Recently designed cross-layer contention based synchronous MAC protocols like the PRMAC protocol, for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) enable a node to schedule multi-hop transmission of multiple data packets in a cycle. However, these systems accommodate both the request-to-send data process and the confirmation-to-send data process in the same data transmission scheduling window (i.e. data window). This reduces the length of the multi-hop flow setup in the data window. In a multi-hop scenario, this degrades both the packet delivery ratio (PDR) and the end-to-end transmission delay (E2ETD). In this paper, we propose a cross-layer contention based synchronous MAC protocol, which accommodates the request-to-send data process in the data window and the confirmation-to-send data process in the sleep window for increased efficiency. We evaluate our proposed protocol through ns-2.35 simulations and compare its performance with the PRMAC protocol. Results suggest that in multi-hop scenario, proposed protocol outperforms PRMAC both in terms of the E2ETD and the packet delivery ratio (PDR).


We simulated a shelterwood forest regeneration treatment by reducing basal area, and monitored the response of an avian community in oak-hickory forest on the southern Cumberland Plateau, northern Alabama, USA. We used five treatments: control (no removal), clear-cut (100% removal), and 25, 50, and 75% removal of basal area. Territory mapping was used to quantify bird community between mid-April and July of both 2002 and 2003. Microclimate variables were recorded at each plot. The residual basal area and canopy cover showed three distinct conditions after treatment: closed canopy, open forest, and clear-cut. The microclimate varied among treatments: air temperature was highest in clear-cut plots and lowest in control plots, whereas soil moisture had the opposite pattern. A total of 71 bird species were detected, with 36 of them defending territories. Territory density, species richness, and Shannon diversity index differed among the treatments; the relationship between these bird community indices and the level of basal area removal was quadratic, lowest in the clear-cut plots and highest in the intermediate levels. Although species richness was similar among the control, 25, 50, and 75% removal treatments, species composition varied. The richness difference among treatments became smaller in the second year post-treatment (2003) with an increase in bird density and richness occurring in the clear-cut plots.


Cloud computing is an automatic multitenant pay-as-you go service accessed through web browsers. . The main services of cloud computing are software as a service, infrastructure as a service and platform as a service. These services are very much helpful and beneficial to IT organizations undergoing severe budgetary constraints. In this paper the major enablers of cloud computing services are taken by discussing with experts and through literature survey. An interrelation ship among the enablers are done with FISM(Fuzzy Interpretive Structural Modeling and FMICMAC(Fuzzy MICMAC) analysis. An initial reachability set is constructed from structural self interaction matrix (SSIM) and final reachability set by considering a scale 0-1 instead of binary condition. Enablers chosen are classified into four clusters based on their driving power and dependence power. From MATLAB FISM model is derived. This paper highlights the most sensitive enablers of cloud computing services.


Based on gain assisted electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), we propose a scheme for coherent manipulation and storage of a microwave pulse propagating through a linear array of superconducting artificial atoms (SAAs). In an EIT-based system, the signal operates in an absorption mode, and its attenuation cannot be avoided during propagation. This results in low transmissivity of the medium. We show that based on gain assisted EIT, the attenuation can be ameliorated, and a probe pulse can be amplified while it propagates through the medium with significant reduction in its group velocity. The linear array of SAAs can thus act as a gain assisted EIT-based coherent microwave memory scheme with high fidelity.


Abstract The equilibrium statistics and predictability properties of one- and two-layer quasi-geostrophic flow are examined with the aid of a numerical model. The effect of beta in one-layer flow is to slow the transfer of energy into larger scales and to increase the predictability. In two-layer flow, when beta is zero, energy caters the system via baroclinic instability of the mean Row at very large scales and most energy transfer is confined to low wavenumbers. When beta is non-zero, energy enters at higher wavenumber (in baroclinic modes mainly) before cascading preferentially to lower wavenumber zonal barotropic modes. The predictability of two-layer flow is not significantly altered by beta, because beta increases the range of wavenumber over which significant nonlinear energy transfer occurs. The predictability times of the long waves are found to be always larger than those of the short waves, even when the initial error is spread evenly acres wavenumbers. Reducing the mean baroclinicity increases...


