At present, there are often theoretical and applied discussions on the digital economy. In the context of the transformation of the digital economy into a systemic economy, the problem of the conformity of modern accounting statements to the needs of a wide range of stakeholders in a reliable assessment of business value is manifested to a greater extent. This problem cannot be solved at a time. A deep analysis of the assessment and recognition of individual elements of the financial statements will be required, which is difficult without digital transformation of data. This article analyzes a separate problem of the possibility and necessity of reflecting the economic category of goodwill in the structure of financial and integrated reporting. This issue concerns not only the accounting and reporting system, since analysis of the effect of goodwill and intangible assets on the business value of foreign companies [1] showed that the share of goodwill in the cost structure of organizations ranged from 36% (by type of activity energy production) to 70.4 % (in terms of activities Internet business and electronic business). However, in only six types of activities, the share of goodwill was less than 50%. Unfortunately, it should be noted that in Russia, this economic resource is either not reflected at all in the accounting and reporting of economic entities, or its value is significantly underestimated. Nevertheless, it is possible to change the current situation based on the provisions of the institutional economy and the catalization of management financial accounting information in the context of its digitalization. Changes in the goodwill accounting methodology will require: justifying the recognition and measurement of internally generated goodwill as the capitalized cost of transaction costs, justifying the market capitalization of the value of internally generated goodwill and determining goodwill as the result of a business combination transaction. Note that the solution to these problems is possible only in the unity and interconnectedness of all three elements of the systemic economy: institutional economics, accounting and reporting, and digitalization of economic information, on the basis of which it is possible to form a new direction in accounting business accounting and integrated reporting aimed at on digitalization of information on a real assessment of business value and prospects for its sustainable development.


Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL; Hermetia illucens) are a suitable protein source for poultry. However the effect of live BSFL supplementation on growth performance and behaviour has never been demonstrated and quantified in turkeys. Wild turkeys eat insects during the first two weeks of life which is in contrast with commercially fed crumbs or pellets. Damaging pecking behaviour is a severe problem in turkeys. More lively diets may improve natural behaviour and decrease damaging pecking behaviour. The aim of the experiment was to stimulate natural behaviour of young non-beak treated turkeys by supply of live BSFL to avoid damaging pecking behaviour. Two treatments with seven replicates were studied in 14 floor pens (1.5 m2/pen and 20 turkeys per pen) from 0 to 35 days of age. Control groups were fed commercial diets and BSFL groups received live BSFL. The daily BSFL intake was calculated to be 10% of the expected daily feed intake (based on fresh weight) and dietary nutrient composition was adjusted in a way that control and BSFL groups were fed iso-nutritious. Daily feed intake and body weight gain of BSFL groups were significantly higher compared to control groups resulting in a significantly higher body weight at five weeks of age (2,190 vs 2,015 g; P=0.003) and a significantly lower feed conversion ratio. In the first week there was a tendency for more foraging related behaviour for the BSFL groups, but in the third and fifth week BSFL groups showed less foraging related behaviour compared to control groups. Provision of BSFL reduced aggressive pecking directed at the back and tail base at 5 weeks of age. Although the incidence of feather and skin damage was low, this type of damage tended to be lower in the BSFL groups.


A simulation environment (COGNOSCO) designed to monitor the evolution of manufacturing systems is presented. Assuming that today manufacturing simulation is dedicated to (long term) system design or to (short term) scheduling, this environment is an attempt to address the continuum of decisions that lie between these two, extremes. Its object-oriented basis ports modular and graphical modeling. A model can be connected either the simulation engine to evaluate decisions, or to the production system to monitor its behavior. Simple instruments are used to track the evolution of important variables, while knowledge bases will provide the user with focused information and valid candidate decisions when a shock or progressive alteration in performances arise.


A quantitative correlation with the multifractal electronic eigenstates could be established for the dissipative electric transport in quantum Hall systems. Quantum-mechanical model calculations have led to a universal conductance value. At PTB, the electrical unit of resistance, the ohm, is realized with high precision by means of the quantum Hall effect. An electric current is driven through the interface of a sample made of semiconductor layers that, at low temperatures, is exposed to a strong magnetic field. The ratio of the current flowing through the samples to the Hall voltage measured across the current direction defines the quantized Hall resistance. This quantity is determined only by the ratio of Planck's constant h and the elementary charge e, as well as by an integral number. Presently, the conductance detected parallel to the current flow is of no importance for metrological applications, but it is essential for the understanding of the quantum Hall effect, as well as for the general theory of quantum phase transitions. Up to now, /2 e2/h has been predicted for the maxima of the longitudinal conductivity that occur only at the steps of quantized Hall plateaus, which was also confirmed by earlier experiments. However, new quantum-mechanical model calculations have furnished a universal value of 0.6 e2/h for both the two-point conductance and the longitudinal conductivity, and this independent of the microscopic parameters selected. The scale-invariant spatial structure of the electronic wave function at special energies – the so-called quantumcritical points – could be determined as the cause of this unexpected discrepancy. Although their multifractal properties have been known for some time already, it is only now that a quantitative relation between the experimentally accessible conductance and the theoretically calculated fractal dimensions could be established. This new finding has also been confirmed for the critical conductance at the metal-insulator transition of two-dimensional disordered systems with spin-orbit interaction. These are presently being investigated more intensively in relation with spintronic applications. The link between critical conductance and fractal dimensions appears to be a universal property of quantum phase transitions.


Performance data on a new tactile sensor configuration are presented. The sensor is based on magnetoresistive (MR) technology but incorporates a patented serpentine path element structure which offers a wide range of advantages over previously considered designs. Previous work on MR tactile sensors did not approach the problem of sensor optimization at the transducer level. By placing the emphasis on the bottom-up method of design, a wide range of sensors for different applications could be developed. Sensitivity is a key feature in tactile sensor design. This is a measure of the minimum detectable force change that can be accurately detected. The requirement for high signal-to-noise ratios indicates the need for high element resistances, the use of AC magnetic fields, and small geometric size (pixel resolution). >


presented here in a single place. Besides details of crops and plants, there is much on systems of land use and tenure that is good to have collected together. The sections on the social background of tribal groups are anthropologically superficial, in that too little account is taken of local variations; but they are probably adequate for most non-anthropological readers. The bibliographies are clearly set out and annotated. This is a valuable book for anyone interested in the societies and development of eastern Africa, at either local or national levels. It will be a standard reference work for a long time. It is handsomely produced and published at what is these days a moderate price. JOHN MIDDLETON


ABSTRACT We compared two DNA extraction methods (a semiautomated method using a Maxwell kit and a modified Boom method) and three amplification procedures (a single-step PCR, a nested PCR, and a real-time quantitative PCR) on 74 surgical tissue specimens from patients with clinically suspected Buruli ulcer. All of these procedures were compared before and after decontamination. We observed that, among the procedures tested, real-time PCR after the modified Boom extraction method or a single-run PCR assay after the Maxwell 16 extraction method, performed on nondecontaminated suspensions, are the best for the molecular diagnosis of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease.


As-synthesized Ni-based Lewis acidic catalysts, with tunable concentrations of β-Ni(OH)2 and γ-NiOOH, were tested on the conversion of sugars to methyl lactate (MLA) in near-critical methanol solutions. The concentration of γ-NiOOH increased with an increase in the Ni(NO3)2·6H2O/2-methylimidazole (Ni/2-Hmim) molar ratio. Compared to β-Ni(OH)2, the γ-NiOOH showed more mesopores in the catalyst, which facilitated the diffusion of reactant and products. Ni/2-Hmim-4 [Ni(NO3)2·6H2O/2-methylimidazole molar ratio = 4] exhibited the best catalytic activity. Under optimal conditions (180 °C for 12 h), the highest MLA yield was 41.9% on the conversion of glucose. Ni/2-Hmim-4 was employed to convert disaccharides to MLA. Notably, for sucrose, the reaction afforded a 38.7% MLA yield at 200 °C for 12 h. The catalyst was reusable for at least three cycles.


As a negative regulator of hematopoiesis, AcSDKP is well known to inhibit the proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and reported to has a biological function in non-hematopoietic cells recently. Its biological activities and structure-function relationship are reviewed in this paper.


This paper describes a Bayesian approach to the abstraction of sensor dynamics using a new clustering algorithm for time series to learn prototypical behaviors of a robot's sensory inputs. Each sensor stream reading is modeled as a Markov chain (mc). The abstraction process is performed by an unsupervised clustering algorithm returning the most probable set of clusters capturing the robot's sensory experiences. In order to increase e ciency, the algorithm uses an heuristic search strategy merging the closest mcs according to a measure of similarity based on entropy.


Façade features are important in large-scale level-of-detail 3 (LoD-3) reconstruction in urban environments, and street-view panoramas are arguably the best option for detailed 3-D façade modeling. However, despite the plethora of street-view panoramas available, few studies have explored the metric capabilities of panoramas. This is due in part to the complexities of system integration and in part to problems associated with projection (e.g., distortion at the tops of buildings), and deformation (e.g., the bending of straight structures). In an effort to solve these problems, this letter introduces a flexible and practical solution using only a single panorama. The key is to efficiently rectify panoramas using image-space line constrained deformation inspired by the as-rigid-as-possible deformation of surface meshes. The image is then re-projected using gnomonic projection on a properly selected tangent plane. The proposed approach requires a reasonable amount of user interaction to select and position the vertical line segments. The tangent point is also chosen empirically for each panorama. The rectified images can then be imported into off-the-shelf 3-D modeling solutions as reference images for interactive sketching. Experimental evaluations reveal the effectiveness of the image-space rectification: after proper scaling, the semantic-aware 3-D façade models achieve decimeter-level accuracy with respect to the reference surface mesh.


