OBJECTIVE
Patients with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of fragility fractures; the cause is unclear but is likely multifactorial. Some diabetes treatments induce bone loss, accentuating underlying skeletal fragility and increasing fracture risk. This subgroup analysis aimed to compare long-term effects of liraglutide and glimepiride on bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with type 2 diabetes.

METHODS
LEAD-3, a 52-week, double-blind, active-control, phase III, multicenter trial, investigated the efficacy of liraglutide (1.2 and 1.8 mg/day) versus glimepiride monotherapy in type 2 diabetes. A 52-week, open-label extension followed, in which participants remained on randomized therapy. A subgroup of participants underwent BMD measurement by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at baseline, 52, and 104 weeks. The main outcome measure was change from baseline in total body BMD at 52 and 104 weeks, assessed by analysis of covariance.

RESULTS
A total of 746 patients with type 2 diabetes aged 19 to 79 years were randomized into the main trial. Of these, 61 patients (20 assigned to liraglutide 1.8 mg/day, 23 to liraglutide 1.2 mg/day, 18 to glimepiride 8 mg/day) had BMD measurements. Baseline age, body mass index, diabetes duration, glycated hemoglobin, and total BMD were similar across treatment groups. There was no apparent difference in mean total BMD change from baseline in patients receiving liraglutide 1.8 or 1.2 mg/day or glimepiride 8 mg/day at 52 or 104 weeks.

CONCLUSION
In this small subgroup analysis, liraglutide monotherapy did not negatively affect total BMD in a 2-year prospective study, suggesting it may not exacerbate the consequences of bone fragility.


There is no doubt that churches are proliferating in Nigerian cities and church-going has become a popular culture. Mostly male, pastors are sacrosanct and unaccountable, just as their living standards far outweigh those of their members. In their domination of the contemporary Church in Nigeria, male pastors reproduce and use popular but subjective social images of women to apprehend female pastors. In terms of publicity, printed posters are the most prolific media churches employ. Yet, on these same posters, male pastors differentiate themselves and subordinate female pastors by using graphic principles of layout and visual placement of women's pictures vis-à-vis theirs. That the Church is male-dominated is clearly not in question. This paper interrogates how this domination is played out and the roles women are playing in re-presenting themselves in dominated church spaces. Using data from fieldwork, this paper analyses the image of women in Nigerian church posters, the vast collection of practices built around religious domination and the roles female pastors are playing in re-representing women in the Nigerian religious space.


Tourism in Moscow after the 'Perestroika' transformations Moscow seems indeed to be a centre of world tourism. On the one hand, its tourism attractiveness for Russians and foreigners, as well as the wide opportunities it offers to its own inhabitants, stimulates trips for tourism and recreational purposes. On the other hand, it is determined by a number of historical, geographical, demographic, geopolitical, economic and socio-cultural factors.


In this interview Prof. Emily Holmes addresses some of the most recent developments in the area of experimental psychopathology. At the core of her interest for this field stands a pervasive preoccupation for unpacking the importance of the imaginary in terms of our mental functioning and, in particular, the relationship between the mental imagery and emotion. Prof. Holmes explores, in this context, several important issues for academics and practitioners alike, from methodological aspects to the broader concern for making research results directly applicable and disseminating them effectively to different groups and audiences. In this respect much can be learned from Prof. Holmes's career trajectory and, towards the end, she offers students and early career researchers some valuable advice about the importance of curiosity and passion for science in succeeding as a researcher, as a psychologist and, overall, as a successful "academic citizen".


Among the significant influences of the new information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the educational system is the emergence of the computer-based test (CBT) which now exists side by side, and in some instances, has replaced the traditional pen and paper method of examination. The introduction of CBT in the JAMB Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and its use in post-UTME tests by various higher institutions have now made ICT literacy critical for one's academic progression beyond the secondary school level. Therefore, this study examined readiness for Computer-Based Tests (CBT) among public secondary school students in Anambra State, Nigeria in terms of acquiring the requisite ICT literacy. Situated within the framework of the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, the study adopted the survey method.A sample of 659 respondents was selected from public secondary school students in the state. Data analysis employed simple percentages and Pearson chi-square test. Findings showed that to a significant extent, students in public secondary schools in Anambra State were aware of the relevance of ICT literacy for their participation in external examinations. However, a significant number of the students were yet to take steps to acquire ICT literacy in readiness for computer-based tests (CBTs). The rate of actual readiness for such tests was low among the students. Factors influencing readiness for CBT among the students were gender, age, school type (boys, girls or coeducational), school location (urban versus rural), school-based computer training, availability of computer at students' homes and attending of outside-school computer coaching. It was concluded that many students in Anambra State public schools who participate in computer-based tests (CBTs) appear to acquire the required ICT skills only after they have left school, a situation that may not be very healthy given that early preparation is more likely to enhance better performance. The study recommended, among others, that school-based computer training should be enhanced by way of procurement of equipment and employment of computer literate teachers in order to enable schools provide such training on a regular basis to students which will enhance their readiness for computer-based tests (CBT). Keywords: Computer Based Test (CBT), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), ICT Literacy, External Examination, Public Secondary Schools, Secondary School Students, Readiness. DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/97-01 Publication date: August 31 st 2021


Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas constitute a rare category of non-Hodgkin lymphomas, which may involve the heart in the timeline of their natural course as an infrequent picture with a poor prognosis. Syncope, either due to outflow obstruction or conduction block, is also an uncommon presentation of cardiac metastasis. We herein describe a 35-year-old man, who presented with weight loss, dyspnea of 6 months' duration, an indolent skin ulcer in the left flank, lower limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and recurrent syncope. He underwent implantation of a permanent pacemaker due to a complete heart block and received anticoagulants for the DVT. Skin biopsy demonstrated a T-cell lymphoma. The syncopal episodes ceased thereafter. Echocardiography and computed tomography scan revealed cardiac metastasis, which responded to systemic chemotherapy. In the first follow-up visit after 3 months, he was still pacemaker-dependent. However, the DVT was partially resolved, and the symptoms had disappeared.


M87 has one of the largest angular size black holes known. It also has a bright jet that is well resolved across the jet near the core using high frequency VLBI. As such it is the best object to observe to study the launch region of jets where the physical sizes of structures of interest scale with the gravitational radius. Modern numerical simulations suggest that the jet formation extends over 100-1000 Rs. M87 has been observed with a resolution of about 60 Rs at 43 GHz with the VLBA every 3 weeks through 2007, and every 5 days between January and April 2008. A preliminary movie, made from the first 11 observations in 2007, shows fast (~2c) and complex motions in an edge brightened structure with a wide opening angle at the base.


A variational problem for three-dimensional (3D) classical lattice models is considered with trial state given by two-dimensional (2D) uniform product of local variational weights. This approach, the tensor product variational approach (TPVA), has been applied to 3D classical models (the Ising and the Potts models). We consider a way of estimating the magnetic critical exponent $\beta$ for the simple 3D Ising model assuming a functional form of the spontaneous magnetization in the off critical region, where the TPVA provides reliable data.


On the basis of the demand side and the supply side, the paper respectively analyzed how novel Coronavirus affected Chinese economy: the weak demand caused the demand curve to move to the left, equilibrium output decreased and equilibrium price decreased. Due to the reduction of labor costs, enterprises have the incentive to increase production capacity at the production end. However, when the price is lower than the average variable cost of enterprises, the number of bankruptcies in the society starts to increase. One of the immediate causes of the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, which led to GDP growth of -6.8% in the first quarter of 2020, is a lack of consumption. Therefore, it is suggested that the government can appropriately reduce consumption tax and issue consumption vouchers, to improve consumer confidence and increase output. The ARIMA model was used to predict economic growth for the next seven quarters.


A number of publications and clinical trials on the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) deal with this arrhythmia as if it represents a single entity. As a result, advances made in recent years have not affected the way AF patients are treated in general practice except, perhaps, for the use of warfarin in anticoagulation. Therefore, there is a need for a classification system and for uniformity in the nomenclature used. The two terms currently used to describe AF, paroxysmal and chronic, require a time frame. It is proposed that if an AF episode lasts longer than 7 days, the condition should be considered chronic. For the first symptomatic, non-self-terminating episode that is fewer than 7 days long, the term recent onset AF may be used, or recent discovery if the AF is asymptomatic or if the duration cannot be determined. Attacks of paroxysmal AF may differ in their duration, frequency, and functional tolerance. In the classification system described, three clinical aspects of paroxysmal AF were isolated in such a way as to have implications for therapy. This classification system was found to be useful for characterizing different subsets of patients with AF.


Will printed labels survive prolonged immersion in collection fluids, and, if so, which printing system is preferable: inkjet, laser, or thermal transfer printing? In a world with a wide variety of printers, printing substrates, and printer technologies, the interactions between them very likely affect long-term label preservation in the chemical environment of the preservation fluid. In fluid-preserved collections, the main issues frequently encountered with labels include delamination, abrasion, fading, and disintegration during immersion in solutions such as ethanol and formaldehyde aqueous solution (widely known under the commercial name formalin). Very few publications have presented testing procedures assessing the behavior and stability of printed matter immersed in the types of solvents used in fluid-based collections. This article presents a series of experiments set up at the National Natural History Collections at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to test a variety of museum labels. The tests compared labels actually used in different natural history collections and included labels from both thermal transfer and inkjet printers. All were subjected to accelerated aging and mechanical abrasion. In our series of tests, inkjet labels gave the best performance.