The spatial and temporal aspects of the habitat suitability of the European Souslik (Spermophilus citellus L.) in an area in Sredna Gora Mountain (Bulgaria) was investigated. Data from Landsat satellite imagery were used for modelling changes in the habitat suitability of the species from 1985 till 2018. Linear Regression Analysis showed that spectral bands represent not only the spatial heterogeneity of the landcover, but also the temporal changes of two climatic parameters – monthly temperature and rainfall amount. The obtained results show that the habitat suitability of the European Souslik increased during the studied period. The methodology used here based on statistical modelingis applicable to long-term monitoring and evaluation of the role of land cover change as a result of the human activity and the climate change on the habitat suitability of the European Souslik.


While too much reliance on laboratory or mechanical aids to diagnosis is to be deplored, it is well to remember that some of them may be used not only to augment the data but to improve the art. Mackenzie' put it very well in the preface to the first edition of his textbook Diseases of the Heart in 1908 when he said, " If one is trained to make careful and minute observations by the ordinary methods, and to have these checked by graphic records, one can ultimately acquire the power of recognizing the majority of movements of the circulation without graphic records." Though this was written about the polygraph, it applies equally well to many of the more sophisticated electronic aids used in cardiology to-day. The development of phonocardiography, for example, has added great precision to auscultation, which for a long time has occupied pride of place in the physical examination of the heart. Inspection and palpation of precordial movements, on the other hand, have received relatively little attention, and in view of the rapid progress made in other fields it is perhaps surprising that most of us have progressed little further than the use of such expressions as " heave," " tap," " ripple," or " lift " when attempting to describe the action of the heart. Yet precordial movements can now also be recorded with considerable precision, and if more attention was paid to their interpretation the significance of many sensations conveyed to and from the palpating fingers and hand would be more clearly understood. They are of considerable value, too, as reference tracings on phonocardiographic and other recordings, since their inscription is less delayed than is that of other indirect time markers such as the carotid or jugular venous pulses. The apparatus used to record precordial movements is not yet standardized, and, though different workers use different equipment with different time constants, most are agreed that low-frequency displacement records accurately reflect what is felt on palpation. There appears, however, to be some disagreement about what is actually being measured, and much of the argument on these matters recalls Mackenzie's words again: "I am of the opinion that a good deal of confusion in regard to the correct interpretation of the heart movements has arisen from associating the shock conveyed to the chest wall, when the ventricle passes into systole, with the apex beat. The apex beat and this impulse have become so connected that it is assumed that they are one and the same thing. The apex beat due to the left ventricle is a movement which lasts during the' whole of the ventricular systole; the shock caused by the ventricular contraction endures for a short space of time, and occurs while the ventricular muscle suddenly hardens and corresponds with the upstroke only of the apex beat." This concept of rapid movement of the ventricular mass in early systole leading to a change in the shape of the ventricle before ejection begins is essential to the understanding of precordial movements, which are of course much more obvious in children than they are in adults. Right ventricular impulses along the left sternal border require more amplification than left ventricular impulses at the apex, and all cardiac impulses become more obscure as the chest wall thickens with age. E. Craige and R. E. Schmidt2 have recently pointed out, too, that the amount of amplification required in children increases with age as the right ventricle becomes less dominant. Having established criteria for normal children, these workers studied precordial movements over the right ventricle in children with pulmonary stenosis and tried to relate by graphic methods the degree of " right ventricular heave" to the severity of obstruction. Their results show a poor correlation except in the most severe lesions, when there is considerable systolic overloading of the right ventricle, and they also lack specificity in that similar records may be obtained in other conditions causing obstruction to outflow from the right heart. As the authors point out, however, no previous observations dealing primarily with precordial movements in children have been published. Clearly more such studies are required, and if they serve only to make us more careful in palpation and more exacting in the description of what we feel they will have fulfilled a most useful purpose.


A hybrid cognitive system is proposed where a working neocognitron is synthesized with a set of production rules. The knowledge base of a neocognitron is constructed through incorporating production rules into its interlayer connections. Training for prototype patterns is not required. The semantic of interlayer connections is established. The resulting network can now be analyzed according to the rule structure and problematic portions can be corrected. Neocognitrons constructed using this hybrid approach have been tested on the same set of handwritten numerals initiated by Fukushima with scaling and skewing distortions, and with noise contamination. It is found that the performance is comparable to that of Fukushima's network obtained by supervised training.


