Background. We hypothesized that transplantation of islets into type 1 diabetics could improve outcomes of glucose metabolism, renal function, retinopathy, and neuropathy compared with intensive medical therapy. Methods. We conducted a prospective, crossover, cohort study of intensive medical therapy (group 1) versus islet cell transplantation (group 2) in 42 patients. All were enrolled in group 1 then 31 crossed over with group 2 when islet donation became available. Transplantation was performed by portal venous embolization of more than 12,000 islet equivalents/kg body weight under cover of immunosuppression with antithymocyte globulin, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate. Outcome measures were HbA1c, change in glomerular filtration rate (GFR), progression of retinopathy, and change in nerve conduction velocity. This report details interim analysis of outcomes after 34±18 months (group 1) and 38±18 months (group 2). Results. HbA1c (%) in group 1 was 7.5±0.9 versus 6.6±0.7 in group 2 (P<0.01). GFR (mL/min/month) declined in both groups (group 1 −0.45±0.7 vs. group 2 −0.12±0.7, P=0.1). Slope of the GFR decline in group 1 was significantly more than 0. Retinopathy progressed in 10 of 82 eyes in group 1 versus 0 of 51 in group 2 (P<0.01). Nerve conduction velocity (m/sec) remained stable in group 1 (47.8±5 to 47.1±5 m/sec) and group 2 (47.2±4.5 to 47.7±3.5). Conclusion. Islet transplantation yields improved HbA1c and less progression of retinopathy compared with intensive medical therapy during 3 years follow-up.


【Objective】The optical fermentation conditions of longan pulp by lactic acid bacteria were established, and the change of volatile flavor compounds of longan pulp before and after fermentation was clarified. This research can guide the development of functional longan beverage. 【Method】Lactic acid bacteria(Lactobacillus bulgavicus﹕Streptococus thermophilus=1﹕1) was domesticate in the medium containing 60%, 70%, 80% and 90% longan pulp and 10% skim milk. The acidity and p H of longan pulp were analyzed during the domestication. The conditions of fermented longan pulp by lactic acid bacteria were optimized through Box-Benhnken central composite experimental design based on the indicators of total acid. A regression model of four factors was established including the fermentation time, fermentation temperature, the content of skim milk powder and inoculation amount of lactic acid bacteria. Separation and analysis of the main volatile flavor compounds in longan pulp before and after fermentation were performed by headspace solid phase micro extraction and gas chromatography- mass spectrometry. 【Result】The lactic acid bacteria with good fermentation ability was obtained in longan pulp with high concentration. After 12 h of fermentation, the acidity of 90% longan pulp increased from 9.5oT to 104.4oT, and p H decreased from 7.12 to 4.44. The acidity of 90% longan pulp was significantly higher than that of 60% and 70% longan pulp(P0.05), there was no significant difference of p H between longan pulp with four concentrations. The results showed that the optimum conditions are as follows: fermentation time 12 h, fermentation temperature 45℃, 5% the content of skim milk powder and 3% inoculation amount of lactic acid bacteria. Under this condition, the acidity of fermented fruit pulp increased from 9.5oT to 105.1oT. The relative error to the value predicted by the model was 1.2%. It indicated that this model can be used in practical production. The volatile flavor compounds in longan pulp significantly changed after the fermentation. 53 volatile flavor compounds were detected in fermented longan pulp, which contained 15 terpenes, 6 alcohols, 18 esters, 7 ketones, 3 aldehyde, 2 acids and 2 others. 18 volatile flavor compounds were newly produced by fermentation. After the fermentation, the contents of alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones and acids increased, and the contents of terpenes decreased. The main volatile flavor compounds in fermented longan pulp were ethanol 25.68 μg·g-1, 4-(1-methylethyl)- benzenemethanol 2.42 μg·g-1, acetaldehyde 1.95 μg·g-1, benzaldehyde 1.25 μg·g-1, ethyl acetate 2.19 μg·g-1, methyl benzoate 1.05 μg·g-1, methyl salicylate 1.93 μg·g-1, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone 1.085 μg·g-1,(E)-β-ocimene 97.81 μg·g-1, allo-ocimene 1.923 μg·g-1, and acetic acid 1.84 μg·g-1, respectively. Benzaldehyde and ethyl acetate were newly generated. The contents of ethanol, acetaldehyde, allo-ocimene and acetic acid increased after the fermentation. 【Conclusion】 Lactic acid bacteria fermentation significantly increased total acid and volatile flavor compounds of longan pulp. Longan pulp beverage fermented by lactic acid bacteria with a unique flavor can be developed by controlling fermentation conditions.


Automatic segmentation of medical images, such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), plays an essential role in efficient clinical diagnosis. While deep learning have gained popularity in academia and industry, more works have to be done to improve the performance for clinical practice. U-Net architecture, along with Dice coefficient optimization, has shown its effectiveness in medical image segmentation. Although it is an efficient measurement of the difference between the ground truth and the network's output, the Dice loss struggles to train with samples that do not contain targeted objects. While the situation is unusual in standard datasets, it is commonly seen in clinical data, where many training data available without the anomalies shown in the images, such as lesions and anatomic structures in some CTs/regions. In this paper, we propose a novel loss function - Stochastic Aggregated Dice Coefficient (SA Dice) and a modification of the network structure to improve its performance. Experimentally, in our own heart aorta CT dataset, our models beats the baseline by 4% in cross-validation Dice scores. In BRATS 2017 brain tumor segmentation challenge, the models also perform better than the state-of-the-art by approximately 2%.


Purpose To explore the significant emotional challenges facing resident physicians in the setting of medical mishaps, as well as their approaches to coping with these difficult experiences. Method Twenty-six resident physicians were randomly selected from a single teaching hospital and participated in in-depth qualitative interviews. Transcripts were analyzed iteratively and themes identified. Results Residents expressed intense emotional responses to error events. Poor patient outcomes and greater perceived personal responsibility were associated with more intense reactions and greater personal anguish. For the great majority of residents, their ability to cope with these events was dependent on a combination of reassurance and opportunities for learning. Interactions with medical colleagues and supervisory physicians were critical to this coping process. Conclusions Medical mishaps have a profound impact on resident physicians by eliciting intense emotional responses. It is critical that resident training programs recognize the personal and professional significance of these experiences for young physicians. Moreover, resident education must support the development of constructive coping skills by facilitating candid discussion and learning subsequent to these events.


In the South of Italy, the personal vote has represented a synonym for
clientelism, understood as a political exchange between votes and particular
benefits. The available literature traced the roots of clientelism,
from the 1950s onward, to either cultural or structural social determinants,
such as cynicism, disenchantment, fatalism or, on the other side,
lagging or lacking economic development. Only recently, Political
Science has tried new approaches to this phenomenon, by adopting rationalist
frameworks to define the strategies underpinning the clientelist
bargain. Such a perspective proposed new concepts, a "virtuous clientelism"
resembling the Anglo-American constituency service: in this type
of clientelism, both voters and candidates are inspired by the desire to
provide universal benefits to their community, rather than being limited
to egoistic gains. This research wants thus to uncover this type of clientelism
through a qualitative research involving in-depth semi-structured
interviews, performed with a sample of electors in four of the most
important regions of the Italian Mezzogiorno: Calabria, Campania,
Apulia and Sicily. This research also provides a map of the desires,
expectations, hopes and disillusions of the southern Italian voters. Hence,
this study does not limit itself to the research question and goes on
to provide more insight on the private and public reasons underpinning
political choices and to open further avenues for qualitative research on
the topic.


Abstract Annual field surveys were conducted from 1999–2004 within the Seney National Wildlife Refuge in northern Michigan to determine if ambient ozone levels at this remote location were great enough to injure refuge vegetation. Ozone injury was observed on sensitive bioindicator plants during each survey year; however, the incidence (percentage) of plants exhibiting symptoms was low and varied among species and years. Ozone-induced symptoms occurred on Sambucus canadensis (American elder), Prunus serotina (black cherry), Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed), and Apocynum androsaemifolium (spreading dogbane). The most sensitive species was spreading dogbane. In addition, ozone injury was observed on a vibur-num species, tentatively identified as Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides (withe-rod). Ambient ozone has been monitored since 2002 at an EPA monitoring site within the refuge. Cumulative SUM60 ozone levels (ppb-hrs) by the end of August for each survey year were greatest in 2003, followed by 2002, and least in 2004. The annual incidence of ozone injury for the 3 years was not directly related to level of ambient ozone, but was likely confounded by environmental factors such as drought. Based on the 2004 survey, the threshold level of SUM60 ozone needed to induce visible symptoms on sensitive vegetation in this remote refuge is close to 5000 ppb-hrs.


Abstract The Vorfeld (prefield) of German declarative V2 main clauses is syntactically underdetermined: It is only required that one phrase stands there, but it is not determined what kind of phrase. This is consequently determined by information structure. The goal of this paper is to look whether Centering Theory can make any predictions; this question is addressed after an overview is given over potential forms in which the center can appear. It turns out that the Center is actually not out very often into the prefield; movement to the prefield seems to work in accordance with a ranking of the form: scene-setting elements outrank poset elements with respect to prefield movement, and poset elements outrank centers. If another part of Centering Theory is taken into account, namely coherence relations, we see that the more coherent the connection between two clauses is, the more often is the Center in the prefield. From that follows that one of the tasks of the prefield is to mark local coherence.


