitment of Chinese youths to traditional cultural norms, and social disequilibrium can be seen within the family as well as outside the home. The changing sex role of females has affected their relationships with their parents and the opposite sex. Chinese vary in the extent to which they have become progressively removed from their parental culture, and the social distances between Chinese with different life styles have segregated them into a variety of disparate groups. Some of the changes in the psychological and social characteristics of the Chinese are examined from empirical studies.


Traditional 60/40 asset allocation portfolios are not truly diversified because they have an unbalanced risk allocation to high-risk assets. As a result, their expected risk-adjusted returns are low. Risk parity is a new way to construct asset allocation portfolios based on the principle of risk diversification, achieving both higher risk-adjusted returns and higher total returns than traditional asset allocation approaches. The diversification benefits of risk parity portfolios also include balanced correlations to underlying asset classes and stronger downside protection against severe losses. Risk parity portfolios can also incorporate active views on risk-adjusted returns of different asset classes. All of these features make risk parity an attractive alternative to traditional asset allocation approaches.


The paper includes the statistics of liver abscesses, etiology and related features of the diseases. The most common methods of conservative and surgical treatment of liver abscesses, currently used in surgical clinics of the Russian Federation, are presented. A small historical excursus about the existed methods of treatment is given in the paper. A comparative analysis of the currently used methods, their advantages and disadvantages is carried out. Some possible criteria for a certain method of treatment of liver abscesses are listed as well.


The lack of relevant in vitro models for adipose tissue makes necessary the development of a more physiological environment providing spatial and chemical cues for the effective maturation of adipocytes. We developed a biofunctionalized hydrogel with components of adipose extracellular matrix: collagen I, collagen VI, and the cell binding domain of fibronectin and we compared it to usual 2D cultures on plastic plates. This scaffold allowed 3D culture of mature adipocytes from the preadipocytes cell lines 3T3‐L1 and 3T3‐F442A, as well as primary Human White Preadipocytes (HWP), acquiring in vivo‐like organization, with spheroid shaped adipocytes forming multicellular aggregates. The size of these aggregates increased with time up to 120 μm in diameter after 4 weeks of maturation, with good viability. Significantly higher lipogenic activity (up to 20‐fold at day 28 for HWP cultures) and differentiation rates were also observed compared to 2D. Gene expression analyses highlighted earlier differentiation and complete maturation of 3D HWP compared to 2D, reinforced by the expression of Perilipin protein after 21 days of nutrition. This increase in adipocytes phenotypic and genotypic markers made this scaffold‐driven culture as a robust adipose 3D model. Retinoic acid inhibition of lipogenesis in HWP or isoprenalin and caffeine induction of lipolysis performed on mouse 3T3‐F442A cells, showed higher doses of molecules than typically used in 2D, underlying the physiologic relevance of this 3D culture system. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1813–1824. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The present study was conducted on Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man) larvae to estimate the effectiveness of different diets to replace Artemia nauplii in the feeding system. The study included two experiments performed at pilot scale in 12–l tanks using a recirculating system. Larval stocking density was 100 l–1. After 10 days of feeding by Artemia nauplii, different diets included wet and dry diets (Egg custard, Artemia flakes and Higashi Maru No-3 feed) and de-capsulated Artemia cysts, were tested to replace Artemia nauplii. In a control treatment using only de-capsulated Artemia cysts throughout the complete larval rearing was also included. The results showed that feeding larvae exclusively decapsulated cysts for the complete rearing cycle was not suitable. When gradually replacing up to 50% of the Artemia nauplii ratio with wet or dry diets, good results in terms of growth, survival and quality of the larvae were obtained, similar to the control treatment receiving only Artemia nauplii. However, immediately replacing 50% of the Artemia nauplii ratio with artificial diets negatively affected larval development. Addition of artificial feed could start from larval stage VI, with about 25% of the Artemia nauplii replaced with artificial diet. Subsequently, the addition ratio could be increased up to 50% from stage VIII to postlarvae stage. Artificial diets should be provided in different particle size ranges based on the acceptance of larvae, larval stage, gradually increasing from 250 to 1000 μm from stage VI to postlarvae stage. The results obtained in the present work may also helpful for the replacement for different diets for economical aspects of the hatchery operations.