Interest in pottery production and in the lesser known local centres is strong at the moment. The grip of the major ateliers in such places as Corinth and Athens which formed the leading edge of ceramic research has lost some of its strength. The present volume presents the majority of the papers delivered at a colloquium in Athens in 1987. The idea for the occasion arose from the discovery of a sixth century potter's workshop at Phari on Thasos during the French excavations there, and it was noted that there was a major gap in publications studying the pottery shops dating from the first millennium. So excavators and specialists in the field of ceramics gathered together to display their findings and ideas, bringing different approaches as well as different bodies of evidence.


At present, there is limited understanding of cybersecurity micro-credentials and their impact on K-12 teachers. This work evaluates a university's development of a computing-based learning and teaching environment for K-12 teachers, focusing on a set of cybersecurity micro-credential modules that we encapsulate within micro-credential professional development (PD) opportunities. This ongoing work consists of two pilot studies (Pilot 1 and Pilot 2) over an academic year (2020–2021) that engaged 21 K-12 teachers. The research questions explore the benefits and challenges of the cybersecurity micro-credential PD. The authors developed two modules for Pilot 1: Introduction to Cybersecurity (Module 0) and the Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA) Triad (Module 1). There were nine K-12 teachers enrolled in the Pilot 1 course, with five participating in all aspects of the pilot study. The authors developed three more modules for Pilot 2: Abstraction (Module 2), Modularity (Module 3), and Least Privilege (Module 4). The authors utilized quantitative and qualitative data collection via four methods: 1) Assessment and lesson plan scores (quantitative); 2) thirteen semi-structured interviews (qualitative); 3) two bi-weekly progress reports (qualitative) and 4) two focus groups (qualitative). They assessed teachers' knowledge gains in specific cybersecurity and computing. The authors coded interview question answers, focus group notes, and biweekly progress report summaries and grouped them into major themes by searching descriptive words. This research study showcases innovative tools (i.e., microcredential modules) for teaching cybersecurity. 1 The authors are grateful to Dr. Trina Johnson Kilty for the editing of this article. Lastly, the authors describe a method to deliver cybersecurity content through a micro-credential based on virtual PD for K–12 teachers. The main limitation in this work is the small sample size.


A simple industrially feasible process scheme, the screen printed buried base contact (BBC) concept, was applied to Cz-Si wafers as well as to c-Si thin films (CSiTF) on insulating substrates. Cells with interdigitated front grid design on untextured Cz-Si wafers show fill factors up to 73% and a maximum efficiency of 11.5%. The application of the process to CSiTF on insulating substrates yields in an V/sub oc/ of 509 mV. Despite series resistance values below 1 /spl Omega/cm/sup 2/ the cells are severely limited by a low fill factor as well as an inactive cell area of 27% including grid shading and unpassivated base area. In particular, rough surfaces of the CSiTF's prevent good printing alignment, resulting in shunt resistances below 50 /spl Omega/cm/sup 2/. These first results lead to a 3% efficiency of CSiTF cells. Thus, the challenge for future oneside contacting schemes will be the modification of the BBC concept regarding reduced alignment requirements.


Asthma exacerbation is an episode of acute worsening of asthmatic symptoms and exacerbation may depend on environmental factors. The present study is part of a large study of the prevalence and severity of asthma, rhinitis and eczema in schoolchildren in the United Arab of Emirates (UAE). The aims and objectives of the present study were to compare asthma and respiratory symptoms in two groups of 987 schoolchildren, aged (5-14 years old). One group exposed to high level of air pollution living in the city of Fujairah, 200 km north of Dubai city (exposed group, n=537). The schools in Fujairah city were close to the mountainous area where some stone crushers were located. The other group exposed to low level of air pollution living in the city of Kalba, 50 km away from Fujairah city (control group, n=450). The schools in Kalba city were located between residential villas. Mean age of the exposed group was 7.7 years and the control was 9.8 years.We used the Arabic and English version of ISAAC questionnaire (the International study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood). The prevalence rates of ever wheezed, current wheeze, speech limitation, ever diagnosed with asthma, dry cough, and exercise-induced asthma in the exposed group were significantly higher than the control group (27.2%, 21.0%, 4.3%, 26.7%, 22.0%, and 21.5% vs. 21.6%, 16.4%, 3.0%, 22.2%, 20.9% and 18.2%, respectively). The present study reflects the effects of air pollution on asthma and respiratory symptoms and can help to implement intervention strategies to reduce asthma symptoms in this population.