Zika virus (ZIKV) specific neutralizing antibodies hold a great promise for antibody-based interventions and vaccine design against ZIKV infection. However, their development in infected patients remain unknown. Here, we report on the dynamic development of a potent and protective ZIKV-specific human antibody ZK2B10 initially isolated from a ZIKV convalescent individual using next-generation sequencing (NGS). The unbiased repertoire analysis showed dramatic changes in many families of heavy and light chain variable regions. However, lineage tracing of ZK2B10 revealed limited somatic hypermutation throughout the 12 months since the onset of symptom. In particular, NGS-derived germline-like somatic variants neutralized and protected mice from lethal challenge of ZIKV without detectable cross-reactivity with Dengue virus (DENV). Site-directed mutagenesis identified two residues within λ chain, N31 and S91 that are essential to the functional maturation. The dynamic features unveiled here will assist us to better understand the pathogenesis of ZIKV infection and inform rational design of vaccines. Author summary Recently emerged ZIKV is associated with severe neurological complications such as Guillain–Barré syndrome in adults and congenital microcephaly in newborns. No ZIKV-specific therapeutics or vaccines are currently available. We and others have identified a number of neutralizing antibodies capable of protecting experimental animals from ZIKV infection. However, the development of these potent antibodies during ZIKV natural infection remains unknown. Here, we report on the longitudinal analysis of one such antibody ZK2B10 using next-generation sequencing (NGS), bioinformatics and functional analysis. We found that the ZK2B10 germline-like antibodies possess strong neutralizing activity in vitro and impressive protectivity against lethal ZIKV infection in vivo. These findings suggest that the potent and protective antibody response against ZIKV can be generated within relative short term with high germline identity which provide great hope and promise for successful vaccine development against ZIKV.


Abstract Granulocytic sarcomas, or extramedullary collections of immature leukemic cells, are observed in a small precentage of myeloid leukemias. The t(8;21) seems to have a higher association with granulocytic sarcoma. Although patients with t(8;21) generally have a more favorable prognosis, the presence of these sarcomas makes their course less favorable. We report a case of a woman with acute myeloid leukemia M2 who presented with 5 sites of extramedullary involvement including pleural fluid involvement which is exceedingly rare. She presented with weakness and shortness of breath. She was initially evaluated and treated for an upper respiratory tract infection. Later work-up revealed the presence of circulating blasts on peripheral blood smear. Bone marow biopsy showed 100% cellularity with blast forms comprising > 80% of those. A computed tomography scan was done, which showed a paratracheal mass, an anterior mediastinal mass, a perinephric soft tissue density and a pleural effusion which was positive for malignant cells by cytology. A superior extraconal mass was found in the left orbit on magnetic resonance imaging. The patient received induction chemotherapy after which repeat scans have shown a resolution of the pleural effusion and improvement in the size of the other granulocytic sarcoma. A review of granulocytic sarcomas shows that they can occur in numerous anatomic sites. There appears to be an association with the neural cell adhesion molecule CD56. The prognosis is worse in those with granulocytic sarcoma. Stem cell transplantation is considered an early option thought not clearly defined at this point.


Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multisystem autoimmune disease of unknown etiology that most frequently involves the skin and the musculoskeletal system. In addition to the more common cutaneous manifestations, interstitial granulomatous dermatitis (IGD) may rarely occur in association with SLE or even be the first sign of the disease. We describe a 40-year-old man with SLE-associated IGD, and review all cases of SLE-associated IGD in the literature.


Electronmicroscopic examinations - analogous to those of the previous investigation [4] - suggest a relatively good interlocking of the adhesive with the conditioned dental enamel. In the demineralized microsections, clear differences are found among the strands of resin, in the light microscope. While they reach a length of 10 to 20 mum after UV light polymerisation, they become 100 to 200 mum long after exposure to laser light. First advantages resulting from these experiments are explained and critically discussed.


The objective of this paper is to first briefly explain the theories and results from previous works on the relationship between health and economic growth. Then based on the theories, I examine if the results found in those papers apply when running regressions using totally different types of variables in the current member countries of the European Union for the period of 1995-2004.The main result is that there is a positive relationship between real gross domestic product and hospital discharges due to circulatory system disease, i.e. the faster the economy of a country grows the faster does the number of hospital discharges grow as well. This is analogous with the earlier results showing diminishing positive linkage between GDP per capita and health, which can even turn negative for the highestincome countries. I also found that the growth rate of the real GDP is not related to the growth rates of mental disorders incidence or hospital discharges due to ischaemic heart disease.


Zygomycosis is a rare fungal infection usually found in immunocompromised patients. It is a rapidly progressing infection with a high mortality rate. Our report describes an unusual case of rhinofacial zygomycosis due to Cunninghamella sp. in an immunocompetent patient, who presented with a slowly progressive swelling of the left cheek. An interrupted course of amphotericin B treatment caused regression of the lesion. Drug therapy was abandoned due to impairment of renal function. The patient was clinically and radiologically disease free for 2 years following cessation of therapy.


Objective: To determine the serum levels of soluble adhesion molecules in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and to determine whether the levels of these molecules differ between active disease and remission in the same JIA subtype, and whether differences in these levels exist between controls and the three JIA subtypes. Methods: The serum levels of soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 40 patients with JIA (12 systemic, 13 polyarticular, and 15 oligoarticular) who had active disease or were in clinical remission and 16 healthy controls. Differences in the levels of adhesion molecules of the same JIA subtype during different disease activity were determined by the pairedt test, and differences between the disease and control groups were calculated by one way analysis of variance. A value p<0.01 was considered significant. Results: During the same disease stage (active or in remission), systemic JIA was associated with a significantly higher sE-selectin level than the oligoarticular JIA subtype, whereas this was not found for sICAM-1. Although the mean levels of sE-selectin and sICAM-1 in active systemic and polyarticular JIA were higher than those in remission, this did not reach statistical significance. The levels of sE-selectin and sICAM-1 of the three JIA subtypes, in both the active stage and clinical remission, were still significantly higher than in normal controls. Conclusions: Systemic JIA is associated with a higher sE-selectin level than oligoarticular JIA both in active disease and in clinical remission. This may explain why the morbidity of systemic JIA is greater than that of oligoarticular JIA—namely, owing to increased endothelial cell activation. As significantly higher levels of sE-selectin and sICAM-1 were found in the active and remission stages of the three JIA subtypes compared with those in the control group, JIA may recur even when clinical remission has been achieved.


PURPOSE
The objective of this study was to review studies systematically, in which the acute effects of noninvasive ventilatory support (NIVS) during exercise were evaluated in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In addition, a quantitative analysis was performed on the effects of NIVS on exertional dyspnea and exercise endurance.

METHODS
Literature was searched in electronic databases, and by scanning lists of references of studies and abstract books of annual congresses of the American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society. Preliminary data of a study by our own group into the effects of NIVS on exercise endurance in patients with COPD were added. The systematic review was carried out on the basis of a validated methodological screening list. For the quantitative analysis, Glass delta of individual studies were pooled to aggregate a summary effect size.

RESULTS
Fifteen studies were identified. Seven of these studies met the inclusion criteria, including a total of 65 patients with COPD. The methodological quality of the included studies varied from 31% to 54% of the maximum score of 13 points. Statistically significant summary effect sizes were found in the analysis of exertional dyspnea (P <.05) as well as in the analysis of exercise endurance (P <.001), indicating improvements in these outcomes in favor of NIVS.

CONCLUSIONS
The present systematic review suggests that NIVS during exercise may acutely reduce exertional dyspnea and improve exercise endurance, in patients with COPD.


This article introduces to policy studies the concept of valence, which we define as the emotional quality of an idea that makes it more or less attractive. We argue that valence explains why some ideas are more successful than others, sometimes gaining paradigmatic status. A policy idea is attractive when its valence matches the mood of a target population. Skilled policy entrepreneurs use ideas with high valence to frame policy issues and generate support for their policy proposals. The usefulness of the concept of valence is illustrated with the case of sustainability, an idea that has expanded from the realm of environmental policy to dominate discussions in such diverse policy areas as pension reform, public finance, labor markets, and energy security. As the valence of sustainability has increased, policy entrepreneurs have used the idea to reframe problems in these various policy areas and promote reforms.


To the Editor:— In Queries and Notes in a recent issue ofThe Journal(February 14, p. 567) one reads the reply to the disturbing question concerning the safe concentration of sodium sulfathiazole when used in medicating the nasal mucosa. As was so well stated, sodium sulfathiazole is not free of undesirable reactions because of the irritating properties associated with its alkalinity. Aqueous solutions of sodium sulfathiazole vary in p H from 10 to 11 and may become yellow on standing, especially when unprotected from daylight. To obviate the strong alkalinity, irritating properties and deterioration of such solutions, we have dissolved various sulfonamides in propylene glycol ( Modern Hospital 57 :106 [July] 1941; J. Indiana M. A. , to be published in April). The most useful of these propylene glycol preparations have been a 3 per cent solution of sulfathiazole, a 3 per cent solution of sulfapyridine and a 10 per cent


In this interview with Hanneke C. Frese, we explore a few of the issues associated with the practical application of competency models. Hanneke has broad international experience in a number of organizational settings and has observed both the advantages and the challenges of implementing competency frameworks. In addition, we discuss the contribution that competency modeling can make to the firm and areas for future development and application of these models.


This study explored the influence of honesty, cooperation and curiosity on the process of effective learning in school settings. It is speculated that these variables might promote academic success of students and the progress of their schools. The variables were assessed by different t-tests to examine the gender differences among students. The results indicated that male and female Chinese students differed in honesty with girls more honest than boys. They also differed in cooperation with girls more cooperative and boys more competitive. It was also found that males were as curious as females. The influences of honesty, cooperation and curiosity on school achievement were examined by a multiple regression analysis. Results suggested a relative influence of curiosity and honesty on school achievement and revealed that school achievement was not influenced by cooperative learning. Key words: honesty, cooperation, curiosity and achievement. IFE Psychologia Vol.12(2) 2004: 178-188


Virtual worlds are three-dimensional, computer-generated worlds that are a natural extension of the existing Internet. Although many businesses are jumping on the bandwagon to maintain a presence in virtual worlds, there is no well-established knowledge or theory to guide businesses in their involvement in these environments. In this paper, we identify affordances in the virtual worlds that can be used to increase the state of flow experienced in a business virtual site, which in turn may enhance brand equity, or the perceived added value of a brand to customers. We present a conceptual model that can be used to guide future research and industry practice on business implications of the virtual worlds.