Background Social media (Facebook, Twitter LinkedIn and so on) are part of daily life for many with diverse roles ranging from entertainment, education and finance with increasing potential for sharing health information and providing support thus allowing users to create and link into networks of people with shared interests or experiences which may have an important role to play in patient centred care (Sarasohn-Kahn 2008). In contrast, outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have too often been associated with, loss of mobility and reduced quality of life leading to loss of independence, anger, frustration and depression. Recent advances in pharmacological management have improved outcomes for many, but often add to the overall complexity of disease management for the individual. Objectives We aimed to identify current use of social medial by people with RA and determine if this new technology could help develop a more patient-centred model of care. Methods Semi-structured qualitative interviews were carried out with 14 people with RA to explore the lived experience of their disease, identify their current use of social media and specifically if and how they would like to see this technology used in their future care. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and a process of thematic analysis undertaken using N-Vivo software. Themes were subsequently agreed by the research team, prior to a process of respondent validation. Results The overriding theme from respondents was one of ownership of their disease whereby social media can be used to provide a support mechanism over and above that which is already provided by visits to the multidisciplinary team. Interestingly at the point of diagnosis, respondents reported being overwhelmed by existing online resources. Therefore the desire for more patient-centred social media that could be developed specifically to be tailored by the individual was noted. These media could then be used to bring people with similar experiences who are geographically distant together in a meaningful way, for example through blogs or webinars, as well as being a source of reference for disease management and/or as a resource when attending appointments e.g. for tracking symptoms. Moreover, because of the hand pain and deformities experienced by respondents, the use of touch-screen technology (e.g. smartphones and tablets), were reported to be a much easier way of navigating health resources. Finally, the immediacy of support/information that can be provided by social media is something respondents desired. Conclusions The type of social media that people with RA would find most useful does not yet appear to exist. These data will be used to create the architecture of an application ('app') that people with RA and their family and friends as well as their clinicians can use to assist the monitoring and self-management of their own health. References Sarasohn-Kahn, J. 2008. The wisdom of patients: health care meets online social media. California Healthcare Foundation. Oakland, USA. [Online] Available at: http://www.chcf.org/∼/media/MEDIA%20LIBRARY%20Files/PDF/H/PDF%20HealthCareSocialMedia.pdf Accessed: 01.07.2011 Acknowledgements We would like to thank the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society for assisting with recruitment and to the interview participants who gave up their time Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Objective: Obesity is related to mental illnesses. Atypic body weight affects mental health as well as mental illnesses affecting weight. In this study, our aim is to investigate psychological changes in obese patients. Methods: Three hundred patients were included in the study. Weight, height, and waist circumference (WC) were recorded. FBS and insulin were measured. Insulin resistance (IR) was calculated. Patients were evaluated by psychiatrist according to the Beck depression–anxiety scale. Results: Two hundred and forty-nine patients had BMI of >30 kg/m 2 (83%, group1) and 51 people had a BMI of >25 kg/m 2 (17%, group 2). Two hundred and thirty females had WC of >85 cm and 47 males had WC of >104 cm. One hundred and forty-two patients had a BMI of >30 kg/m 2 , and 13 in the control group had depression (p=0.00). Eighty-four patients in the obese group and 5 in the control group had anxiety. Depression and anxiety rates were significantly different according to WC s (p=0.015 vs. p=0.001); 191 patients had IR, although 91 of the patients had depression and 54 had anxiety. Conclusion: Our study found an association between obesity and depression in midlife population. These results suggest that obesity may contribute to depression. Also, a positive association was found between depression and IR; the association seemed to be mediated partially by WC.


Abstract. The VLF/LF radio signals method for studying preseimic activity is applied to the Abruzzo earthquake (M=6.3, 6 April 2009). The data collected by three receivers located in Moscow (Russia), Graz (Austria) and Bari (Italy) at about 3000 km, 1000 km and 500 km from the epicenter were used. The signals received from the Sardinia (20.27 kHz) and the Sicily (45.9 kHz) transmitters, both located in Italy, were compared with those received from the Iceland (37.5 kHz), the Great Britain (19.58 kHz) and the Germany (23.4 kHz) transmitters. The propagation paths of the two Italian transmitters cross the epicentral area (seismic paths) unlike the paths of the other three signals (control paths). Using two different analyses, that are the study of the night-time signal and the research of shifts in the evening terminator times, clear anomalies were revealed 2–8 days before the occurrence of the Abruzzo earthquake in the seismic paths, while no anomalies have been found in the control paths.


INTRODUCTION
The rapid increase in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) among the younger age groups is a growing concern worldwide. Thus, assessing the perception of risk and knowledge among those at risk may provide an opportunity for early intervention, delay or even prevent the onset.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the perceived risk of developing T2DM and its knowledge among the offspring of diabetic patients.

METHODS
A cross sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted among university students whose parents had type 2 diabetes to determine their perceived risk and knowledge on T2DM.

RESULTS
A total of 336 university students participated in this study and 56.5% of them correctly identified themselves at risk of developing T2DM. About half of them (52.7%) had higher knowledge of T2DM. Male students appeared to have better risk perception (p=0.024) compared to females while those with mothers affected by T2DM appear to have higher knowledge regarding diabetes (p=0.007). Most of their information regarding T2DM was obtained from the internet (87.5%) and other family members (77.9%).

CONCLUSION
The students whose mothers had T2DM appear to have better knowledge and information regarding T2DM and this was mostly obtained from the internet and family members. Awareness regarding diabetes and healthy lifestyles advice through primary patients may be beneficial for their offspring.


Graph convolutional neural networks have recently shown success in disease prediction for population-based analysis. This is useful as this could potentially improve clinical decisionmaking. However, in medical domain, not only is it important to get good classification performance but it is also important to explain how the model does its prediction. The goal in this thesis is to investigate explainability methods for graph neural networks. Date & Time 20.März 2020 -11:00 Title Automatic Kidney Segmentation using Machine Learning Student Joana Halili Type IDP Kick-Off Supervisor Dr. Thomas Wendler Director Prof. Dr. Nassir Navab Abstract Currently patients undergoing kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty due to spinal metastases are treating with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). A new approach of treatment developed in our group is the technique of injection brachytherapy. There the conventional bone cement used in kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty is replaced by a radioactive analogue. As part of the procedure, we would like to calculate the dose that the kidneys get during the procedure in particular for the L3-T8 vertebrae. One approach to this estimation is by finding the location and segmenting the kidneys for each patient. The purpose of this project is to train a deep neural network that will be able to segment the kidneys from CT images, thereby assisting in the later estimation of the dose that the kidneys get from the injection. Part of the challenge for the project is the limited field of view and varying kidney sizes, as commonly the kidneys are not completely imaged within the CT acquired for planning. Additionally a challenge will be the fact that the images are not meant to depict kidneys with good contrast, but rather to do so for the vertebrae making the contrast commonly suboptimal. Date & Time 20.März 2020 -11:30 Title A Semi Supervised Approach For Disentangled Representation Learning in Generative Models Student Mehreen Zubair


Councillors are currently limited in how much influence they are able to have over their local area, locked in local governance networks in which they feature but don't control. Assessing these networks and their democratic credentials, Colin Copus concludes that the right to pass primary legislation, over for example the legal drinking age or fox hunting, would refocus politics on local government at the expense of the centre.


Abstract Purpose To examine the effects of an Arabic smartphone application on adherence to home exercise programs (HEPs) and the effectiveness of mobile-based HEPs on pain, physical function, and lower-limb muscle strength among older women with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Materials and methods This randomised control trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: (NCT04159883) enrolled 40 women aged ≥50 years with knee OA who were randomised into the app group (experimental; n = 20) receiving HEPs using an Arabic smartphone application called "My Dear Knee", whereas the paper group (control; n = 20) receiving HEPs as hand-outs. Both groups had the same exercise program. Outcome measures were self-reported adherence, changes in the Arabic Numeric Pain Rating Scale, the Arabic version of the reduced Western Ontario, McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index-Physical Function subscale, and Five-Times Sit-To-Stand Test scores. All participants were assessed at baseline, at week 3 and week 6. Using completer-only analyses, the repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare the means of the outcome measures between the two groups. Results At the end of week 6, the app group reported greater adherence to HEPs (p = .002) and significant reduction in pain (p = .015). Conclusions A smartphone application with motivational and attractive features could enhance adherence to HEPs in this patient cohort. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Older adults with knee OA may face many obstacles that prevent or limit their adherence to the prescribed HEP. Smart device apps supported with attractive and motivational features could be an effective strategy to enhance adherence to HEPs among older adults with knee OA. Using such remote technology appears to overcome the barriers that may limit the ability of older women to receive supervised physical therapy in a clinical setting.


The inference of causality is a crucial cognitive ability and language processing is no exception: recent research suggests that, across different languages, the human language comprehension system attempts to identify the primary causer of the state of affairs described (the "actor") quickly and unambiguously (Bornkessel-Schlesewsky and Schlesewsky, 2009). This identification can take place verb-independently based on certain prominence cues (e.g., case, word order, animacy). Here, we present two experiments demonstrating that actor potential is also encoded at the level of individual nouns (a king is a better actor than a beggar). Experiment 1 collected ratings for 180 German nouns on 12 scales defined by adjective oppositions and deemed relevant for actorhood potential. By means of structural equation modeling, an actor potential (ACT) value was calculated for each noun. Experiment 2, an event-related potential study, embedded nouns from Experiment 1 in verb-final sentences, in which they were either actors or non-actors. N400 amplitude increased with decreasing ACT values and this modulation was larger for highly frequent nouns and for actor versus non-actor nouns. We argue that potency to act is lexically encoded for individual nouns and, since it modulates the N400 even for non-actor participants, it should be viewed as a property that modulates ease of lexical access (akin, for example, to lexical frequency). We conclude that two separate dimensions of actorhood computation are crucial to language comprehension: an experience-based, lexically encoded (bottom–up) representation of actorhood potential, and a prominence-based, computational mechanism for calculating goodness-of-fit to the actor role in a particular (top–down) sentence context.