Adequate supply of oxygen is essential for the complete combustion of fuel in the furnace of a boiler and defective duct design may cause serious loss in the boiler efficiency due to incomplete combustion. In boiler there is a system which controls the air flow rate reaching to the furnace. FD fan helps to build the pressure and force the air to pass through the duct and wind box. In wind box, this air will be sent to the furnace for helping combustion process. The main objective of this work was to simulate the flow of air from blower to the inlet of a wind box through rectangular split duct to see whether it could provide improved flow conditions and to see whether there was equal mass flow rate of air through both the legs of a split duct. The purpose of providing a split duct was to eliminate one blower which would otherwise be required for two separate ducts arrangement. A 3D model using CFD was prepared to capture the changes in the mass flow distribution in the duct at two different outlets. Through this analysis, it was found that the mass flow rates of air through the two legs of the split duct were not equal. The damping needs to be provided for the duct having longer length in order to have equal mass flow rate of air through both the legs of the duct.


A 'volcano' is a mountain with a large hole at the top. 'Active' volcanoes can be dangerous because they can erupt, or produce very hot, melted rock. In Sicily, there are several towns near a large volcano. Why do people live in such a dangerous place? Is it safe?


In Korea Depleted Uranium(DU) is used in manufacturing a metallic nuclear fuel for the Korean Multi-Purpose Research Reactor(KMRR). In the manufacturing processes it produces DU chips and scraps as a waste material which composed of U-Ti, U-Zr, U-Mo and U-Si intermetallic compound. In this study Air Controlled Oxidizer(ACO) has been developed which facilitates DU to be converted into U 3 0 8 , the most stable form of uranium. Since DU chips oxidize rapidly and their heat of oxidation is very high(4.199kJ/g, U 3 O 8 ), the inside temperature of the oxidizer is likely going up rapidly. Therefore the oxidizer must be able to be cooled properly or temperature increasement of the oxidizer must be under control. Kang et al.[1] reported for the oxidation of U-0.75wt%/o Ti chips in air that U 3 0 8 was detected at the temperature above 350°C. And they[2] also reported that the maximum heat generation per unit time during oxidation was as follows: where Q was the maximum heat generation per unit time WDU was the weight of DU loaded in ACO dw/dt was the reaction rate Vair was the flow rate of input air R was the universal gas constant and T was the absolute temperature. From eq.(1) the maximum heat generation per unit time during oxidation is only function of the weight of DU loaded in ACO and the oxidation rate which is dependent on the oxidation temperature or the flow rate of input air. The ACO consists of an air flow meter, an air heater, an oxidation chamber with inner heater(capacity 7.5kW), an ash collection tank, a fly ash collector, a pressure gauge, a safety valve, and a soaking tank. The air flow meter is used to control the flow rate of input air below theoretical air requirement limit for the complete oxidation of DU. The inner heater is used to heat the inside of the oxidizer to an optimum oxidation temperature. The ash collection tank is used to collect uranium oxide powder after completion of oxidation. The fly ash collector is used both to collect flying ashes and to condense vaporized uranium oxide. Also, in ACO, DU chips are not ignited directly in order to prevent rapid temperature increasement. The oxidation environment only is achieved by heating the inside of oxidizer. To find effect of the oxidation temperature on the temperature of the oxidation chamber during treatment of DU, we conduct the experiment by changing heating rates of inner heater, 3, 4, 5 and 6kW, respectively. We conduct experiments for 120 minute with 2/min input air. However, it turned out that the complete oxidation is reached within 60 minute. After complete oxidation the weight gains of the DU chips is from 4.5 to 5.0 wt 0 /o and the DU chips are pulverized and they are converted to U 08 and 979 Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 506 1998 Materials Research Society During the oxidation, maximum temperature increases to 470, 497.5, 572.5 and 6771C for heating rates 3, 4, 5 and 6kW, respectively. As the temperatures of the oxidation chamber outside surface are not exceed 1501C, however, DU chips are treated safely. In each experiment, weight before and after oxidation, the oxide forms of the product and the maximum temperature in the oxidation chamber during oxidation are shown in table 1. The maximum temperature profiles of the chamber inside and surface for time and heating rates are shown in Fig. I and 2, respectively.


The job of an air traffic controller (ATCO) is very specific and demanding. The assessment of potential suitable candidates requires a customized and efficient selection procedure. The German Aerospace Center DLR conducts a highly selective, multiple-stage selection procedure for ab initio ATCO applicants for the German Air Navigation Service Provider DFS. Successful applicants start their training with a training phase at the DFS Academy and then continue with a unit training phase in live traffic. ATCO validity studies are scarcely reported in the international scientific literature and have mainly been conducted in a military context with only small and male samples. This validation study encompasses the data from 430 DFS ATCO trainees, starting with candidate selection and extending to the completion of their training. Validity analyses involved the prediction of training success and several training performance criteria derived from initial training. The final training success rate of about 79% was h...