Over three quarters of 2015, 461,232 mortgage loans (ML) totaling Rb 761.8bn were originated which is below the volume of loans extended for the corresponding period of 2014 in monetary terms down 38% and in numerical terms down 35%. As of 1 October 2015, the share of ruble ML in the volume of consumer credit came to 18.73% which is by 0.65 p.p. less than the corresponding share as of 1 October 2014. Outstanding debt on ruble ML in percent to the residual debt as of the same date has gone up by 0.17 p.p. to 1.02%. The weighted average interest rate across the Russian Federation on ruble mortgage loans originated in September 2015 came to 13.12% against the maximum indicator of 14.71% in February 2015.


Many real transportation and mobility networks have their vertices placed on the surface of the Earth. In such embeddings, the edges laid on that surface may cross. In his pioneering research, Moon analyzed the distribution of the number of crossings on complete graphs and complete bipartite graphs whose vertices are located uniformly at random on the surface of a sphere assuming that vertex placements are independent from each other. Here we revise his derivation of that variance in the light of recent theoretical developments on the variance of crossings and computer simulations. We show that Moon's formulae are inaccurate in predicting the true variance and provide exact formulae.


INTRODUCTION
This study explores patterns of use of non-cigarette tobacco and nicotine products among adult cigarette smokers and recent ex-smokers. Along with cigarette smoking status we explore differences as a function of countries with different product regulations, gender and age.

METHODS
Data came from the ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Wave 3 Survey conducted between February-June 2020. The analytic sample consisted of 9112 current cigarette smokers (at least monthly) and 1184 recent ex-smokers (quit cigarettes ≤ 2 years) from Australia, Canada, England, and the US. Respondents were asked about their cigarette smoking and current use of the following non-cigarette products: combustible tobacco (cigars, cigarillos, pipe, waterpipe); non-combustible tobacco (smokeless tobacco, and heated tobacco products (HTPs)); and non-tobacco nicotine products (nicotine vaping products (NVPs), nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and nicotine pouches)).

RESULTS
Overall, NVPs (13.7%) and NRT (10.9%) were the most reported nicotine products used, followed by cigars (5.3%), cigarillos (4.2%), and HTPs (3.5%). More than 21% current and recent ex-smokers of cigarettes reported using a non-tobacco nicotine product and non-combustible product, with respondents in England reporting the highest levels of use (>26%). Males, younger respondents, and current non-daily cigarette smokers were more likely to use non-cigarette nicotine products. Notably, 11.6% of ex-cigarette smokers were using other combustible tobacco.

CONCLUSION
Considerable percentages of current cigarette smokers and ex-smokers use non-cigarette nicotine products, and there are unexpectedly high levels of use of other combustible products by those recent ex-smokers of cigarettes which is concerning and has important implications for definitions of smoking cessation.

IMPLICATIONS
The tobacco product market has evolved to include new products which add to existing non-cigarette tobacco products creating a much more diverse nicotine market. This brief report provides a snapshot of use of various combustible and non-combustible nicotine containing products among current cigarette smokers and recent ex-smokers in four western countries. Our results indicate that use of non-cigarette tobacco and nicotine products among these cigarette smokers and recent ex-smokers is not low, particularly among males, younger and non-daily cigarette smokers. Use of other combustible tobacco among respondents that recently quit cigarette smoking is concerning and has important implications for definitions of smoking cessation. Increased emphasis on researching non-cigarette nicotine product use is warranted in tobacco control generally and smoking cessation in particular.


The optimal management of acute cerebral infarction requires consideration of the diagnosis, aetiology, identification of problems, general and specific aspects of care, and prevention of further vascular events. Stroke is a clinical diagnosis but cranial computed tomography (CT) scanning is invaluable to exclude the possibility of cerebral haemorrhage or where the diagnosis is uncertain. Good general care under a specialist multidisciplinary team can reduce mortality and the need for institutional care. Despite promising results from experimental studies, no routine drug therapies have yet shown clinical benefit in acute stroke. Several large trials are currently evaluating anticoagulant, antiplatelet, thrombolytic and neuroprotective agents. Many other proposed therapies have been subject to limited evaluation. Aspirin has a proven role in the prevention of further vascular events after a stroke or transient ischaemic attack. Warfarin, and to a lesser extent aspirin, can prevent recurrent events in patients with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation. Concerns remain about the safety of warfarin in routine geriatric medical practice. The risk of recurrent stroke in patients with a symptomatic severe carotid artery stenosis is greatly reduced by endarterectomy.