In creating a test to admit eyewitness identifications, the Supreme Court in Manson v. Brathwaite held as its most important value the reliability of this evidence. Thirty-five years later, hundreds of tests, research projects, and papers have shown exactly how unreliable the Court's admissibility test is. The Supreme Court has failed to live up to its own standard.The National Academy of Sciences new Report, Identifying the Culprit: Assessing Eyewitness Identification, may be the needed impetus to change the nationally governing standard. The Report takes readers above and beyond the current Manson test. Indeed, Identifying the Culprit predicts a national impact on our executive, judicial, and legislative branches. Five years from today, the U.S. Supreme Court may use these findings to completely overhaul the admission of eyewitness testimony in the courtroom.This piece provides a brief sketch of a prior NAS Report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, and the impact it has had on all branches of government. The growing influence and reforms of the field of forensic science then lead into questions of the reliability of eyewitness evidence. The role of innocence cases ultimately culminates in a discussion of Identifying the Culprit: Assessing Eyewitness Identification and the impact of these connected Reports.


A custom built 512 channel system was designed to drive therapeutic ultrasound phased arrays. The system was used to drive a newly constructed 256 element phased array in a series of MR guided in vivo porcine experiments to coagulate deep seated tissue in the thigh, kidney, and liver. Thermal coagulation lesions greater than 5 cm/sup 3/ in thigh and greater than 2 cm/sup 3/ in the liver were generated using a single 20 second sonication. The feasibility of MR guided phased array ultrasound surgery to coagulate in vivo liver tissue in a large animal model has been shown.


'Cheongpoongbora', a winter hairy vetch variety (Vicia villosa Roth) for green manure use, was developed from the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS) in 2009. Among the genetic resourced collected in Daegu, early flowering, strongly resistant to cold, and high yield in green manure, was selected by pedigree selection method. Over the two years from 2008 to 2009, regional yield trial test was conducted with the line in four regions: Suwon, Iksan, Milyang, and Yeongdeok. As a result, in December 2009, it was named 'Cheongpoongbora' as a new variety. 'Cheongpoongbora' features medium green color leaves, medium density hair, and black seed coat. Flowering season for the variety was on April 29 on average across the nation, 11 days earlier than the check variety 'Welta'. Also, it was more resistant to cold than 'Welta'. The dry matter yield was average 5.20 tons per ha, 5.9% higher than 'Welta' (4.92 tons), the nitrogen yield was average 166 kg per ha, 6.4% higher than 'Welta' (156 kg). 'Cheongpoongbora' can be cultivated in any national regions which have the daily minimum mean temperature of over -15℃ in January.


PURPOSE
To provide standard operating procedures (SOPs) for measuring tear inflammatory cytokine concentrations and to validate the resulting profile as a minimally invasive objective metric and biomarker of ocular surface inflammation for use in multicenter clinical trials on dry eye disease (DED).

METHODS
Standard operating procedures were established and then validated with cytokine standards, quality controls, and masked tear samples collected from local and distant clinical sites. The concentrations of the inflammatory cytokines in tears were quantified using a high-sensitivity human cytokine multiplex kit.

RESULTS
A panel of inflammatory cytokines was initially investigated, from which four key inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, INF-γ, and TNF-α) were chosen. Results with cytokine standards statistically satisfied the manufacturer's quality control criteria. Results with pooled tear samples were highly reproducible and reliable with tear volumes ranging from 4 to 10 μL. Incorporation of the SOPs into clinical trials was subsequently validated. Tear samples were collected at a distant clinical site, stored, and shipped to our Biomarker Laboratory, where a masked analysis of the four tear cytokines was successfully performed. Tear samples were also collected from a feasibility study on DED. Inflammatory cytokine concentrations were decreased in tears of subjects who received anti-inflammatory treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
Standard operating procedures for human tear cytokine assessment suitable for multicenter clinical trials were established. Tear cytokine profiling using these SOPs may provide objective metrics useful for diagnosing, classifying, and analyzing treatment efficacy in inflammatory conditions of the ocular surface, which may further elucidate the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of ocular surface disease.


This work reports an experimental study of convective heat transfer of aqueous alumina nanofluids in a horizontal microchannel under laminar flow condition. The variation of local heat transfer coefficients, in both entrance and developed flow regime, is obtained as a function of axial distance. The heat transfer coefficient of nanofluids is found to be dependent upon not only nanoparticle concentration but also mass flow rate. Different to the behavior in conventional-sized channels, the major heat transfer coefficient enhancement is observed in fully developed region in microchannels. Discussions of the results suggest that the heterogeneous nature of nanoparticle flow should be considered.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


Clinical trials of myeloma treatment are reviewed. 7618 patients are described in nine Tables (some patients appear in more than one). Most randomized trials and trials of non-staged myeloma yield no statistically significant differences between the combinations of alkylators, vinca alkaloids, nitrosoureas, anthracyclines, epipodophyllotoxins, procarbazine and/or steroids used. Intensive combination treatment induces response in an average of 3 months and seems superior to monotherapy in stage III, in which the early mortality is reduced from 45% to 10%. No studies were found showing any evidence for superiority of intensive treatment in stage I. Alternating chemotherapy combinations do not delay refractoriness. No evidence was found that maintenance treatment prolongs survival in responding patients.


Customer satisfaction and customer loyalty are important parts of a business which should be maintained by company to keep their existence in market. Company should observe and evaluate market condition frequently because customer needs and wants are changing along with the development of technology. Customer expectation toward certain product or services is one of customer satisfaction indicator and satisfaction has effect on customer loyalty which determines whether customer will repurchase the same product or not. This paper aims to examine customer satisfaction influence on customer loyalty and willingness to pay. The research used quantitative analysis research with Samsung Smartphone in Pontianak as the research object and used the sample of 100 respondents in Pontianak by using questionnaire to collect the data.  Collected data were analyzed with path analysis by using SPSS 16.0. The result analysis shows that all the hypotheses have positive and significant influence. Customer satisfaction has positive and significant influence towards customer loyalty and willingness to pay and customer loyalty has positive and significant influence toward willingness to pay. There are two hypotheses with contribution more than 50% which are customer satisfaction influence loyalty and loyalty influence willingness to pay. The influence of customer satisfaction on willingness to pay is only contributing 33.9%. The influence of customer satisfaction on willingness to pay through customer loyalty resulted insignificant influence with contribution only 0.072%. This means customer satisfaction direct influence on willingness to pay is better than the indirect influence. Keywords: customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, willingness to pay more


We study the effect of amagnetic field on the current-phase relation of a topological Josephson junction formed by connecting two superconductors through the helical edge states of a quantum spin-Hall insulator. We predict that the Zeeman effect along the spin quantization axis of the helical edges results in an anomalous Josephson relation that allows for a supercurrent to flow in the absence of superconducting phase bias. We relate the associated field-tunable phase shift phi(0) in the Josephson relation of such a phi(0) junction to the existence of a so-called helical superconductivity, which may result from the interplay of the Zeeman effect and spin-orbit coupling. We analyze the dependence of the magneto-supercurrent on the junction length and discuss its observability in suitably designed hybrid structures subject to an in-plane magnetic field.


Summary The nutritional sequelae of major resection of the "hollow organs" of the gastrointestinal tract for cancer are reviewed. Radical surgery of the head and neck region may lead to significant nutritional problems due to the mechanical effects of surgery that limit normal methods for nutritional intake, but these problems can be overcome by tube feeding. Resection of the thoracic esophagus or stomach for cancer may produce varied forms of malabsorption, particularly of ingested fat, but the reduction of caloric intake that often will accompany these procedures plays the primary role in each instance where malnutrition is produced by the operation. These nutritional difficulties are corrected by assuring adequate caloric intake and reducing the symptoms that inhibit this. Small bowel resection rarely produces nutritional problems unless the resection is massive, a situation wherein malabsorption becomes a major problem in nutritional management. Fortunately, massive small bowel resection is rarely indicated for the treatment of cancer. Radical colon surgery of any extent is well tolerated from the nutritional standpoint. An understanding of the causes of malnutrition in patients undergoing surgical resection of the gastrointestinal tract for cancer should lead to effective management of any problems that do occur.


his investigation aimed at evaluating the effect of iodine supplementation on the IDD impact indicators in a group of 571 hypothyroid iodine deficient schoolchildren. Materials and Methods: Values of levels obtained were compared with data from our previous 1989 study in these villages and results of the comparison showed that total goiter rate decreased by 42% in 1999. Results: A significant decrease in grade 2 goiter concomitant with an increase in grade 1 goiter was seen, P<0.001. Serum T4, T3, TSH concentrations, urinary iodine level and IQ were normal in all children. Mean IQ was higher in children aged 6-10 years as compared to other age groups, P<0.05. Conclusion: Study shows that euthyroidism induced by administration of iodized oil in hypothyroid iodine deficient schoolchildren can be maintained following iodized salt consumption.


During development, dynamic changes in the axonal growth cone and dendrite are necessary for exploratory movements underlying initial axo‐dendritic contact and ultimately the formation of a functional synapse. In the adult central nervous system, an impressive degree of plasticity is retained through morphological and molecular rearrangements in the pre‐ and post‐synaptic compartments that underlie the strengthening or weakening of synaptic pathways. Plasticity is regulated by the interplay of permissive and inhibitory extracellular cues, which signal through receptors at the synapse to regulate the closure of critical periods of developmental plasticity as well as by acute changes in plasticity in response to experience and activity in the adult. The molecular underpinnings of synaptic plasticity are actively studied and it is clear that the cytoskeleton is a key substrate for many cues that affect plasticity. Many of the cues that restrict synaptic plasticity exhibit residual activity in the injured adult CNS and restrict regenerative growth by targeting the cytoskeleton. Here, we review some of the latest insights into how cytoskeletal remodeling affects neuronal plasticity and discuss how the cytoskeleton is being targeted in an effort to promote plasticity and repair following traumatic injury in the central nervous system.