Some mechanistic investigations on the photochemical behaviour of 1,2,4-oxadiazoles are reported. Irradiation of 3-benzoylamino-5-methyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole at λ=254 nm in methanol involves excitation of the benzoylamino group chromophore to a triplet state species and induces at 6π electrocyclic closure to a tricyclic intermediate. On the other hand, irradiation of 3-acetylamino-5-phenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole at λ=254 nm involves excitation of a 5-phenyl-substituted oxadiazole chromophore which leads to the photolysis of the ring O-N bond in a singlet state species. Furthermore, irradiation of some selected 5-phenyl substituted oxadiazoles in the presence of a triplet sensitizer produces an excited triplet state species which collapses in a ring closure reaction involving the C 5 -phenyl moiety


In this article I will present two arguments. First, the argument that the time travel television series historically provided viewers with a spectacular temporal and spatial alternative to the routine of everyday life, the regulation of television scheduling, and the small-world confines of domestic subjectivity. Taking the decades of the 1970s and 1980s, predominantly in a UK viewing environment, I will suggest that the special effect rendering of the time travel sequence expanded the viewer's material universe, and affectively wrenched the television set free from the strictures of scheduling and realist programming. Further, the time travel series readily and regularly took the domestic space, the ordinary day and the everyman/person into awesome environments and situations that suggested alternative lifestyles and behaviours, with a different existential tempo and rhythm. At a narrative, thematic, meta-textual, and aesthetically spectacular level, television time travel saw to the wonderful end of the working day. Case studies include Sapphire and Steal, Dr Who, and Quantum Leap. Second, the article will argue that rather than the contemporary time travel television series being an extraordinary alternative to ordinary life, they instead articulate convergence culture, deregulation, multiple channel viewing, and time-shift culture where there is no such thing as an ordinary working day or domestic viewing context.


Humic substances prepared by different techniques of extraction and from different sources of organic materials were tested for their effects on growth of corn seedlings and algae. Stimulating effects were confirmed with optimum concentrations about 5 ppm C as Na-humate for corn and 60 ppm for algae. With corn, the increase was 30 to 50% in nutrient solution or low organic matter soil; with algae, about 100%. Variation of effects among humic acids derived from different organic materials was not great. The concentrations of elements in corn seedlings did not show any correlation with yield or humic acid level except for P and Fe. Phosphorus concentration was increased with increasing levels of humic acid regardless of the yield response. Higher Fe concentration in the plant tops and lower in roots was observed in the treatments with humic acid. The application of humic acid to a soil low in organic matter or to nutrient solution gave the greatest growth response. Application to a high organic matter soil gave little growth response, or even a slightly negative response, indicating that the natural soil, without extraction, supplied optimum amount of humic substances to the plants. It is suggested that a test be developed to predict whether a given soil can furnish an optimum level of humic substances. Different humic substances showed different degrees of stimulation of algal growth, with the most stimulation from a mixture of humic and fulvic acids. Humic substances in paddy soils may affect the growth of beneficial algae and of the rice (Oryza sativa L.) itself. As pollutants, humic substances may stimulate undesirable algal growth in bodies of water.


An 11.5-year-old boy presented with recurrent attacks of hypoglycaemic coma. Endocrine investigations indicated adrenocortical insufficiency secondary to isolated ACTH deficiency, how ACTH and cortisol plasma levels with normal secretory reserve of other anterior pituitary hormones. The absence of ACTH response after corticotropin releasing factor and insulin-induced hypoglycaemia suggested a failure of primary pituitary ACTH-secreting cells. Among other hormone-secreting cells, pituitary cell circulating antibodies were negative. CT scan and MRI failed to reveal any anatomical abnormality of the sella or suprasellar area.


the expression Medical Geography, more than half a century has been used in the united state including geography concepts and issues related to health and disease. Cancer is a major health problem in the world today, one of the important factors influences its prevalence is environment. Stomach cancer, the prevalence of 9/9%, is the second most common cancer in the world, the province is also the third most common cancer incidence. One of the factors affecting this type of cancer is nitrate in drinking water. In the present study using GIS and mapping software, the epicenter of the outbreak of the disease in the province include the Fereydonshahr City with Age Standardized Rate 55.84, Semirom 54.76, Fereidan 44.21. The sex ratio in gastric cancer patients over a 5-year period from 2006 to 2010 in the province 1.56 is the most common age group suffering from this disease are the age group over 70 years. Finally, to find the relationship between nitrate in drinking water and gastric cancer regression in SPSS and statistical methods were used. It showed a positive correlation coefficient R = 0.42 and P =0.05, And expressed particular attention to the reduction of nitrate in drinking water at the center of this disease and it confirmed the investigation of other factors affecting the incidence of gastric cancer .


Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common tachyarrhythmia in the adult population and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. AF can be terminated and sinus rhythm restored by prolonging the action potential duration (APD) and the refractory period. Unfortunately, antiarrhythmic agents that prolong the APD and increase the refractory period via selective inhibition of the rapid delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr), i.e. class III antiarrhythmic drugs, are associated with an increased risk of the ventricular tachycardia Torsades de Pointes. AZD7009 is an antiarrhythmic agent with predominant actions on atrial electrophysiology that shows high antiarrhythmic efficacy and low proarrhythmic potential in animals and man. The aim of the current studies was to characterize the effect of AZD7009 on cardiac ion currents and APD in order to provide a mechanistic explanation for its predominant atrial effects and low proarrhythmic potential. The human cardiac ion channels hERG (IKr), Kv1.5 (IKur), Kv4.3/KChIP2.2 (Ito), KvLQT1/minK (IKs), Kir3.1/Kir3.4 (IKACh) and Nav1.5 (INa) were expressed in mammalian cells. Whole-cell currents were inhibited by AZD7009 with the following IC50 values: hERG 0.6 μM, Nav1.5 8 μM, Kv4.3/KChIP2.2 24 μM, Kv1.5 27 μM, Kir3.1/Kir3.4 166 μM and KvLQT1/minK 193 μM. Whole-cell sodium and calcium currents were recorded in isolated rabbit atrial and ventricular myocytes using amphotericin B perforated patch. The late sodium current in rabbit atrial and ventricular myocytes was inhibited by AZD7009 in a concentration dependent way, with approximately 50% inhibition at 10 μM AZD7009. The L-type Ca 2+ current (ICaL) in rabbit ventricular myocytes was inhibited with an IC50 of 90 μM. Transmembrane action potentials were recorded in tissue pieces from rabbit atrium, ventricle and Purkinje fibre in control, during exposure to the selective IKr blocker E-4031 and to E-4031 in combination with AZD7009. In Purkinje fibres, but not in ventricular tissue, AZD7009 attenuated the E-4031-induced APD prolongation. In contrast, in atrial cells, AZD7009 further prolonged the APD. In addition, AZD7009 was able to suppress early afterdepolarisations (EADs) induced by E-4031 in Purkinje fibre preparations. In conclusion, AZD7009 delays repolarisation and increases refractoriness in atrial tissue through synergistic inhibition of IKr, Ito, IKur and INa, a mixed ion channel blockade that may underlie its high antiarrhythmic efficacy. Inhibition of the late sodium current, counteracting excessive APD prolongation and EADs in susceptible cells (midmyocardial and Purkinje cells), may explain the low proarrhythmic potential of AZD7009.


More than 100 years have passed since the initial description of the postdural puncture headache (PDPH). However, this unique clinical entity still continues to fascinate anesthesiologists, and numerous studies on its pathophysiology, prevention, and treatment, have been published. There is considerable variability in the incidence of PDPH, which is affected by many factors such as age, gender, pregnancy, and needle type and size. The obstetric patient is at particular risk of dural puncture (and the subsequent headache) because of sex, young age, and the widespread application of regional anesthesia. The incidence of epidural needle-induced PDPH in parturients following dural puncture with a large bore needle has been reported to range 76-85%. Although a few measures have been proposed to prevent PDPH (intrathecal injection of saline, insertion of the epidural catheter into the subarachnoid space through the dural hole), none have been shown to work with certainty to date. This article reviews the latest developments (maintaining cerebrospinal fluid volume) aimed at prevention of PDPH.


Molecular semiconductors such as fullerene C60 have become ubiquitous components of organic electronic devices, owing to their electronic structure and favourable material processing properties. In most conjugated polymer-fullerene films that form the active layer in bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells, organisation of the fullerene phases to the correct nanoscale dimensions for exciton charge separation and transportation to the device electrodes is driven by excess fullerene addition. While this approach can deliver acceptable film morphology for a BHJ solar cell, it is not optimal as the photoactive polymer component of the film becomes diluted by C60 thereby reducing device efficiency. This motivates a supramolecular approach as an alternative method to control fullerene assembly and give morphological control of conjugated polymer films. Triptycene (TPC) is a readily available molecule whose rigid paddle wheel structure and hydrophobicity present three excellent C60 binding cavities. Triptycene has the potential to template the macroscopic assembly of fullerene molecules within a polymer-fullerene blend film, thereby controlling phase separation without excess fullerene addition. In this project, the ability of TPC to template the assembly of C60 was investigated in single crystals, polymer films, and in functional electronic devices. Blue-shifted fluorescence from TPC·C60 co-crystals was used as a spectroscopic signature to probe the molecular environment of C60 dispersed through an optically transparent polystyrene polymer film, and confirm that TPC hosts C60 molecules within the polymer matrix. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy of the polystyrene:C60:TPC films confirmed a reduction in the orbital overlap between adjacent C60 molecules providing further evidence that TPC had spatially separated C60 molecules upon templating the macroscopic assembly. When TPC was added to conjugated polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethyhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) and MEHPPV: C60 films as a blend additive, fluorescence spectroscopy identified two unique effects: (1) the suppression of excimer states when TPC spatially separated the conjugated polymer chains, and (2) the assembly of C60 into larger domains to drive polymer and C60 phase separation, giving morphological control of the polymer film. The fabrication of polystyrene:C60:TPC sandwich devices showed the electronic conduction of C60 was unaltered by spatial separation and reduction in electronic coupling between neighbouring C60 molecules caused by TPC templation. MEHPPV: C60 BHJ solar cells suffered a loss in photocurent when TPC was added to the active layer when compared to fabricated devices that used excess fullerene addition to control film morphology. However, due to time constraints, only one polymer film composition was able to be tested. Since the polymer film morphology was shown to be sensitive to the molar ratios of C60 and TPC, there is immense potential to further investigate TPC as a blend additive in conjugated polymer films and optimise the film composition to obtain desirable morphology for a BHJ solar cell. The functionalisation of TPC could provide a method to further enhance interactions between TPC and C60 and provide greater control over C60 self-assembly within a polymer film.