Porous carbon nitride (PCN) composites are fabricated using a top‐down strategy, followed by additions of graphene and CoSx nanoparticles. This subsequently enhances conductivity and catalytic activity of PCN (abbreviated as CoSx@PCN/rGO) and is achieved by one‐step sulfuration of PCN/graphene oxides (GO) composite materials. As a result, the as‐prepared CoSx@PCN/rGO catalysts display excellent activity and stability toward both oxygen evolution and reduction reactions, surpassing electrocatalytic performance shown by state‐of‐the‐art Pt, RuO2 and other carbon nitrides. Remarkably, the CoSx@PCN/rGO bifunctional activity allows for applications in zinc‐air batteries, which show better rechargeability than Pt/C. The enhanced catalytic performance of CoSx@PCN/rGO can primarily be attributed to the highly porous morphology and sufficiently exposed active sites that are favorable for electrocatalytic reactions.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Metabolic syndrome in polycystic ovarian syndrome is associated with a long-term risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. This study aims to find the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome presenting to a tertiary care hospital. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done on women attending the obstetrics and gynecology outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital from June 2020 to May 2021. A total of 106 women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome using Rotterdam criteria 2003 were recruited for the study and cases of metabolic syndrome was defined according to the modified American Heart Association/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee of Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital (Reference number: 001-077/078). Convenience sampling was done. The collected data was entered and analyzed in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21. Calculation of point estimate at 95% confidence interval was done along with frequency and proportion for binary data. Results: Among 106 women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, 50 (47.1%) had metabolic syndrome (37.59-56.60 at 95% Confidence Interval). The most common component of metabolic syndrome was low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in 90 (84.9%) followed by central obesity in 60 (56.6%), hypertriglyceridemia in 47 (44.33%), high fasting sugar in 34 (32.07%), and high blood pressure in 14 (13.2%). Conclusions: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among patients with the polycystic ovarian syndrome was similar to other studies done in similar settings.


This paper proposes a compact single-bit line SRAM memory cell, which we call an asymmetric memory cell (AMC), using a complementary thin-film transistor (C-TFT). A C-TFT is composed of a top-gate n-channel TFT and a bottom-gate p-channel TFT. The proposed cell size can be reduced to 88% as compared with the conventional one using 0.4-/spl mu/m design rules. Stable read and write operations under low-voltage can be realized by using a C-TFT.


Echocardiography represents the non-invasive tool most commonly used in pediatric cardiology. Indeed, it enables the definition of both the morphological and functional findings in congenital heart disease (CHD), as completely as possible in almost all the cases. In comparison with adult subjects, the echocardiographic evaluation in pediatric patients requires a different approach, providing information on the heart position in the thorax, the atrial situs viscerum, the vein-atrial and the atrio-ventricular connections, the relationship between the ventricles, the ventriculo-arterial connection and the relationship of the great arteries (segmental analysis). In addition, the echocardiographic study should include a non-invasive study of ventricular function, as mandatory to warrant an optimal pre- and postoperative management in patients with CHD. The indices most commonly utilized to assess ventricular mechanics are the 'pump indices' (i.e. ejection fraction or fractional shortening). Unfortunately, they may lead to invalid data, because of their dependence on loading conditions and heart rate. As a consequence, echocardiographic indices should be used (i.e. fiber shortening or rate-corrected velocity of circumferential fiber shortening-end systolic stress relationship), which better reflect the intrinsic myocardial contractility. More recently, evidence is mounting that new echocardiographic techniques (i.e. Doppler myocardial imaging, strain/strain rate and backscatter) may offer new insights in terms of regional functional and textural findings of the myocardium. However, long-term follow-up studies will be necessary to better define their real impact in the clinical setting.