Objectives High-speed Maglev transportation system is an advanced technology using magnetic forces to propel, levitate, and guide the trian. Our study was to assess the EMF emitted by High-Speed Maglev Transportation System and the possible health effects of occupational exposure to the Maglev EMF. Methods The static magnetic field of Maglev were measured by Narda ETM-1 magnetic field measurement system. The time-varying EMFs of Maglev were evaluated by PMM8053 EMF measurement system. 48 employees exposed to maglev EMF were selected as occupationally exposed group while 54 employees without any Maglev EMF exposure were selected as control. Questionnaires were sent to two groups. Complete blood count was done by haematology analyzer. Blood lipid level was detected by enzymatic method. Thyroid function related hormones was evaluated by chemical immune assay. Serum melatonin level was measured by an ELISA kit. Results EMF strength of all Maglev sites was lower than the safety exposure limits of current international and Chinese national standard. The symptoms of drowsiness, memory impairment, irritability, alopecia were related to occupational exposure to maglev EMF. Abnormal rate of cholesterol and high density lipid protein in exposed group were significantly higher than control. The blood cell counts, thyroid function, and serum melatonin level had no statistical difference between two groups. Conclusions EMF emitted by the High-speed Maglev transportation system in different frequencies were lower than the exposure limits of current international and Chinese national standard. Due to the population limits, we can not draw a conclusion that occupational exposure to Maglev EMF may have adverse health effects from the previous data. However, it may gives us a clue that occupational exposure to maglev EMF may result in the alteration of neuronal function and lipid metabolism.


One of the main features of fourth generation (4G) networks will be heterogeneity in the wireless access environment in which a mobile can connect to multiple radio interfaces simultaneously. Network selection and efficient load balancing among different types of networks will be required to achieve high speed connectivity with seamless mobility. In this paper, we propose a resource allocation mechanism for new and vertical Handover calls based on game theory. Three different types of games are proposed and compared. The solution of the games permits to maximize the network service providers' profit while satisfying the mobile users.


Genome-wide association studies of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) have highlighted the importance of variants associated with genes expressed by the innate immune system in determining risk for AD. Recently, we and others have shown that genes associated with variants that confer risk for AD are significantly enriched in transcriptional networks expressed by amyloid-responsive microglia. This allowed us to predict new risk genes for AD, including the interferon-responsive oligoadenylate synthetase 1 (OAS1). However, the function of OAS1 within microglia and its genetic pathway are not known. Using genotyping from 1,313 individuals with sporadic AD and 1,234 control individuals, we confirm that the OAS1 variant, rs1131454, is associated with increased risk for AD and decreased OAS1 expression. Moreover, we note that the same locus was recently associated with critical illness in response to COVID-19, linking variants that are associated with AD and a severe response to COVID-19. By analysing single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of isolated microglia from APPNL-G-F knock-in and wild-type C57BL/6J mice, we identify a transcriptional network that is significantly upregulated with age and amyloid deposition, and contains the mouse orthologue Oas1a, providing evidence that Oas1a plays an age-dependent function in the innate immune system. We identify a similar interferon-related transcriptional network containing OAS1 by analysing scRNA-seq data from human microglia isolated from individuals with AD. Finally, using human iPSC-derived microglial cells (h-iPSC-Mg), we see that OAS1 is required to limit the pro-inflammatory response of microglia. When stimulated with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), we note that cells with lower OAS1 expression show an exaggerated pro-inflammatory response, with increased expression and secretion of TNF-α. Collectively, our data support a link between genetic risk for AD and susceptibility to critical illness with COVID-19 centred on OAS1 and interferon signalling, a finding with potential implications for future treatments of both AD and COVID-19, and the development of biomarkers to track disease progression.


In the midst of a global shift in world politics induced by the rise of emerging powers, the outdated and unequal international financial institutions (IFIs) that were set up after World War II are increasingly being challenged and scrutinized. International actors can use IFIs in numerous ways to enhance their position in the world system. For instance, they can be used as a vehicle to launder state interests with the ultimate goal of pursuing or enhancing normative power, allowing an actor to define what is considered 'normal' in international relations. This thesis seeks to investigate such an example, and analyzes the newly established Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) pioneered by China to shed light on how emerging powers create IFIs to pursue normative power. The main argument is that creating IFIs is 'sufficient' but not 'necessary' to enhance an actor's normative power. Grounded in constructivist literature with a focus on ideational factors such as norms, ideas, and values, this thesis uses process tracing to capture the underlying dynamics that played the biggest role in establishing the AIIB. In doing so, it aims to demonstrate how China has imbued the bank with its own norms in the hopes of projecting them out into the world, which ultimately enhances China's normative power. Material factors including economic gains and improved security will equally be considered in order to properly address the multiple causal pathways that led to the bank's creation. The findings reveal that the economic aspect of material factors can be ruled out as an alternative explanation, a revelation that induces the likelihood that ideational factors played an important part in the creation of the AIIB. However, the study was unsuccessful at ruling out the security dimension. As such this thesis finds that given the complexity of international actors and that their goals and actions are seldom one-dimensional, ideational factors were important in China's normative power pursuit, but ultimately both factors played a part in creating the AIIB. (Less)


A 32-year-old woman presented with increasing abdominal girth and discomfort secondary to a 18-week-size mass and a CA-125 level of 1539. She underwent an exploratory laparotomy and resection of a parasitic fibroid following which the CA-125 levels decreased and normalized within a month. A review of English literature indicates that association of raised CA-125 levels with fibroids is inconsistent and very modest and such high levels have not been previously reported.


From the Publisher:
Sams Teach Yourself Access 2000 Programming in 24 Hours considerably improves the quality of the database applications that you can create with Microsoft Access. Upon completed this book, you will be able to understand any sample VBA code that you see, and possess the skills to attack all of the most common Access programming tasks. Topics covered include using data aware controls, creating data aware Web pages, creating views to organize data, building reusable code modules, programming reports, communicating results with graphing, automating contact and task management with Outlook, and Access programming for Internet Explorer.


Editor's Foreword Introductory Remarks Texts Cited Introduction: Remarks on Political Philosophy Lectures on Hobbes Lecture I: Hobbes's Secular Moralism and the Role of His Social Contract Lecture II: Human Nature and the State of Nature Lecture III: Hobbes's Account of Practical Reasoning Lecture IV: The Role and Powers of the Sovereign Appendix: Hobbes Index Lectures on Locke Lecture I: His Doctrine of Natural Law Lecture II: His Account of a Legitimate Regime Lecture III: Property and the Class State Lectures on Hume Lecture I: "Of the Original Contract" Lecture II: Utility, Justice, and the Judicious Spectator Lectures on Rousseau Lecture I: The Social Contract: Its Problem Lecture II: The Social Contract: Assumptions and the General Will (I) Lecture III: The General Will (II) and the Question of Stability Lectures on Mill Lecture I: His Conception of Utility Lecture II: His Account of Justice Lecture III: The Principle of Liberty Lecture IV: His Doctrine as a Whole Appendix: Remarks on Mill's Social Theory Lectures on Marx Lecture I: His View of Capitalism as a Social System Lecture II: His Conception of Right and Justice Lecture III: His Ideal: A Society of Freely Associated Producers APPENDIXES Four Lectures on Henry Sidgwick Lecture I: Sidgwick's Methods of Ethics Lecture II: Sidgwick on Justice and on the Classical Principle of Utility Lecture III: Sidgwick's Utilitarianism Lecture IV: Summary of Utilitarianism Five Lectures on Joseph Butler Lecture I: The Moral Constitution of Human Nature Lecture II: The Nature and Authority of Conscience Lecture III: The Economy of the Passions Lecture IV: Butler's Argument against Egoism Lecture V: Supposed Conflict between Conscience and Self-Love Appendix: Additional Notes on Butler Course Outline Index


With the publication of annual reports on medical education, commenced inThe Journalin 1901 by the American Medical Association, began the history of real medical education in the United States. The following year the work was taken up formally and continued by a committee on medical education of the Association, which committee was later merged into the present Council on Medical Education. The continuing and progressive work of this council, supplemented in 1910 by the publication of the Carnegie Foundation, gave an enormous impetus to the movement. Like publicity in all other matters, these publications, which exposed to the public and to the medical profession alike the miserable pretenses which existed, caused the beginning of what might be called modern medical education in this country. Five years prior to this time the Council on Medical Education of the American Medical Association had taken up the subject of existing low


Online power system stability assessment during restoration has not been strongly addressed yet. The introduction of wide area measurement systems (WAMS), however, made it possible to monitor the stability online. This study technically presents a detailed analysis of stability during restoration using WAMS. The power system build-up strategy is used as the restoration approach, based on which the early and the last stages of restoration are to divide the power system into islands and interconnect them, respectively. In fact, the practical use of WAMS at the early stages of restoration provides precise determination of generators loading steps. Moreover, unification of phase angle references at different islands and presentation of tie line energising priority list are significant benefits of WAMS at the last stages of restoration. The New England 39-bus power system is used to demonstrate the proposed algorithm and verify the results. The proposed method is also applied on the IEEE 118-bus system as a large-scale power system to prove its capability in practical systems.


ABSTRACT Burkholderia mallei is a zoonotic agent causing glanders, a notifiable disease in equines. During the past decades glanders emerged, and the Kingdom of Bahrain reported outbreaks to the World Organization of Animal Health in 2010 and 2011. This paper presents the complete genome sequence of the Burkholderia mallei strain 11RR2811 Bahrain1.


Democratic elections are one of the foundational elements of a stable, healthy, and vibrant modern state. Current treaty law guarantees four basic participatory rights: periodic and regular elections, universal suffrage, secret ballots, and non-discrimination. Those rights are bolstered further through United Nations election monitoring and state practice. This Note argues that more must be done to guarantee true participatory rights in emerging and lesser developed nations. In particular, it proposes attaching conditions to World Bank funding that require adherence to the rights guaranteed under global and regional treaty law and the customary practice of states and international actors. In order to accomplish this goal, compliance with those conditions should be measured through United Nations monitoring reports.


