Version control systems store the whole history of the source code. Since the source code of a system is organized into files and folders, the history tells us the concerned files and their changed lines only but software engineers are also interested in which source code elements (e.g. classes or methods) are affected by a change. Unfortunately, in most programming languages source code elements do not follow the file system hierarchy, which means that a file can contain more classes and methods and a class can be stored in more files, which makes it difficult to determine the changes of classes by using the changes of files. To solve this problem we developed an algorithm, which is able to follow the changes of the source code elements by using the changes of files and we successfully applied it on the Web Kit open source system.


Website Promotion of Outlet Distro can be said to be interactive because the user can browse and find the latest goods in distributions. So that the user does not have to bother to come into direct distribution, for in this application makes it easy for servers to process data and new information quickly. From the overall results of this scientific writing, it can be said that the HTML programming plays an important role in supporting the development of extensive Internet technology. HTML makes it easy for website designers to be able to develop.


To the Editor: Clinical protocols for osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) procedures have been used in "technique" studies to examine the effects of specific procedures. Such studies, writes Michael M. Patterson, PhD,1 are "useful in instances where there may be reason to suspect that a specific manipulative technique would change a particular condition." I would like to raise a concern regarding whether these technique studies, which are not based on medical histories or physical examinations, are ideal in terms of supporting osteopathic concepts and the practice of distinctive osteopathic medicine. In my opinion, in technique studies based on protocols for OMT procedures, manipulations are not delivered in a manner consistent with osteopathic principles, and there may be unforeseen consequences of such research—whether findings for the procedures are positive or negative. Dr Patterson2 has explained that "there are basically two types of studies of osteopathic manipulation: (1) technique studies ... and (2) studies of osteopathic manipulative treatment." In a technique study, a specific OM procedure is studied for its effects on a target problem. By contrast, in a study of OMT, the full range of OMT procedures are available, and the application of a specific technique depends on a thorough physical examination of the patient by the osteopathic physician. Osteopathic manipulative treatment is defined as the "therapeutic application of manually guided forces by an osteopathic physician to improve physiologic function and/or support homeostasis that has been altered by somatic dysfunction."3 American Osteopathic Association (AOA) protocols for the use of OMT state that the "diagnosis must be specific."4 Once a diagnosis is made, the osteopathic physician "determine(s) the appropriate techniques and treatment." Furthermore, an evaluation and management service code requires a "history, examination, and medical decision making," all of which must be documented in the medical record.4 Thus, by definition, OMT is directed toward removing the somatic dysfunctions that are inhibiting the body's function and self-healing mechanisms. When treatment in a clinical technique study is not based on the findings of a patient's medical history and physical examination, how can we be practicing osteopathic medicine or be studying the effects of a truly osteopathic manipulative procedure? In the present letter, I examine each of the tenets of osteopathic medicine5 as they relate to standardized clinical protocols for OMT procedures.


The Ilkwang Cu-W breccia-pipe deposit and the hydrothermal alteration mineral assemblages occur in association with a small quartz monzonitic stock located at the southeastern Kyongsang Basin. The stock is altered to propylitized and sericitized granitic rocks at the deposit. The alteration is characterized by a decrease in Ca, Na, Sr and an increase in Si and Rb. The altered granitic rocks show an depletion of HREEs ((Ce/Yb)_(CN) = 5.97-11.46) and the moderate negarive Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu*=0.34-0.77). The REE patterns of hydrothermal calcite are characterized by the relative enrichment of HREE ((Ce/Yb)_(CN) = 1.88-3.48) and the positive Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu*=1.2s-4.87). Apart from positive Eu anomalies in calcite, the similarity in REE patterns and their relatively high REE contents indicate a genetic link between calcite and host rocks. There are at least two types of fluids responsible for the alteration in the Ilkwang stock: a low-density, CO₂-rich fluid of a vapor phase and a high-density, high saline fluid of a liquid phase. Hydrothermal activity represented by a low-density, CO₂ rich fluid appears to have been widespread, whereas a high-density, high-salinity fluid is mainly restricted to the sericite zone rocks. The depletion of HREE for granitic rocks was resulted from the preferential extraction of HREE by a low-density, CO₂-rich fluid, which formed the propylitic alteration and precipitated tourmaline and garnet. Positive Eu anomalies in calcite were caused by the precipitation from high-salinity solutions which already had developed Eu anomalies owing to the alteration of feldspar. The saline fluid also produced the sericitic alteration.


The continuing growth of air traffic worldwide motivates the need for new approaches to air traffic management that are more flexible both in terms of traffic volume and weather. Free Flight is one such approach seriously considered by the aviation community. However the benefits of Free Flight are severely curtailed in the convective weather season when weather is highly active, leading aircrafts to deviate from their optimal trajectories. This paper investigates the use of ant colony optimization in generating optimal weather avoidance trajectories in Free Flight airspace. The problem is motivated by the need to take full advantage of the airspace capacity in a Free Flight environment, while maintaining safe separation between aircrafts and hazardous weather. The experiments described herein were run on a high fidelity Free Flight air traffic simulation system which allows for a variety of constraints on the computed routes and accurate measurement of environments dynamics. This permits us to estimate the desired behavior of an aircraft, including avoidance of changing hazardous weather patterns, turn and curvature constraints, and the horizontal separation standard and required time of arrival at a pre determined point, and to analyze the performance of our algorithm in various weather scenarios. The proposed Ant Colony Optimization based weather avoidance algorithm was able to find optimum weather free routes every time if they exist. In case of highly complex scenarios the algorithm comes out with the route which requires the aircraft to fly through the weather cells with least disturbances. All the solutions generated were within flight parameters and upon integration with the flight management system of the aircraft in a Free Flight air traffic simulator, successfully negotiated the bad weather.


These two volumes together represent the Proceedings of the Third International Kimberlite Conference, held in Clermont Ferrand in September 1982, and contain a total of fifty-seven papers. These deal with the detection of kimberlite occurrences (3), natural occurrences of kimberlites and related rocks--their geology, petrology, mineralogy, and geochemistry (9), review papers on kimberlites and lamproites (5), the physical and chemical processes giving rise to kimberlites (11), mantle rocks (16), xenoliths from the lower crust (3), and theoretical constraints and the dynamics of the mantle (10). Abstracts of each paper are included in the Petrology section of the December 1985 issue of Mineralogical Abstracts (MA 85M/46444700). Most of the papers in Volume I are generally descriptive but there is an abundance of petrogenetic discussion in many of the papers concerned with the mantle (in Volume II). The petrology and geochemistry of garnet peridotites and eclogites from kimberlites are considered and the mineralogy of individual megacrysts is also discussed, including the silicate and oxide inclusions in diamonds. References are sensibly collected together at the end of each volume but unfortunately there is no index. The volumes are well reproduced from typescript and should be available in all libraries concerned with the Earth Sciences.


Clinical work with suicidal patients has become increasingly challenging in recent years. It is argued that contemporary issues related to working with suicidal patients have come to pose a number of considerable professional and even ethical hazards for psychologists. Among various concerns, these challenges include providing sufficient informed consent, performing competent assessments of suicidal risk, using empirically supported treatments/interventions, and using suitable risk management techniques. In summary, there are many complicated clinical issues related to suicide (e.g., improvements in the standard of care, resistance to changing practices, alterations to models of health care delivery, the role of research, and issues of diversity). Three experts comment on these considerations, emphasizing acute versus chronic suicide risk, the integration of empirical findings, effective documentation, graduate training, maintaining professional competence, perceptions of medical versus mental health care, fears of dealing with suicide risk, suicide myths, and stigma/blame related to suicide. The authors' intention is to raise awareness about various suicide-related ethical concerns. By increasing this awareness, they hope to compel psychologists to improve their clinical practices with suicidal patients, thereby helping to save lives.


BACKGROUND
Children with asthma often lack the strength to activate their pressurised metered dose inhaler (pMDI). A recently developed sleeve device that attaches to a pMDI reduces the activation force of pMDIs from 36 - 39 Newtons (N) to 12.6 N and monitors the remaining doses with a built-in counter.

OBJECTIVES
To examine the usability and patient experience of the Easy Squeezy (ES) sleeve attachment device in the paediatric patient population.

METHODS
This cross-over study included 40 participants aged 5 - 10 years, half of whom had previous experience in using a pMDI. The experienced participants had used a pMDI for at least 1 year, and the inexperienced participants had no experience of using a pMDI. Participants and their parents recorded their responses on the ease of use, perceptions and satisfaction with using the pMDI alone and the pMDI with the ES.

RESULTS
The participants felt that it was easier for them to activate the pMDI using the ES. They liked the ES device more than the pMDI and felt happier using the ES device. The parents reported that their children would be happier using the ES and would find it easier to activate the pMDI using the ES, that the built-in counter in the ES would make it easier to keep track of the doses, and that their children would be more likely to take the ES to school and use it there compared with the pMDI. They would recommend the ES to other parents and were willing to buy the device with their own money.

CONCLUSION
The paediatric participants and their parents reported that the ES made it easier for children to activate the pMDI, that the counter made it easier to keep count of the doses, and that the aesthetics of the ES could potentially remove the stigma attached to use of a pMDI.


This paper is the first in a series to examine the use of narrative therapy approaches within psychiatry. The author, psychiatrist SuEllen Hamkims, describes ways in which narrative ideas shape the initial conversations she has with those who consult her. Initial psychiatric consultations are conceptualised as re-authoring conversations in which questions that generate experience and gather information assist in the development of a history of resistance to the problem. Examples of co-research and letter-writing are also offered. The paper ends with a reflection from Virginia Slaughter whose conversations with the author about experiences of depression are offered as examples of this work.