Intentional normovolaemic haemodilution is a blood saving technique which can be performed when major blood loss is expected. Severe coronary artery disease and particularly left main stenosis are considered a contraindication for intentional normovolaemic haemodilution. The effects and complications of limited intentional normovolaemic haemodilution in patients with left main coronary artery stenosis scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting were evaluated. Patients were randomly allocated to two groups: group A (n = 15) underwent limited intentional normovolaemic haemodilution to a haematocrit of 34%; group B(n = 15), no intentional normovolaemic haemodilution was performed. In both groups succinyl‐linked gelatin was used to maintain normovolaemia. Haemodynamic parameters were kept as constant as possible. In group A, a mean (SD) volume of 785 (250) ml of blood was withdrawn [range 500–1200 ml]. ST segment changes occurred on the ECG in three patients in each group. There were no statistically significant differences for frequency, maximum deflection and duration of ST‐segment changes. Limited intentional normovolaemic haemodilution can be performed safely in patients with left main coronary artery stenosis. In this study it was not associated with increased frequency, severity or duration of ST‐segment changes, or with arrhythmias or haemodynamic instability.


Deception is pervasive in today's connected society and is being spread in a multitude of different forms with diverse goals, which we refer to as domains of deception. The most crucial research task in the field of deception is identification of deception, which in most cases involves a machine learning model making the binary classification of Deceptive or Not Deceptive. These classification models are very important as they can help protect the security of an organization by preventing phishing emails from being read, protect online retailers from being flooded with fictitious reviews, and many other tasks depending on the domain of deception they are trained to handle. There has been a fair amount of research focused on the classification of deception, however most research has focused on one domain of deception exclusively. In this work we look at the quality of multiple datasets across different domains of deception, investigate the traces that deception may leave across domains by performing multiple tests using machine learning models, as well as ascertain how using linguistic cues to identify deception performs over multiple domains.


We describe a 15-year-old girl who underwent intraoperative catheter ablation for the ventricular tachycardia associated with Ebstein's anomaly with functional pulmonary atresia and a small right ventricle (RV) after Fontan surgery. The computed tomography showed the dilated right atrium and RV due to the failure of RV plication. The activation mapping revealed that the ventricular tachycardia showed a focal pattern originating from the atrialized RV (aRV). With careful preparations, the procedure of catheter ablation combined with the adjustment of Starnes fenestration and plication of RV/atrialized RV was very effective for this patient.


Distributed Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) when run in a synchronous manner, suffers from delays in runtime as it waits for the slowest workers (stragglers). Asynchronous methods can alleviate stragglers, but cause gradient staleness that can adversely affect the convergence error. In this work, we present a novel theoretical characterization of the speedup offered by asynchronous methods by analyzing the trade-off between the error in the trained model and the actual training runtime (wallclock time). The main novelty in our work is that our runtime analysis considers random straggling delays, which helps us design and compare distributed SGD algorithms that strike a balance between straggling and staleness. We also provide a new error convergence analysis of asynchronous SGD variants without bounded or exponential delay assumptions. Finally, based on our theoretical characterization of the error-runtime trade-off, we propose a method of gradually varying synchronicity in distributed SGD and demonstrate its performance on the CIFAR10 dataset.


This project utilised Verapamil as a lead molecule for iterative design of novel anti-cancer drugs with the potential to inhibit P-Glycoprotein (P-gp), a target which is overexpressed in malignant cells. The protein data bank crystallographic deposition 4M2S, describing the bound co-ordinates of P-gp bound to the small antagonist molecule QZ59-RRR, was used as a template for this study. Two drug design approaches were employed- de novo design and virtual screening (VS). For the former, the SYBYL®-X v1.1 software was used to generate the apo-receptor (empty receptor) and QZ59-RRR extract. Both chiral forms of Verapamil, R and S, were sketched and docked into the P-gp receptor using SYBYL®-X v1.1. 20 optimal conformations were identified and those possessing the best combination of high ligand binding affinity (pKd) and low ligand binding energy (Kcal mol-1) were selected for further analysis. For each of the latter, seed structures were generated based on structure activity relationships (SAR) identified from literature and Poseview®. LigBuilder® v1.2 was used to generate 560 de novo molecules. In the VS approach, the online database ViCi® hosted at the University of Hamburg found 1000 molecules with similar physicochemical properties to the optimal conformations of Verapamil, which served as query molecules in this approach. These were then docked into the protomol, generated in SYBYL®-X v1.1. 107 of the de novo designed molecules and 988 of the virtual screening molecules satisfied Lipinski's Rules. Of these, 88 of the de novo designed molecules had a pKd higher than the templates and 48 of the molecules identified through VS had a pKd that exceeded an arbitrarily set acceptable value of 6. These molecules were subsequently analysed and used to propose a pharmacophore that could be used as a guide in further design of high affinity modulators of P-gp.


The high risik of cardiovascular diseases in diabetes is connected with wide and premature atheromatosis. It is caused by systemic metabolic disorders like hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, endothelium dysfunction. This review will discuss the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) in the pathogenesis diabetes and atheromatosous injury of vessels. PPARgamma is a nuclear transcript factor with a very wide spectrum of biological activities. It influences important risik factors of atheromathosis, especially by patients with metabolic syndrome in diabetes type 2. Thiazolidinediones, which is activators PPARgamma, could be a turning-point in the treatment of diabetic angiopathy.


ABSTRACT As the fashion scene becomes progressively digitalised, new dynamics emerge between consumers, content, and fashion professionals. Reflecting on forms of online interaction, this article explores contemporary audience engagement in the context of mainstream androgynous fashion. First, I consider the effects of the digitalisation of fashion communication in terms of the particular role played by sentiments and emotions. Due to the brevity, immediacy and informality of online communication, I argue, affect emerges as an increasingly crucial component of the fashion discourse. I then turn to an assessment of both the dangerous implications and the positive potential of such phenomenon. On the one hand, I explore cases where members of the public interact directly with fashion intermediaries on social media and highlight how direct engagement leads audiences to internalise the scrutiny of professionals and make emotional investments in their implicit promises. On the other, I examine Tumblr blogs as an example of forms of indirect audience engagement with fashion. In this context, acquiring a distance from fashion mediation, consumers are able to engage in practices of creativity and semantic alterations of the dominant aesthetics.


Fast kinetics and time-dependent yields of the hydrated electron (e(-)(aq)) in pure water under conditions of high temperature and pressure up to the supercritical region were investigated by picosecond and nanosecond pulse radiolysis experiments. More significant decays at short times followed by plateau components at longer times were observed with increasing temperature, suggesting faster spur reaction processes. In supercritical water, it was also found that the e(-)(aq) yields strongly depend on the pressure (density). Comparison of these measurements with Monte-Carlo computer simulations allowed us to identify spur reactions of e(-)(aq) that occur predominantly at high temperatures and also to provide new key information on certain spur model parameters. In particular, the experimental time-dependent e(-)(aq) yields were best reproduced if the electron thermalization distance decreases with increasing temperature. This "shrinkage" of spur sizes at high temperatures was attributed to an increase in the scattering cross sections of subexcitation electrons, likely originating from a decrease in the degree of structural order of water molecules as the temperature is increased.


The mechanisms driving the chemical complementarity between depleted MORB mantle (DMM) and continental crust (with an average 'andesitic' composition) remain unclear. By investigating Archean komatiites, and modern enriched (E) and normal (N) MORB samples, we demonstrate that partial melting of the mantle does not fractionate Ti isotopes, whereas intracrustal differentiation causes significant Ti isotopic fractionation between melts and minerals, specifically Fe-Ti oxides. Thus, Ti isotope ratios are tracers of these two magmatic regimes. N-MORB and late Archean (2.9-2.7 Ga) komatiites are depleted in the heavier Ti isotopes compared to E-MORB and middle Archean (3.5-3.3 Ga) komatiites. We show that the depletion in the heavier Ti isotopes of the DMM is due to mantle recycling of the isotopically light residues from the generation of felsic continental crust over 3.5-2.7 Ga. This process must have reached a steady state by ≈ 2.5 Ga, based on the uniform Ti isotopic composition of contemporary N-MORBs and late Archean komatiites. This change is likely due to a decrease in the mantle potential temperature related to the emergence of plate tectonics.