Almost all fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) use plastic-based packaging because it is easy to shape, can be colored, and raw materials are easy and cheap. Aqua bottle packaging uses PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) plastic, the problem occurs when the disposable packaging becomes waste, difficult to decompose, complex recycling process resulting in environmental pollution and even become one of the factors of climate crisis. Aqua presents Aqua Life products which are interesting to study semiotically what messages are contained in them. The method used in this research is qualitative, with a netnography approach, the instruments used are visual observations, news articles, and supporting data from various agencies and literature studies which are described and analyzed using Sanders Pierce's semiotic theory. In this study, it can be concluded that…. the results of this research are expected to add insight in terms of visual design and appreciation of the campaign to recycle plastic waste into new forms of packaging in Indonesia.


To our knowledge, this is the first report identifying genetic alterations in cutaneous oncocytoma. The distinction between salivary gland oncocytoma and cutaneous oncocytoma is usu-ally guided by the location of the tumor along with the clinical and radiological findings. However, in borderline locations as in this case, ancillary testing is invaluable. Despite the fragmented nature of the specimen, the clinical and radiologic findings coupled with the immunophenotypic profile remain consistent with CO. We document a case report of cutaneous oncocytoma with a novel mutation of uncertain significance affecting EGFR and EGFR-AS1. Additional molecular analysis may play a role in dif-ferentiating between cutaneous oncocytoma and other oncocytic tumors. Further studies are necessary to determine the role of EGFR/EGFR-AS1 and AR in cutaneous oncocytoma.


With the rapid development of smart phone technology, people are becoming more and more addicted to mobile phones, which lead to depression and other undesirable social phenomena. The mobile app of Flower is such applications that can help people get rid of mobile phone addiction. The app's design is based on flow theory and tries to help people get rid of mobile addiction through sharing behavior. It uses the user's positive flow experience for app to replace the user's negative flow experience for mobile phone. Based on the technology acceptance theory, flow theory and extended-self theory, this paper explores the motivation and user's acquisition of the sharing behavior in the use of the mobile app of Flower, and constructs a new model of internet sharing behavior. And the practical applications of app have proved that sharing behavior contributes to the solution of mobile phone addiction. We hope to be able to make a contribution to app designing and user behavior analysis.


Initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) enables the uniform growth of polyglycidol (PGL) within mesoporous layers of TiO2 nanoparticle networks. Through the cationic ring opening polymerization of glycidol, conformal deposition of PGL by iCVD results in up to 91% of the available pore space being filled. This yields polymer nanocomposites with high nanoparticle loading of 82 wt% and 54 vol%. The glass transition of the PGL nanocomposite is found to increase significantly by 50 °C–60 °C compared to the bulk PGL polymer. This marked temperature rise has been attributed to significant hydrogen bonding interaction of the oxygen and hydroxyl groups in the polymer with the hydroxyl groups on the surface of the TiO2 nanoparticles. Such interactions under polymer confinement are only possible as a result of the tight integration of the polymer and inorganic materials afforded by the iCVD approach.


Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, LondonSE5 5 kg weight loss, and †̃¿ edginess'.Following drug therapy, tearfulness, decreased productivity, and poor concentration ensued and she attempted suicide. On evaluation following the overdose, she com plained of tremulousness, palpitations, and flushing. She gave no past history of psychiatric or medical illness. Physical examination revealed a thin (40 kg) female with tachycardia, mild tremor and the absence of thyromegaly or eye signs. On mental status exam she was sad and tearful with psychomotor retardation and depressed mood. Memory and cognitive functions were intact. Laboratory results indicated elevated thyroid function. Endocrine consultation was arranged and Graves' disease confirmed. A treatment plan including propyl thiouracil, propranolol and radioactive Iodine was followed. Depressive symptoms resolved and follow up at six months revealed euthymia, normal weight and return to work. Thyrotoxicosis uncommonly presents with de pressive symptoms. Apathetic hyperthyroidism as described by Lahey presents with symptoms of de pression, apathy, and intellectual stupor (Lahey, 1931). These †̃¿ thyroidmelancholics' are generally older, appear ill with weight loss and do not demon strate the usual signs and symptoms of Graves' disease (Taylor, 1975 ; Thomas et a!, 1970). Our patient was only 23 and her deterioration after initial treatment with psychotropic agents serves as a warning that tricyclic antidepressants may exacerbate psychiatric symptoms accompanying hyperthyroidism. She not only did not respond, but noted diminished concentration, palpitations, and worsened depression anxiety culminating in a suicide attempt. We specu lated that her increased levels of thyroid hormone may have made her more sensitive to the anticholinergic and adrenergic effects of amitriptyline. This would be consistent with Whybrow and Prange's hypothesis of thyroid-catecholamine receptor interaction (Why brow and Prange, 1981). In addition, other signs of thyrotoxicosis developed and persisted until anti thyroid treatment took effect. Initial attention to review of systems and avoidance of one-system dominance would have led to a correct differential diagnosis. The danger of erroneous diag nosis and placement on psychotropic medications is a reminder of the possible associations between de pression and thyrotoxicosis, and its responsiveness to antithyroid treatment.