Audio-visual source encoders for digital wireless communications extract parameter sets on a frame-by-frame basis. Due to delay and complexity constraints these parameters exhibit some residual redundancy which manifests itself in non-uniform parameter distributions and intra- as well as inter-frame correlation. This residual redundancy can be exploited by iterative source-channel decoding (ISCD) to improve the robustness against impairments from the channel. In the design process of ISCD systems the well known EXIT charts play a key role. However, in case of inter-frame parameter correlation, the classic EXIT charts do not provide reliable bounds for predicting the convergence behavior of ISCD. We explain the reasons for the so-called overshooting effect and propose a novel extension to the EXIT chart computation which provide significantly better bounds for the decoding trajectories. Four advanced ISCD system configurations are proposed and investigated using the benefits of the improved EXIT chart based system design. These configurations include regular and irregular redundant index assignments. In addition, we incorporate unequal error protection in the optimization of irregular index assignments. We show how to realize a versatile multi-mode ISCD scheme which operates close to the theoretical limit.


A phase II clinical trial of oral VP 16-213, a semisynthetic podophyllotoxin, was undertaken in twenty nine patients with advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. All patients had received extensive prior chemotherapies including adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, vinka alkaloids and/or bleomycin and has become refractory to these drugs. The dosage of VP 16-213 was 200 mg/day p.o. bid for 5 days at 3 to 4-week intervals. There were 3 CRs (10.3%) and 6 PRs (20.7%) with a median duration of remission of 16 weeks ranging from 7 to 185+ weeks. Leukopenia less than 4 X 10(3)/cm3 and thrombocytopenia less than 100 X 10(3)/cm3 were seen in 80% and 26.7% of cases, respectively. Alopecia (100%), anorexia (44%) and nausea (26%) were observed but these were well tolerated. We conclude that the oral administration of VP 16-213 has considerable antitumor activity with no cross-resistance to vinka alkaloids, anthracyclines and alkylating agents.


Scurvy is a rare disease in developed countries and few cases have been reported in adults within the last years. We aimed to report and discuss a case of a 35-year-old male with a medical history of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who initially presented to the emergency department with complaints of right leg pain, swelling, and weakness. Physical exam revealed low degree fever associated with right knee and ankle ecchymosis and edema, in addition to a well healing laceration on the anterior tibia with hyperpigmentation. Laboratory results showed elevated inflammatory markers. Due to the high suspicion of bone or soft tissue infection, antibiotic treatment was started without improvement. Upon reassessment and closer inspection of the skin, the patient was noted to have follicular hyperkeratosis and perifollicular hemorrhage; that in combination with a restrictive diet due to IBS, raised the suspicion of scurvy. Vitamin C levels were.


The contamination of natural water bodies and tanks by pesticide residues is of great concern in the Greater Hyderabad Area. The rural and peri urban agriculture around Hyderabad is conventional with heavy usage of pesticides and chemicals, highly concentrated on paddy and vegetable cultivation. Agricultural pesticides are mainly of organochlorine and organophosphorous compounds. These pesticides are considered to be dangerous not only for the environment but for human beings as well. Pesticide residue reaches the urban water environment through direct run off, leaching, careless disposal of empty containers, equipment washings. According to a study by School of Chemical sciences, India, pesticide concentrations exceeded allowable levels for drinking water in samples of river water and groundwater in Hyderabad. Inorder to reduce the levels of agricultural pesticide and chemical residues in urban water bodies, community based 'Organic farming' is being implemented as an alternative strategy. The paper focuses on the case study conducted in two mandals of peri urban areas around Hyderabad, Manchal (Rangareddy district) and Bommalaramaram (Nalagonda district). The community managed sustainable agriculture (CMSA) in these villages was initiated by NGO's, PEACE and Vikasith Bharath foundation in cooperation with Self help group members in the year 2006. About 50 farmers in Manchal and 50 farmers in Bommalaramaram are practicing organic vegetable cultivation. The case study unveiled that due to organic practices in agriculture there is substantial scope for reduction in pesticide residues in common water bodies around Hyderabad, reduction in cost of cultivation of crops and improved health condition of farmers. The case study reveals the significant contribution of community managed sustainable agriculture in safeguarding the urban common property resource (CPR), the water bodies.


Cells that divide repeatedly, such as cancer cells, germ-line cells, and microorganisms such as yeast, have to take good care of their telomeres, the specialized stretches of repetitive DNA at the ends of their chromosomes. Because of a quirk in the enzymes that replicate the DNA, the chromosomes shorten a little with each cell division, and for cells to keep dividing they have to add back the telomere DNA. Otherwise, essential genes could be lost. New results appearing on pages 973 and 986 now show that one way yeast cells keep track of how long their telomeres are is by counting the copies of a protein called Rap1 bound to the telomere DNA.


Background: Mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma (MTSCC) is a rare subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and generally considered a low-grade renal epithelial neoplasm composed of tubules, spindle cells, and extracellular mucin. MTSCC with distant metastases has been reported, with some cases showing a poor prognosis. While only a few case reports regarding the treatment of metastatic MTSCC have been reported, targeted agents and monotherapy of immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown some efficacy. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of metastatic MTSCC of the kidney treated with combination therapy of nivolumab plus ipilimumab.Case presentation: A 26-year-old man consulted our hospital after a 72-mm tumor was detected at the upper pole of the left kidney with multiple osteolytic bone metastases by computed tomography (CT). A CT-guided biopsy of the renal tumor and bone metastases resulted in a diagnosis of MTSCC of the kidney with bone metastases (cT2aN0M1) and an 'intermediate risk' according to the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium criteria. He therefore received combination therapy of nivolumab plus ipilimumab therapy. After 4 cycles of combination nivolumab plus ipilimumab and 9 cycles of nivolumab monotherapy, he underwent cytoreductive nephrectomy because the tumor had shrunk, and sclerotic changes in the bone metastases were noted. In the excised specimen, the programmed cell death ligand 1 expression was higher in the spindle components than in the tubular components, but CD4- and CD8-positve T cells showed greater infiltration in the tubular components than in the spindle components. Furthermore, CD-4- and CD-8-positive T cells in both components of the resected specimen showed greater infiltration than they had at the pretreatment biopsy of the renal tumor and bone metastases.Conclusions: Combination immunotherapy of nivolumab and ipilimumab may be an effective treatment option for metastatic MTSCC of the kidney.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background: Impairment of cellular cholesterol trafficking is at the heart of atherosclerotic lesions formation. This involves egress of cholesterol from the lysosomes and 2 lysosomal proteins, the NPC1 (Niemann–Pick C1) and NPC2 that promotes cholesterol trafficking. However, movement of cholesterol out the lysosome and how disrupted cholesterol trafficking leads to atherosclerosis is unclear. As the Wnt ligand, Wnt5a inhibits the intracellular accumulation of cholesterol in multiple cell types, we tested whether Wnt5a interacts with the lysosomal cholesterol export machinery and studied its role in atherosclerotic lesions formation. Methods: We generated mice deleted for the Wnt5a gene in vascular smooth muscle cells. To establish whether Wnt5a also protects against cholesterol accumulation in human vascular smooth muscle cells, we used a CRISPR/Cas9 guided nuclease approach to generate human vascular smooth muscle cells knockout for Wnt5a. Results: We show that Wnt5a is a crucial component of the lysosomal cholesterol export machinery. By increasing lysosomal acid lipase expression, decreasing metabolic signaling by the mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1) kinase, and through binding to NPC1 and NPC2, Wnt5a senses changes in dietary cholesterol supply and promotes lysosomal cholesterol egress to the endoplasmic reticulum. Consequently, loss of Wnt5a decoupled mTORC1 from variations in lysosomal sterol levels, disrupted lysosomal function, decreased cholesterol content in the endoplasmic reticulum, and promoted atherosclerosis. Conclusions: These results reveal an unexpected function of the Wnt5a pathway as essential for maintaining cholesterol homeostasis in vivo.


Purpose: To assess the frequency of simultaneous nasal procedures in powered endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy performed by oculoplastic surgeons. Design of Study: Retrospective, multicenter study. Methods: Demographic, clinical, and surgical data of consecutive endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy cases at 3 oculoplastic centers, over periods of 6, 4, and 2.2 years, respectively, were reviewed. The rates of simultaneous nasal procedures (septoplasty, turbinectomy, and polypectomy) were studied. Complication rates in the patients who had simultaneous endonasal procedures were analyzed. Results: Five hundred seventy-six cases (mean age: 63.2 years [16.2–94 years], women: 67.3%). Of the total cohort of patients, 14.1% required a simultaneous endonasal procedure during endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy, 11.9% (range among surgeons: 5.2%–15%) required septoplasty, 1.5% required middle turbinate surgery, and 0.34% required polypectomy. Of the 81 patients with concomitant procedures, 1 had postoperative epistaxis, and 1 had an asymptomatic septal adhesion. The anatomical and functional success rates for the entire cohort were 95.6% and 87.8%, respectively. Conclusions: A significant proportion of patients undergoing endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy may require concomitant endonasal procedures. Hence, endonasal lacrimal surgeons using techniques that aim to marsupialize the entire lacrimal sac may benefit from expertize in the management of concomitant nasal pathologic study.


The aim of this paper is to analyze the evolution of some ecdotical variables in an academic genre that has so far received little attention, viz, book reviews (BR). Toward that end, we analyzed 100 BR written in French and published in 2 different time periods: between 1890 and 1900 (Block A) and between 1990 and 2000 (Block B). The variable we studied were: 1) the book reviewed (its length, genre and original language), 2) the book author (a single author, an editor or a co-editor and the way his credentials are presented), 3) the BR itself (its length, the frequency of courtesy markers and of bibliographical references) and 4) the BR author (anonymat vs. identification). Quantitative results were analyzed by means of the Chi square. Our most salient results show that in both Blocks the most frequent book type is the monographie, followed by the traite and the manuel in Bloc A, and by congress proceedings in Bloc B (a genre non-extant in Bloc A). In Block A, BR are 4 times longer than those of Block B (p = .0001). The great majority of the books reviewed in this Bloc are single-authored books (p = .0001 when comparing their frequency to that of multi-authored books) written in French (p = .0001 when comparing their frequency to that of books written in other languages). The BR author very frequently remains "almost-anonymous" (his initials only are mentioned), and courtesy markers are a rhetorical hallmark of these end-of-19th century BR. Conversely, in Block B most books reviewed are multi-authored/edited books (p = .0001 and p = .0047 when comparing their frequency to that registered in Bloc A) written in English (p= .0001 when comparing their frequency with that recorded in Block A). Contrary to what was observed in Block A, most books reviewed in Block B are then collaborative works. Finally, the name of the publishing company is a routine feature of BR in Bloc B, whereas it not so in Bloc A. These quantitative results are explained from a socioconstructivist standpoint. We conclude that they underline the hyper specialization, professionalization and internationalization of today's science and reflect the increasing social … and commercial concern of today's scientific enterprise.