Abstract The conflict between predators and livestock farmers is a threat to carnivore conservation. Livestock guarding dogs are promoted as a non-lethal, environmentally friendly method to mitigate this conflict. As part of a farmer–carnivore conflict mitigation programme, the Cheetah Conservation Fund breeds Anatolian shepherd (also known as Kangal) dogs to protect livestock from predators. During 2009–2010 we interviewed 53 commercial and 20 subsistence Namibian farmers that are using 83 such dogs. Fewer commercial and subsistence farmers reported livestock losses to predators during the most recent year of guarding-dog use compared to the year before dogs were introduced. All subsistence farmers, but not all commercial farmers, ceased killing predators during the most recent year of guarding-dog use. All farmers ceased killing cheetah Acinonyx jubatus and leopard Panthera pardus during this year, and one dog killed a single cheetah. Conversely, dogs and farmers killed more black-backed jackals Canis mesomelas between them in the survey year than the farmers reported killing in the year before acquiring dogs. Two of the dogs reportedly killed non-target carnivore species, and 15 killed prey species. Thus our results challenge the categorization of livestock guarding dogs as a non-lethal conflict mitigation method. We suggest that the conservation status and body size of wild carnivores relative to the size of the guarding dogs be considered before introducing dogs to protect livestock. Additionally, corrective training for dogs that chase or kill non-target species should be implemented, especially where farmers value these species or where non-target species are threatened.


The hanging droplet technique for three-dimensional tissue culture has been used for decades in biology labs, with the core technology remaining relatively unchanged. Recently microscale approaches have expanded the capabilities of the hanging droplet method, making it more user-friendly. We present a spontaneously driven, open hanging droplet culture platform to address many limitations of current platforms. Our platform makes use of two interconnected hanging droplet wells, a larger well where cells are cultured and a smaller well for user interface via a pipette. The two-well system results in lower shear stress in the culture well during fluid exchange, enabling shear sensitive or non-adherent cells to be cultured in a droplet. The ability to perform fluid exchanges in-droplet enables long-term culture, treatment, and characterization without disruption of the culture. The open well format of the platform was utilized to perform time-dependent coculture, enabling culture configurations with bone tissue scaffolds and cells grown in suspension. The open nature of the system allowed the direct addition or removal of tissue over the course of an experiment, manipulations that would be impractical in other microfluidic or hanging droplet culture platforms.


Field research was conducted in the central research farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU), during the period from October 2020 to March 2021. The experiment was a layout with RCBD design to evaluate the effect of selected fungicides (Indofil, Mancer, and Ridomil Gold), micronutrients (Zinc, Boron, and Magnesium), and botanicals (neem and eucalyptus leave extract) on purple blotch complex of onion. Data were collected on percent disease incidence and percent disease index, the number of leaves per plant, leaf length, bulb diameter, bulb weight (fresh and dry), and yield. The local cultivar Faridpuri was used as a tested variety. Among the selected fungicides, Ridomil Gold gave a better result than other fungicides in controlling the percent disease incidence (52.67%) and percent disease index (49.00%) with the highest number of yield qualities per plant. In addition to this, the highest bulb diameter (18.23 cm), single bulb weight (47.98 g), fresh weight (3.16 Kg/plot), and dry weight (2.88Kg/plot) were also obtained in Ridomil Gold treated plots. This treatment also gave better yield performance (9.60 t ha-1) followed by Indofil (8.20 t ha-1) and Mancer (7.90 t ha-1), and increased yield by 54.34% over the control treatment. From the study, it was also found that among the micronutrients, boron gave more satisfactory results than botanicals.


Background: Interaction between lymphoma and the host immune system may influence patient outcomes. The predictive value of lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of patients with DLBCL on survival has not been reported. We retrospectively reviewed the flow cytometry (FCM) data of the peripheral blood in patients with DLBCL and analyzed the effect of lymphocyte subsets on overall survival from the time of FCM. Patients and Methods: Multicolor FCM was performed on 103 patients with DLBCL treated at Fox Chase Cancer Center (during 1996–2006). All pathology specimens were centrally reviewed. About half of these patients were treated by various regimens before referral to our center. Sixty-one males and 42 females with a median age of 64 years (19–89) were studied. Absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), NK cell (CD56 + CD3 − ), CD3 + CD4 + T cell and CD3 + CD8 + T cell subsets were calculated. Median overall survival (OS) from time of FCM in all evaluable patients (91) was 22 months (range: 3 to 126 months). Median cell counts were as follows: NK cells 140, CD4 + = 355, CD8 + =224 and the ALC= 1064. Univariate analysis was done via Kaplan-Meier estimation and multivariate analysis via Cox proportional hazard model. Results: We found, in univariate analysis, that OS from the date of initial FCM was significantly correlated with increased CD4 + T cell count and ALC, with cutoffs of 250 and 1000 cells/microL, respectively. No significant cut-off was found for CD56 + or CD8 + cells. The hazard ratio for OS by CD4 + T cell-count is 0.240 (95% CI 0.099–0.581; p = 0.0015) and for ALC is 0.44 (95% CI: 0.217–0.905; p = 0.0256). In multivariate analysis, for patients with either lower risk aaIPI (0–1) or higher risk (2–3), the only significant predictor of OS, based on FCM data, is the CD4 + T cell-count (p =0.0098 hazard ratio 0.251, 95% CI 0.0088 to 0.716). Conclusion : In patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma referred for management at a tertiary cancer center regardless of prior therapy, CD4 + T cell levels of more than 250/microl predict improved overall survival independent of the IPI.


Today, voluntary donation of peripheral blood stem cells by healthy donors for allogeneic hemopoietic cell transplantation is common worldwide. Such donations are associated with small but measurable risks of morbidity and mortality. Most complications are associated with citrate infusion during cell collection. We studied the effects of citrate infusion on the QTc and other vital parameters during and after peripheral stem cell apheresis in volunteers.


Four typical diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based conjugated polymers were used as electron donors in all-polymer solar cells (PSCs) with a naphthalenediimide-based polymer N2200 as the electron acceptor. The four DPP polymers have near-infrared absorption spectra up to 1000 nm and suitable energy levels for charge separation from donor to acceptor. DPP polymer : N2200 cells were found to have high open circuit voltages in comparison to fullerene-based solar cells but with low short circuit current densities and fill factors, so that the power conversion efficiencies of these cells were relatively low (0.45–1.7%). These blends relatively had balanced but low hole and electron mobilities from space charge limit current measurements, small surface roughness, and highly quenched photoluminescence (PL) from steady-state PL. These studies show that the low photocurrent and performance arise from the miscibility of the DPP and N2200 polymers, which enhances the charge recombination. The finding was further confirmed by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and resonant soft X-ray scattering. All the PSCs based on DPP polymers were investigated, opening further studies based on these systems due to the broad absorption, high carrier mobilities and good crystalline properties of DPP polymers.


Objective: Health-promoting schools (HPS) constitute an internationally recognised approach that connects health and education in a planned, integrated and holistic way. There is considerable variability, however, in how HPS is implemented and recent research has attempted to clarify the key functions of implementation. A provincial HPS strategy in Nova Scotia (NS) (Canada) provided a unique research opportunity to examine implementation related to emerging theory. The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe a provincial case study of HPS implementation using theoretical components identified in the literature. Design: Collective case study approach using qualitative research methods. Setting: The study was situated within a larger province-wide school-based research project examining the relationships between health, nutrition, physical activity, mental health and school performance of children in NS. As a follow-up to the provincial study, nine schools (n = 9) that varied in their HPS implementation strategies and characteristics (i.e. size and region) were invited to take part as case study schools. Method: Data collection included observations, interviews and documents from nine schools (n = 9). Data were analysed for emerging themes and using the a priori theoretical components. Results: The results revealed that schools assembled into three sequential categories based on the functioning of theoretical components. Higher level visioning and school-level leadership were critical in sustaining the adoption and implementation of HPS across schools and appeared to enable and integrate organisational processes, such as distributed leadership and a collaborative school culture, to enhance HPS implementation at school level. Conclusion: This study confirmed other reports that it is imperative to integrate HPS work with educational values so as to enable partnerships in both the health and education sectors, thereby promoting both health and prosperity among students.


This essay foregrounds the hermeneutic purchase of totality in contemporary literary criticism. Responding to the recent proliferation of the "gig work" novel, the essay takes up two interrelated lines of inquiry: How might we rethink the conceptual affordances of "totality" for the ongoing project of the critique of political economy? What would a rethinking of totality's position in the conceptual architecture of literary criticism offer in the way of new heuristics for the analysis of the novel? Through recourse to G. W. F. Hegel's Science of Logic and Michael Theunissen, Hans-Friedrich Fulda, and Rolf-Peter Horstmann's Critical Presentation of Metaphysics: A Discussion of Hegel's "Logic" (Kritische Darstellung der Metaphysik: Eine Diskussion über Hegels "Logik"), this essay proposes a method of literary analysis that approaches the formal aspects of the novel as defined through the historical-material conditions for the writing of the text. The essay then puts a close reading of Hilary Leichter's Temporary in conversation with Sarah Brouillette's account of the decline of the English-language literary novel to suggest how the formal properties of the contemporary gig work novel respond to the general crisis of novel production in the twenty-first century.