Objective Primary objective: To study patients' clinical profile and outcomes with germ cell tumours developing in undescended testes. Materials and methods Case records of patients enlisted in the prospectively maintained 'testicular cancer database' at our tertiary cancer care hospital from 2014 to 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Any patient who presented with testicular germ cell tumour with a documented history/diagnosis of undescended testes, whether surgically corrected or not, was considered for this study. The patients were managed along the standard lines of treatment for testicular cancer. We evaluated clinical features, difficulties and delays in diagnosis and complexities in management. We evaluated event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) using the Kaplan–Meier Method. Results Fifty-four patients were identified from our database. The mean age was 32.4 years (median age 32, range: 15–56 years). Seventeen (31.4%) had developed cancer in orchidopexy testes, and 37 (68.6%) presented with testicular cancer in uncorrected cryptorchid testes. The median age at orchidopexy was 13.5 years (range: 2–32 years). The median time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 2 months (1–36 months). There was a delay in the initiation of treatment of more than 1 month in 13 patients, with the longest delay being 4 months. Two patients were initially misdiagnosed as gastrointestinal tumours. Thirty-two (59.25%) patients had seminoma, and 22 (40.7%) patients had non-seminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCT). Nineteen patients had metastatic disease at presentation. Thirty (55.5%) patients underwent orchidectomy upfront while in 22 (40.7%) patients, orchidectomy was done after chemotherapy. The surgical approach included high inguinal orchidectomy, exploratory laparotomy or laparoscopic surgery per the clinical situation. Post-operative chemotherapy was offered as clinically indicated. At a median follow-up of 66 months (95% CI: 51–76), there were four relapses (all NSGCT) and one death. The 5-year EFS was 90.7% (95% CI: 82.9–98.7). The 5-year OS was 96.3% (95% CI: 91.2–100) Conclusions The tumours in undescended testes, particularly those without prior orchiopexy, often presented late and with bulky masses, requiring complex multidisciplinary management. Despite the complexity and challenges, our patient's OS and EFS matched that of patients with tumours in normally descended testes. Orchiopexy may help in earlier detection. In the first such series from India, we show that testicular tumours in the cryptorchid are also as curable as the germ cell tumours developing in the descended testis. A multidisciplinary disease management group with expertise in managing complex cases is crucial for a favourable outcome in these groups of patients. We also found that orchiopexy done even later in life confers an advantage in terms of early detection in a subsequently developing testicular tumour.


ABSTRACT The J. Paul Leonard Library at San Francisco State University is engaged in a number of information literacy efforts. The library's new information literacy coordinators had many questions about the library's current activities and how to further develop its information literacy program. In the 2006–2007 academic year, the Library Education Committee obtained a more accurate understanding of the library's information literacy efforts through a self-study process. A survey instrument was created and distributed to all teaching librarians. The results of this study were contrasted with the Association of College and Research Libraries' (ACRL) Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy That Illustrate Best Practices: A Guideline in order to facilitate program assessment and long-term planning.


Industry 4.0 is a vision of manufacturing in which smart, interconnected production systems optimize the complete value-added chain to reduce cost and time-to-market. At the core of Industry 4.0 is the smart factory of the future, whose successful deployment requires solving challenges from many domains. Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) is a key enabler for such complex systems of systems as can be seen by the increased number of related publications in key conferences and journals. This paper aims to characterize the state of the art of MBSE for the smart factory through a systematic mapping study on this topic. Adopting a detailed search strategy, 1466 papers were initially identified. Of these, 222 papers were selected and categorized using a particular classification scheme. Hence, we present the concerns addressed by the modeling community for Industry 4.0, how these are investigated, where these are published, and by whom. The resulting research landscape can help to understand, guide, and compare research in this field. In particular, this paper identifies the Industry 4.0 challenges addressed by the modeling community, but also the challenges that seem to be less investigated.