We study a Gaussian matrix function of the adjacency matrix of artificial and real-world networks. We motivate the use of this function on the basis of a dynamical process modeled by the time-dependent Schrödinger equation with a squared Hamiltonian. In particular, we study the Gaussian Estrada index-an index characterizing the importance of eigenvalues close to zero. This index accounts for the information contained in the eigenvalues close to zero in the spectra of networks. Such a method is a generalization of the so-called "Folded Spectrum Method" used in quantum molecular sciences. Here, we obtain bounds for this index in simple graphs, proving that it reaches its maximum for star graphs followed by complete bipartite graphs. We also obtain formulas for the Estrada Gaussian index of Erdős-Rényi random graphs and for the Barabási-Albert graphs. We also show that in real-world networks, this index is related to the existence of important structural patterns, such as complete bipartite subgraphs (bicliques). Such bicliques appear naturally in many real-world networks as a consequence of the evolutionary processes giving rise to them. In general, the Gaussian matrix function of the adjacency matrix of networks characterizes important structural information not described in previously used matrix functions of graphs.


Theoretical amplitudes of diffracted PcP pulses near the geometric edge of the core shadow are important in the determination of earth structure near the core–mantle interface. Frequency domain wave solutions are difficult to apply to earth models with wave-trapping structure near the core. Time domain ray solutions have previously been applied in the illuminated region, and deep in the shadow. A new time domain procedure, including an earth flattening transformation and a ray expansion with the Cagniard–de Hoop ray method, has made it possible to construct numerical seismograms near the geometric shadow edge for a model with a wave-guide structure suggested by seismic array observations at VASA in Alberta.


How can the enterprise of looking at the consequences of testing in America be moved forward? What are the responsibilities of the key actors? How can we accumulate the evidence that we need?


Introduction
Addiction is increasingly defined as a "brain disease" caused by changes to neurochemistry. While nicotine addiction has historically been excluded in the brain disease model of addiction (BDMA), it is beginning to be labeled a chronic brain disease. We investigated whether Australian smokers endorse brain-based explanations of smoking, and whether these beliefs are associated with quitting self-efficacy or treatment intentions.

Method
Cross-sectional study of Australian smokers (N = 1538) who completed a survey measuring their agreement with statements on the brain's role in smoking. Logistic regressions tested associations between these items and socio-demographic variables, quitting self-efficacy and intention to use cessation medications.

Results
The majority (57.9%) agreed that smoking changed brain chemistry and 34.4% agreed that smoking was a brain disease. Younger participants and those with more education were more likely to endorse brain-based understandings of smoking. Participants who agreed smoking changed brain chemistry were more likely to report an intention to use cessation medicines (OR 1.5, 95% CI = 1.0-2.2) as were those who agreed that smoking was a brain disease (OR 1.5, 95% CI = 1.1-2.1). Self-efficacy did not differ between those who agreed and disagreed that smoking changed brain chemistry. However, those who agreed that smoking was a brain disease had higher self-efficacy than those who disagreed (OR 1.7, 95% CI = 1.3-2.3).

Conclusion
A neurobiological view of smoking does not dominate public understandings of smoking in Australia. Endorsement of neurobiological explanations of smoking were associated with increased intention to use cessation aids, but were not associated with reduced self-efficacy.

Implications
Explaining tobacco dependence in neurobiological terms is unlikely to induce feelings of fatalism in relation to smoking cessation. Those who endorse biomedical explanations of smoking may be more open to using cessation pharmacotherapies. Describing smoking in terms of alterations in brain chemistry may be more acceptable to smokers than labeling smoking a "brain disease" or "brain disorder."


Large numbers of algorithms have been proposed to solve shortest path query problems for static or timedependent spatial networks; however, these algorithms do not perform well to find the nearest shelter with fastest paths in disaster situations. In disasters, path computed through existing algorithms and saved as the fastest might become damaged. ONSC approach provide optimal path in disaster situation but do not deal with congestion control. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a method to reduce the travelling time with an existing dynamic network model, which is called an event-dependent network, to represent a spatial network in a disaster which help the people to choose the optimal path by giving weight-factor(in percentage) of the congestion in the road network.


We classify financial applications of neural networks into two broad classes by stability and signal-to-noise ratio. We present two statistical measures typically applied to investment analysis: the information ratio (IR) and the information coefficient (IC); then we use Monte-Carlo simulations to critically examine neural net performance as a function of signal-to-noise ratio in characteristic investment domains. We thus measure the maximum noise level tolerable by neural nets during training on a representative class of investment problems.


The Drift Tube Linac (DTL) for the new linear accelerator Linac4 at CERN will accelerate H − -beams of up to 40 mA average pulse current from 3 to 50 MeV. The structure consists of three cavities. The first cavity (Tank1) is a 3.9 m long tank containing 38 drift tubes, 10 fixed tuners, 2 movable tuners and 12 post-couplers, operating at a frequency of 352.2 MHz and an average accelerating field of 3.1 MV/m. This paper reports on the results and procedures used for the low–power tuning, stabilization and power coupler tuning carried out on the first Linac4 DTL tank. The upgrade of the bead pull measurement system and twists to the well-known tilt sensitivity technique are discussed.


Microvascular thermic sleeve anastomosis performed with bipolar coagulation was investigated under experimental conditions. Patency rates of 100 percent for arteries (approximately 1.0 mm in external diameter) and 78 percent for veins (approximately 0.7 mm in external diameter) were achieved. The lumen contour was studied with plastic casts done at intervals of three hours, one day, three days, seven days, 15 days, and 30 days postoperative. Histopathologic studies were carried out to determine the changes caused by intussusception and heating spots.


In a recent paper Piroth and colleagues report on the outcomes following treatment of acute hepatitis C in 40 HIV positive MSM, 38 of whom received combination therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin1. The overall SVR rate of 82% is encouraging, especially given that 81% of their cohort had genotype (GT) 1 or 4 infection, and supports guidelines for recommending treatment in this setting2. However, we question the conclusions the authors draw from their data regarding optimal duration of therapy.

The authors argue that those patients treated for longer than 28 weeks had a significantly greater SVR rate than those treated for less than 28 weeks (92% versus 64% respectively, p=0.03), and that the rate of SVR (25%) in those who did not achieve RVR but received <28 weeks of therapy merits extension to 48 weeks for all patients with non-RVR. The evidence for these specific recommendations however is weak and confused by how data from the 'null responder' group is dealt with in this non-randomised design. Five patients were reported as 'never responding' to therapy presumably defined as no RVR or EVR and ceased therapy before 28 weeks. In the analysis examining SVR rates the authors appear to have included these subjects in the group receiving less than 28 weeks (SVR 9/14, 64%) versus longer duration (SVR 23/25, 92%) resulting in the 'short arm' appearing to be inferior. In fact the true question to examine is how common relapse was in non-RVR subjects who then achieved EVR and were subsequently treated for less than 28 weeks. A high rate of relapse in this situation would suggest inadequate length of treatment course. In the HEPAIG study it appears that 13 non-RVR patients subsequently acheived EVR but only one of these was treated for < 28 weeks and this patient subsequently achieved SVR.

In the Australian Trial in Acute Hepatitis C 35 HIV positive MSM were treated with 24 weeks combination therapy with Pegylated interferon and ribavirin and RVR was achieved in 12 (34%)3. In the 23 non-RVR subjects, 3 had no EVR and were discontinued and of the remaining 20 (50% GT 1), only 3 (2 GT 1 and 1 GT 3) relapsed after treatment completion, demonstrating that 24 weeks of combination therapy was adequate in 85% of subjects with no RVR but EVR. Given the additional expense and toxicity of extending therapy to 48 weeks (we note the 40% use of growth factors in HEPAIG), the costs would outweigh any potential marginal benefit. The HEPAIG study recommendation is even less appealing given the likelihood of new therapies available for retreatment within the next few years for those who do relapse.

In summary we agree with the HEPAIG authors that combination therapy is optimal in this setting and that treatment should be discontinued in those with complete non-response at week 12. However, we believe their treatment duration recommendations are not based on available evidence and that this question therefore remains unanswered.


Tremendous advancements in the internet evolutions and computer technology have led to all kind of new approaches both in the learning and training, summarized under the term of e-Learning. This study explains what could one expect from the e-Learning. With the particular focus on technological basis, the present research examines undermining prerequisites for the e-Learning environments, such as the pedagogical, functional and non-functional requirements towards the forthcoming education and knowledge systems. A special focus is given on the subject of Training and Learning Environments dedicated for the e-Learning. By taking account of the importance of increasing inter-operability, cutting costs and gaining acceptance, we consider the role of successfully completed e-Learning studies towards the perspective educational environments, and thereby discuss the concerned ideas for forthcoming developments of the education.


Focusing on the rural zones of Palestine and exploiting extensive archaeological research permits a re-examination of the traditional view that much of Palestine had been Christianised by the late fourth century. This article suggests that the process of adopting Christianity in the countryside was far more gradual than previously believed. While the map of holy sites in Palestine had largely taken shape by the end of the fourth century, the conversion of the population only achieved real momentum during the fifth and sixth centuries. Research on the community churches of Palestine, in particular on their location in the villages, reveals that Christian penetration into the countryside stemmed from internal social developments and was not institutional in inspiration.