Background Foot problems developing during the disease course of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients can cause decreased mobility and quality of life. Orthopedic shoes may help to reduce pain and increase activity participation in RA patients. Objectives To investigate if foot damage due to RA can predict if patients will wear orthopedic shoes within 10 years after treatment start. Methods In the four treatment arms of the BeSt study, 508 patients with recent onset RA were treated to target (disease activity score (DAS) ≤2.4). After 10 years, patients were asked if they used orthopedic shoes. Univariable binary logistic regression was performed with orthopedic shoe use as outcome variable and baseline total Sharp/van der Heijde score (SHS), foot erosions and foot joint space narrowing (JSN) as continuous and binary variables (score >0.5 yes/no) as potential predictors. Next, rheumatoid factor (RF), smoking (yes/no), anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), DAS and age were simultaneously added as predictors in a multivariable model, in combination with the statistically significant predictors (p<0.1) from the univariable regression. Only predictors with statistically significant contribution were kept in the final model. Interaction of each predictor with treatment arm was tested. Results Of 285/508 patients (56.1%) information was available regarding orthopedic shoe use. Responders were younger than non-responders [age mean (SD) 51.3 (12.0) vs 58.4 (14.8) years, p<0.001], but did not differ statistically significant in gender, smoking status, DAS, SHS, JSN or erosions (all at baseline). Twenty percent (57/273) of the patients reported orthopedic shoes use after 10 years [68.4% female, mean (SD) age 50.3 (11.0) years, DAS 4.6 (0.9), SHS 4.7 (5.3), erosions 1.0 (2.3), JSN 1.0 (1.9), ACPA+ 83.3%, RF+ 77.2%, all at baseline]. Orthopedic shoe users were more often ACPA+ (77.2% vs. 65.8%) and had more erosions [mean (SD) 1.25 (2.43) vs. 0.48 (2.48), all p<0.05]. No predictor had a significant interaction with allocated treatment group. Univariable logistic regression showed that only foot erosions had a significant contribution to the model as binary variable (OR 1.95), but not as continuous variable (OR 1.06). Neither total SHS nor foot-JSN (binary or continuous) contributed significantly to the model (OR 1.61 and 1.03 for SHS; 1.59 and 1.08 for foot-JSN, respectively). Multivariable logistic regression showed that baseline presence of foot erosions (binary; OR 1.85), ACPA+ (OR 4.88) and DAS (OR 1.72) were independent predictors of orthopedic shoe use after 10 years. Combining foot erosions (binary; OR 1.87), ACPA (OR 4.46) and DAS (OR 1.73) resulted in the best model (see table 1). Conclusions Despite 10 years of DAS ≤2.4 targeted treatment, 20% of recent onset RA patients with available data after 10 year used orthopedic shoes. Presence of foot erosions at treatment start predicts the use of orthopedic shoes after 10 years. The risk of orthopedic shoe use increases for ACPA+ patients and to a lesser extent for patients with higher baseline DAS. Disclosure of Interest S. Bergstra: None declared, R. van den Berg: None declared, C. Bijkerk: None declared, A. Gerards: None declared, R. Goekoop: None declared, P. Kerstens: None declared, W. Lems: None declared, T. Huizinga: None declared, R. Landewé: None declared, C. Allaart Grant/research support from: The study was designed by the investigators and supported by a government grant from the Dutch Insurance Companies, with additional funding from Schering-Plough B.V. and Janssen B.V. Data collection, trial management, data analysis and preparation of the manuscript were performed by the authors.


Now-a-days, many sophisticated systems are available to monitor the process in real time that drastically reduce the cost and lead time to manufacture a part because it takes away the offline sampling. For Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM), current signal monitors are very useful to predict the material removal rate and determine the arcing that can damage the surface. This paper discusses the design and development of an online monitoring for micro-EDM using correlation developed via experimentation. Surface roughness is predicted based on online monitoring.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


One of the key problems in computer vision is adaptation: models are too rigid to follow the variability of the inputs. The canonical computation that explains adaptation in sensory neuroscience is divisive normalization, and it has appealing effects on image manifolds. In this work we show that including divisive normalization in current deep networks makes them more invariant to non-informative changes in the images. In particular, we focus on U-Net architectures for image segmentation. Experiments show that the inclusion of divisive normalization in the U-Net architecture leads to better segmentation results with respect to conventional U-Net. The gain increases steadily when dealing with images acquired in bad weather conditions. In addition to the results on the Cityscapes and Foggy Cityscapes datasets, we explain these advantages through visualization of the responses: the equalization induced by the divisive normalization leads to more invariant features to local changes in contrast and illumination.


The functional state of erythrocytes from hen during their conservation with a preserving solution for 24 days at 4 degrees C, has been estimated by studying some biochemical and hemorheological parameters. Results show an initial phase in the preservation period (4-5 days) in which red blood cells maintain their values at levels similar to those at the beginning of the experience, except for osmotic resistance. Furthermore a progressive erythrocyte deformability loss, linked to ATP depletion (with rise in inorganic phosphate levels) as well as a gradually higher rate of hemolysis, were detected.


Background: SMAD4 is a candidate tumor suppressor gene, located at the 18q21.1 locus and mediates the transforming growth factor-\#946; (TGF-\#946;) signaling pathway. High frequency of SMAD4 allelic imbalance was reported in pancreatic and colorectal adenocarcinomas (CRCs). The current study has evaluated the prognostic value of its allelic imbalance and its phenotypic expression patterns in Stage II and Stage III CRCs. Materials & Methods: We retrieved 74 Stage II and 64 Stage III formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded archival tissues of CRCs and their corresponding normal (benign) tissues. The genomic DNA and RNA samples were extracted from these tissues. Genomic DNA samples were analyzed for the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 18q21 locus by assessing three microsatellite markers (D18S46, D18S363 & D18S474) which are close to or spanning the SMAD4 gene. The mRNA expression levels of SMAD4 were estimated by the real-time PCR method. All 138 tissues sections were analyzed for immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of SMAD4 using anti-human SMAD4 monoclonal antibody (Clone B-8; dilution 1:100; Santa Cruz). A tumor was considered as LOH when it demonstrates allelic loss in at least one of the three loci analyzed. Nuclear or Cytoplasmic staining pattern was noted based on its cellular localization. The status of LOH and the IHC staining patterns were correlated with patient overall survival using Kaplan-Meier method. Results: The LOH at any one of the three markers was detected in 48 Stage II (of 71 informative cases, 67%) and 33 Stage III (of 59 informative cases, 56%) CRCs. The CRCs which exhibited LOH had lower levels of mRNA (2.8 folds) when compared to CRCs without LOH. In Stage II cases, LOH was associated with short overall patient survival (log rank, p=0.017), but such an associated was not observed in patients with Stage III CRCs (log rank, p=0.518). Strong nuclear and cytoplasmic staining was noted in normal epithelial tissues. In both stage groups, LOH status or the mRNA levels were not correlated with the cellular localization of SMAD4. Although a similar frequency of decreased nuclear (28% & 37%) and cytoplasmic (19% vs. 25%) staining was observed in Stage II and Stage III CRCs, only decreased nuclear expression of SMAD4 was significantly associated with short survival of Stage III patients (log rank, p=0.025) but not in Stage II patients (log rank, p=0.931). Conclusions: These preliminary studies suggest that LOH of SMAD4 was a bad prognostic indicator of patients with Stage II CRCs and Stage II CRCs with SMAD4 allelic loss are behaving like Stage III tumors. It was interesting to note that lack of or decreased expression of nuclear SMAD4 was associated with short overall survival of patients with Stage IIII CRCs. These studies are supported by NCI/NIH grants, CA098932-01 & 2U54-CA118948. Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 4458.


To determine if patients with nonspecific pleuritis could be clinically distinguished from those with malignant or granulomatous pleural disease, the medical records and chest roentgenograms of all patients who had a closed needle biopsy of the pleura during a five-year period from January 1979 to December 1983 were reviewed. A total of 119 patients were categorized based upon their ultimate diagnosis as having malignant (n = 41), granulomatous (n = 25), or nonspecific pleuritis (n = 53). Weight loss, fever greater than 38 degrees, a positive PPD, a pleural fluid lymphocytosis of greater than 95 percent, and an effusion which occupied more than half a hemithorax were significantly more common in the patients with malignant or granulomatous disease. Based on these results, a conservative approach is recommended for the patient with an initial biopsy which reveals only nonspecific pleuritis who has none of the criteria, but an aggressive diagnostic work-up in the individual with two or more criteria is advocated.


ABSTRACT Despite its anti-nuclear weapon declaratory-policy, "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," Japan has enjoyed the protection of the nuclear umbrella provided by the United States for more than 60 years. This bilateral nuclear arrangement has established and cherished a strong bond between the two nations, which the author calls "the US–Japan Nuclear Alliance." This unique politico-military alliance, backed by US nuclear forces, has brought about a "conceptual twist" of Japanese security policy related to nuclear weapons. The twist can be analyzed in terms of two characteristic elements: ambivalence and coherence. This twist is a result of several factors, including Japan's unprecedented experience of the humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons, Japan's anti-nuclear public sentiment, the Japanese security policy discourse delineated by Cold War strategies of the US, and Tokyo's acceptance of the US nuclear umbrella. These factors have forced Japanese conservative governments, including the current Abe administration, to perform Nuclear Kabuki Play resulting from the ambivalence and coherence that characterize Japan's security policy. Abe's opposition to a No First Use (NFU) policy and Japan's calibrated approach to the newly adopted nuclear weapon ban treaty are closely associated with Japanese ambivalence and coherence toward nuclear weapons and related security issues.


Foetal adnexa are derived from the blastocyst, they rapidly grow during the first stage of the pregnancy and are finally expelled after foaling. Congenital anomalies, as well as acquired (infectious and non-infectious) diseases of the foetal adnexa can result in reproductive disorders. As a consequence, the comprehensive and systematic examination of the foetal adnexa is widely regarded as a very useful procedure for diagnostic purposes. In this respect, it is important to correctly identify and to interpret the main features of the equine foetal membranes. We describe herein a case of yolk sac remnant, recently observed in a 10-year-old Quarter Horse mare. After parturition, foetal adnexa were routinely collected and carefully examined. At this point, a large, round-shaped mass of about 9 cm in diameter was observed, connected to the umbilical cord through a fibrous and pedunculated stalk. Such mass was very hard, it showed a bony appearance and contained reddish-to-brown serous fluid. Foetal membranes were otherwise normal. On the basis of what above, the diagnosis of ossified remnant of the yolk sac was made. The yolk sac is a temporary annex and ensures the early exchange between the uterine environment and the embryo, thanks to its dense vessel network. In horses, the transition from the yolk sac to the allantoic sac occurs between the 21st and 40th days of gestation, and the yolk sac obliteration is complete at the 3rd-4th month of pregnancy. However, the yolk sac can persist as a mass which vaguely resembles a skull and is often misdiagnosed as a twin foetus that failed to develop. In horses, the persistence of a yolk sac remnant is considered an uncommon, idiopathic condition of unknown origin. It most commonly represents an incidental finding, which usually has any clinical relevance for the foal and do not affect the future breeding career of the mare.