Estimated rates and efficiency of ocean carbon export flux are sensitive to differences in the depth horizons used to define export, which often vary across methodological approaches. We evaluate sinking particulate organic carbon (POC) flux rates and efficiency (e‐ratios) in a global earth system model, using a range of commonly used depth horizons: the seasonal mixed layer depth, the particle compensation depth, the base of the euphotic zone, a fixed depth horizon of 100 m, and the maximum annual mixed layer depth. Within this single dynamically consistent model framework, global POC flux rates vary by 30% and global e‐ratios by 21% across different depth horizon choices. Zonal variability in POC flux and e‐ratio also depends on the export depth horizon due to pronounced influence of deep winter mixing in subpolar regions. Efforts to reconcile conflicting estimates of export need to account for these systematic discrepancies created by differing depth horizon choices.


Over half of millennials believe gender is a spectrum, yet our models remain stuck in binary logic. As health researchers and practitioners, we can create schematics that provide information, connect concepts, and actively engage youth in their own health, on their terms. We created an interactive map as a visual way to connect complex concepts of gender and sexual health through inclusive education that builds an understanding of self and others. The Gender Identity Map uses technology-enhanced learning and visual literacy principles to explore a new framework of gender. The Map incorporates concepts from Biology (chromosomes, intersex), Psychology, History, and Art in a visual and interactive journey to 'translate' the complicated language of gender and science into more accessible and active formats for health education delivery.


After long duration of an operation, a shaft under high spin speeds and heavy loadings may develop fatigue cracks. This could lead to catastrophic failure and could be difficult to detect. An accurate prediction of dynamic characteristics of rotor system is fundamentally important. Hence, a practical method to nondestructively locate and estimate the severity of a crack in terms of its damage index by measuring the changes in natural frequencies of the rotor shaft is presented. In this study, experimental modal analysis (EMA) data were utilized. A crack detection algorithm to locate and identify cracks in the rotor system using the first and second natural frequencies was outlined. Subsequently, a crack-locating model was formulated by relating the fractional changes in modal energy to the changes in natural frequencies as a result of cracks based on the experimentally obtained natural frequencies and mode shapes' functions. The feasibility and practicality of the crack detection scheme were evaluated for several damage scenarios by locating and sizing cracks in test rotor shafts for which the first two natural frequencies were available. It was observed that crack could be confidently located with a relatively small localization error. It was also observed that crack severity could be estimated in terms of its damage index.


To investigate the possible role of elastic potentiation on mechanical efficiency, three male marathon runners were filmed while running on a treadmill at various steady-state speeds ranging from 7.0-22.0 km X h-1. Kinematic and mechanical energy analyses were performed from the film. Expired air was collected for energy expenditure determination. The analysis disclosed that during contact on the treadmill the knee and ankle joints initially had a phase of negative (flexion) angular velocity, followed by a positive velocity. In the hip joint the stretch-shortening cycle of the extensor muscles occurred primarily during the flight phase. The mean vertical and horizontal forces of the negative and positive phases of the contact period increased linearly with the increase in the running speed. The calculated mechanical efficiency of positive work was high but relatively constant (55.1 +/- 12.7%) across all speeds. The absolute contribution of the extra work, which comes from the stored elastic energy to the positive work, increased with running speed; however, its relative value (0.61 +/- 0.09 J X min-1 X kg-1) remained constant at all measured speeds. It is suggested, therefore, that when the flight phase is included in the mechanical energy calculations, the measured efficiency for the positive work reaches a high but constant value in running at low-to-moderate speeds.


This work gives an overview of real-time visualisation algorithms developed under the EC-funded project Multimod to support a novel paradigm for the virtual representation of musculo-skeletal structures. These algorithms are fully integrated into the Multimod Application Framework (MAF), an open-source freely-available software framework for the rapid development of medical visualisation applications. MAF is based on the visualisation toolkit (VTK) and other specialised toolkits, e.g. for image registration and segmentation, collision detection or numerical computation. MAF provides a range of high-level components that can be easily combined for rapid construction of visualisation applications that support synchronised views. The majority of algorithms available within the standard underlying MAF toolkits were frequently either too slow or too general for our purposes. We have thus implemented computationally efficient versions of existing algorithms, e.g. for surface and volume rendering, and more importantly, developed new techniques, e.g. for X-ray rendering and designing volume rendering transfer functions. To achieve interactive rendering we have employed a scheme for space partitioning. The emphasis is on exploiting the characteristics of medical datasets (e.g. density value homogeneity) but further utilising the hardware-accelerated capabilities of modern graphics cards. In this context, calculations are moved into hardware as appropriate while avoiding dependency on specialised features of particular manufacturers so as to ensure real code portability.


This study examines diversification decisions of family firms and suggests that on average family firms diversify less both domestically and internationally than non-family firms. When they do diversify, family firms tend to opt for domestic rather than international diversification, and those that go the latter route prefer to choose regions that are 'culturally close'. Lastly, we find that family firms are more willing to diversify as business risk increases. The hypotheses are tested using a sample of 360 firms, 160 of them being family-controlled and the rest (200) non-family-controlled.


We designed an experimental system based on stereo vision in order to analyze quantificational biomechanical properties of iris tissue without destroying the structure and function of iris in this paper. This experimental system, which was designed and improved upon the primary experimental device, consists of three vidicons assembled with tripod, a circular desk scaled from one degree to 360 degrees, a signal generator, a special lamp-house, a pupil-blocking simulating device, a negative pressure device, a constant temperature trough assembled with a fixed bracket, a load-pressure trough and a small electric elevator. The new experimental system could simulate the pupil-blocking phenomena. The animal research was proved that the results were consistent with the clinical observation. The new experimental system could also obtain continuous pressure data and corresponding 2D image of iris from three different degrees in the course of load-pressure. The experimental system not only is an ideal experimental system to measure biomechanical properties of iris tissue and pupil-blocking force quantitatively, but also can be used to research small distortion characteristic of other biologic material.


In this paper, a research and development project on a generic animated simulator for robot manipulators is reported. The simulator animates the dynamic motion of a robotic system based on a set of position, velocity, acceleration, and force data generated from certain control algorithms, given through a data file, or imported from external programs. The data specifying the animated motion of the robotic system can be given in either the robot joint space or the task Cartesian space. The simulator is capable of constructing arbitrarily shaped robotic system structures and environment objects if they can be modeled as rigid combination of convex polyhedra. Dynamic properties of the system have been taken into considerations so that they can be specified by a user to reflect different dynamic objects and environment. The simulator is controlled through a graphic interface. The simulator is implemented on a NeXT TurboStation using Objective-C programming environment and the NeXT Interface Builder.<<ETX>>


We consider identification of nonparametric random utility models of multinomial choice using "micro data," i.e., observation of the characteristics and choices of individual consumers. Our model of preferences nests random coefficients discrete choice models widely used in practice with parametric functional form and distributional assumptions. However, the model is nonparametric and distribution free. It allows choice- specific unobservables, endogenous choice characteristics, unknown heteroskedasticity, and high-dimensional correlated taste shocks. Under standard "large support" and instrumental variables assumptions, we show identifiability of the random utility model. We demonstrate robustness of these results to relaxation of the large support condition and show that when it is replaced with a weaker "common choice probability" condition, the demand structure is still identified. We show that key maintained hypotheses are testable.


In this paper we continue the analysis of a rocket powered MINI attempting a ski jump. Here, we continue the investigation by creating two models, one theoretical and one realistic. Each of these have been plotted in order to visualise the difference in the two. From the maximum velocity previously calculated we estimate the car should be able to travel approximately 440 m horizontally. A more realistic velocity, 45 ms−1, results in a horizontal distance travelled of 170 m.


"Disharmony is the cause of disease and therefore re-establishment of harmony is the cure" which is the proverb of our ancient system of siddha medicine. Siddha treatises describe disease in man do not originate in himself
alone, but also from the environmental influences which act upon him.
Our literature supports the fact that suram is established when we go wrong with the nature, in food, Lifestyle, behavior,emotions, etc., internally along with the
external environment.
Hence siddha text suggests suram under noinilai, and not merely a symptom. so suram may be comparable with fever and its symptoms. Fever in children is one of the most common manifestations of an illness which makes the parents seek
medical attention early. Fever can be defined as a regulated elevation in body temperature above the customary set point of the hypothalamic thermostat.
Siddha system of medicine which has an indigenous effect in clearing the root cause of the disease will be unique in clearing suram. Hence I hope the trial drug
"vettumarankuligai" will be effective in curing suram.
Suram may be due to body immune response (or) it can be the
presenting feature of serious (or) life threatening disease, hence it develops an importance in clinical approach to the patients in order to distinguish the mild benign illness from those potentially more serious.
AIM OF THE STUDY:
To evaluate the clinical efficacy of the drug "vettumaran kuligai" to reduce increased temperature,and its presentations like heat, head ache,chills,muscle pain,malaise etc.
OBJECTIVES:
1. To collect and review the ideas mentioned in the ancient siddha literature about the disease,
2. To study the disease suram on the basis of mukkutram udalthathukkal, kaalangal,neerkuri,neikuri,age, sex and economic status,
3. To use the modern parameters in the investigations of the disease that enhances to observe the progress of the patient,
4. To have clinical trial on "vettumaran kuligai",
5. To evaluate the pharmacological study of the trial drug,
6. To study the biochemical analysis the trial drug,
7. To study the acute toxicity study of the trial drug.
CONCLUSION:
• The author has been selected dissertation topic were well analyzed on the siddha and modern parameters.
• The points were thoroughly examined with clinical and biochemical analysis.
• All the cases were treated with"vettumarankuligai".
• Clinical results were found to be satisfactory.
• The medicine was free from adverse effects, clinically.
• So it is concluded suram and its symptoms could be well treated and observed by a good medicine "vettumarankuligai". It briefs the suram in various origin along with diet restriction stated in siddha literature.