The addition of calcium glycerophosphate (CaGP) to commercial sodium monofluorophosphate (NaMFP) can increase significantly the capacity of NaMFP to protect hydroxyapatite discs and human enamel segments from subsequent acid attack. The improvement in activity which is equivalent to that achieved by a threefold increase in the NaMPF concentration occurs at molar ratios in the region of 10:1 (NaMFP:CaGP) although increasing the proportion of CaGP to give equal molar ratios actually impairs the NaMFP activity. At the optimum ratios, the benefit can be demonstrated in water or simulated saliva solutions. The combination can also be formulated successfully into a conventional toothpaste. The improvement is attributable to an increase in the uptake of fluoride in a form which is not alkali-soluble at the expense of the alkali-soluble fraction which will contain calcium fluoride.


Medical imaging techniques, including X-ray mammography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging, play a crucial role in the timely identification and monitoring of breast cancer. However, these conventional imaging modalities have their limitations, and there is a need for a more accurate and sensitive alternative. Microwave imaging has emerged as a promising technique for breast cancer detection due to its non-ionizing, non-invasive, and cost-effective nature. Recent advancements in microwave imaging and sensing techniques have opened up new possibilities for the early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. By combining microwave sensing with machine learning techniques, microwave imaging approaches can rapidly and affordably identify and classify breast tumors. This manuscript provides a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in microwave imaging and sensing techniques for the early detection of breast cancer. It discusses the principles and applications of microwave imaging and highlights its advantages over conventional imaging modalities. The manuscript also delves into integrating machine learning algorithms to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of microwave imaging in breast cancer detection.


The state vector in the innovation representation is asymptotically the most efficient instrumental variable estimator for the observation matrix C. The paper compares small sample properties of IV estimators for C, the dynamic matrix A and other matrices with the system theoretic estimators described in Aoki (1987) by a small scale Monte Carlo simulations. The IV estimators appear to be about the same as the system theoretic ones as far as their small sample properties are concerned. The covariance matrix of the state vector calculated from the IV point of view are also compared with the solutions of the Riccati equations. The simulation results show that they have quite similar sample means and standard deviations. This method of calculating the state vector covariance matrices may be computationally faster than solving the Riccati equation by the Schur decomposition algorithm.


The shape and dimensions of a micromixer are key elements in the mixing process. Accurately quantifying the mixing efficiency enables the evaluation of the performance of a micromixer and the selection of the most suitable one for specific applications. In this paper, two methods are investigated to evaluate the mixing efficiency: a numerical model and an experimental model with a software image processing technique. Using two methods to calculate the mixing efficiency, in addition to corroborating the results and increasing their reliability, creates various possible approaches that can be selected depending on the circumstances, resources, amount of data to be processed and processing time. Image processing is an easy-to-implement tool, is applicable to different programming languages, is flexible, and provides a quick response that allows the calculation of the mixing efficiency using a process of filtering of images and quantifying the intensity of the color, which is associated with the percentage of mixing. The results showed high similarity between the two methods, with a difference ranging between 0 and 6% in all the evaluated points.


OBJECTIVE
It is now accepted that corticosteroid administration before preterm delivery reduces neonatal mortality and morbidity. However, corticosteroid use in the setting of rupture of membranes remains controversial.

STUDY DESIGN
We reviewed data from the first and largest randomized trial in this area and included them in a new meta-analysis.

RESULTS
Data from 318 women with rupture of membranes in the Auckland Trial showed that there was a trend toward reduction of the risk of respiratory distress syndrome with corticosteroids but that this trend did not reach statistical significance. There was little effect on the risks of neonatal death, intraventricular hemorrhage, and fetal, neonatal, or maternal infection. Combined data from 15 controlled trials involving >1400 women with rupture of membranes confirmed that corticosteroids reduce the risks of respiratory distress syndrome (relative risk, 0.56; 95% confidence interval, 0.46-0.70), intraventricular hemorrhage (relative risk, 0.47; 95% confidence interval, 0.31-0.70), and necrotizing enterocolitis (relative risk, 0.21; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.82). They also may reduce the risk of neonatal death (relative risk, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.43-1.07). They do not appear to increase the risk of infection in either mother (relative risk, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.61-1.20) or baby (relative risk, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 0.66-1.68). The duration of rupture of membranes does not alter these outcomes.

CONCLUSION
The available data indicate that corticosteroid administration is beneficial in the setting of rupture of membranes. In our opinion further trials to address this question cannot be justified.


The period from the Warring States to the Three Kingdoms was the stage of laying foundation preliminarily for surgical theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Observing and analyzing it from two aspects, that is development of the clinical practice of surgery and the establishment of the basic theory of surgery, it is helpful for recognizing its process of establishment, development and improvement.


This paper presents a solution to the problem of performance-driven buffered routing tree generation in electronic circuits. Using a novel bottom-up construction algorithm and a local neighborhood search strategy, this method finds the best solution of the problem in an exponential size solution subspace in polynomial time. The output is a hierarchical buffered rectilinear Steiner routing tree that connects the driver of a net to its sink nodes. The two variants of the problem, i.e. maximizing the driver required time subject to a total buffer area constraint and minimizing the total buffer area subject to a minimum driver required time constraint, are handled by propagating three-dimensional solution curves during the construction phase. Experimental results prove the effectiveness of this technique compared to the other solutions for this problem.


A key aspect of postsynaptic function, also important for plasticity, is the segregation within dendritic spines of Ca2+ rises attributable to release from intracellular stores. Previous studies have shown that overexpression in hippocampal neurons of two postsynaptic density (PSD) scaffold proteins, Shank1B and Homer1b, induces spine maturation, including translocation of the intracellular Ca2+ channel inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R). The structural and functional significance of these processes remained undefined. Here, we show that in its relocation, IP3R is accompanied by other endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteins: the Ca2+ pump sarcoendoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase, the lumenal Ca2+-binding protein calreticulin, the ER lumen-addressed green fluorescent protein, and, to a lesser extent, the membrane chaperone calbindin. The specificity of these translocations was demonstrated by their inhibition by both a Shank1 fragment and the dominant-negative Homer1a. Activation in Shank1B-transfected neurons of the metabotropic glutamatergic receptors 1/5 (mGluRs1/5), which induce IP3 generation with ensuing Ca2+ release from the stores, triggered considerable increases in Ca2+-dependent responses: activation of the big K+ channel, which was revealed by patch clamping, and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) phosphorylation. The interaction of Shank1B and Homer1b appears as the molecular mechanism linking mGluRs1/5, strategically located in the spines, to IP3R with the integration of entire ER cisternas in the PSD and with consequences on both local Ca2+ homeostasis and overall neuronal signaling.


Introduction: Psychological disturbances in clinical dental students and teachers remain largely unknown. Aim: To describe the psychological health of clinical dental students and their trainers in an institution in India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted among clinical dental students and faculty of an Indian dental college in November 2014. The questionnaire consisted of depression anxiety stress scales-21 (DASS 21), a short version of the original 42-item DASS. Data were compiled on SPSS version 21. Group comparisons were done and P values were obtained. All tests were two-tailed with significance set at P< 0.05. Results: Stress scores were found to be higher in students as compared to trainers (P = 0.040), with the highest scores for undergraduate students. Statistically, significant difference was seen in stress scores between graduate and postgraduate trainers (P = 0.015), undergraduates and postgraduate trainers (P = 0.005), and postgraduate trainers and students (P = 0.029). A significant difference was also observed between depression scores in graduate and postgraduate trainers (P = 0.006) as well as postgraduate trainers and students (P = 0.041). Females had significantly higher level of stress (P = 0.007) and anxiety (P = 0.003) scores as compared to males. Conclusion: Stress, anxiety, and depression scores in dental students are higher than trainers. Undergraduate students among all showed the highest scores for all three parameters. Different approaches to reduce them should be further investigated and utilized at the earliest.


In this paper, we consider a multi-user system called the group-broadcast system. In this scenario the users are divided into different groups. Users in each group are interested in a common information independent from that of other groups. Such a situation occurs for example in digital audio and video broadcast systems where the users are divided into various groups according to the shows they are interested in. The paper first obtains upper and lower bounds for the sum rate capacity. Then it looks at system capacity for the large number of users regime and fixed number of antennas. Finally, the case when the number of users and antennas grow simultaneously is studied. It is shown that in order to achieve a constant rate per user the number of transmit antennas should scale at least logarithmically in the number of users.


It has long been recognized that the alphabetic scripts present within the Northwest Semitic inscriptions of the first half of the first millennium BCE belong to three separate script traditions — Phoenician, Aramaic, and Hebrew. Although there have been valuable studies of the early history of each of these traditions, including some discussion of the interrelationships between them, there has not been a comprehensive and systematic palaeographic study of these traditions viewing all three from a comparative perspective and attempting to identify the time and circumstances of the origin of each as a distinct tradition in relation to the others. The goal of this dissertation is to fulfill the need for such a study. This investigation will show that by the end of the eleventh-beginning of the tenth century, Phoenician seems already to have emerged as a separate script; and over the course of the early Iron II period (tenth-eighth centuries BCE), at least two additional scripts emerged from Phoenician: Hebrew, in the ninth century, and Aramaic, in the eighth. Markedly, this change in the character of alphabetic writing in this period corresponds to contemporary socio-political developments and suggests that the development of these individualized scripts arose under the patronage of specific polities. The Phoenician script arose in the commercial power centers of the Phoenician city-states on the Levantine coast. The advent of the Hebrew script corresponds to Israel's rise to predominance in southern Canaan. Finally, the genesis of the Aramaic script parallels the rise of the Assyrian Empire in Syria and this empire's appropriation of Aramaic as an administrative tool and mode of communication throughout its realm. Committee: Advisor/First Reader: P. Kyle McCarter, Jr. Second Reader: Theodore J. Lewis Committee Chair: Dimitrios Yatromanolakis Readers: Christopher A. Rollston, Paul A. Delnero