Book synopsis: This book provides a concise and accessible introduction to modern military history. The collection is a clear and up to date survey of the significant debates, interpretations and historiographical shifts for a series of key themes in military history. Each chapter is supported by notes and a brief bibliography outlining further reading.


Nanocrystalline samples of Mg-Fe-H were synthesized by mixing of MgH2 and Fe in a 2:1 molar ratio by hand grinding (MIX) or by reactive ball milling (RBM) in a high-pressure vial. Hydrogenation procedures were performed at various temperatures in order to promote the full conversion to Mg2FeH6. Pure Mg2FeH6 was obtained only for the RBM material cycled at 485 °C. This extremely pure Mg2FeH6 sample was investigated as an anode for lithium batteries. The reversible electrochemical lithium incorporation and de-incorporation reactions were analyzed in view of thermodynamic evaluations, potentiodynamic cycling with galvanostatic acceleration (PCGA), and ex situ X-ray Diffraction (XRD) tests. The Mg2FeH6 phase underwent a conversion reaction; the Mg metal produced in this reaction was alloyed upon further reduction. The back conversion reaction in a lithium cell was here demonstrated for the first time in a stoichiometric extremely pure Mg2FeH6 phase: the reversibility of the overall conversion process was only partial with an overall coulombic yield of 17% under quasi-thermodynamic control. Ex situ XRD analysis highlighted that the material after a full discharge/charge in a lithium cell was strongly amorphized. Under galvanostatic cycling at C/20, C/5 and 1 C, the Mg2FeH6 electrodes were able to supply a reversible capacity with increasing coulombic efficiency and decreasing specific capacity as the current rate increased.


We performed angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) experiments with circularly polarized light and first-principles density functional calculation with spin-orbit coupling to study surface states of a topological insulator Bi2Se3. We observed circular dichroism (CD) as large as 30% in the ARPES data with upper and lower Dirac cones showing opposite signs in CD. The observed CD is attributed to the existence of local orbital-angular momentum (OAM). First-principles calculation shows that OAM in the surface states is significant and is locked to the electron momentum in the opposite direction to the spin, forming chiral OAM states. Our finding opens a new possibility for strong light-induced spin-polarized current in surface states. We also provide a proof for local OAM origin of the CD in ARPES.


The slice filtration is a filtration of equivariant spectra. While the tower is analogous to the Postnikov tower in the nonequivariant setting, complete slice towers are known for relatively few G-spectra. In this paper, we determine the slice tower for all G-spectra of the form S ∧ HZ where n ≥ 0 and G is a cyclic p-group for p an odd prime.


This article explores the role that ground troops play in aerial campaigns. Specifically, it intends to explain how ground troops affect the duration of aerial bombing campaigns. It distinguishes between the effect of ground troops on the duration of aerial campaigns that are selective and on those that are more general and less discriminate (using newly coded data on aerial strategies). The effect of ground troops may vary depending on how air power is being used. Ground troops may increase the duration of aerial campaigns in cases in which selective strategies are used during the aerial bombing campaign. In these cases, states lose the possibility of quick, "clean" victories once ground troops are introduced. In the cases of the less-discriminate bombing campaigns, the effect of ground troops is the opposite: They shorten the duration of the bombing campaign, possibly through the increased effectiveness of a combined arms approach.


In a second controlled crossover trial, 20 autistic children received 40 mg/day of the neuropeptide ORG 2766, a synthetic analog of ACTH (4-9), for 8 weeks. Parents' checklist ratings (ABC) as well as clinicians' ratings (CGI) pointed to significant improvements after the course of treatment; improvements were clearest on the ABC social withdrawal subscale. The analysis of individual target symptoms and the parents' treatment preferences substantiated the beneficial effects of ORG 2766. In an ethologically analyzed playroom session, ORG 2766 treatment was associated with an improvement in the children's play behavior and a significant increase in the social interaction between child and experimenter. Gaze coordination between child and experimenter also was improved.


ABSTRACT The emergence of Omicron/BA.1 has brought new challenges to fight against SARS-CoV-2. A large number of mutations in the Spike protein suggest that its susceptibility to immune protection elicited by the existing COVID-19 infection and vaccines may be altered. In this study, we constructed the pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron. The sensitivity of 28 serum samples from COVID-19 convalescent patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 original strain was tested against pseudotyped Omicron as well as the other variants of concern (VOCs, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta) and variants of interest (VOIs, Lambda, Mu). Our results indicated that the mean neutralization ED50 of these sera against Omicron decreased to 66, which is about 8.4-folds compared to the D614G reference strain (ED50 = 556), whereas the neutralization activity of other VOC and VOI pseudotyped viruses decreased only about 1.2–4.5-folds. The finding from our in vitro assay suggest that Omicron variant may lead to more significant escape from immune protection elicited by previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and perhaps even by existing COVID-19 vaccines.


Twelve patients with complex fractures of the distal radius were treated with the Orthofix external fixation system (EBI Medical Systems, Fairfield, NJ). On follow up physical examination, the average wrist dorsiflexion was 46 degrees, and the average volar flexion was 55 degrees. The average grip strength in the involved hand was 38 lb force. The average final radial angle was 18 degrees, and the average residual radial height was 12 mm. Average volar tilt was 3 degrees. The complication rate was 42%. Very rigid axial stability is afforded by the fixator, but the large 3.5 mm tapered bone screw diameter precludes redrilling for screw adjustment. The apparatus needs frequent monitoring to reconfirm the security of the locking nuts and cam mechanisms, and the Orthofix system can be reused only four times.


Malonyl-CoA functions as a mediator in the hypothalamic sensing of energy balance and regulates the neural physiology that governs feeding behavior and energy expenditure. The central administration of C75, a potent inhibitor of the fatty acid synthase (FAS), increases malonyl-CoA concentration in the hypothalamus and suppresses food intake while activating fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle. Closely correlated with the increase in muscle fatty acid oxidation is the phosphorylation/inactivation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, which leads to reduced malonyl-CoA concentration. Lowering muscle malonyl-CoA, a potent inhibitor of carnitine/palmitoyl-CoA transferase 1 (CPT1), releases CPT1 from inhibitory constraint, facilitating the entry of fatty acids into mitochondria for beta oxidation. Also correlated with these events are C75-induced increases in the expression of skeletal muscle peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha), a transcriptional activator of fatty acid oxidizing enzymes, and uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3), a thermogenic mitochondrial uncoupling protein. Phentolamine, an alpha-adrenergic blocking agent, prevents the C75-induced increases of skeletal muscle UCP3 and whole body fatty acid oxidation and C75-induced decrease of skeletal muscle malonyl-CoA. Thus, the sympathetic nervous system is implicated in the transmission of the "malonyl-CoA signal" from brain to skeletal muscle. Consistent with the up-regulation of UCP3 and PPARalpha is the concomitant increase in the expression of PGC1alpha, transcriptional coactivator of the UCP3 and PPARalpha-activated genes. These findings clarify the mechanism by which the hypothalamic malonyl-CoA signal is communicated to metabolic systems in skeletal muscle that regulate fatty acid oxidation and energy expenditure.


This paper develops a near optimal boundary control method for distributed parameter systems governed by uncertain linear 1-D parabolic partial differential equations (PDE) by using approximate dynamic programming. A quadratic surface integral is proposed to express the optimal cost functional for the infinite-dimensional state space. Accordingly, the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (HJB) equation is formulated in the infinite-dimensional domain without using any model reduction. Subsequently, a neural network identifier is developed to estimate the unknown spatially varying coefficient in PDE dynamics. Novel tuning law is proposed to guarantee the boundedness of identifier approximation error in the PDE domain. A radial basis network (RBN) is subsequently proposed to generate an approximate solution for the optimal surface kernel function online. The tuning law for near optimal RBN weights is created, such that the HJB equation error is minimized while the dynamics are identified and closed-loop system remains stable. Ultimate boundedness (UB) of the closed-loop system is verified by using the Lyapunov theory. The performance of the proposed controller is successfully confirmed by simulation on an unstable diffusion–reaction process.


To date, mental disorders are diagnosed and treated by the subjective judgment of psychiatrists based on diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines, respectively. Mental disorders are heterogeneous illnesses with a substantial treatment-refractory rate. Thus, there is a great need for novel treatment approaches. This article proposes a treatment approach centered on the concept of the gut–brain axis. There is mounting evidence indicating an association between stressors, microbiota, microglia, and mental disorders. Stressors might facilitate dysbiosis, inflammation, and the occurrence of mental disorders. This novel treatment approach is based on the idea that stressor types instead of the heterogeneous psychiatric diagnosis might be closer to the neurobiological underpinnings of mental disorders. First of all, patients with treatment-resistant mental disorders will be asked to describe their major stressors. Then, clinicians will calculate the total threat score and the total deprivation score. Subsequently, treatment tailored to the major stressor type will be administered to restore a healthy gut microbiome. Presumably, treatment will be aimed at increasing microbiota diversity in those who mainly have deprivation stressors and boosting Actinobacteria in those who have mainly threat stressors. Large-scale clinical trials are warranted to test this hypothetical approach.