In this paper, finite and infinite horizon stochastic H<inf>2</inf>/H<inf>∞</inf>control problems with all state, control input and external disturbance-dependent noise are studied. It is shown that the existence condition of finite horizon stochastic H<inf>2</inf>/H<inf>∞</inf>control is equivalent to the solvability of four coupled matrix-valued differential equations, and that of infinite horizon stochastic H<inf>2</inf>/H<inf>∞</inf>control is equivalent to the solvability of four coupled matrix-valued algebraic equations.


The approach to genetic modification in plant breeding and the coexistence of traditional and biotech crops is not uniform all over the world. While in the U.S. the ratio of the GM-production reached 30-40%, from which it made no longer sense to differentiate between GM and conventional, in Europe there is great resistance to the new technology. Standpoints are also diverse about the environmental advantages, mainly knowing the facts that e.g. the tendency of herbicide/insecticide consumption in some places was the opposite than expected (increased) or the potential health risks possibly caused by GM foodstuffs. In Hungary the possible future application of GM plants has more disadvantages just right now instead of providing benefits to farmers from environmental, ecological and economical point of view. It seems that consensus is still far away, the debates will go on; the counterparts will abide by their opinions for a long time.


Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image compression is important in image transmission and archiving. In this paper, SAR image compression using embedded zerotree wavelets algorithm, based on discrete wavelet transform (DWT), is researched. Aiming at special characteristics of SAR image such as speckle noise, the author added a denoise step in the flow of compression, trying to do some meaningful attempt in SAR image compression. Experiments carried out show that the improvement can reduce the speckle noise and improve the computation precision and time.


In this report, trypsin was immobilized in the layer-by-layer (LBL) coating of graphene oxide (GO) and chitosan on a piece of glass fiber to fabricate microchip bioreactor for efficient proteolysis. LBL deposition driven by electrostatic forces easily took place on the surface of the glass fiber, providing mild environmental conditions so that the denaturation and autolysis of the immobilized trypsin was minimized. Prior to use, a piece of the prepared trypsin-immobilized glass fiber was inserted into the channel of a microchip to form a core-changeable bioreactor. The novel GO-based bioreactor can be regenerated by changing its fiber core. The feasibility and performance of the unique bioreactor were demonstrated by the tryptic digestion of bovine serum albumin, myoglobin, cytochrome c, and hemoglobin and the digestion time was significantly reduced to less than 10 s. The obtained digests were identified by MALDI-TOF MS. The digestion performance of the core-changeable GO-based microchip bioreactor was comparable to that of 12-h in-solution tryptic digestion. The novel microchip bioreactor is simple and efficient, offering great promise for high-throughput protein identification.


This paper provides a systematic literature review of publications relating to the effect of incorporating fly
ash and steel fibres on the shrinkage of self-compacting concrete (SCC). It identifies various influencing aspects related to the use of fly ash and steel fibres such as replacement level of fly ash, class of fly ash, dosage of steel fibres, type and aspect ratio of steel fibres. It concludes with a look to the future, including research needs to be addressed.


Spores and vegetative forms of oncolytically active and oncolytically non-active clostridial strains were tested for histamine reducing activity (isolated ileum of guinea pig used for testing, waterbath method acc. to Magnus, Fig. 1). Culture media and the washed intact material did not show any or only very little effectiveness. On the other hand the fractionated, charges diminished histamine standard solutions except for very little remaining activity in the case of all strains. This effect was stronger in vegetative forms than in spores (Fig. 2). The histamine effect on the isolated organ was generally increased by means of culture media as well as by the washed intact material. In this respect, preparations of non-lytic strains showed a slightly higher effectiveness than preparations of lytic clostridial strains (Fig. 2). It was shown in earlier investigations (cf. bibliography) that the charges of clostridial strains decompose plasmakinin (synthetic bradykinin) at varying rates. Reduction of histamine activity by means of clostridia could lead to a decrease of the microcirculation and capillary-permeability in the tumor tissue (as hypothesized for bradykinin) and thereby favour its disintegration.


We present a case report indicating that the administration of phentermine, an appetite suppressant with sympathomimetic activity, can provoke an intracerebral hemorrhage. A 48-year-old woman with no previously established cerebrovascular risk fa ctors and who had taken phentermine for 30 days developed sudden-onset left hemiparesis. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed an acute intracerebral hemorrhage involving the right thalamus. This case indicates that physicians should be aware of the relevant cause of medication history including appetite suppressants in young patients with an acute intracerebral hemorrhage. J Korean Neurol Assoc 34(2):142-144, 2016


Nanoparticles (NPs) represent a major point of interest in the scientific field, with an increasing number of studies revealing promising results. Nano-oncology is a relatively new area of research that continues to expand, revealing new perspectives in both diagnosing and treating cancer. Treating pancreatic cancer (PC) remains a major challenge, with modest positive results, thus an increasing number of studies have focused on this disease. Out of all the NPs that have been used in experimental studies, gold NPs (GNPs) appear to be the most efficient, with little systemic toxicity. This review aims to summarize the latest studies that reveal the effects that GNPs have on PC cells, focusing on different ways in which they can be used to diagnose this disease, to induce apoptosis or cause cytotoxicity in cancer cells. Although literature has limited data concerning this specific topic, the results are promising. However more studies are required until GNPs can be used in clinical practice.


We present an archiving technique for hierarchical data with key structure. Our approach is based on the notion of timestamps whereby an element appearing in multiple versions of the database is stored only once along with a compact description of versions in which it appears. The basic idea of timestamping was discovered by Driscoll et al. in the context of persistent data structures where one wishes to track the sequences of changes made to a data structure. We extend this idea to develop an archiving tool for XML data that is capable of providing meaningful change descriptions and can also efficiently support a variety of basic functions concerning the evolution of data such as retrieval of any specific version from the archive and querying the temporal history of any element. This is in contrast to diff-based approaches where such operations may require undoing a large number of changes or significant reasoning with the deltas. Surprisingly, our archiving technique does not incur any significant space overhead when contrasted with other approaches. Our experimental results support this and also show that the compacted archive file interacts well with other compression techniques. Finally, another useful property of our approach is that the resulting archive is also in XML and hence can directly leverage existing XML tools.


Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) with PML-RARA is an acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a predominance of abnormal promyelocytes. Both hypergranular (typical) and microgranular (hypogranular) types exist. Previously, APL was associated with an extremely high mortality rate due to hemorrhage. However, since the advent of anthracycline, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has been introduced into therapy, resulting in the transformation of APL into AML with a higher probability of cure. Furthermore, for the last 30 years, molecular-targeted drugs, such as arsenic acid (ATO), tamibarotene (Am80), and gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO), have been developed in succession in addition to ATRA. In recent years, molecular-targeted drugs with different mechanisms of action are being combined, and the APL treatment outcome is revolutionary. In this review, we introduce previously used APL therapies and those at the forefront of APL treatment.


Isolated primary nocturnal enuresis is a functional disorder Its conventional treatment is based around lifestyle changes, rehabilitation with an alarm system and medication. Osteopathy offers a complementary or alternative treatment but studies need to be carried out to determine its effectiveness.


Zn1-xMgxTe layers with a wide composition range of 0?x?0.66 were grown on ZnTe (001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Zn1-xMgxTe epitaxial layers with Mg composition below 0.66 have a zincblende structure, suitable for fabrication of LED. Strained pseudomorphic epitaxial layer is obtained at the Mg composition x up to 0.05. Mg composition in epitaxial layer was controlled by the flux ratio of Mg/(Zn+Mg), but it was also affected by the flux ratio of Te/(Zn+Mg).


A method for de novo sequencing of N(α)-blocked proteins by mass spectrometry (MS) is presented. The approach consists of enzymatic digestion of N(α)-blocked protein, recovery of N-terminal peptide by depletion of non-N-terminal peptides from the digest pool, and selective derivatization of a C-terminal α-carboxyl group of isolated N-terminal peptide. The C-terminal α-carboxyl group of the N-terminal peptide was selectively derivatized with 3-aminopropyl-tris(2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl)phosphonium bromide (TMPP-propylamine), according to oxazolone chemistry. The reagent TMPP-propylamine was designed to facilitate sequence analysis with MALDI-MS by mass- and charge-tagging. All of the identities and N-terminal sequences of two N(α)-acetylated proteins (rabbit phosphorylase b and bovine calmodulin) and human orexin A, which has pyroglutamic acid at the N-terminus, were successfully analyzed by allowing for the y-type ions almost exclusively.


In last year's issue of The Florida Geographer I addressed the effect of Hurricane Andrew on migration to and from Dade County, Florida (Winsberg 1996). Using data obtained from the United States Internal Revenue Service (1996), it was noted that Dade County (Miami-Hialeah) had experienced a net out-migration of approximately 20,000 tax filers and their exemptions during each of the first two tax years of this decade. As a consequence of the damage wrought in tile county when Hurricane Andrew struck in August, 1992, in the third year of the decade net out-migration more than doubled (45,519), but in the next two for which data are available it fell back to approximately 30,000 each tax year.