Introduction The incidence of gastric cancer is on decline but cases of oesophageal adenocarcinoma and junctional tumour are rising in UK. Patients present at a late stage, often preventing treatment with curative intent. A multidisciplinary approach is crucial in the management of these patients- primary chemoradiotherapy being the preferred treatment in squamous cell carcinoma. Table 1 PWE-113 Treatment modalities in gastro-oesophageal cancer between 2004 and 2008 Gastric cancer (n=139) Oesophageal cancer (n=234) Surgery alone 30 (22%) 10 (4%) Neoadjuvant chemotherapy + Surgery 15 (11%) 42 (18%) Primary chemoradiotherapy 0 19 (8%) HALO 0 1 Palliative chemo/radiotherapy 34 (24%) 85 (36%) Palliative alone/ Endoscopic care 59 (42%) 73 (31%) Methods This retrospective study looked into the different treatment modalities in all 373 patients diagnosed with gastro-oesophageal cancers over the 5-year period from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2008. Between the 2 district general hospitals in our NHS Trust, we cover a catchment population of 500 000. Data were obtained from endoscopy reports, computerised notes of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings and patients' medical notes. Results 139 and 234 patients were diagnosed with gastric and oesophageal cancer respectively over the 5-year period. 66% (245) of them were male. Oesophageal biopsies revealed 149 cases of adenocarcinoma and 69 cases of squamous cell carcinoma. Mean age of diagnosis of oesophageal cancer was 73 (43–93) and 76 (40–95) for gastric cancer. Staging modality of choice includes computerised tomography (CT) scans, positron emission tomography (PET) scans and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in selected patients. All of our patients had staging CT. 52 (22%) patients with oesophageal cancer underwent Ivor Lewis oesophagectomy (10 without neoadjuvant chemotherapy) and 19 (8%) patients had primary chemoradiotherapy as their mode of treatment. 1 patient had Halo treatment. For gastric cancer, 45 (32%) patients underwent partial/total gastrectomy with curative intent. The remainder had palliative surgical and/or oncological treatment as well as endoscopic therapy including stenting, dilatation and laser recannulation. Conclusion Only a third (33% for gastric cancer and 30% for oesophageal cancer) of all patients diagnosed with gastro-oesophageal cancers in 2004–2008 had curative treatment. Our findings mirror the figures in the recently published National Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Audit 2010 where overall, 36% of patients had curative treatment. The majority of our patients with gastric cancer (66%) were treated palliatively compared to 50% nationally. The number of patients treated with curative intent appears to be waning partly due to the increased use of PET scans and EUS in identifying more advanced disease.


This critical book review argues that James T. Patterson's narrative in, "Brown v. Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone and Its Troubled Legacy," is a mostly balanced historical reflection. Here, the term balanced will refer to giving consideration to both the negative and positive aspects of the phenomenon in question. To advance its thesis, the book review initially offers an overview of Patterson's historical narrative and evaluation of the Brown legacy. Then the book review analyzes Patterson's conclusions through a Critical Race Theory lens. Given the focus of Critical Race Theory on race and the law, especially on how institutions perpetuate racism against social outsiders through the law, Critical Race Theory is an appropriate and valuable lens for considering matters that receive attention in Patterson's book.


The purpose of this paper is to present a review study on the use of the tools and techniques of Education Data Mining (EDM); through the use of data mining techniques such as classification, aggregation, the correlation rules and the disclosure of cases and apply on the student grades to show the benefits of applying the techniques of data mining in the academic field to obtain a clear understanding of the factors success and failure of students. The paper presented a definition of the concept of (EDM) and then presents of several previous studies that used many different techniques of data mining. The paper concluded to review the most important applications of (EDM) and classification according to the objectives and methods used and General framework procedural can be use in (EDM).


In this article, we use a deep quantile estimator, based on neural networks and their universal approximation property to examine a non-linear association between the conditional quantiles of a dependent variable and predictors. This methodology is versatile and allows both the use of different penalty functions, as well as high dimensional covariates. We present a Monte Carlo exercise where we examine the finite sample properties of the deep quantile estimator and show that it delivers good finite sample performance. We use the deep quantile estimator to forecast value-at-risk and find significant gains over linear quantile regression alternatives and other models, which are supported by various testing schemes. Further, we consider also an alternative architecture that allows the use of mixed frequency data in neural networks. This article also contributes to the interpretability of neural network output by making comparisons between the commonly used Shapley Additive Explanation values and an alternative method based on partial derivatives.


The diagnostic performance of the haematology analysers, Technicon H1, Sysmex NE 8000, Coulter STKS and Sequoia Cell Dyn 3000 was determined by comparing their results for automated differential counting with the result obtained for 400 cells by the manual microscopic method. These comparative studies were performed on a group of adults, containing both normal individuals (n = 150) and those affected by various pathologies (n = 113). The number of morphologically false negatives is low for all the systems (from 1.8% for the Cell Dyn 3000 to 6.2% for the NE 8000), while the number of distributionally false negatives was slightly higher (from 4.4% for the Cell Dyn 3000 to 7% for the H1 and NE 8000). The morphological flags, though useful for improving the diagnostic performance of the instruments, show a rather modest sensitivity when taken individually: immature granulocytes/bands from 71% for the STKS to 43% for the NE 8000; blasts from 66.6% for the H1 to 53.3% for the STKS, atypical lymphocytes from 59% for the H1 to 13.6% for the NE 8000; erythroblasts from 42.8% for the STKS to 7% for the NE 8000.


: Since its commissioning in 1981 the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope has been used by the Astrophysics Department in the University of Sydney for many astronomical programs. These include completed surveys of both Magellanic Clouds made to study their SNR and HII content. The SNR work is essentially complete with 55 remnants identified and firm indications that the previously assumed evolution of a typical SNR (if such exists!) is incompatible with observation. The cataloguing and analysis of the HII regions and planetary nebulae data is complete in the SMC but barely started in the LMC. Other observing programs include the mapping of southern radio and 'normal', galaxies, the study of variable sources, 'deep mapping' of a selection of far southern fields for cosmological studies, studies of mass loss stars, the Galactic centre and a general survey of a strip along the Galactic plane as a long term program. In addition, advantage has been taken of the 'real-time' beams for pulsar studies and for the development of a 'transient event recorder' to permit a search for pulsed or other rapidly varying phenomena during normal map synthesis. Some of these programs have been completed but the majority are still in progress.


Quantum dots (QDs) films or layers are extensively used for various photonic and electronic applications since recent decades. Three‐dimensional (3D) nanostructures are the elegant fashion in micro‐optics, microfluidics, biomedicine, and imaging. In particular, 3D photoluminescent nanostructures play an important role in detection and sensing as well as emitting systems. In this work, 3D photoluminescent structures containing QDs with feature sizes down to 80 nm are fabricated via two‐photon polymerization‐based direct laser writing. The photoluminescent images and emission spectra show strong local emission of blue, green, and red light from the polymer micro and nanostructures. The influence of the QDs, laser power, and writing scan speed on the resolution of the as‐prepared structures is also investigated. It turns out that the presence of QDs increases the lateral resolution where the feature size of polymer lines can reach 75 nm in 3D. This promising result paves the way for the integration of single nano‐emitters with a fine control of their spatial positioning in some nanophotonic devices.


The actinian nerve-net has been examined in the mesenteries and column of Metridium senile (L.) after staining with silver and with methylene blue. Modified staining methods are described. The synaptic nature of the junctions between bipolar nerve-cells, of their expanded terminations over the muscle-field, and of their contacts with the neurites of sense-cells is reviewed. The neurites always run in the space between the epithelium and underlying muscle. They follow the distribution of the main contractile systems, including the passage of circular fibres beneath the mesenteries. The richerinnervation of the retractor surface of a mesentery compared to the radial is correlated with the ability of this hypertrophied muscle to contract rapidly. The distribution of nerve-cells and sense-cells in the mesenteries and column is related to physiological evidence concerning the through-conduction pathways, facilitated and slow contractions, and other aspects of the behaviour of Metridium . It is concluded that although features such as reciprocal inhibition in the column are still unexplained, there is as yet no histological or physiological evidence for double innervation of the musclesin this anemone. The terminations of sensory neurites, on musclefibres or elsewhere, have not yet been seen in any actinian


Among measures to fight hospital acquired infections, an emerging epidemic in many countries around the world, adoption of appropriate hand hygiene practices by healthcare workers is considered a priority. Despite their simplicity and effectiveness, healthcare workers' compliance is poor, with most empirical studies finding compliance rates well below 50% in many countries. Management strategies to increase compliance are often based on the notion that non-compliance is a moral hazard problem, characterized by asymmetric information between hospital management and healthcare workers. In this study, we provide empirical evidence that an individual behavioral characteristic, known as overconfidence, induces many healthcare workers to overestimate their hand hygiene compliance and hence to underperform unknowingly and unintentionally [...].


COVID-19 forced many universities to shift from traditional face-to-face or blended learning, to full online learning. The sudden shift was not easy for both students and lecturers, who had to adapt to the new learning mode. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptance and use of online learning of university students in the law faculty at a South African university during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study employs the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) model particularised to the online learning context in a country with a developing economy. An online survey was administered to the student participants. The structural equation modelling analyses indicated that social influence predicted the student behavioural intention, and that facilitating conditions and price value predicted the actual behavioural use of online learning. Consequently, universities will know which factors are essential during the transition from traditional learning to full online learning in a pandemic.