The aim of the study was to determine the prevalenc e of Isolated systolic hypertension and associated risk factors among people aged 15-64 yea rs in Mongolia. We examined the prevalence and risk factors of Isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) using the data from the "Mongolian STEPS Survey on the Prevalence of Non-communicable Diseas e and Injury Risk Factors-2009". ISH was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure<90 mmHg. From a total of 5,456 people in the STEPS study, we select ed those who had ISH for our population sample (n=377). The prevalence of ISH was classified in ur ban and rural areas. Using the approach of the World Health Organisation (WHO) "STEPS" Survey, cons umption of alcohol, fruit and vegetables, tobacco smoking and salt intake were assessed by qu estionnaire. The study revealed that 6.9 % (n=377) of the 5456 individuals involved in the stu dy had ISH. .ISH occured more in males (2.7 fold) compared to females. It was statistically significa nt that the prevalence of ISH increased with age (p=0.001). There was a significant difference in th e prevalence of ISH between urban (6.03%) and rural (7.6%) respondents. The prevalence of ISH is high in the Western and Khangai regions of Mongolia among people aged 15-64 years. On logistic regression analysis, age OR:1.060 (95%CI:1.050-1.069); male gender OR:2.726 (95%CI:2. 193-3.389); duration of smoking OR:1.033 (95%CI:1.016-1.050); alcohol consumption OR:1.026 ( 95%CI:1.011-1.041) and salt intake OR:1.036 (95%CI:1.015-1.057) were independently associated w ith higher risks of ISH among the population. On age and gender adjusted logistic regression, sal t intake was found to be a significant independent risk factor for ISH (p=0.015).


Although estrogen possesses both pro- and anti-oxidant properties, its overall role in oxidative stress among women remains unclear, particularly since the influence of exogenously administered estrogen during previous studies differed by dose, administration route, and estrogen type. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of endogenous estrogen on oxidative stress in women. Thus, we performed a non-interventional observational study of healthy postmenopausal (n = 71) and premenopausal (n = 72) female volunteers. Serum levels of derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs, which are collectively a marker of oxidative stress), as well as the biological antioxidant potential (BAP, an indicator of antioxidant capacity), were compared between (1) pre- versus post-menopausal women, and (2) premenopausal women in early follicular versus mid-luteal phases of their menstrual cycles. We found that serum d-ROMs and BAP values in postmenopausal women were significantly higher than those in premenopausal women. Moreover, the d-ROM levels were significantly correlated with serum copper concentrations. However, neither d-ROMs nor BAP values were significantly affected by the menstrual cycle phase, although changes in d-ROMs between the follicular and luteal phases were significantly correlated with copper concentration shifts. These data indicate that postmenopausal hypoestrogenism is associated with elevated oxidative stress, although regular fluctuations of estrogen levels during the menstrual cycle do not influence oxidative stress.


Heatmap regression-based models have significantly advanced the progress of facial landmark detection. However, the lack of structural constraints always generates inaccurate heatmaps resulting in poor landmark detection performance. While hierarchical structure modeling methods have been proposed to tackle this issue, they all heavily rely on manually designed tree structures. The designed hierarchical structure is likely to be completely corrupted due to the missing or inaccurate prediction of landmarks. To the best of our knowledge, in the context of deep learning, no work before has investigated how to automatically model proper structures for facial landmarks, by discovering their inherent relations. In this paper, we propose a novel Hierarchical Structured Landmark Ensemble (HSLE) model for learning robust facial landmark detection, by using it as the structural constraints. Different from existing approaches of manually designing structures, our proposed HSLE model is constructed automatically via discovering the most robust patterns so HSLE has the ability to robustly depict both local and holistic landmark structures simultaneously. Our proposed HSLE can be readily plugged into any existing facial landmark detection baselines for further performance improvement. Extensive experimental results demonstrate our approach significantly outperforms the baseline by a large margin to achieve a state-of-the-art performance.


Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) is one of the latest developments in the field of concrete technology and contains about 20% to 25% silica fume and fibre which are not readily available in Nigeria. The research aims at evaluating the effect of incorporating unrefined metakaolin (MK) as substitute of silica fume and gear inner wire (GIW) as fibre on the properties of the RPC using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The quantity of the GIW was fixed at 0.25% (by weight of concrete) while that of MK was 10%, 20% and 30% of the cementitious materials. The study considered GIW and MK as factors while compressive, tensile and flexural strengths as responses. The ANOVA of test results depicted that the two factors (unrefined MK & GIW) have significant effect on compressive strength, tensile strength and flexural strengths of the RPC. Moreover, there are substantial influences of interaction of two factors on the selected properties of the RPC. Therefore, unrefined MK and GIW are suitable in the production of RPC.


Background: Management of the breast following massive weight loss is challenging. Specific issues include an unstable envelope (skin laxity) and an unstable mound (decent and volume loss). The evolution of a technique is presented. Methods: A retrospective review of all massive weight loss patients who underwent superomedial pedicle mastopexy techniques was performed. The current procedure involves incorporating the lower pole of the breast and rotating it superiorly. The lateral breast flap is then advanced medially and plicated. This essentially (1) autoaugments the upper pole, (2) narrows the wide breast, (3) provides an internal sling, and (4) redefines and secures the inframammary fold. Results: Thirty-five patients were included in the series. The average body mass index was 26.5, and the average weight loss was 121 pounds. Six patients (17 percent) had mastopexy augmentation. Wise pattern skin takeout was performed in 89 percent of patients. The revision rate for the series was 11 percent. The average follow-up was 1.7 years. Conclusions: The superomedial pedicle is a versatile, well-vascularized pedicle that allows for glandular plication of the lower pole and autoaugmentation of the upper pole once rotated. Parenchymal shaping through plication and suspension of the breast mound should improve breast shape over time, theoretically reducing the incidence of recurrent ptosis as breast shape relies less on the often inelastic skin envelope. It applies a familiar and reliable technique, with certain modifications, to improve results and maintain shape in the long, deflated, massive weight loss breast.


The memory-disruptive effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and the synthetic cannabinoid WIN 55,212-2 (WIN-2) were assessed in rats exposed to varying doses of each drug (Δ9-THC, 0.5–2.0 mg/kg; WIN-2, 0.25–0.75 mg/kg) during performance of a delayed nonmatch to sample (DNMS) task. Cannabinoids affected performance in a dose × delay-dependent manner, with WIN-2 showing a potency more than four times that of Δ9-THC. These effects on DNMS performance were eliminated if the cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist SR141617A (Sanofi Research Inc.) was preadministered, but doses of the antagonist alone had no effect on performance. Simultaneous recording from ensembles of hippocampal neurons revealed that both WIN-2 and Δ9-THC produced dose-dependent reductions in the frequency (i.e.,"strength") of ensemble firing during the sample phase of the task to the extent that performance was at risk for errors on >70% of trials as a function of delay. This decrease in ensemble firing in the Sample phase resulted from selective interference with the activity of differentiated hippocampal functional cell types, which conjunctively encoded different combinations of task events. A reduction in ensemble firing strength did not occur in the nonmatch phase of the task. The findings indicate that activation of CB1 receptors renders animals at risk for retention of item-specific information in much the same manner as hippocampal removal.


Background and Aims: Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) has a poorer prognosis than other subtypes of ovarian cancer. In this study, we evaluated the responsiveness to second-line chemotherapy in recurrent ovarian CCC. Methods: The MITO-9 project investigated a cohort of patients observed between 1991 and 2007 in 20 centers. We identified 72 out of 240 patients with recurrent disease (28% stage I-II and 72% stage III-IV at diagnosis). Results: In 56% of patients, the clear cell histology was pure. Twenty-five patients were platinum-resistant, 18 were platinum-sensitive with a platinum-free interval (PFI) of 6-12 months, and 29 had a PFI >12 months. Upon recurrence, 47% of patients were treated with platinum chemotherapy according to the PFI. The overall response rate (RR) to platinum was 80%, with 55, 100, and 80% RR in patients with PFI of 6-12, >12, and >24 months. The RR to nonplatinum agents in resistant patients was 33%. Among the nonplatinum agents used in primary and secondary resistant cases, gemcitabine, administered in 12 cases, had a higher activity (RR = 66%) compared to topotecan or liposomal doxorubicin (n = 31; RR = 33 and 10%, respectively). Conclusions: This study showed that the treatment of recurrent ovarian CCC should be based on the PFI as in the other subtypes. Data in platinum-resistant patients suggest gemcitabine as the drug with the highest activity. We recommend that gemcitabine be studied prospectively in a phase 2 trial.