Traffic surveillance has increasingly become an important research topic in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Recently, a number of traffic monitoring systems using Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTVs) have been implemented in many urban areas all over the world in order to monitor, record image sequences and report traffic information. Images are captured from cameras and are sent to other systems for processing or displaying at the traffic management center or websites. However, data transmission problems and/or camera malfuction can corrupt the quality of video images. In this paper, we propose a simple but efficient method to detect corrupted images received from traffic surveillance cameras using histogram analysis and neural network classifiers. The experimental results show that our approach can accurately differentiate between normal and corrupted images.


The story of the development of civilisation and of humanity is at the base of science, medicine and otology in particular. The evolution of knowledge is better understood by dividing the story into chronological periods. Through primitive, archaic, hellenistic, byzantine, arabian, monastic, scholastic, Renaissance, modern and finally contemporary medicine, otology has progressively found its way. The key to progress is within man, in his conception of life and of the world around him. Otology will be affected by these different trends of thought and will find its place in medicine during the XIX Century, the XX Century being its most prolific period.


This work studied CuO/CeO2-Co3O4 with wt% Ce:Co ratio 95:5 for selective CO oxidation with effect of  wt% Cu loading. The catalysts were prepared by co-precipitation. Characterizations of catalysts were carried out by XRD and BET techniques. The results showed a good dispersion of CuO for 5 wt% Cu loading catalysts and showed high specific surface area of catalyst. For selective CO oxidation, both 5CuO and 30CuO catalysts could remove completely CO in the presence of excess hydrogen at 423 K and 20CuO could eliminate CO completely at 443 K. Moreover, considering the selectivity to CO oxidation, the 5CuO catalyst has shown the highest selectivity of 85% while the 30CuO catalyst obtains the selectivity of 65% at the reaction temperature of 423 K.


The PID controller with its inherent shortcoming leads to the inefficiency of operation when it is used in the nonlinear and long time-constant control field. A first-order inertia system is designed to compose intelligent track guiding, the rationality in the whole process of the set value changing is programmed and the validity of assistant control of the derivative signal is introduced in this paper, the control target is carried out by realizing the process control of guiding track. It is easy to get that the essential of the algorithm is a variational PI controller by analyzing the algorithm, however, the performance and robustness of the control algorithm have been improved evidently with the accurate set value and effective regulation. Simulation results verify that the algorithm is reasonable and prevalent.


The rapid increase and subsequent management of Typhoid fever in Kenya has been complicated by the emergence and rise of antimicrobial resistance to the Salmonella Typhi pathogen. This situation is yet to be addressed due to the paucity of information regarding the circulating strains and their antimicrobial resistance profiles. This study was hence designed to genetically characterize and evaluate the antimicrobial resistance patterns of human Salmonella Typhi isolates circulating among patients in Kenyatta National Hospital the largest referral health facility in Kenya.  Fifty (n=50) Salmonella Typhi archived sample isolates were obtained from stool samples of patients suffering from typhoid fever who attended the facility from 2010 to 2015. The isolates were evaluated for phylogenetic relationships targeting 16s rRNA gene sequences and antimicrobial susceptibilities against a panel of 12 drugs by disk diffusion method. Phylogenetically, the isolates clustered close to Salmonella Typhi strain CT18 and its plasmid pHCM1 and plasmid IncHI1 of Salmonella Typhi strain R27 both associated with drug resistance. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests showed that 73% of the isolates were resistant to the Aminopenicillin, Sulfonamide, Phenicol and Aminoglycoside classes of drugs. A resistance of between 7% to 19% was observed for the Beta-lactamase, Fluoroquinolone and Cephalosporin classes of drugs. Only one of the isolates was fully susceptible to all the antimicrobial drugs used. A total of 23% of the isolates were intermediately resistant to all the 12 drugs used. The high resistance patterns of Salmonella Typhi evidenced necessitates the re-evaluation of the currently used antibiotic regimen and also underscores the importance of continued drug resistance monitoring for this pathogen.  Key Words Salmonella Typhi, Antimicrobial resistance, Phylogenetic, Susceptibility


Purpose Detrusor overactivity contributes to bothersome constellation of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men and women as they age. However, the underlying mechanisms of non-obstructive detrusor overactivity and LUTS remain largely unknown. Growing evidence suggests that ischemia may be an independent factor in the development of non-obstructive bladder dysfunction. Our goal was to determine the effects of ischemia on detrusor function and voiding behavior and define redox-mediated cellular stress and cell survival signaling in the ischemic bladder. Materials and methods Male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into treatment (n=8) and control (n=8) groups. In the treatment group, iliac artery atherosclerosis and chronic bladder ischemia were induced. At 8 weeks after bladder ischemia, voiding patterns were examined in metabolic cages, cystometrograms were recorded in conscious animals, and then bladder blood flow was measured under general anesthesia. Bladder tissues were processed for assessment of transcription factors, markers of cellular and mitochondrial stress, mitochondrial respiration, and cell survival signaling pathway. Results Atherosclerotic occlusive disease spread from the common iliac arteries to the internal iliac and vesical arteries and produced sustained bladder ischemia. Studies in metabolic cages showed increased micturition frequency and decreased voided volume in bladder ischemia. Conscious cystometrograms produced consistent data showing significant increase in micturition frequency and decreased voided volume and bladder capacity. Voiding behavior and cystometric changes in bladder ischemia were associated with significant decrease in DNA binding activity of Nrf2, significant increase in cellular levels of stress protein Hsp70 and mitochondrial stress protein GRP75, and significant decrease in mitochondrial oxygen consumption and upregulation of PI3K and Akt expression. Conclusion Chronic bladder ischemia may be a mediating variable in the development of detrusor overactivity in the non-obstructive bladder. The mechanism may involve ischemia-induced cellular stress, Nrf2 functional deficit, depression of mitochondrial respiration, and upregulation of PI3K/Akt cell survival signaling pathway.


It is experimentally demonstrated that a relatively strong ion-rich sheath formed at a fixed negative bias of the grid can be changed to a rather weak ion sheath (sheath potential weakly retards electrons) only by increasing the discharge voltage in the system. At sufficiently high negative grid bias, an increase of discharge voltage enhances the ion collection current at the grid. An explanation is put forward in support of this experimental observation. A slight density enhancement with a fall in plasma electron temperature is also observed with the increasing negative grid bias.


Introduction: In the field of medicinal chemistry, there is a growing interest in the use of small molecules. Although acetyl salicylic acid is well known for medical applications, little is known about other salicylic acid derivatives, and there is serious lack of data and information on the effects and biological evaluation that connect them. Areas covered: This review covers the synthesis and drug potencies of salicylic acid derivatives. After a brief overview of the information on salicylic acid and its features, a detailed review of salicylic acids as drugs and prodrugs, usage as cyclooxygenase inhibitors, properties in plants, synthesis and recent patents, is developed. Expert opinion: Salicylic acid research is still an important area and innovations continue to arise, which offer hope for new therapeutics in related fields. It is anticipated that this review will guide the direction of long-term drug/nutraceutical safety trials and stimulate ideas for future research.


Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L.) and Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.) are two of the most difficult weeds to control mostly due to their asexual reproduction. Yellow nutsedge reproduces through underground tubers and Johnsongrass through rhizomes. In addition, Johnsongrass is a problematic weed because of its competitive nature due to its C4 carbon fixation pathway metabolism. It typically grows to 1.8 to 2.5 m tall and can severely reduce yields in corn, cotton, soybeans, and other crops. Two separate field studies were conducted in 2020 at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, Mississippi to evaluate the effectiveness of various herbicides on yellow nutsedge and Johnsongrass control in a non-crop scenario. The experiments were conducted as randomized complete block designs with 7 and 11 herbicide treatments for yellow nutsedge and Johnsongrass, respectively. All treatments were replicated three times. Research plots were 4-m wide and 6-m long with 3-m alleys between replications. The 7 yellow nutsedge herbicide treatments consisted of trifloxysulfuron, bentazon, halosulfuron, halosulfuron + thifensulfuron, glyphosate, glufosinate, and paraquat. The 11 Johnsongrass herbicide treatments included clethodim, quizalofop, fluazifop, cyhalofop, fenoxaprop, pinoxaden, glufosinate, glyphosate, clethodim + glyphosate, glufosinate + clethodim, and glufosinate + clethodim + glyphosate. Glyphosate and halosulfuron + thifensulfuron provided only 77 and 72% control of yellow nutsedge by five-weeks after application (WAA). On the other hand, glyphosate, clethodim + glyphosate, glufosinate + clethodim, and glufosinate + clethodim + glyphosate provided 99 to 100% Johnsongrass control 4 WAA. Johnsongrass regrowth evaluation was assessed 3-weeks after the experimental area was mowed. Johnsongrass regrew in every herbicide treatment except for glyphosate which was the only treatment that provided 100% Johnsongrass control with no-regrowth.


This study aims to determine the influence of the Quantum teaching-learning model on the learning outcomes of class VII students on the theme of the Universe. The type of this research is Quasy Experiment with Nonequivalent Control Group Design. The research population is all students of class VII SMPN 13 Serang city. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling, which selected class VII G as the control class with Discovery learning and VII H as the experimental class with the Quantum teaching-learning model. Data was collected using a test technique in the form of pretest-posttest to measure cognitive learning outcomes and non-test in a questionnaire to measure affective learning outcomes and observation sheets to measure psychomotor learning outcomes. The collected data were analyzed using a t-test at a significance level of 0.05. The results showed an influence of the Quantum teaching-learning model on the learning outcomes of class VII students at SMPN 13 Serang city. In the control class, the average value of students' cognitive learning outcomes is 45 in the significantly less category, the percentage value of students' effective learning outcomes is 71% in the excellent category, and the percentage value of students' psychomotor learning outcomes is 56% in the less category. In experiment class, the average value of students' cognitive learning outcomes is 55 in the less category, the percentage value of students' effective learning outcomes is 79% in the excellent category, and the percentage value of students' psychomotor learning outcomes is 82% in the perfect category. Finally, the Quantum teaching-learning model influences the learning outcomes of class VII students.