The problem of minimum error variance estimation of single output linear stationary processes in the presence of weak measurement noise is considered. By applying s domain analysis to the case of single input systems and white observation noise, explicit and simple expressions are obtained for the error covariance matrix of estimate and the optimal Kalman gains both for minimum- and nonminimum-phase systems. It is found that as the noise intensity approaches zero, the error covariance matrix of estimating the output and its derivatives becomes insensitive to uncertainty, in the system parameters. This matrix depends only on the shape of the high frequency tail of the power-density spectrum of the observation, and thus it can be easily determined from the system transfer function. The theory developed is extended to deal with white measurement noise in multiinput systems where an analog- to the single input nonminimum-phase case is established. The results are also applied to colored observation noise problems and a simple method to derive the minimum error covariance matrices and the optimal filter transfer functions is introduced.


Abstract The Deveron Field lies to the west of the Thistle structure and is a satellite development to the main Thistle Field. It holds separate field status but utilizes Thistle platform facilities. Although Deveron has a similar structural framework and stratigraphic sequence to the Thistle Field, subtle differences in reservoir character and behaviour are evident. The field was discovered by the first well on Block 211/18 but its small size prevented development until installation of the Thistle production facilities. The Deveron appraisal and development wells have all been drilled from the Thistle platform and so far no injection has been required. The current STOIIP is estimated at 41 MMBBL of which 20 MMBBL will ultimately be recovered. Cumulative production to the end of 1988 was 9.96 MMBBL from 3 production wells.


This thesis addresses an under-researched disjunction surrounding knowledge creation between, and within, development and pastoralist groups. Many academics increasingly recognise pastoralist populations as creative and adaptable, yet these populations often lack the resources to develop innovations beyond the local context. Despite often being better resourced than pastoralist communities, development interventions in the Horn of Africa have achieved limited successes; an observation often linked in academic literature with a failure to rethink inappropriate established practices drawn from settled agriculture.

The need to explore new ways of understanding hybrid knowledge creation in pastoralist settings emerged from the international community's limited understanding of informal innovation processes and unique contexts of pastoralist regions, due in part to the unsuitability of current frameworks and research tools for conceptualising informal innovation in marginal settings. This study makes an original research contribution by exploring the factors that shape processes of knowledge creation between development and pastoralist groups to answer the question what factors influence innovation in pastoralist areas?

An interconnected, mixed-methods research strategy was developed and applied to study the role of knowledge networks and framings in processes of knowledge creation amongst pastoralist and development actors innovating in North Horr, Kenya. The empirical data gathered throughout the research informed the development of an internally-valid analytical framework with which to explore innovation in this setting.

The key findings of this study highlight the importance of the contextual and often asymmetric nature of relationships in processes of emergent knowledge creation within pastoralist development. The observations collected throughout the research process provide an empirical basis from which to discuss networks, framings, and knowledge creation in pastoralist settings; contributing to wider debates surrounding informal innovation processes and narratives of pastoralist development.


The generalizatin of the statesments of normative legal acts on the implementation of the tasks of informatization of the educational process, in particular, the use of information and communication technologies in the training of future naval infantry units officer is an urgent nessecity nowadays. The development and justification of organizational, legal, economic, financial, scientific and technical, methodological bases for organizing the educational process is one of the urgent tasks of creating legislation in the field of introduction of information and communication technologies in the educational process of higher educational institutions, including higher military educational institutions. The analysis of the current normative documents on the training of future officers in higher military educational institutions will give an opportynity to improve qualitatively the effectiveness of


Let $f \colon X \to X$ be a continuous map on a compact metric space $X$ and let $\alpha_f$, $\omega_f$ and $ICT_f$ denote the set of $\alpha$-limit sets, $\omega$-limit sets and nonempty closed internally chain transitive sets respectively. We show that if the map $f$ has shadowing then every element of $ICT_f$ can be approximated (to any prescribed accuracy) by both the $\alpha$-limit set and the $\omega$-limit set of a full-trajectory. Furthermore, if $f$ is additionally c-expansive then every element of $ICT_f$ is equal to both the $\alpha$-limit set and the $\omega$-limit set of a full-trajectory. In particular this means that shadowing guarantees that $\overline{\alpha_f}=\overline{\omega_f}=ICT(f)$ (where the closures are taken with respect to the Hausdorff topology on the space of compact sets), whilst the addition of c-expansivity entails $\alpha_f=\omega_f=ICT(f)$. We progress by introducing novel variants of shadowing which we use to characterise both maps for which $\overline{\alpha_f}=ICT(f)$ and maps for which $\alpha_f=ICT(f)$.


Objectives: Analyze the patterns of recurrence and survival in lung cancer patients underwent surgery

Material and methods: Observational, retrospective cohort of lung cancer patients undergoing surgery during years 1999-2006 in CHOU-Spain. We performed a descriptive analysis of data, the continuous variables to be non-Gaussian are shown as median and categorical variables as frequencies and percentages. We determined the clinical factors associated with recurrence and survival by Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regressions models. We used SPSS 15.0 software

Results: 168 patients underwent surgery, of whom 79.8% were men, and the median age was 67 years [35-82], 74 ex-smokers (44%) and 63 active smokers (37.5%). Most common histological type was epidermoid 88 (52.4%) followed by adenocarcinoma 48 (28.6%). The median tumor size in CM was 3.3 [0-9], and moderate degree of differentiation in 77 (45.8%). The pathological stages were: I 91 (57.6%), II 26 (16.5%), IIIA 30 (19%), IIIB 11 (6.5%). The most frequent surgical resection was lobectomy. Recurrence occurred in 78 (46%) patients, related with tumor size (p = 0.002) and pathological stage (p <0.001), no differences in the histological subtype (p = 0.232). Coughing and CNS disorders were the most prevalent symptoms of recurrence and extrathoracic involvement was in 42 cases (58.3%). The median survival in those who had recurrence was 9 months, with 95% CI [5.129 to 12.871]. Other risk factors of death were tumor size (p = 0.002) and pathological stage (p <0.001)

Conclusions: Most patients do not relapse. Recurrence was more frequent extrathoracic location. The tumor size and advanced stages determine higher risk of recurrence and mortality.


Evaporation is a key process in water cycle that links liquid water to the atmosphere. In the last fifty years stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen have been intensively used to describe climate processes related to evaporation and precipitation, ranging in different spatial and temporal scales. Evaporation introduces large isotopic effects in the phases involved. The well known Craig-Gordon model (Craig & Gordon, 1965) describes those isotopic effects involving several steps and different processes, moving from the air-water interface to the free atmosphere. However, very few works in literature have tested the vertical behavior of the Craig-Gordon model in natural conditions on both fresh and marine waters. In this work we present the results from four field experiments aimed to describe the vertical variability of δO and δD in the first few meters over a large water body (the coastal lagoon of Venice, northern Italy) and to test the Craig-Gordon model in such conditions. Each experiment involved cryotrapping of water vapor at different height over the water surface (0.1m, 2m and 4m) and the sampling of the liquid water at two depth (surface and 0.5m). During the experiments, water vapor was also sampled in the nearest mainland (̃2.5 km from gradient measurements) to determine the isotopic composition of background water vapor. Liquid samples were then analyzed with a Picarro L1102-i and Thermo-Fisher Delta Plus Advantage for water vapor and lagoon water, respectively. The last two experiments have also involved simultaneous measurements of relative humidity using commercially-available humidity probes at each height. This approach was used to determine a reference scale in order to compare observations to modeled estimates. Despite the coarse time resolution due to cryotrapping method (measurements are averaged over 1.5 hours), preliminary results show measurable differences in the isotopic composition of water vapor along the vertical gradient and good agreement between observations and predicted values from the model. Even if this work is an exploratory phase it shows an interesting potential to grow our understanding of the processes involved as well as a useful implementation for future studies focused on fractionation of water isotopes due to evaporation in natural conditions.


Circulating immune complexes were determined in 48 patients with oral squamous cell cancer, 17 patients with oral keratosis and 49 controls, using a rapid sensitive assay using a Staphylococcus aureus immunoadsorbent. Concentrations of immune complexes were significantly higher in patients with oral cancer and in patients with oral keratosis than in controls, but the levels in those with oral cancer were not significantly different from those in keratosis. Immune complexes might be responsible for the cell-mediated immune defect in patients with cancer in the head and neck.


Two radix-2 families of fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithms that have the property that both inputs and outputs are addressed in natural order are derived in this letter. The algorithms obtained have the same complexity that Cooley-Tukey radix-2 algorithms but avoid the bit-reversal ordering applied to the input. These algorithms can be thought as a variation of the radix-2 Cooley-Tukey ones.


Existing models for wave-related (cross-shore) sand transport are primarily based on data from oscillatory flow tunnel experiments. However, theory and former experiments indicate that flow differences between full scale surface waves and oscillatory flow tunnels may have a substantial effect on the net sand transport. In this paper, high resolution measurements of both boundary layer flow characteristics and net sand transport rates under full scale surface waves are presented. These experiments were performed for different wave conditions with medium (D50 = 0.25 mm) and fine (D50 = 0.14 mm) sand. It is shown that, especially under sheet-flow conditions, small wave induced net currents are of large importance for sand transport rates.


This white paper presents an overview of industrial security requirements and the new security extensions to the Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard. Implemented as plug-ins, the security extensions introduce authentication, confidentiality and access control while still satisfying demanding reliability and performance requirements. A power grid use case shows how DDS Security can be easily incorporated into existing systems — with or without prior adoption of the foundational DDS standard.


We present the case of a 78-year-old African American man with a history of human immunodeficiency virus diagnosed in 2007 who was newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube was placed during the initial inpatient visit of pancreatic cancer diagnosis due to persistent dysphagia. Due to PEG placement and the patient's wish to continue his previous antiretroviral therapy, the patient crushed his fixed-dose bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide under the direction of a physician and has maintained virologic suppression.