This paper studies a number of well-known noise estimation techniques and provides a comparative performance analysis of them in speech enhancement platform. Two types of evaluation data that simulate consistent and inconsistent noisy conditions are prepared in the presence of six noise types at different SNR levels. The performance of speech enhancement systems and the spectrum distance of the estimated and original noise spectrums are used as evaluation criteria. The evaluations indicate that a simple VAD method outperforms noise estimation methods in most of the consistent noisy conditions.


Separate flow friction formulations for laminar and turbulent regimes of flow through pipes are in common use in engineering practice. However, variation of different parameters in a system of conduits during conveying of fluids can cause changes in flow pattern from laminar to fully turbulent and vice versa. Because of that, it is useful to unify formulations for laminar and turbulent hydraulic regimes in one single coherent equation. In addition to a physical interpretation of hydraulic friction, this communication gives a short overview of already available Darcy's flow friction formulations for both laminar and turbulent flow and additionally includes two simple completely new approximations based on symbolic regression.


This is the first book to describe the forests of the entire tropical Asian region, from Sind to New Guinea. Based on Peter Ashton's working field experience of over 55 years in every country, Burma and Laos excepted. Following a chapter on physical geography and geological history, seven chapters address forest and tree structure and dynamics, floristics, mountain forests, the other organisms on which the forests and trees depend, as well as genetics, evolutionary history, species diversity, and past and present human impact. A final chapter covers future policy and practice options for the sustainment of what remains.


The recorded laugh has been a potent index of authentic presence used to bridge the gap between recorded sound and listener. An analysis of the recorded genres of laughing songs and laughing stories shows that the phonographic laugh played an important role as a precursor to broadcast laugh track. Moving from these early phonographic examples, the pre-recorded laugh track is placed in the historical and discursive contexts of radio and television and their ideology of liveness. Throughout these different media contexts, the laugh has been presented as the ultimate expression of the human, and its mechanical reproduction serves as a lightning rod for anxieties concerning authenticity and the social dimensions of mass media consumption.


The author discusses the newly found Greek inscriptions from Lasica, from the basilica on Machkhomeri Hill near Khobi dated to the 6th c. CE, with three Greek words and expressions having non-standard meanings. The only possible interpretation of the expression ἔχετε ἐν παραθέκῃ (sic) that comes to mind is "to have or keep as a pledge, to have or keep entrusted" i. e. the martyrs must keep the soul of the founder Gorgonios, which he entrusted to them as a pledge of his own salvation. The standard meanings of the term κατοίκησις as "settling" or "dwelling, abode" do not correspond to the context of the list of the benefactors either as an act or as a locus, as well as the early Byzantine meaning "government, administration". It should mean here a burial, which could be understood as a new dwelling of the body or even a shrine for the relics (probably one of the Forty Martyrs), which appeared in Machkhomeri in connection with the rebuilding of the basilica and which was placed in the martyrium in the eastern end of the southern aisle. Finally, the term συνοδία by its origin meant a "companionship on a journey", and later became a terminus technicus for caravan; new, Byzantine meanings of this word are "Christian fellowship company of the faithful, local congregation", "gathering, assembly for worship", "community of religious". But here it is an "association of lay people around an institution or an influential person, probably functioning as a group of pilgrims".


We consider links that are alternating on surfaces embedded in a compact 3-manifold. We show that under mild restrictions, the complement of the link decomposes into simpler pieces, generalising the polyhedral decomposition of alternating links of Menasco. We use this to prove various facts about the hyperbolic geometry of generalisations of alternating links, including weakly generalised alternating links described by the first author. We give diagrammatical properties that determine when such links are hyperbolic, find the geometry of their checkerboard surfaces, bound volume, and exclude exceptional Dehn fillings.


Magnetite nanoparticles modified covalently with triethoxysilane having a quaternary dicetyl ammonium ion are used together with tetraethylorthosilicate as building blocks to prepare a mesoporous material. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide is used as a structure‐directing agent under conditions typically used for mesoporous MCM‐41 silicas. The resulting mesoporous material (MAG‐MCM‐41), containing up to 15 wt % of magnetite is characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), isothermal gas adsorption, and X‐ray diffraction. In contrast to siliceous MCM‐41, mesoporous MAG‐MCM‐41 exhibits a remarkable hydrothermal stability. The magnetic properties of MAG‐MCM‐41 are characterized by DC and AC magnetic susceptibility, and by isothermal hysteresis cycles, confirming the long‐range magnetic ordering above 400 K. As evidenced by atomic force microscopy and TEM, the ability to respond to magnetic fields is used to orient films of MAG‐MCM‐41 with the channels perpendicular to a support.


Since the introduction of the singularity expansion method (SEM) for the representation of transient and broadband electromagnetic interaction with general objects, there has been considerable attention given to associated analysis of electromagnetic response experimental data to find the natural frequencies. Usually, this has considered only single waveforms of frequency spectra for a parameter such as the surface current density at a particular position on the object under some particular excitation such as a particular direction of incidence with a particular polarization. This paper explores several concepts for advancing the analysis of interaction data to obtain the various SEM and eigenmode expansion method parameters. Basically, the various properties of natural modes and eigenmodes are explored for application to the problem of the taking and analyzing of experimental data. Various techniques are explored, including the enforcement of the SEM pole factors in multiple data records, separation of the modes by object symmetry, separation of the modes into E and H modes by measurement of surface charge density and equivalent magnetic charge density, and separation of the natural modes and natural frequencies by association with eigenmodes and use of eigenmode orthogonality. Basically, these concepts involve application of a priori physics to the design of experiments and data analysis.


Background: Obesity and weight gain are associated with higher rates of breast cancer recurrence and increased mortality. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in breast cancer survivors. Control of body weight and cardiovascular risk factors are key aspects in breast cancer survivorship. The purpose of our study was to see if a low carbohydrate, calorie restricted dietary intervention could be implemented in a group of obese postmenopausal breast cancer survivors to achieve weight loss and improved lipid profiles. Methods: Twenty-four postmenopausal estrogen receptor positive breast cancer patients were enrolled on a low carbohydrate, calorie restricted dietary intervention. The dietary intervention utilizes 0.5g protein/pound (actual body weight), less than 40 grams of carbohydrates, and 800-1200 calories per day. Body weight, body fat percentage, blood triglyceride level, and total cholesterol level were measured and monitored, during the dietary intervention. Results: The average weight loss spanned 23.8 weeks (varying from 5 to 59 weeks). When compared with the mean body weight prior to the dietary intervention, the mean body weight was reduced by 19.9% (equivalent to 43.7 pounds). The mean body fat percentage was reduced by 6.86%. In addition, the dietary intervention significantly decreased the patients' blood triglyceride level by 33.8% (p = 0.00013). The mean total cholesterol level was decreased by 9.5% with the dietary intervention (p = 0.00498). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that a low carbohydrate, calorie restricted diet resulted in significant weight loss with improved lipid profiles. This study suggests that this dietary intervention is feasible in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors and a potential strategy for cardiovascular risk reduction. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P4-09-04.


The mission of the Region IV (R-IV) Public Health Training Center (PHTC), headquartered at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, is to develop and implement programming to train public health professionals in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Region IV. The emphasis on public health accreditation, as well as the reality of high personnel turnover and a workforce with little formal training, point to the need for PHTCs that provide workforce training. PHTCs use distance-based education to reach those in need of training by minimizing or eliminating cost and travel barriers. However, many experienced public health trainers who are able to provide effective and engaging trainings in person lack the knowledge and skills necessary to adapt existing curricula to a distance format. Distance Education And Learning (DEAL) is an online course designed by the R-IV PHTC to increase the capacity of public health trainers to teach in the distance learning environment. The course includes four 3-hour synchronous online sessions with additional asynchronous presession and intersession activity requirements. This article describes the development and implementation of the DEAL course, including how it is used by the R-IV PHTC to increase the number of public health trainers with the skills needed to develop and implement distance-based training, which thereby builds the training capacity within the region and addresses issues of sustainability.


Although reliable traffic monitoring systems for modern
high-speed networks has been studied in detail during last
years, the topic of virtual networks monitoring is relatively
new and still the state of the art. We illustrate this issue on
the FEDERICA network, which is an EU project focused on
implementation of experimental network infrastructure for
trialling new networking technologies based on virtual
networking. Our presentation describes a virtual network
monitoring system based on FlowMon probe and NfSen collector.
We will present our NfSen plugin designed for virtual network
monitoring in FEDERICA project.


An efficient process for the synthesis of degradable hydrogels containing octa-betaine ester polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) through efficient thiol-ene and Menschutkin click reactions was developed. The hydrogels exhibited a yield strength of 0.36 MPa and a compressive modulus of 4.38 MPa and displayed excellent flexibility as well as torsion resistance. Antibacterial efficacy of hydrogels (and degradation products) was evaluated using Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive). Efficacy was found to increase with the concentration of cetyl chloroacetate (CCA) in the hydrogel network, reaching 93% and 99% for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Degradation of hydrogels was observed in weak alkali conditions (pH = 8) and at physiological conditions (pH = 7.4). The degradation time of the hydrogels could be finely tuned by variation of the CCA content in the hydrogel and environmental stimulus. The tunable degradation behavior under physiological conditions combined with high antibacterial efficacy could render the presented materials interesting for tissue engineering applications.