Precarious employment is a labour practice characterized for employers by flexibility and economic efficiencies and for workers by vulnerability and uncertainty as to job duration, scheduling, and pay. It is increasingly common in Canada and can result in physical, mental, financial, and social strain for people who experience it. In libraries, it has the potential for negative effects on individual staff members, organizational health, and service quality. However, literature on precarious library work is scarce, and it is unclear how its effects on library staff compare to those described in the broader literature or how it affects the library field as a whole.
The purpose of this study was to gather information about library workers' perceptions and experiences of precarious employment and to see how it played out in library contexts. Thirteen library workers both with and without experiences of precarious employment participated in qualitative, semi-structured interviews, which were synthesized into a narrative summarizing their thoughts and experiences. Results indicated that while there were some positive effects of precarious work, they mainly benefited library organizations from scheduling and financial standpoints, while negative outcomes were more numerous, more salient, and affected individuals as well as organizations. Awareness of such perceptions and experiences may help to spark conversations and support for those experiencing negative effects from precarious work, and it can serve to reduce or eliminate factors leading to those effects. However, failure to address them may result in negative outcomes for library workers and organizations, such as stress, turnover, marginalization, burnout, leaving the field, reduced service quality, and more. Accordingly, this paper provides some of the first qualitative information on precarious employment in libraries and may be used to support broader discussions about the topic.


The multi-armed bandit problem has been extensively studied under the stationary assumption. However in reality, this assumption often does not hold because the distributions of rewards themselves may change over time. In this paper, we propose a change-detection (CD) based framework for multi-armed bandit problems under the piecewise-stationary setting, and study a class of change-detection based UCB (Upper Confidence Bound) policies, CD-UCB, that actively detects change points and restarts the UCB indices. We then develop CUSUM-UCB and PHT-UCB, that belong to the CD-UCB class and use cumulative sum (CUSUM) and Page-Hinkley Test (PHT) to detect changes. We show that CUSUM-UCB obtains the best known regret upper bound under mild assumptions. We also demonstrate the regret reduction of the CD-UCB policies over arbitrary Bernoulli rewards and Yahoo! datasets of webpage click-through rates.


Abstract By using the League of Nations and United Nations as case studies, this article identifies the women working at the diplomatic level in the Irish Department of External Affairs (D.E.A.) in the period 1923–76. Drawing on gender analysis, the article assesses where men and women were positioned in Irish diplomacy and asks if the role of women in the D.E.A. was shaped by a gendered viewpoint. It argues that there were more opportunities for women within the United Nations than the League of Nations and it questions if these increased diplomatic opportunities were reflective of women's changing status within the D.E.A. in the period under investigation. Overall, the article offers a new perspective on the conduct of Irish foreign policy between 1923 and 1976.


Background/Aims: Published data regarding the effects of common cardiovascular diseases, i.e. aortic stenosis on renal regulation of major vasoconstrictive (renin, endothelins) and vasodilatory systems (NO) are controversial. Therefore we aimed to evaluate the effects of chronic aortic stenosis on the renal renin-angiotensin, endothelin and NO systems. Methods: Experimental supravalvular aortic stenosis was induced by using silver clips with a 0.6 mm internal diameter on the ascending aorta of weanling rats. Renal endothelin-1 (ET-1), endothelin-3 (ET-3), renin, AT1a, AT1b, eNOS, and bNOS gene expression were assessed by RNase protection assay. Results: Renal renin gene expression increased twofold in rats with aortic stenosis. In contrast, renal ET-1, ET-3, eNOS, bNOS, and AT1a, AT1b gene expression were unchanged in rats with aortic stenosis. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that in rats with severe experimental supravalvular aortic stenosis only renal renin gene expression is stimulated. This contrasts with severe heart failure where endothelins and NO synthases are also upregulated. Different patterns of regulation of renal vasoactive mediators may be of importance for the extent of the renal impairment associated with aortic stenosis, and may be correlated with the severity of congestive heart failure.


Obesity is an independent risk factor for troublesome activity-related dyspnea. The mechanisms of increased exertional dyspnea in obesity remain poorly understood and represented the primary focus of our study. To this end, ventilation (VE), breathing pattern, dynamic operating lung volume, diaphragm EMG activity expressed as a percentage of maximum (EMGdi%max; an index measure of neural respiratory drive) and dyspnea responses to symptom-limited incremental cycle exercise testing were compared between 30 obese (OB; 15M:15W; mean±SE BMI=33.6±0.8 kg/m2; 43±1% fat mass; 137±3% ideal body mass) and 30 non-obese (NOB; 15M:15W; BMI=21.8±0.3 kg/m2; 28±1% fat mass; 89±1% ideal body mass) adults aged 18-40 yrs. After adjusting for differences in lean body mass (OB, 56±2 vs. NOB, 46±2 kg), VE, breathing frequency, EMGdi%max and dyspnea were higher at any standardized submaximal work rate during exercise in OB vs. NOB. Mean values of inspiratory capacity (IC) and inspiratory reserve volume (IRV) were higher (by ∼260 mL and ∼400 mL, respectively) at rest and at any VE during exercise in OB vs. NOB. Interestingly, EMGdi%max-IRV and dyspnea-IRV relationships were parallel shifted to the left during exercise in OB vs. NOB. By contrast, EMGdi%max-VE, dyspnea-VEand dyspnea-EMGdi%max relationships were similar throughout much of exercise in OB vs. NOB. In conclusion, mechanical adaptations of the respiratory system, including recruitment of resting (pre-exercise) IC and IRV, helped to preserve EMGdi%max-VE relationships during exercise in OB vs. NOB. Under these circumstances, the increased perception of exertional dyspnea in OB likely reflected the awareness of increased neural respiratory drive.


A new algorithm is constructed. We introduce a multiplicative updating method, which is natural from the structure of group manifolds and has numerous merits for the rigorous treatment of the dynamics. Cost functions invariant under the componentwise scaling are chosen. We assume that the dynamics takes place in a coset space introduced by identifying points which can be transformed to each other by this componentwise scaling. Thus, redundant degrees of freedom are eliminated. A point can still move toward any direction in this coset and there is no need to prewhiten the data. Individual steps are determined by Newton-like conditions, for which it is not necessary to tune the learning rate. An explicit and exact solution to these conditions is obtained in a form which can readily be used in practice. The second order convergence is also shown.


This study examines futures price and volatility transmissions among three major wheat production and exporting regions, the United States (US), Canada and the European Union (EU) over the recent six-year study period of 1996 - 2002. The price transmission pattern shows that Canadian prices are much more influenced by the US prices than the US prices are influenced by Canadian prices. The EU is highly self-dependent and may exert some influence on the US prices in the long run but not vice versa. The volatility transmission pattern, however, shows that volatility is transmitted from Canada and the EU to the US but not vice versa. The volatility is also transmitted from the EU to Canada but not vice versa. Overall, there is no distinctive leadership role in international wheat markets, with all three markets exhibiting features of price leadership to some extent.


33 34 Submesoscale lenses of water with anomalous hydrographic properties have previously been 35 observed in the East Australian Current (EAC) system, embedded within the thermocline of 36 mesoscale anticyclonic eddies. The waters within these lenses have high oxygen content and 37 temperature-salinity properties that signify a surface origin. However, it is not known how these 38 lenses form. This study presents field observations that provide insight into a possible generation 39 mechanism via subduction at upper ocean fronts. High-resolution hydrographic and velocity 40 measurements of submesoscale activity were taken across a front between a mesoscale eddy dipole 41 downstream of the EAC separation point. The front had O(1) Rossby number, strong vertical shear, 42 and flow conducive to symmetric instability. Frontogenesis was measured in conjunction with 43 subduction of an anticyclonic water parcel, indicative of intrathermocline eddy formation. Twenty44 five years of satellite imagery reveals the existence of strong mesoscale strain coupled with strong 45 temperature fronts in this region, and indicates the conditions that led to frontal subduction 46 observed here are a persistent feature. These processes impact the vertical export of tracers from 47 the surface and dissipation of mesoscale kinetic energy, implicating their importance for 48 understanding regional ocean circulation and biological productivity. 49 50 51 52 53 10.1175/JPO-D-19-0131.1. Accepted for publication in Journal of Physical Oceanography. DOI 3


Abstract Hahajima represents an Eocene forearc volcanic centre produced during the initiation of subduction within an intra-oceanic domain of the western Pacific. The Eocene-Oligocene Izu-Bonin arc-forearc is envisaged as a broad region of volcanism generated in an extensional tectonic regime. The forearc is likely to have consisted of a series of small rift basins, punctuated and bordered by coherent volcanic edifices. Hahajima represents one such edifice at the southern termination of the Chichijima-Mukojima rift basin. Major element, trace element and isotopic data are presented for representative volcanic rocks from Hahajima. The volcanic sequence comprises porphyritic basalt and andesite breccias and flows intercalated with tuffaceous sandstones. All lavas contain high proportions of plagioclase phenocrysts (20–36%) and comparatively low mafic mineral contents. The andesite suite is typified by the presence of magnetite and orthopyroxene phenocrysts and pseudomorphs after olivine. Basalts are dominated by an assemblage of plagioclase, clinopyroxene and olivine. Nodules and xenocrysts typical of the andesites are found in the basalts and vice versa, suggesting an intimate relationship between the two magmas during volcanism. The basaltic suite follows a tholeiitic fractionation path (iron enrichment) while the andesites are more representative of calc-alkaline magma evolution. These trends are found to be clearer when corrections are made for the excess proportions of plagioclase in the whole rock. Trace element differences between the suites can not be reconciled by a straightforward crystallization model, but can be related to a similar parental magma if the shallow level magma evolution involves a combination of open and closed system fractionation processes. Comparisons of volcanic suites within and between each site sampled along the Izu-Bonin forearc indicate that each eruptive centre has an individual trace element signature. This suggests that variations within each site can be explained by melting and/or shallow-level fractionation processes, while differences between localities are related to heterogeneities in the composition, trace element and isotopic enrichment, and thermal characteristics of the source. The Hahajima volcanic rocks contrast with the more recent arc magmas of the Izu-Bonin system in that they share some features, such as high-Mg and elevated Zr/Y, with the contemporaneous boninitic lavas.