This action research project describes the application of a large-scale collaborative learning design method to a major educational transformation programme at a South African university. Our findings determined that Carpe Diem learning design was an appropriate methodology for contributing to and creating key moments and movements ("watersheds") in educational transformation in the South African context and beyond. We demonstrated that the impact of an original one-week collaborative intervention, covering all faculties and 10 major degree programmes, was sustained over the following three years. It created acceptance and strong interest across the campus in transforming learning and proved a fitting catalyst for programme renewal initiatives. It placed the university and the service to its students in a much stronger position in unexpected circumstances. We offer suggestions for those who would like to try a collaborative design approach for transformation.


This article is an initial report from a review of alcohol and drug treatment studies with follow-ups of 2 years or more. The goals of the review are to examine the stability of substance use outcomes and the factors that moderate or mediate these outcomes. Results from 12 studies that generated multiple research reports are presented, and methodological problems encountered in the review are discussed. Substance use outcomes at the group level were generally stable, although moderate within-subject variation in substance use status over time was observed. Of factors assessed at baseline, psychiatric severity was a significant predictor of outcome in the highest percentage of reports, although the nature of the relationship varied. Stronger motivation and coping at baseline also consistently predicted better drinking outcomes. Better progress while in treatment, and the performance of pro-recovery behaviors and low problem severity in associated areas following treatment, consistently predicted better substance use outcomes.


Abstract 3391 Poster Board III-279 BACKGROUND: We previously reported on the outcome of unrelated donor nonmyeloablative hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in 24 patients (pts) with poor-risk multiple myeloma treated by Seattle Consortium Centers (Georges et al BBMT 2007). Here we update our observation to 43 pts with a median follow up of 3.3 years after allografting. PATIENTS: Pts with stage II-III MM (n=43) received AlloHCT at 9 centers between May 2000 and September 2008. Forty pts (93%) were matched with their donors for 10 of 10 HLA alleles, and 3 (7%) had single HLA-C allele-level mismatches. Median age at allotransplant was 53 (range 35–67) years. Median number of prior treatments was 2 (1–3), and median number of prior treatment cycles was 8 (5–22). All pts but 2 received at least 1 (range 1-3) high dose-Autograft regimen. Fifteen pts (35%) received planned tandem Auto/AlloHCT as consolidation to first line therapy. Allogeneic conditioning was with 2 Gy TBI plus fludarabine 90 mg/m2 and post allografting immunosuppression was with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and cyclosporine or tacrolimus. Disease status at allogeneic HCT included complete remission (CR, 6 pts, 14%), very good partial remission (VGPR, 12 pts, 28%), partial remission (PR, 14 pts, 33%) and refractory disease (RD, 11 pts, 26%). RESULTS: All pts had sustained donor engraftment. Twenty-eight (65%) developed grade 2 to 4 acute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) and 6 pts (14%) developed 3 to 4 acute GVHD. Twenty-six pts (60%) had extensive chronic GVHD. The overall response rate was 86%, with 18 pts (42%) achieving CR, 14 (33%) VGPR and 5 (12%) PR. With a median follow-up of 3.3 (0.3–8.1) years from allografting, median time to progression was 1.1 years. Median overall survival (OS) has not been reached. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 1.5 years. Five-year estimated OS and PFS were 51% and 21% respectively. Cumulative incidence of nonrelapse mortality (NRM) at 100 days, 1 and 5 years were 2%, 16% and 19% respectively. The subgroup of 15 pts receiving upfront tandem Auto/AlloHCT had five-year estimated OS and PFS of 72% and 37%, respectively. These results are similar to the outcomes we observed in a series of 102 patients with MM who received upfront tandem Auto/AlloHCT from HLA-identical sibling donor (Rotta et al, Blood 2009) where five-year OS and PFS were 64% and 36%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The use of unrelated donors leads to sustained donor engraftment and is associated with a low 1-year NRM (16%). As consolidation of first remission, Tandem Auto/Allo HCT leads to similar 5-year outcomes as HCT from HLA-identical sibling donors. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Background: Ovarian endometriosis (OE) is a common type of endometrioma, which is a benign disease of gynecology. For the diagnosis of OE, ultrasonography is a very effective and straightforward. OE rupture is rare, and there is still a lack of a non-invasive and effective method for diagnosis. Elevated serum CA19-9 or CA-125 levels are typically applied as biomarkers for malignancy, besides, the CA-125 and CA19-9 levels have been recommended as a useful marker for the diagnosis of endometriosis. We aimed to clarify the clinical importance of serum CA19-9, CA-125 level, and plasma D-dimer (D-D) for detecting spontaneously ruptured ovarian endometriosis.Results: Among the 21 patients of rupture OE, 16 with a history of detected pelvic cysts, 19 claimed sudden onset of lower abdominal pain, however, only 6 patients detected fluid accumulation in the cul-de-sac by ultrasound. For the serological investigation, the serum CA19-9 was significantly elevated in the ruptured OE group (343.09±367.67 U/ml vs. 36.84±40.01U/ml, P<0.0001). D-D was also abnormally elevated in the ruptured OE group (3.39±4.90 mg/L vs. 0.43 ± 0.29 mg/L, P <0.0001). The AUC value for the combined CA19-9 and D-D was 0.975 (95% CI, 0.939 -0.993), with the highest specificity of 96.69, and sensitivity of 85.71.Conclusion: The combination of serum CA19-9 and plasma D-D levels could serve as an effective biomarker to identify patients with spontaneously ruptured ovarian endometriosis pre-operatively in the context of clinical assessment.


The quality of incremental forming depended largely on the spatial feed path of tool. Appropriate tool path can equalize the strain distribution across the surface of a part in negative ISF. The forming of bulging presents a process that the shape of part is approached to the final profile from a plate sheet. A novel tool feed path generation method is presented in this paper. A series of inchmeal approximating surfaces can be obtained from hydraulic bulging CAE analysis results, consequently the tool spatial feed path can be generated based each surface. This method approach the final contour of part inchmeal, thus exert the sheet deformation capability in negative incremental forming. The work detailed in this paper focuses on finite element analyses about hydraulic bulging and multi-passes incremental forming using PAM-STAMP software.


We consider the Cauchy problem for the diffusion equation with one spatial variable. The coefficients and the initial data are random processes. Formulae for the first and second moment functions are derived for the solution of the problem.


Lung cancer carcinogenesis is increasingly related to genetic disorders that lead to the use of specific targeted therapies which improve clinical outcome and survival. Gene fusion is one of the mechanisms of lung cancer pathogenesis besides gene mutation. The oncogenic echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (EML4-ALK) fusion gene was the first described in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and it's the most frequent ALK rearrangement which occurs in approximately 5% of NSCLC. The development of sequencing technology has allowed the discovery of other ALK partners that cause an ALK fusion in NSCLC. They are still less known, however. The aim of this review is to report the novel ALK fusions in NSCLC described in the literature and their particular characteristics. We will present the kinesin family member 5B (KIF5B) - ALK fusion, the huntingtin interacting protein 1 (HIP 1)- ALK fusion, and other uncommon ALK fusions.


The formation of caves is the special environment of our earth. Caves with dim natural light and lighted hypogean environments, have been found various organism. The Kaklik Cave located tectonic lines and has a very different way of formation when compare with many other same karstic formation caves. The Kaklik Cave is located in the area of Kaklik town in Honaz area and in Denizli province. The cave is one of the 54 cave opened to tourism in Turkey and endanger. In this study the cave climate, hydrol?ogy and biology were studied. The cave has specific species due to this formation, the entrance is wide and open to the sky, that makes the sunlight could go through a very wide area and cause of it is very rich about hydrology, these effects; provide a very high biodiversity to the cave. The cave has very important touristic potential because of the continuously growing travertine, geographical position, availability of access and natural beauties. The wrong artificial lightning badly changes the natural structure of the cave. This artificial lightning causes the biofilm layer and changing on the color of the travertine.


Lack of knowledge and understanding of hazards, vulnerabilities and suspected risks, causes people to tend to have low preparedness abilities in the face of disasters. Preparedness in facing disasters must be taught and trained from an early age through disaster education. Disaster education can be given since elementary school. The role of schools is very important in efforts to improve disaster preparedness. The learning community in a school consisting of principals, teachers, students, and other people in the school, must have knowledge and understanding of disaster risks in the school and the surrounding environment. The readiness of the learning community in the form of better knowledge and understanding is believed to reduce disaster risk. The purpose of this study is to describe the role of the learning community in elementary schools in increasing knowledge and understanding related to preparedness in facing Sinabung eruption. Field surveys and in-depth interviews are used as data collection methods which are then processed in the form of descriptions. The results showed that the school community had an important role in increasing preparedness for the Sinabung Vulcano eruption disaster. Comprehensive disaster education on disaster preparedness in the Sinabung Vulcano area still needs to be improved. Therefore, the final results of this study are expected to be a reference for disaster education around the volcano.


This project presents a common and mistaken use of language that a group of fifth graders at a private bilingual school in Bogota (Colombia) experienced at class time. In a common English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom situation which encompasses models of bilingualism that may be considered "difficulties," the author proposes some strategies to improve the communicative oral process in English, avoiding code switching and code mixing in their speech. The present research is part of a proposal on class time reading and oral activities and its applicability is up to date due to the fact that it is based on current research-tested language strategies. I conclude that code switching and code mixing may be correlated to the student's deficiency in target language competence, but I also conclude that if the activities focus on the three aspects of accuracy, rate, and prosody, students can experience an improvement in their communicative oral process. Likewise, it was observed that the use of the native language in the form of code switching can be accepted for the clarification of a message, but only in specific circumstances (as long as teachers do not let students use the language inappropriately). The present research is offered to scholarly communities to perhaps be organized into a workshop which may make language users aware of how to improve the linguistic, syntactic, and semantic usages of a second language.