Secondary carcinoma of the testicle arising from carcinoma of the prostate has been reported only rarely in the literature. As far as we can ascertain, 26 cases1-12have been previously published. There are several possible explanations for the infrequent finding of these metastases. 1. The testicle is apparently rarely involved with metastatic tumors from any source. Helfert and Pinck2found fewer than 50 cases up to 1944. Klinger13reported 3 cases in 1951, and Price and Mostofi9in 1957 found 10 additional cases in the literature and added 38 of their own. 2. Possibly the testes removed as a therapeutic measure for prostatic carcinoma have not been examined histologically in some institutions. 3. Even where histological examination is a routine procedure, a small nodule could easily be overlooked. It was thought worth while to report 2 cases of carcinoma of the prostate with metastases to the


ABSTRACT A cold-sensitive secY mutant (secY125) with an amino acid substitution in the first periplasmic domain causes in vivo retardation of protein export. Inverted membrane vesicles prepared from this mutant were as active as the wild-type membrane vesicles in translocation of a minute amount of radioactive preprotein. The mutant membrane also allowed enhanced insertion of SecA, and this SecA insertion was dependent on the SecD and SecF functions. These and other observations suggested that the early events in translocation, such as SecA-dependent insertion of the signal sequence region, is actually enhanced by the SecY125 alteration. In contrast, since the mutant membrane vesicles had decreased capacity to translocate chemical quantity of pro-OmpA and since they were readily inactivated by pretreatment of the vesicles under the conditions in which a pro-OmpA translocation intermediate once accumulated, the late translocation functions appear to be impaired. We conclude that this periplasmicsecY mutation causes unbalanced early and late functions in translocation, compromising the translocase's ability to catalyze multiple rounds of reactions.


Objective: To define the significant role of Professional Development Center (PDC) at Dow University of Health Sciences in provision of quality education, learning and patient care.
Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Place and Duration of study: Professional Development Center, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi Pakistan, from 2018 to 2022.
Methodology: Study was conducted through non-probability convenience sampling technique to include all CME workshops and seminar records of PDC. Further feedback forms were also collected from the participants after each training session to analyze their feedbacks.
Results: As per the five year, records a total of 728 CME workshops and 635 CME seminars were conducted by PDC from the 2018 to Feb 2023. Major focus areas of the CME lectures and workshops was Medicine and Allied Health sciences, continuously for the last five years. However, when major focus area of CME workshops was assessed it was that they were mainly related to basic life support where, most of the workshops were conducted to train the students of Dow Institute of Medical Technology. When participants' feedback was taken regarding the organization and impact of workshop, it was found that most of them agreed that handouts were helpful (77.25%) and questions were adequately responded (77.25%), respectively.
Conclusion: It was found that PDC significantly played its role in enhancing knowledge and skills of the healthcare professionals in healthcare setup, thereby providing quality education, learning and patient care.


In the last decades high power ultrafast lasers have attracted considerable attention for many applications. The most promising approach to get high power ultrashort pulses directly from an oscillator is a modelocked thin disk laser (TDL) using a broadband gain material. For this purpose, Yb-doped materials are very suitable since their simple energy-level scheme allows for highly efficient laser operation and the strong electron-phonon coupling results in broad spectra. In addition, to maintain efficient cooling a high thermal conductivity is required which often stands in contradiction to a very broad spectrum. This paper reports on improved crystal growth and highly efficient thin disk laser operation of Yb:CALGO, using a 5.9% Yb-doped CALGO in a TDL setup with 24 pump passes through the gain medium and a pump spot diameter of 1.2 mm. A slope efficiency of 70% and 57% of optical-to-optical efficiency with respect to the incident pump power could be obtained with an output coupler transmission of 1.6%, representing the highest efficiency obtained with this material so far. The laser output power of 30 W was limited by the available pump power from the 50 W fiber coupled pump diode laser.


This is the publisher's version originally published in "The 8th International Conference Environmental Engineering, Selected Papers, May 19-20, 2011, Vilnius, Lithuania"(ISBN 978-9955-28-829-9). Reprinted with permission from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Press "Technika" Vilnius.


This paper examines the impact of conservation-induced displacement on the Bacha community resulting from the establishment of Chebera-Chuchura National Park in Konta Special Woreda, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). It attempts to reconstruct the customary functions that the forestland had played for the livelihoods of the Bacha community and its role in cementing reciprocal relations among different social groups in pre-eviction contexts. The study employed a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research tools including in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, field observations and household survey. Michael Cernea's analytical framework to assess the risks associated with displacement – Impoverishment Risk and Reconstruction (IRR) – is employed to see the multifaceted aspects of conservation-induced displacement. The findings revealed that in spite of the fact that displaced Bacha people have enjoyed greater level of access to land they suffered loss of entitlements to forest-based assets such as honey and plants of enormous medicinal value. The community also faced loss of job opportunities due to restrictions imposed on access to forestland that supported beneficial biodiversity for the livelihood of the Bacha people. Also adversely affected are inter-community relations built on reciprocal exchange of goods and services between the Bacha and neighboring farming communities. Now, the Bacha have faced the difficult task of adapting to the land-based crop farming as a new source of livelihood since they lack the necessary farming skills to make a living out of crop farming.


Two weeks after 70% enterectomy, glutamine (Gln) transport is downregulated in rabbit residual bowel due to a decrease in system B(0) activity. Providing epidermal growth factor (EGF) and growth hormone (GH) restores Gln transport by increasing systems A and B(0,+) activities. We hypothesized that changes in Na(+)-dependent broad-spectrum neutral amino acid transporter (ATB(0)/ASCT2) protein and mRNA expression correlate with system B(0) activity. New Zealand White rabbits underwent 70% jejunoileal resection or no resection. Resected rabbits immediately received parenteral EGF, GH, both, or neither agent for 2 wk. Tissues harvested from jejunum, ileum, and colon were subjected to Western and Northern blot analyses for ATB(0)/ASCT2 protein and mRNA. In all tissues, ATB(0)/ASCT2 mRNA was reduced by approximately 50% in resected rabbits compared with nonresected controls. Similar reductions in protein amount occurred in the ileum and cecum. None of the growth factor treatments restored ATB(0)/ASCT2 protein, but GH treatment increased ATB(0)/ASCT2 mRNA abundance 250% in the residual ileum. Because changes in the ATB(0)/ASCT2 protein amount paralleled those in the system B(0) activity in this model, it is likely that this is the protein responsible for this transport system. The increase in mRNA abundance in rabbits treated with GH for 2 wk may be a harbinger of subsequent increases in transporter protein and activity. Unlike reported upregulation of transporters in human colon after small bowel resection, ATB(0)/ASCT2 protein and mRNA expression in rabbit colon are decreased, suggesting different regulatory pathways.


Wettablity is one of the important characteristics defining a given surface. Here we show that the effective interface potential method of determining the wetting temperature, originally proposed by MacDowell and Müller for the surfaces exhibiting the first order wetting transition, can also be used to estimate the wetting temperature of the second order (continuous) wetting transition. Some selected other methods of determination of the wetting temperature are also discussed.


Using the density functional theory (DFT) we have investigated how Ag and Cu atoms, substitutional to Ce, arrange themselves within Ceria (CeO2) and their effect on the ceria lattice, the oxidation states of the metal atoms, and the oxygen vacancy formation energies. Noble metal doped ceria has been proposed in substitution of platinum for a number of catalytic reactions. We have considered single noble metal atoms substituting Ce atoms in the (111) CeO2 surface unit cell, and investigated the thermodynamic stability of few configurations of one, two, and four Ag or Cu atoms in the unit cell. We have found that the noble metal atoms prefer to be located in the cation layer closer to the surface. An interesting result is that Cu causes a strong lattice distortion contrary to Ag. Ag, instead, causes a stronger reduction (oxygen loss) than Cu, since the electrons released in the oxygen vacancy formation are transferred mainly to Ag atoms, whose oxidation state tends towards +1, their preferred one, as found experimentally. In the Cu doped ceria, instead, part of the electrons reduces cerium atoms from +4 to +3 since Cu tends to stay in the +2 oxidation state, its preferred one. When we increase the concentration of Ag and Cu, substituting four Ce atoms, the noble metal atoms prefer to sit closer to each other, forming structural motifs resembling those typical of the Ag2O and CuO oxides.


Overexpression of squamous cell carcinoma antigen 1 (SCCA1) in hepatitis G2 (HepG2) and Chinese hamster ovary cells can increase hepatitis B virus (HBV) binding capacity by interacting with the preS1 domain of the HBV surface antigen. However, the magnitude of increase in binding capacity was higher by several orders in the former, indicating the existence of additional factor(s) produced by HepG2 cells, which facilitates HBV attachment. Ferritin light chain (FTL) was identified as the sole high hit candidate by screening human liver cDNA library using a bacterial two-hybrid system with either preS or SCCA1 as the bait. Subsequent in vitro protein–protein interaction assays confirmed the binding activity of FTL to both preS and SCCA1, as well as the formation of triple complex preS-FTL-SCCA1, and narrowed down the binding sites on FTL. In vitro overexpression of FTL could further enhance HBV attachment in both HepG2 and Chinese hamster ovary cells, which were already overexpressing SCCA1. Importantly, in vivo co-expression of human FTL and SCCA1 in mouse liver by means of tailvein hydrodynamic injection increased serum levels of HBV surface antigen transiently 24 hours post challenge with HBV-positive human sera, and a large amount of HBV core antigen-positive hepatocytes around blood vessels could be identified by immunohistochemical staining 48 hours post challenge. The data strongly suggest that FTL and SCCA1 may serve as coreceptors in HBV cellular attachment and virus entry into hepatocytes.


Cognitive reserve (CR) is the capacity to cope with cognitive impairments due to brain damage by neurological disease. CR is increased by intellectually enriching activities, such as education, occupation, and leisure. After brain tumor resection, patients show working memory impairment because of damage to fronto-parietal networks, such as the superior longitudinal fascicle (SLF). To date, whether occupational experience represented as CR impacts postoperative working memory impairment in patients with frontal lobe tumors remains unknown. We hypothesized that occupational experience predicted postoperative working memory and that higher damage in the SLF was associated with poorer working memory. We enrolled 27 patients who had undergone tumor resection. Patient's occupational experience was estimated using an occupational complexity index based on a dictionary of occupational titles. Working memory was measured using verbal and spatial working memory tasks. Our results showed that patients who had engaged in more complex occupations showed higher performance of postoperative working memory, which supported the previous CR hypothesis. In conclusion, CR has protective effects against working memory impairment in patients with frontal lobe tumors. CR measures, such as occupational experience, will help more accurately predict the severity of working memory deficits and the likelihood of recovery in the postoperative period.