The differential sensitivity of examined human ovarian carcinoma cell lines (CH1, A-2780 and SKOV-3) to the IMPDH inhibitor, benzamide riboside (BR), was demonstrated with the aid of MTT assay. Present data show that all three examined ovarian carcinoma cell lines were sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of BR in the order of sensitivity CH1, SKOV-3, A-2780, (IC50 = 2.8, 4.0 and 7.4 microM, respectively). Although the IC50 of SKOV-3 cells was similar to that previously determined by others, more than 20% of SKOV-3 cells remained viable in a plateau up to 40 microM BR concentration. This relative resistance of SKOV-3 cells to BR corresponded to the absence ofBR-induced apoptosis in SKOV-3 cells, which together with clearly demonstrated sensitivity of CH1 cells to BR-induced apoptosis, established by flow cytometry (presence of nuclei with sub-G0 DNA content, Annexin V binding) and western blotting (poly-ADP-ribosyl-polymerase (PARP) cleavage), further stressed the role of drug-induced apoptosis in the over-all drug-induced cytotoxicity.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the difference of procalcitonin (PCT) level between uninfected diabetic nephropathy patients and healthy volunteers.

METHODS
This study enrolled 76 patients with diabetes only [DM group, 24 h urinary micro albumin (mALB) < 30 mg/24 h], 81 patients with early DN (EDN group, mALB 30-300 mg/24 h), 87 DN patients (DN group, mALB > or = 300 mg/24 h), and 82 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. All the patients were free of systemic infection. PCT levels and various laboratory parameters including metabolic and kidney functions as well as inflammatory element profiles were assessed.

RESULTS
The PCT level of DN group was significantly higher than that of healthy control group, DM group and EDN group (P < 0.001 or P < 0.05). Spearman's test showed a significant positive correlation between PCT and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, r = 0.541, P < 0.01), Urine acid (UA) (r = 0. 320, P < 0.01), Urea (r = 0.324, P < 0.01), creatinine (Cr) (r= 0.403, P < 0.01), alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (alpha-HBD) (r = 0.791, P < 0.01) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (r = 0.694, P < 0.001) in diabetic nephropathy patients respectively.

CONCLUSION
Serum PCT level of patients with diabetic nephropathy is higher than that of healthy volunteers, which may be associated with minimal inflammation and kidney function damage.


This project started in 1994 with the writing of the specifications for the new trainsets and locomotives. This was done by Amtrak and its consultant, LTK Engineering Services. The specifications were reviewed and revised during a series of meetings with prospective bidders. The field was narrowed to three and a contract for the trainsets and locomotives was awarded May 1, 1996 to the Consortium of Bombardier (Canada) and GEC-Alsthom (France). The Consortium was subsequently awarded contracts for the building of dedicated maintenance facilities (Boston and Washington) and management services. In addition to the new rolling stock, the project also included the electrification of the existing NEC line between New Haven and Boston. This is referred to as the North end electrification and consists of the installation of new 25 kV, 60 Hz, catenary along with new substations to power it. The first trainsets and locomotives will be delivered in the Fall of 1999. The entire project is budgeted at $2.2 billion.


Plant species associated with commercial melon crops and surrounding areas were examined to identity the natural host plants of Aphis gossypii Glover. The study was conducted in two farms located in different melon production areas and plant life zones of Costa Rica. Plant species diversity, percent coverage and distribution over time were recorded during one year. Differences between locations were observed. A total of 86 plant species (49 families) and 72 plant species (40 families) were identified associated to the crop in farms A and B, respectively. In both farms a total of 24 species plants (16 families) were colonized by A. gossypii and 16 (10 families) are new reports of host plant species for this aphid. The new reports are: Justicia comata, Tetramerium nervosum, Alternanthera pubiflora, Cassia massoni, C. reticulata, Cleome viscosa, C. spinosa, Croton argenteus, Caperonia palustris, Chamaesyce gyssopilopia, Phyllantus amarus, Sida decumbens, Ludwigia erecta, Passiflora foetida, Guazuma ulmifolia and Corchorus orinocensis.


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the impact of plaque accumulation on osseointegration at surface enhanced modified hydrophilic titanium-zirconium (TiZr) alloy and titanium (Ti) implants.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
TiZr and Ti implants with a sand-blasted, acid etched, and chemically modified endosseous and a machined (M) transmucosal portion were bilaterally (i.e., one implant type on each side) inserted in the maxilla of six foxhounds. In a split-mouth design, experimental mucositis was induced at one randomly assigned side (NPC), while the contralateral side received mechanical plaque removal three times per week (PC). After 16 weeks, tissue biopsies were processed for histological (primary outcome: bone-to-implant contact [BIC]) and immunohistochemical (CD68) analysis.

RESULTS
Mean BIC values varied between 81.96% (TiZrM) and 88.72% (TiM) in the NPC group, and between 87.88% (TiM) and 92.69% (TiZrM) in the PC group. Even though BIC values tended to be lower within the endosseous coronal compartment at NPC sites, within group (NPC vs. PC) comparisons failed to reach statistical significance at both types of implants. These non-BIC areas were not associated with any CD68 positive cells.

CONCLUSIONS
Osseointegration of both TiZrM and TiM implants was not influenced by plaque accumulation in this experimental model.


ABSTRACT We present a decomposition of prediction error for the multilevel model in the context of predicting a future observable y *j in the jth group of a hierarchical dataset. The multilevel prediction rule is used for prediction and the components of prediction error are estimated via a simulation study that spans the various combinations of level-1 (individual) and level-2 (group) sample sizes and different intraclass correlation values. Additionally, analytical results present the increase in predicted mean square error (PMSE) with respect to prediction error bias. The components of prediction error provide information with respect to the cost of parameter estimation versus data imputation for predicting future values in a hierarchical data set. Specifically, the cost of parameter estimation is very small compared to data imputation.


Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is a human DNA virus that causes cold sores, keratitis, meningitis, and encephalitis. Ubiquitination is a post-translational protein modification essential for regulation of cellular events, such as proteasomal degradation, signal transduction, and protein trafficking. The process is also involved in events for establishing viral infection and replication. The first step in ubiquitination involves ubiquitin (Ub) binding with Ub-activating enzyme (E1, also termed UBE1) via a thioester linkage. Our results show that HSV-1 infection alters protein ubiquitination pattern in host cells, as evidenced by MS spectra and co-immunoprecipitation assays. HSV-1 induced ubiquitination of UBE1a isoform via an isopeptide bond with Lys604. Moreover, we show that ubiquitination of K604 in UBE1a enhances UBE1a activity; that is, the activity of ubiquitin-transfer to E2 enzyme. Subsequently, we investigated the functional role of UBE1a and ubiquitination of K604 in UBE1a. We found that UBE1-knockdown increased HSV-1 DNA replication and viral production. Further, overexpression of UBE1a, but not a UBE1a K604A mutant, suppressed viral replication. Furthermore, we found that UBE1a and ubiquitination at K604 in UBE1a retarded expression of HSV-1 major capsid protein, ICP5. Our findings show that UBE1a functions as an antiviral factor that becomes activated upon ubiquitination at Lys604.


A hydrogel microcapsule with an intermediate thin oil layer is presented to achieve smart release of a broad range of cargoes triggered via diverse stimuli. A microfluidic technique is used to produce triple emulsion droplets with a thin oil layer that separates the innermost aqueous phase from the hydrogel prepolymer phase, which transforms into a hydrogel shell via photopolymerization. The intermediate oil layer within the hydrogel microcapsule acts as an effective diffusion barrier, allowing encapsulation of various small cargoes within a porous hydrogel shell until a stimulus is applied to destabilize the oil layer. It is demonstrated that diverse stimuli including chemical dissolution, mechanical stress, and osmotic pressure can be utilized to release the encapsulated cargo on‐demand. In addition, osmotic pressure and the hydrogel shell thickness can be independently tuned to control the onset time of release as well as the release behavior of multi‐cargo encapsulated hydrogel microcapsule. The release can be either simultaneous or selective.


Objective: Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disease in which impaired social behaviors, impaired sociality, and restricted and repetitive behaviors are seen. Bumetanide is a loop diuretic that inhibits Na+–K+–2Cl− cotransporter 1 and it is currently used in clinical phase studies in patients with autism spectrum disorder. In present research, it is purposed to demonstrate the beneficial effects of torasemide which is another Na+–K+–2Cl− cotransporter 1 inhibitor on an experimental autism model induced with propionic acid by providing imaging and brain tissue investigations. Methods: Male Wistar rats were used in the present study (n = 30). Propionic acid of 250 mg/kg/day was administrated intraperitoneally in rats to induce autism for 5 days. Three groups were created for present study as follows: group 1, normal control (n = 10); group 2, propionic acid and saline given group (n = 10); group 3, propionic acid + tora-semide-administrated group (n = 10). Results: Torasemide group scored higher on behavioral tests compared to saline group. The brain levels of malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-2, interleukin-17, and Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-κB), Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were remarkably higher in propionic acid + saline group. In histopathology assessments, torasemide group had higher neuronal count of Cornu Ammonis 1, neuronal count of Cornu Ammonis 2 in hippocampus, and Purkinje cells in cerebellum. GFAP immunostaining index (Cornu Ammonis 1) and cerebellum were lower in torasemide group. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that mean lactate value was higher in propionic acid + saline group compared to torasemide group. Conclusion: Our experimental results showed that torasemide might enhance gamma-aminobutyric acid activity. Torasemide can be considered another promising Na+–K+–2Cl− cotransporter 1 inhibitor in the treatment of autism with a longer half-life and less side effects after further studies.