In order to better understand the effects of heavy metals on the growth of plants, we decided to perform recovering experiments by following both chemical and physiological parameters in cadmium pre-stressed tomato seedlings after cadmium had been removed from the nutrient solution. The work shows that cadmium suppression results in resumption of growth activity. The biomass of leaves and stems rose steadily. The increase in root biomass exceeded those of leaves and stems. At the same time, nitrate content was increased to reach the level obtained with unstressed controls. In all the organs studied, the activities of the enzymes involved in the anabolic nitrogen primary assimilation pathways (nitrate reductase (NR), nitrite reductase (NiR) and glutamine synthetase (GS) soared after that cadmium had been removed. While NAD(+)-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH-NAD+) activity also rose progressively during the recovering time, the cognate NADH-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH-NADH) activity decreased. This result allows us to propose that the ammonia produced by the stress-induced protein catabolism is detoxified and re-assimilated by the GDH-NADH isoenzyme. On the basis of these results, we will discuss the ability of the plant to dilute the effects of pollutants during the recovering period. An important outcome of this work is that a transient contamination of the culture medium by pollutants is not necessarily followed by a significant depreciation in product yield or quality.


The origin of most of the electron paramagnetic resonances obtained at low temperature and low microwave power from heart tissue and subcellular fractions derived therefrom is now understood. A signal that emerges on partial reduction with characteristic lines at 3227 G (0.3227 tesla) and 3309 G (0.3309 tesla) (at 9.2 GHz) and disappears again on full reduction has remained unidentified. According to its behavior on oxidation-reduction, the substance giving rise to this signal has the properties of a two-electron acceptor. The signal is strongly dependent on temperature and can only be well resolved at less than 20 degrees K. It is readily elicited in submitochondrial particles by partial reduction, but has not been observed in submitochondrial particles from which ubiquinone has been removed by pentane extraction. When ubiquinone is reincorporated into extracted submitochondrial particles, the signal is again easily produced by partial reduction. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of partially reduced submitochondrial particles recorded at 34 GHz show lines centered about g approximately 2 with the same separation (approximately 82 G; approximately 0.0082 tesla) as do 9.2 GHz spectra, whereas no lines are detected with a separation of approximately 82 X 34/9.2 G (0.0082 X 34/9.2 tesla). We suggest, on the basis of these observations, that the unidentified signal arises from an interaction of ubisemiquinone and a second paramagnetic species. Three obvious choices exist concerning this second species: ubisemiquinone, flavin semiquinone, or an iorn-sulfur center. It is not possible without much additional information to decide between these possibilities. Since we have never observed the signal in the absence of the membrane-bound, high-potential type iron-sulfur protein, we have considered involvement of this species in the interaction. However, according to computer simulations of the observed electron paramagnetic resonance spectra, which yield best fits for semiquinone-semiquinone interaction, the possibility that ubi- or flavin semiquinone is the interaction partner appears more likely at this time. The interaction appears to be of the magnetic dipole-dipole type, but it is not certain whether there is also a contribution from spin exchange coupling. If it is assumed that the signal is due to magnetic dipole-dipole interaction, the distance of the partners is less than or equal to 7.7 A.


Abstract The Triassic–Jurassic Upper Karoo Group of the Mid-Zambezi Basin (MZB; Zimbabwe) includes a thick succession of terrestrial sediments with high palaeontological potential that has been neglected since the 1970s. Here, we review the Upper Karoo Group stratigraphy, present detailed sedimentological work and identify new vertebrate-bearing sites at several measured sections along the southern shore of Lake Kariba. These fossil-bearing sites fall within the Pebbly Arkose and Forest Sandstone formations, and are the first to be recorded from the region since the discovery of Vulcanodon karibaensis nearly 50 years ago. The unique and diverse assemblage of aquatic and terrestrial fauna reported includes phytosaurs, metoposaurid amphibians, lungfish, non-dinosaurian archosauromorphs and non-sauropod sauropodomorph dinosaurs. This improvement of Upper Karoo Group biostratigraphy is important in refining its temporal resolution, and impacts both regional and global studies. Finally, the new fossil sites demonstrate the palaeontological importance of the MZB and its role in providing a holistic understanding of early Mesozoic ecosystems in southern Gondwana.


of nerves facials. Intraoral findings are massing on the hard palate look like torus palatinus (exostosis on the hard palate). In patients family nobody has the same mass. Plain radiograph shows a large ill-defined, destructive, humerus metaphysis intramedullary lesion with bone destruction and periosteal reaction (Figure 2). The lesion is associated with a soft tissue mass. Furthermore, plain radiographs showed hiperostotic change of the lateral part of right clavicle, metaphysis of neck and trochanter of both femurs, bones of head and intraoral findings. Scintigraphy showed enhanced accumulation radionuclide on proximal right humerus, right shoulder and right trochanter of femur. CT demonstrated chondrosis of metaphysis of right humerus and cranial part of the shoulder blade. Preoperative biopsies showed chondrosarcoma. was and dissecting n. radialis. to operations distal part humerus was intact, at the medial and proximal


The blockade of the renin-angiotensin system in the heart failure using ACE inhibitors, based on numerous clinical studies, demonstrated significant decrease in morbidity and mortality in the patients. Discovery of angiotensin II receptor antagonists brought about a new possibility of blockade of the rennin-angiotensin system. The blockade of the renin-angiotensin system with angiotensin II receptor antagonists should have been more effective and comprehensive than that induced by ACE inhibitors. However, the first studies with angiotensin II receptor antagonists in heart failure did not confirm that the antagonists are superior in reducing mortality and hospitalization in patients with heart failure when compared with ACE inhibitors. For the time being, the ACE inhibitors remain the current therapy of choice in treating heart failure. Angiotensin II receptor antagonists are a reasonable alternative in patients who cannot be treated with ACE inhibitors because of adverse effects. Clinical studies currently under way with angiotensin II receptor antagonists may alter these conclusions.


The emergence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene mcr-1 has attracted global attention and raised serious concerns about its possible cross-environment dissemination. However, the systematic exploration of mcr-1 both by monitoring and genetic dissection in aquatic environments has not been conducted. This study addresses the gap related to the occurrence and distribution of mcr-1 in watersheds, eastern China. The results showed abundances of mcr-1 gene in four watersheds, and the highest level of mcr-1 reached 1.8 × 109 gene copies per liter of water. Furthermore, the transfer frequencies of the plasmids in isolated Escherichia coli were 2.76 ×10-6 ~ 6.11×10-4 within genera, and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of polymyxin resistance were 8-16 mg/L for transconjugants. Mass spectrometry data allowed visualization of the function of mcr-1 expression, rendering bacterial resistance to colistin. The genetic details of six mcr-1-harboring plasmids in E. coli isolates of aquatic origin were obtained by single-molecule real-time sequencing. These plasmids were closely associated with E. coli strains of pig-origin and human-origin, supporting the concept of mcr-1 dissemination across natural environments, livestock, and humans. In conclusion, this study provides the first glimpse of profile of mcr-1-harboring plasmids and their genetic environment in aquatic ecosystems.


Mammalian cortex is a laminar structure, with each layer composed of a characteristic set of cell types with different morphological, electrophysiological, and connectional properties. Here, we define chromatin accessibility landscapes of major, layer-specific excitatory classes of neurons, and compare them to each other and to inhibitory cortical neurons using the Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq). We identify a large number of layer-specific accessible sites, and significant association with genes that are expressed in specific cortical layers. Integration of these data with layer-specific transcriptomic profiles and transcription factor binding motifs enabled us to construct a regulatory network revealing potential key layer-specific regulators, including Cux1/2, Foxp2, Nfia, Pou3f2, and Rorb. This dataset is a valuable resource for identifying candidate layer-specific cis-regulatory elements in adult mouse cortex. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.21883.001


Akt/PKB activation is reportedly essential for insulin-induced glucose metabolism in the liver. During the hypoinsulinemic and hyperglycemic phase in the Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat liver, insulin-induced phosphorylations of the insulin receptor (IR) and insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1/2 were significantly enhanced. Similarly, phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase activities associated with IRS-1/2 were markedly increased in ZDF rat liver compared with those in the control lean rat liver. However, interestingly, insulin-induced phosphorylation and kinase activation of Akt/PKB were severely suppressed. The restoration of normoglycemia by sodium-dependent glucose transporter (SGLT) inhibitor to ZDF rats normalized elevated PI 3-kinase activation and phosphorylation of IR and IRS-1/2 to lean control rat levels. In addition, impaired insulin-induced Akt/PKB activation was also normalized. These results suggest that chronic hyperglycemia reduces the efficiency of the activation step from PI 3-kinase to Akt/PKB kinase and that this impairment is the molecular mechanism underlying hyperglycemia-induced insulin resistance in the liver.


Pituitary tumours are a common pathology affecting 15-20% of the population. Only about 1‰ of adenomas are clinically manifested; among them, about two/thirds are hormonally active, most often secreting prolactin or growth hormone. Pituitary tumours are mainly an isolated pathology, without any genetic background. However, the latest studies pay special attention to the possibility of developing an adenoma as a result of genetic mutation. Among pituitary adenomas, the leading group of genetically determined lesions is related to a mutation in AIP or MEN1, followed by PRKAR1A, GRP101, DICER, and SDHx. The genetic basis of these pituitary tumours is related to positive family history, young age of the patient, aggressive clinical process, and resistance to treatment. Pituitary tumours occur in over 40% of patients with MEN1 syndrome - often in women, they are more than 1 cm in diameter, and secrete prolactin. They are usually diagnosed in the fourth decade of life and show a worse response to pharmacotherapy than sporadic ones. Confirmation of the genetic background of the pituitary tumour implies measurable implications; it might help to direct the diagnosis in patients' family members, partially predict the development of the disease, and, above all, extend patients' life expectancy.


Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is one of the common vegetables grown all over the country extensively almost the year round. The crop is reported to be affected by about twenty diseases of microbial origin. Among them, the fungal pathogens have been found to affect and damage severely the tomato fruits both in eld at different developmental stages as well as in the market during storage. This may result in the qualitative and quantitative loss of tomato fruits. The fungi are known to produce different hydrolytic enzymes during pathogenesis. These enzymes degrade the food contents. In the present investigation, pectinase production in relation to different culture media was studied in the fungi isolated from tomato fruits. The media were found to affect the pectinase production in the fungi isolated from tomato fruits.


ABSTRACT Before male-dominated societies came into being, there were egalitarian societies of peace, matriarchies, in which the mothering female was at the center. These were peaceful: graves from this period did not show weapons, settlements were not walled for defensive reasons and art does not depict weapons. These female oriented societies used a lost language of symbols that were mostly not understood by traditional science. You have to deconstruct His-Story in order to reconstruct Her-Story. An interdisciplinary method is used here to reconstruct and remember this lost language of symbols. Retracing sacred feminine art or 'Venus Art' can provide a great leap forward in retrieving women friendly egalitarian cultures. This new Her-Story approach maps the contribution of woman to evolution and brings to an end a male world history without women.


In the present article, the author seeks to define sustainable greenway planning along coastal areas in the North and South of Iran based both on the historical heritages of green routes in the country and international greenway theory that is concerned with American and British definitions. For this reason, in the half first of this paper, the principles and concepts of historical Persian green routes have been scrutinized and identified and then, in the second half of the paper, according to the historical and cultural backgrounds and regional context of these coastal areas, an applied multi-functional greenway plan for settlements in the aforementioned regions has been proposed. Finally, the author concludes that, in the present century, local authorities have to pay attention both to regional conditions and international ideas of the same period to achieve landscape and environmental sustainability. It can be mentioned that in this article, the author used academic resources and applied an analyzing-des cribing method as a scientific research method. In addition, the two coastal cities of Anzali, on the Caspian Sea, and Bushehr, on the Persian Gulf, have been analyzed.


Excellent samples of lillianite, a rare Pb–Bi sulfosalt, have been found around a high-temperature fumarole at the La Fossa crater, Vulcano Island, Italy. The mineral is associated with cannizzarite and, subordinately, with galenobismutite and rarer sulfosalts, as well as sphalerite and selenian galena. Lillianite occurs as laths and fibers up to 100–130 � m in length, and about 20–30 and 1 � m in width, respectively. Electron-microprobe analyses show that the lillianite from Vulcano has a composition close to the ideal Pb 3Bi2S6. Particularly interesting is the absence of Ag and Cu, which makes the lillianite from Vulcano unique in its purity, with only minor incorporation of Cd. Like in other sulfosalts from Vulcano, significant Se concentrations are in variably present (1.38–2.22 wt. %). Traces of chlorine were found in some crystals due to the high Cl activity in the fumaroles, an d are noted for the first time. The general empirical formula, Pb 3–xBi2+2x/3(S6–ySey)� 6, reflects the narrow composition field for the lillianite from Vulcano. The X-ray powder-diffraction data, as well as microhardness and reflectance measurements, are given fo r distinct crystals with a different Pb/Bi value. The unit-cell constants are a 13.576(9), b 20.606(8), c 4.119(2) A for the crystal with Pb/Bi ≈ 1.50, and a 13.56(1), b 20.57(1), c 4.115(2) A for the one with Pb/Bi ≈ 1.41. In both films, h + l = 2n reflections correspond to the space group Bbmm. The lower value of microhardness of the Bi-rich sample may reflect the less well-ordered structure and the effect of the heterovalent substitution 3Pb 2+ → 2Bi 3+ + . A comparison between the lillianite from Vulcano and the synthetic homologous Phase III is also given.


Type I interferons (IFNs), perhaps the most important of cytokines in fighting viral infections, have been target for detailed research only the past few decades and much is yet to be investigated. Hidden in the mysteries of IFNs might be powerful anti-viral and anti-tumor therapies, alongside greatly increased understanding of vertebrate immunology. This project aims at investigating IFN expression of in vitro stimulated equine cell lines and studies of IFN expression in horses, both healthy and a number of horses diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Amongst equine diseases, IBD is of increasing concern and scientific progressions within the project are, in several aspects, also applicable for human medicine.


A new technique for preparation of free-standing ultrathin films is presented. These films were made by layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition process, which is utilized for coatings on solid substrates and colloids. A film composed of alternating layers of magnetite nanoparticles and poly(diallyldimethylammonium bromide) was assembled on cellulose acetate, which was subsequently dissolved in acetone. From the suspended state, the LBL film can be transferred onto any solid or porous support. The strength of the film was observed to significantly increase when every other layer of magnetite was replaced with a layer of alumosilicate sheets serving as a molecular framework for the assembly.


Pore structure characteristics of tight sandstones, including pore types, connectivity, and morphological features, provides a basis for selecting the "sweet spot" in tight sandstone reservoirs. A variety of research methods, high-pressure mercury intrusion porosimetry, cast thin sections, scanning electron microscopy, and fractal theory were integrated to explore these parameters of tight sandstones from the Chang 7 member of the Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin, China. Results indicate that tight sandstones are defined by three pore types with distinct fractal dimensions and corresponding pore structure, which are combined pores, isolated grain pores, and clay-dominated pores. The pore spaces of the three types gradually evolve from the microscale to the nanoscale. Combined pores were formed by dissolution pores connected to the surrounding pores and have been distinguished by their irregular shape. Their connected paths are multidirectional, resulting in better connectivity. Isolated grain pores have a small number of poorly connected paths, which causes weak connectivity. Clay-dominated pores have narrow and complex connected paths, resulting in poor connectivity. From the combined pore to the clay-dominated pore, the fractal dimensions of pore spaces decrease, indicating that the heterogeneity of pore spaces is gradually weakened whereas the heterogeneity of the flow characteristics is gradually enhanced. On the basis of the proportions of the three pore types, the tight sandstones can be genetically classified into a combined pore type, an isolated grain pore type, and a clay-dominated pore type. The differences in pore space and heterogeneity affect the distribution of tight oil; therefore, sand bodies located near the source rock, characterized by strong dissolution and dominated by the combined pore type, are favorable zones for tight sandstone reservoirs.


This manuscript proposed three parameterization methods to reduce the computational cost of simulating Isoprene-derived SOA in GEOS-Chem using the full chemistry model. The parameterization methods were also compared with the volatility-basis-set and fixed yield methods. The results show that the parameterization methods, especially the third one (PAR3), could generally predict the isoprene-derived SOA spatially while reducing the computational cost of using a full chemistry model. The manuscript also suggests that the VBS approach is not accurate in predicting isoprene-derived SOA because the reactive uptake process is the main process for isoprene-derived


We introduce (g, F )-manifolds and initiate a study of their semi-invariant submanifolds. These submanifolds are generalizations of CR-submanifolds of Kaehler manifolds. We obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for the integrability of distributions on a semi-invariant submanifold and study the geometry of foliations defined by these distributions. In particular, for a large class of (g, F )-manifolds we prove the existence of a natural foliation on their semi-invariant submanifolds.


Allergic rhinitis is a common nasal disorder with a high impact on quality of life, high social costs in therapies, and a natural development towards asthma. Pharmacological therapy is based on several genres of medications, of which intranasal corticosteroids are currently the most widespread. Thermal water treatment has traditionally been used as adjunctive treatment for chronic rhinitis and sinusitis. The present study was carried out to assess the clinical efficacy of nasal inhalation of radioactive oligomineral water vapours from the Merano hot spring and to compare it with the clinical efficacy of mometasone furoate nasal spray. A comparative prospective study was performed in 90 allergic patients treated at Merano hot springs: a group of 54 subjects treated with radioactive thermal oligomineral water and a control group of 36 subjects treated with mometasone nasal spray. Patients of both groups were assessed before and after treatment by Sino-Nasal Outcome Test questionnaire, active anterior rhinomanometry with flow and resistance monitoring, measurement of mucociliary transport time, and cytological examination of nasal brushing/scraping. The study showed that inhalation treatment with radioactive hydrofluoric thermal water for two weeks produces an objective clinical and cytological improvement in allergic patients, similar to that obtained with mometasone furoate nasal spray.


Leaf physiology and stem growth were assessed in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) in response to 10 to 11 years of treatment with weed control (W), weed control plus irrigation (WI), weed control plus irrigation and fertigation (WIF), or weed control plus irrigation, fertigation, and pest control (WIFP) to determine whether increased resource availability can push productivity of loblolly pine closer to its biological growth potential expressed in favorable, exotic environments. Maximum basal area and stem biomass were 41 m 2 ha -1 and 172 Mgha -1 , respectively, in response to fertigation. Stem- wood biomass production was positively and linearly related to basal area. Belowground woody biomass was highest in the WIF and WIFP treatments and averaged 50 Mgha -1 , but the W and WI treatments exploited a greater area of soil with low-density coarse roots. Fertigation increased foliar nitrogen concentration and foliage biomass, but treatment had no effect on leaf physiological parameters or growth efficiency. Comparison with growth rates reported for loblolly pine in Hawaii revealed that loblolly pine grown in its native range can produce the high yields observed in exotic environ- ments when stands are below maximum carrying capacity.