Life and living systems requires the existence of information. It is no doubt difficult to understand how this information could have spontaneously emerged in the first living cells. In fact spontaneous random association of molecules cannot give birth to information exactly as the random association of letters has a poor probability to generate a word. The idea developed in this paper is that the information required for the building up of the ?primordial cell? does not originate from the association of molecules xi, with p(xi), probability of occurrence, but from the association of xi, molecules possessing conditional probabilities p(xi?yj,yk....). As will be shown in the paper, such a situation implies that molecules of conditional probabilities p(xi?yj,yk....) do not associate randomly but should follow an order defined by the nature of these conditional probabilities. As a conditional information, , is associated with the corresponding conditional probability of occurrence it follows that a sequence of conditional probabilities possesses a global information. Moreover the system can spontaneously generate an information if h(xi?yj,yk....) < h(xi). Hence the global information could have been generated through the ?coupling? of many of these individual mathematical uncertainties. The problem discussed in the present paper is precisely the converse of a transfer of information from a source to a destination in a communication channel, which has been extensively studied but the emergence of new information in a system.


The current thesis is about over-the-air (OTA) performance characterization of wireless terminals in rich isotropic multipath (RIMP) environment as well as in pure line-of-sight (LOS) environment while not ignoring the random positions and orientations of the mobile terminals due to randomness of the user. The latest mobile wireless terminals such as iPhone and iPad can be used in any random position and orientation thereby making the received LOS-component to
appear as a random voltage at the antenna ports. The terms such as "RIMP" and "Random-LOS" are coined to represent two limiting environments for OTA performance characterization of mobile terminals. The RIMP environment is emulated by reverberation chambers while pure-LOS is emulated by anechoic chambers. Mobile terminals are mostly used in multipath environments, e.g. indoor environments and therefore the focus of this thesis is about measuring
and simulating diversity gains, channel capacity, and throughput of wireless devices in a RIMP environment. The papers [A-D] discuss some work related to using RIMP as a reference environment and study convergence of diversity gains and capacity.

The reverberation chamber has been used to measure both passive antennas and complete active wireless devices for many years. Recently, the active measurements of Long Term Evolution (LTE) or 4G devices have become very important in order to test implemented Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) diversity and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology. Features such as adaptable modulation scheme, system bandwidth, coding rate, and
diversity have made communication system more robust and adaptable to the environment. A theory to estimate the OTA throughput of LTE devices including the diversity gains due to MIMO and OFDM is presented and tested for different LTE system bandwidths and coherence bandwidths in papers [E-H].

During the last few years, we have developed multipath environment simulation tools to study convergence, to validate measurements in RIMP, and to study other multipath environments for comparison. Most of the work in this thesis is based on these simulation tools i.e. Rayleigh-lab and ViRM-lab. A section of many listed papers discuss about these simulation tools.

At Chalmers University, a multiport ultra-wideband (UWB) bow-tie antenna has been designed and developed during last few years. The OTA performance characterization of this antenna has been done by measurements and simulations in RIMP environment. The results are discussed in papers [I-J].

The OTA performance characterization of single-port mobile terminals has been studied for several years now. Today, we have LTE mobile terminals with multiport antennas which must be be characterized for OTA environments. The OTA performance characterization of a two-port mobile phone mockup on both sides of the head following standardized talk positions is presented and discussed in papers [K-L].

The OTA performance of a compact UWB antenna developed for mobile phone applications at Linkoping University is discussed in paper M. The antenna covers all important bands such as GSM, UMTS, LTE, Bluetooth, and WLAN, etc.

Keywords: OTA, RIMP, Rayleigh, reverberation chamber, random LOS, LTE, MIMO.


Abstract Vacuum-assisted abdominal closure (VAAC) has evolved as a promising method for treatment of emergent surgical patients. The aim of the study was an assessment of the complication rate and outcomes following routine application of VAAC in a cohort of patients suffering predominantly with peritonitis of the lower gastrointestinal tract (GIT) origin. The prospectively collected data was analysed retrospectively, including demographic data, aetiological factors, comorbid conditions and severity of the disease. The indications for VAAC included complicated intra-abdominal infection, purulent peritonitis with sepsis and/or risk of increased intra-abdominal pressure. In total, 130 patients were managed with VAAC. The median age was 63.5 years, with a predominance of male patients (61.5%). Systemic inflammatory response was present in 68.5%, the median C-reactive protein (CRP) was 239.58 mg/l, Procalcitonin (PCT) level 7.02 ng/ml, and lactate 1.84 mmol/l before intervention. The median Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score was 4 and the Mannheim Peritonitis Index was 26. Sepsis developed in 87.0% of patients, and 43.8% had septic shock. VAAC was applied in 58.5% due to a perforation of the lower GIT, in 26.1% due to perforation of the upper GIT, and in 15.4% for other reasons. A median of two (interquartile range, IQR 1–3) VAAC system changes were performed in a period of 7 (IQR 4–11) days. In 88.6% of cases, multiple types of microorganisms were present. The application of VAAC resulted in a significant decrease of the postoperative SOFA score, and CRP, PCT and lactate levels (p < 0.001). The complications included a "frozen abdomen", enterocutaneous fistula, intraabdominal abscess and bleeding in 7.7%, 5.4% and 6.0% cases, respectively. Primary abdominal closure was accomplished in 76.2%, resulting in a 23.1% mortality rate. VAAC was found to be safe in the treatment of abdominal sepsis including in patients with faecal peritonitis. Complete abdominal closure can be achieved in the majority of patients resulting in a lower mortality rate.


Windows are one of the thermally weakest parts of a building envelope and climate change is becoming an increasingly important parameter in evaluating the energy performance of buildings. This study investigated the effect of various window configurations on the energy behaviour of school buildings in three cities in Turkey based on climate change, orientation, glazing type and window size. Detailed parametric simulations were used and the results were compared in accordance with ISO 18292. The simulations indicate that the contribution of windows to cooling loads is highest when the value of the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) is high and its contribution increases due to climate change. The U-value of glazing is not as significant as the value of the SHGC for cooling. Orientation and window size are other important parameters that affect the energy performance of windows. In addition, in terms of energy costs and performance, it is more efficient for a building to be orientated in south or north dire...


Phytoremediation is becoming a cost-effective technology for the in-situ clean up of sites polluted with Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants (HOCs). The major factors limiting phytoremediation are the mass transfer, rate of plant uptake and microbial biodegradation of HOCs. To evaluate the potential of surfactants to enhance phytoremediation for HOC-contaminated sites, the efficacy of Sudan grass ( Sorghum sudanense ), at the absence or presence of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80), on the degradation of pyrene in soils were investigated and mechanisms of Surfactant-Enhanced Phytoremediation (SEPR) were discussed. Results showed that the presence of Tween 80 enhanced dissipation of pyrene at initial contents ranging from 20.24 to 321.42 mg/kg. During the 70-d SEPR-experiments, about 801.84~539.99‰ of pyrene was removed from planted soils, only 242.28~122.79‰ degradation of pyrene occurred in unplanted ones. With the presence of Tween 80, the dissipation ratios of pyrene in planted ones were increased up to 863.94~609.63‰, which was 77.27~129.14‰ higher than those in corresponding soils without surfactant. Among all possible pathways, contribution of plant-microbial interactions on dissipation of pyrene was the most significant, either at the presence (456.73‰) or absence (515.58‰) of Tween 80, were the primary means of contaminant degradation. Results suggested SEPR may be a feasible way for reinforcing removal of HOCs in contaminated sites.


This study investigates how two existing pan-tropical above-ground biomass (AGB) maps (Saatchi 2011, Baccini 2012) can be combined to derive forest ecosystem specific carbon estimates. Several data-fusion models which combine these AGB maps according to their local correlations with independent datasets such as the spectral bands of SPOT VEGETATION imagery are analyzed. Indeed these spectral bands convey information about vegetation type and structure which can be related to biomass values. Our study area is the island of Borneo. The data-fusion models are evaluated against a reference AGB map available for two forest concessions in Sabah. The highest accuracy was achieved by a model which combines the AGB maps according to the mean of the local correlation coefficients calculated over different kernel sizes. Combining the resulting AGB map with a new Borneo land cover map (whose overall accuracy has been estimated at 86.5%) leads to average AGB estimates of 279.8 t/ha and 233.1 t/ha for forests and degraded forests respectively. Lowland dipterocarp and mangrove forests have the highest and lowest AGB values (305.8 t/ha and 136.5 t/ha respectively). The AGB of all natural forests amounts to 10.8 Gt mainly stemming from lowland dipterocarp (66.4%), upper dipterocarp (10.9%) and peat swamp forests (10.2%). Degraded forests account for another 2.1 Gt of AGB. One main advantage of our approach is that, once the best fitting data-fusion model is selected, no further AGB reference dataset is required for implementing the data-fusion process. Furthermore, the local harmonization of AGB datasets leads to more spatially precise maps. This approach can easily be extended to other areas in Southeast Asia which are dominated by lowland dipterocarp forest, and can be repeated when newer or more accurate AGB maps become available.


The author describes her project as an engendered structuralist approach to the analysis of Turkish women's ritual. It is situated within a critique of the interac tion of gender and sexuality with orientalist racism and rationalist structures of Western knowledge as represented in anthropological narratives of the Middle East. The book begins with an analysis of the politics of action characterizing 19th-century European travelers' accounts and portraits of the Middle East and argues that women and sexuality are central to a Western construction of the orient. Men, in this view, "mapped'' a feminized orient and "cannibalized" the oriental identity by incorporating it through adoption of local dress and customs without relinquishing their position as powerful Other. European women, on the other hand, either conformed outwardly to local custom as a bid for acceptance or emulated the European male role in an attempt to partake of male power denied them at home.