Although cellular communications have existed in Ghana, West Africa, since 1992, it was not until July 7, 2011 that mobile phone number porting took off. Thus for the almost 20 years that cellular services existed without number porting, subscribers in Ghana endured the inconvenience of having to change their numbers entirely anytime they fel t dissatisfied with the services of any telecommunications company (Telco) and wanted to switch to another network. However, to increase competition among the networks and hence precipitate improvements in services delivery, the government of Ghana decided to embark on number porting as a way of checking the otherwise unsatisfactory performances of the various networks. Ghana currently has six mobile phone network providers who all operate on GSM except one which has deployed CDMA. The six networks are Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN), Airtel, Tigo, Vodafone Ghana, Glo Mobile, and Expresso. In this research paper, we report on some of the vital statistics as reported by the country's communications authority 20 months into the implementation of mobile number portability (MNP) in Ghana.


Numerical simulations described in previous studies showed that adding cloud condensation nuclei to marine stratocumulus can prevent their breakup from closed into open cells. Additional analyses of the same simulations show that the suppression of rain is well described in terms of cloud drop effective radius (re). Rain is initiated when re near cloud top is around 12–14 μm. Cloud water starts to get depleted when column‐maximum rain intensity (Rmax) exceeds 0.1 mm h−1. This happens when cloud‐top re reaches 14 μm. Rmax is mostly less than 0.1 mm h−1 at re < 14 μm, regardless of the cloud water path, but increases rapidly when re exceeds 14 μm. This is in agreement with recent aircraft observations and theoretical studies in convective clouds so that the mechanism is not limited to describing marine stratocumulus. These results support the hypothesis that the onset of significant precipitation is determined by the number of nucleated cloud drops and the depth (D) above cloud base within the cloud that is required for cloud drops to reach re of 14 μm. In turn, this can explain the conditions for initiation of significant drizzle and opening of closed cells providing the basis for a simple parameterization for GCMs that unifies the representation of both precipitating and non‐precipitating clouds as well as the transition between them. Furthermore, satellite global observations of cloud depth (from base to top), and cloud‐top re can be used to derive and validate this parameterization.


English language teaching and learning has come a long way away in the last 60 years. It has shifted from grammar and vocabulary learning to real language use in social contexts. This paradigm shift has affected English language assessment as well. In this talk, I will begin with our current understanding of language assessment and why we assess learners' language abilities. This will be followed by a historical context of English language assessment before presenting case studies from other parts of the world. I will also report on a Bangladeshi study that explored English language assessment practices in secondary schools. Finally, implications of current developments in English language assessment for Bangladeshi primary and secondary schools will be highlighted.


The influences of steric interactions on peptide geometry were studied to develop a novel means for generating type VIa beta-turn mimics. (2S,5R)-5-tert-Butylproline and L-proline were respectively introduced at the C-terminal residue of N-(acetyl)dipeptide N'-methylamides 1 and 2. The relative populations of prolyl cis- and trans-amide isomers in dipeptides 1 and 2 were measured in chloroform, DMSO, and water by proton NMR spectroscopy. Although the trans-amide isomer was favored in prolyl peptide 2, the Xaa-Pro peptide bond adopted preferably the cis-amide isomer in the case of 5-tert-butylprolyl peptide 1. Measurements of the influence of solvent and temperature on the chemical shift values for the amide proton signals of 1 in the cis-amide conformer indicated that the N'-methylamide was engaged in a hydrogen bond with the acetamide carbonyl in a type VIa beta-turn conformation. Analysis of N-(acetyl)leucyl-5-tert-butylproline N'-methylamide (1d) in the solid state by X-ray diffraction showed the cis-amide conformer which adopted a geometry characteristic of the central, i + 1 and i + 2 residues of an ideal type VIa beta-turn. In contrast to prolyl peptides 2b and 2d, N-(acetyl)alanyl- and N-(acetyl)leucyl-5-tert-butylproline N'-methylamides (1b and 1d) maintained ordered beta-turn conformations in solution that were shown to be independent of solvent composition by a comparison of their circular dichroism spectra obtained in water and acetonitrile. The NMR, X-ray, and CD data all confirm that the steric interactions of the 5-tert-butylprolyl residue induced dipeptide 1 to adopt a type VIa beta-turn conformation.


11 Background: Application nano iron chelate and AMF fertilizer can increase plants' 12 tolerance against water deficit stress. The main objectives of the current study were to 13 investigate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and nano iron chelate 14 fertilizer under drought stress on grain yield, leaf chlorophyll contents, root colonization, 15 oil percentage, and fatty acids profile of Lallemantia species . The experiment was carried 16 out as a factorial based on a complete randomized block design consisting of three factors 17 of irrigation levels of 90 (I 90 ), 60 (I 60 ), and 30% (I 30 ) depletion of available soil water 18 (ASW)), fertilizer levels of control (no fertilizer), AMF inoculation, and nano iron chelate, 19 and plant species of Lallemantia ( L. iberica and L. royleana ) at the Research Farm of College of Agriculture, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran, in 2018 / 2019. 21 Results: The results showed that increasing water deficit stress significantly decreased the 22 above traits while applying nano iron and AMF fertilizers significantly increased them 23 across water treatments. AMF fertilizer inoculation significantly improved both species 24 yield. Higher root colonization by AMF inoculation enhanced seed oil and fatty acids 25 (palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, arachidic acid, and 26 Eicosenoic acid). In contrast, applying nano iron chelate by increasing chlorophyll content in any irrigation regime could enhance seed oil and some fatty acids such as palmitoleic acid. Conclusions: Water deficit stress and application of fertilizers had different effects on both 30 species. L. iberica, compared to L. royleana, had the most tolerance to water deficit stress 31 and the highest dependence on AMF inoculation. Overall, these results demonstrated that 32 the application of AMF could improve major features of Lallemantia species under deficit irrigation conditions, especially at the I 60 irrigation level.


The presence of accessory muscle bellies and tendons in the hand is of great interest to the hand surgeons. Awareness of the variations of the muscles will serve as useful guide for both in studies of human anatomy and in clinical practice today; this knowledge can be borne in mind while performing hand surgeries, tendon rerouting or transplants. These extra muscles often present as a ganglion, soft tissue tumor or mass in the hand, which could be quite misleading to the surgeon. With the purpose of preparation of the teaching and museum specimens, in two of the cadavers of elderly Jamaican African male and female, we observed accessory muscles on the dorsum of the hand. One was inserted to the index finger (extensor digitorum brevis manus) and the other was arising deep to the extensor digitorum and inserted to the middle finger (extensor medii proprius).


RATIONALE
Children with preschool wheezing represent a very heterogeneous population with wide variability regarding their clinical, inflammatory, obstructive, and/or remodeling patterns. We hypothesized that assessing bronchial remodeling would help clinicians to better characterize severe preschool wheezers.

OBJECTIVES
The main objective was to identify bronchial remodeling-based latent classes of severe preschool wheezers. Secondary objectives were to compare cross-sectional and longitudinal clinical and biological data between classes, and to assess the safety of bronchoscopy.

METHODS
This double-center prospective study (NCT02806466) included severe preschool wheezers (1-5 years old), requiring fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Bronchial remodeling parameters (i.e., epithelial integrity, reticular basement membrane (RBM) thickness, mucus gland, fibrosis and bronchial smooth muscle (BSM) areas, density of blood vessels, and RBM-BSM distance) were assessed and evaluated by Latent Class Analysis. An independent cohort of severe preschool wheezers (NCT04558671) was used to validate our results.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Fiberoptic bronchoscopy procedures were well tolerated. A two-class model was identified: Class BR1 was characterized by increased RBM thickness, normalized BSM area, density of blood vessels, and decreased mucus gland area, fibrosis and RBM-BSM distance compared to Class BR2. No significant differences were found between classes in the year prior to fiberoptic bronchoscopy. By contrast, Class BR1 was associated with a shorter time to first exacerbation and an increased risk of both frequent (>3) and severe exacerbations during the year following bronchoscopy in the two cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS
Assessing bronchial remodeling identified severe preschool wheezers at risk of frequent and severe subsequent exacerbations with a favorable benefit to risk ratio.


Introduction 1. The Homeric state 2. The archaic state 3. Economic and political development: tyranny and after 4. Sparta 5. Athens 6. Women and children 7. Economic life 8. Religion 9. Other cities 10. Beyond the single city 11. The Hellenistic and Roman periods.


PURPOSES : In this study, a virtual driving simulator was used to analyze the effects of implementing appropriate highway driving criteria on the attentiveness of motorists on Korean highways. METHODS : The study includes three scenarios. Scenario 1 was purposed to investigate the relationships between driver focus, the brain waves associated with drowsiness, and the speed of motorists driving along the straight 5-km section of Saemangeum South-North Road, which is the same as a car-only road. Scenarios 2 and 3 were designed to have shorter straight sections to enable comparison of the occurrence of drowsiness-related brain waves and velocity changes at 3 km and 2 km, respectively. RESULTS : Driver focus was found to decrease and result in speeding after driving 2.5 km of the straight section. Past this point, driver focus continued to decrease, and drivers continued to accelerate. However, upon reaching a curved section, driver focus increased according to the linear change; furthermore, drivers showed a tendency to reduce their speed to a value near the speed limit. CONCLUSIONS : According to the analysis of highway traffic accidents that occurred between 2013 and 2015, approximately 50% of total traffic accidents are due to speeding, drowsiness, and negligence. Therefore, if appropriately long straight sections, i.e., sections that are not associated with a reduced ability to focus, are calculated and implemented in road planning and operation, it is possible to prevent accidents caused by lack of driver focus.