We analyzed differences in infant mortality between areas of Recife, a city in the North East of Brazil, analyzing the relationship between living conditions and the risk of death. We compared infant mortality coefficients for 1995 with indicators of living conditions and collected data for the 770 infant deaths and the 27,965 live births. Neighborhoods were ranked according to the quality of living conditions and were grouped into four clusters. The infant, neonatal and postneonatal mortality coefficients were 27.53, 18.84 and 8.69 per 1,000 live births respectively. Lower quality living conditions were associated with higher coefficients. The main causes of infant deaths were perinatal disorders, the coefficient of which was 14.95 per 1,000 live births, followed by congenital malformations, gastroenteritis and bronchopneumonia. With the exception of congenital malformations, the coefficients of all these causes of death increased as living conditions worsened. These inequalities are generally obscured by the presentation of means for the city as a whole.


A beam halo monitor is an essential device to pursue studies of halo particles produced in any particle accelerator as to investigate the effects of disturbances, such as field kicks, gradient errors, etc. A fast, least intrusive, high dynamic range monitor will allow the detection and potentially control of particles at the tail of a transverse beam distribution. Light generated by a beam of charged particles is routinely used for beam diagnostic purposes. A halo monitor based on a digital micro-mirror device (DMD) used to generate an adaptive optical mask to block light in the core of the emitted light profile and hence limit observation to halo particles has been developed in close collaboration with CERN and University of Maryland. In this contribution an evolution of this monitor is presented. A high definition micro mirror array with 1920x1080 pixels has been embedded into a MATLAB-based control system, giving access to even higher monitor resolution. A masking algorithm has also been developed that automates mask generation based on user-definable thresholds, converts between CCD and DMD geometries, processes and analyses the beam halo signal and is presented in detail.


The studies for hybrid electrical vehicle (HEV) have attracted considerable attention because of the necessity of developing alternative methods to generate energy for vehicles due to limited fuel based energy, global warming and exhaust emission limits in the last century. HEV incorporates internal composition engine, electric machines and power electronic equipments. In this study, overview of HEVs with a focus on hybrid configurations and energy management strategies are presented. This project is to be carried out by perform a demonstration of small scaled hardware that will used remote control (RC) parts as components to this project. First phase of the project will be focusing on software that will monitoring the speed of DC motor and perform a close loop that will estimate the energy requirement in certain condition. While the second phase of the project will be focusing on hardware development integrating with energy management software. The ratings of the battery and engine and the power output that will be delivered by each source under the expected condition will be considered in this paper. In this paper, the software and hardware that will be used and integrated will mention. An in house series hybrid electric vehicle will develop and in other word this paper presents the small scale of Series Hybrid Electric Vehicle (SHEV).


Purpose. To evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of the combination of the mTOR inhibitor Temsirolimus and a standard salvage regimen (R-DHAP) in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large cell B-Cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Patients and Methods. This is a prospective, multicenter, phase II, open-label study. Patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL with a maximum of two prior treatment lines were eligible. The STORM regimen consisted of Rituximab 375 mg/m² (day 2) and DHAP (Dexamethasone 40mg day 3-6, Cisplatine 100 mg/m² day 3, Cytarabine 2x2 g/m² day 4) with Temsirolimus added on day 1 and 8 of a 21 d cycle, with 2-4 cycles planned. In part I, dose levels for the mTOR inhibitor Temsirolimus from 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg were predefined. Results. Here we report on the preliminary results of part I of this clinical trial. 15 patients were included - 8 patients in the 25 mg cohort and 7 patients in the 50 mg cohort. Median age was 70 (range 49-76) years and median number of prior regimen was 1. Two DLTs (one venous thrombosis in the 25 mg cohort, one esophagus infection in the 50 mg cohort) were observed. The most frequent non-hematologic side effects were nausea (9 pts, 60%), epistaxis (7 pts, 47%), fatigue (6 pts, 40%), increased ALT (6 pts, 40%) and increased creatinine (6 pts, 40%). Frequent grade 3/4 events (n>2) in both cohorts (25mg|50mg) included leukopenia (11 pts, 73% - with a mean duration of 4.4 days | 6.7 days ), thrombocytopenia (11 pts, 73% - with a mean duration of 4.6 days | 11.9 days), lymphopenia (6pts, 40%), anemia (5 pts, 33%), neutropenia (3 pts, 20%), renal failure (3 pts, 20%) and infections (4 pts, 27%, bladder infection, esophagus infection, central venous access infection, soft tissue infection, mucositis). Based on the observed toxicity profile, the independent data safety committee recommended a Temsirolimus dose of 25 mg given on day 1 and 8 for the part II extension cohort of the trial. All but one evaluable patient responded (10/11 pts, 91%), with two CRs and one CRu (27%). Four patients could not be evaluated for response at the time of this report. After a median follow up of 12 (range 5-22) months, no relapse has been documented so far (1 pt lost to follow up). Conclusion. Temsirolimus can be safely added to DHAP and Rituximab with promising activity. Recruitment into part II is ongoing and updated results will be presented. Disclosures Witzens-Harig:Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Roche: Honoraria. Keller:Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Consultancy. Viardot:Roche: Honoraria; CTI: Consultancy; Pfizer: Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy. Buske:Roche: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Gilead: Honoraria. Ho:Sanofi: Research Funding. Hess:Janssen, Roche, Celgene, Novartis: Consultancy; Pfizer, Janssen, Roche, Mundipharma: Honoraria, Research Funding.


. We define the projective symmetry group of a finite sequence of vectors (a frame) in a natural way as a group of permutations on the vectors (or their indices). This definition ensures that the projective symmetry group is the same for a frame and its complement. We give an algorithm for computing the projective symmetry group from a small set of projective invariants when the underlying field is a subfield of C which is closed under conjugation. This algorithm is applied in a number of examples including equiangular lines (in particular SICs), MUBs, and harmonic frames.


Background: It is well known fact to the patients of duodenal ulcer that their condition is frequently accompanied with reflux esophagitis. Therefore this condition is called an "acid-related disorder" because it is commonly associated with increased acidity. But there has been disputes on the effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication in these two conditions and whether H. pylori infection may have a protective role in reflux esophagitis. Only few reports have dealt with the prevalence of reflux esophagitis and gastroesophageal reflux in patients with peptic ulcer The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux and to analyze the pattern of the pathologic reflux in peptic ulcer patients. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 57 patients with endoscopically confirmed duodenal and/or gastric ulcer who all underwent 24hr ambulatory esophageal pH monitoring. Results: The prevalance of gastroesophageal reflux in peptic ulcer patients was 54.2% and 54,5% in gastric ulcer, and 62.5% in duodenal ulcer, 50% in combined ulcer, respectively. The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux in the control group was 22.7% Conclusion: We discovered significantly higher prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux in patients with peptic ulcer disease than in those without it. In conclusion, the presence or absence of gastroesophageal reflux must be considered in the setting of peptic ulcer disease management.


An efficient implementation of Cundall's model on the Cray T3D massively parallel computer is presented. This model is used to simulate granular media where every grain is identified separately, generating very time-consuming simulations. First, we show a data structure based on a triangulation which defines a neighbourhood of each grain. This allows to save computing time. Then we explain how to distribute data and work on the processors and give some preliminary results.


We present a novel method called motion-pointing for selecting a set of visual items such as push-buttons without actually pointing to them. Instead, each potential target displays a rhythmically animated point we call the driver. To select a specific item, the user only has to imitate the motion of its driver using the input device. Once the motion has been recognized by the system, the user can confirm the selection to trigger the action. We consider cyclic motions on an elliptic trajectory with a specific period, and study the most effective methods for real-time matching such a trajectory, as well as the range of parameters a human can reliably reproduce. We then show how to implement motion-pointing in real applications using an interaction technique we call move-and-stroke. Finally, we measure the throughput and error rate of move-and-stroke in a controlled experiment. We show that the selection time is linearly proportional to the number of input bits conveyed up to 6 bits, confirming that motion-pointing is a practical input method.


With the proliferation of GPS-based data (e.g., routes and trajectories), it is of great importance to enable the functionality of real-time route search and recommendations. We define and study a novel Continuous Route-Search-by-Location (C-RSL) problem to enable real-time route search by locations for a large number of users over route data streams. Given a set of C-RSL queries where each query q contains a set of places q.O to visit and a threshold q.θ, we continuously feed each query q with routes that has similarity to q.O no less than q.θ. We also extend our proposal to support top-k C-RSL problem where each query continuously maintains k most similar routes. The C-RSL problem targets a variety of applications, including real-time route planning, ridesharing, and other location-based services that have real-time demand. To enable efficient route matching on a large number of C-RSL queries, we develop novel parallel route matching algorithms with good time complexity. Extensive experiments with real data offer insight into the performance of our algorithms, indicating that our proposal is capable of achieving high efficiency and scalability.