Sir James Edward Smith (born 2 December 1759, died 17 March 1828) made many valuable contributions to the field of science, notably on taxonomy of plants and insects. Sir James is the sole taxonomic author of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), and numerous other American insects. Many 20th century and earlier writers have erroneously attributed the taxonomic authorship of the fall armyworm and other insects to Smith and Abbott because they are co-authors of a 1797 publication describing those insects. However, the preface of that publication, as well as notes by Abbott, indicates that Smith was responsible for the systematic names therein. James Smith was the first president of the Linnaean Society of London. During his long active life, Smith published over 3,000 articles. The 1992 Fall Armyworm Symposium is dedicated to Sir James Edward Smith.


In this study, the effect of various welding parameters on the weldability of Mild Steel specimens having dimensions 50mm× 40mm× 6 mm welded by metal arc welding were investigated. The welding current, arc voltage, welding speed, heat input rate are chosen as welding parameters. The depth of penetrations were measured for each specimen after the welding operation on closed butt joint and the effects of welding speed and heat input rate parameters on depth of penetration were investigated.


Multiblock copolymers are envisioned as promising materials with enhanced properties and functionality compared with their diblock/triblock counterparts. However, the current approaches can construct multiblock copolymers with a limited number of blocks but tedious procedures. Here, we report a thioester-relayed in-chain cascade copolymerization strategy for the easy preparation of multiblock copolymers with on-demand blocks, in which thioester groups with on-demand numbers are built in the polymer backbone by controlled/living polymerizations. These thioester groups further serve as the in-chain initiating centers to trigger the acyl group transfer ring-opening polymerization of episulfides independently and concurrently to extend the polymer backbone into multiblock structures. The compositions, number of blocks, and block degree of polymerization can be easily regulated. This strategy can offer easy access to a library of multiblock copolymers with ~100 blocks in only 2 to 4 steps.


Adolescent girls incarcerated in a state reformatory (N = 246) were recruited and assigned to an 18-session health education program or a time-equivalent HIV prevention program. Cohorts were assigned to conditions using a randomized block design separated by a washout period to reduce contamination. Post intervention, girls in the HIV risk reduction program demonstrated the acquisition of risk-reduction behavioral skills and improved condom application skill. At a follow-up assessment approximately 9 months after release from the correctional facility, girls in both conditions reported fewer unprotected sexual intercourse occasions and less sex while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.


An industrial standard steel ball plate of dimension 420 mm with 25 ceramic balls in a 5 × 5 arrangement was circulated among 12 European NMIs. The measurement task was the calibration of the centres of the 25 balls. The measurements were conducted between 2004 and 2006. One NMI withdrew from the comparison. The other 11 NMIs measured the ball plate and delivered data. The artifact was found to be stable during the duration of the comparison. For the analysis both the deviations from the KCRV and the En numbers were calculated. Most results agreed very well within the claimed uncertainty. A few results showed some larger deviations, e.g. length periodic modulations of the differences from the KCRV which still were within the claimed uncertainty, but might be a basis for some optimization of the measurement process. However, because of the significant length of time between the measurements and the final report, the optimization was already completed in most cases. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCL, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).


We realise Buchweitz and Flenner's semiregularity map (and hence a fortiori Bloch's semiregularity map) for a smooth variety X as the tangent of generalised Abel-Jacobi map on the derived moduli stack of perfect complexes on X. The target of this map is an analogue of Deligne cohomology defined in terms of cyclic homology, and Goodwillie's theorem on nilpotent ideals ensures that it has the desired tangent space (a truncated de Rham complex).
Immediate consequences are the semiregularity conjectures: that the semiregularity maps annihilate all obstructions, and that if X is deformed, semiregularity measures the failure of the Chern character to remain a Hodge class. This gives rise to reduced obstruction theories of the type featuring in the study of reduced Gromov-Witten and Donaldson-Thomas Pandharipande-Thomas invariants.


Hazards assessments and accompanying accident and human health and risk calculations are routinely done to establish Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) boundaries for facilities managing hazardous and/or radioactive materials. This paper reviews the underlying US DOE guidance, assesses the degree of conformance to the guidance in recent hazards assessments performed to support selection of EPZ boundaries, and compares the consistency of the accident analysis approaches and underlying key assumptions. Recommendations are made on the basis of these reviews, as well as from knowledge of the approaches used in safety assessments performed in support of safety analysis reports (SARs) and environmental impact statements (EISs).


Time reversal (TR) of body waves in fluids and isotropic solids has been used in many applications including ultrasonic NDE. However, the study of the TR method for anisotropic materials is not well established. In this paper, the full reconstruction of the input signal is investigated for anisotropic media using an analytical formulation, called a modular Gaussian beam (MGB) model. The time reversal operation of this model in the frequency domain is done by taking the complex conjugate of the Gaussian amplitude and phase received at the TR mirror position. A narrowband reference signal having a particular frequency and number of cycles is then multiplied and the whole signal is inverse Fourier transformed. The original input signal is seen to be fully restored by the TR process of MGB model and this model can be more generalized to simulate the spatial and temporal focusing effects due to TR process in anisotropic materials.


To detect signs of axonal damage in MS, the authors investigated the occurrence in EMG of motor unit action potentials with satellite potentials (SP-MUAP) in the upper limb muscles in 10 consecutive patients with MS with cervical spinal cord demyelinating lesions and 10 control subjects. Subjects' SP-MUAP rate was 0 to 2.5% (median 0%) in the control group, and 0 to 17.5% (median 7.5%) in the MS group (p < 0.01). Motor unit remodeling secondary to axonal transection of spinal motor neurons traversing cervical demyelinating lesions may be hypothesized.


Cathelicidins constitute important antimicrobial peptides of innate immunity. In order to elucidate the evolutionary history of cathelicidins, the author performed comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of cathelicidin homologs in all available genomes including those completed recently. The organization of cathelicidin genes, as well as the secondary and tertiary structures of the inferred proteins are conserved. Based on integrated genomic, structural, and functional data, the author identified the last common ancestor of the cathelicidin family in lampreys, thus tracing the evolutionary origin of cathelicidins 550 million years ago. The author's data suggest that cathelicidins arose concordantly with the adaptive immune system, a new organismal function first acquired in lampreys. The appearance of cathelicidins at the junction of innate and adaptive immunity may explain their dual roles as signal transducing molecules and as antimicrobial peptide precursors. Conserved regulatory elements associated with functions of the immune system were identified in cathelicidin gene promoter sequences invariably from fishes to humans.


The origins of the war film, 1897-1902 In this thesis I present the first detailed treatment of war and early cinema, describing the representation of conflicts in film from the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 through the Spanish-American War, Boer War, and others up to about 1902. I show that in attempting to cover these events, early filmmakers faced a difficult task, for warfare at the end of the nineteenth century was changing, relying more on defence and concealment and less on highly visible offensives; there was also increasing regulation and censorship of reporting. With the new tactics making battle less visible, and with increasing official controls, how could wars be represented on film? Surprisingly, in just half a decade, filmmakers found ways to cope, by developing new 'genres' of films such as acted fakes, and new exhibition strategies, and in these ways managed to present wars to the public of the time fairly effectively.


Experimental measurements of W, the average energy required to create an ion pair when a charged particle is stopped in a gas, are reported for protons in the energy region around 2.5 MeV for two gases. The first gas is a mixture with atomic composition intended to make it equivalent to A-150 plastic, and whose use has been advocated in place of the more conventional tissue-equivalent gas. The measured proton W values are compared with an estimate of Wn for this gas in an A-150 plastic ionisation chamber, where Wn is the effective W value for all the secondary particles, including protons, which are produced by neutron irradiation of such a system. The second gas is argon, and the present data are compared with previously published results for protons in this gas.


Chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) is a disorder of mineral and bone metabolism due to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Bone disease and mortality are more common in patients with CKD. In addition of antidiabetic properties of metformin (MET), it possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic properties and increases the markers of osteogenic effects. Therefore, it improves bone quality and decreases the risk of fractures in patients with type 2 diabetes. Metformin can also inhibit arterial calcification, maintain calcium-phosphorus balance, decrease cellular infiltration, fibrosis, and inflammation in kidney. Based on evidence, the prevalence of lactic acidosis due to metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and renal dysfunction is lower compared to other oral antidiabetic agents. Metformin decreases all-cause mortality in patients with diabetic nephropathy. The administration of metformin showed no difference in the prevalence of lactic acidosis in patients with T2D who had normal, mild, moderate, or severe renal dysfunction. Therefore, metformin can be used in patients with significant CKD to inhibit CKD-MBD due to its osteogenic effects.


The transmission of a c.w. laser beam focussed in a high-temperature cell containing sodium and a noble gas is found to exhibit oscillations with a time constant of the order of 1 min. The observation of the fluorescence suggests that a laser-induced plasma is created during the phase of large absorption. We think that the effect can be related to the intrinsic bistable character of this system.


Advanced Train Control Systems (ATCS) bring economic benefit to railroads through the automation of existing procedures and the provision of new features. Many of these benefits are realized through integration of ATCS with the railroads' management information systems (MIS). The integration of ATCS with MIS poses technical challenges to both the ATCS community and the MIS community. The ATCS and MIS must adopt compatible data communication protocols. ATCS must be able to adapt to changes in the MIS community--among them, a move toward distributed and diverse systems. Being able to adapt to these diverse systems may require adapting ATCS protocol standards. The interface protocols must also provide for appropriate implementation of security procedures. The procedures must be provided to prevent breeches of security in either the MIS or the ATCS. This is necessary because of the sensitive business nature of MIS data and because of the safety-critical nature of some ATCS functions. Another technical challenge is the formulation of an appropriate strategy for distribution of information throughout combined ATCS-MIS. This strategy must account for the fact that ATCS have limited capacity for data transmission and that MIS applications share that capacity with other ATCS applications. Overloading ATCS data networks can seriously degrade the operational benefits that are the prime benefits of ATCS.