ABSTRACT This paper describes the eggs/mature oocytes (including ovarian statistics), mature larvae, and pupae of bees belonging to the Exomalopsini, furthering our understanding of the anatomical and behavioral diversity of included taxa. The mature larva is the life stage best represented with the following treated: Anthophorula (Anthophorula) completa (Cockerell), Anthophorula (Anthophorisca) chionura (Cockerell), Anthophorula (Anthophorisca) consobrina (Timberlake), Anthophorula (Anthophorisca) nitens (Cockerell)*, Anthophorula (Anthophorisca) sidae (Cockerell)*, Anthophorula (Isomalopsis) uncicornis González-Vaquero & Roig-Alsina, Eremapis parvula Ogloblin, Exomalopsis (Exomalopsis) auropilosa Spinola, Exomalopsis (Exomalopsis) bruesi Cockerell*, Exomalopsis (Stilbomalopsis) solani Cockerell*, Exomalopsis (Stilbomalopsis) solidaginis Cockerell, Chilimalopsis parvula Toro*, and Teratognatha modesta Ogloblin*. Pupae of those species bearing an asterisk (*) are also described. Most specimens were collected in association with studies of nesting biologies. Although some biologies were reported in earlier papers, those of the following species are included as the terminal section herein: Anthophorula (Anthophorula) completa (Cockerell), Anthophorula (Isomalopsis) uncicornis González-Vaquero and Roig-Alsina, Eremapis parvula Ogloblin, Chilimalopsis parvula Toro, and Teratognatha modesta Ogloblin. A preliminary key to mature larvae of the nonparasitic apine tribes (exclusive of the corbiculate tribes) is appended.


Introduction:
 Timely reperfusion is performed less optimally in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) than in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The degree to which hospital performance is correlated on emergent AMI and AIS care is unknown.

 Hypothesis:
 There would be a positive correlation between hospital performance on door-to-balloon time (D2B) for AMI and door-to-needle time (DTN) for AIS; and hospital performance on D2B would predict DTN even after controlling for patient and hospital differences.

 Methods:
 Prospective study of all hospitals participating in both Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)-Stroke and -Coronary Artery Disease from 2006-09 and treating ≥10 patients. We compared hospital-level DTN and D2B before and after risk adjustment using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients and hierarchical linear regression modeling. We also correlated hospitals' DTN and D2B data from 2013-14 using GWTG (DTN) and Hospital Compare (D2B).

 Results:
 There were 43 hospitals contributing data (1976 AIS and 59,823 AMI patients). Hospitals' DTN times for AIS did not correlate with their D2B times for AMI (median DTN 85 min [IQR 77-99] vs. median D2B 72 min [IQR 62-81]; ρ=-0.09; p=0.55). There was no correlation between hospitals' proportion of eligible patients treated within target time windows for AIS and AMI (median DTN<60 minutes: 21% [IQR 11-30]; median D2B<90 minutes: 68% [IQR 62-79]; ρ=-0.14; p=0.36). The lack of correlation between hospitals' DTN and D2B times persisted after risk adjustment. From 2013-14, hospitals' DTN performance in GWTG was not correlated with D2B performance in Hospital Compare (N=546 hospitals; see figure).

 Conclusions:
 We found no correlation between hospitals' observed or risk-adjusted DTN and D2B times. Opportunities exist to improve hospitals' performance of time-critical care processes for AIS and AMI in a coordinated rather than condition-specific manner.


Cotton is one of the hugely grown commercial crops in India, mainly in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Provisional data from the Meeting of the COCPC (2021), says that India stands first in the world in acreage with 120.69 Lakh Hectares area under cotton cultivation i.e., around 36% of world area of 333 Lakh Hectares. India is in the top position in the world with an estimated production of 362.18 lakh bales during the cotton season 2021-22 i.e., 23 per cent of the world's cotton production of 1555 lakh bales. Telangana, the study area produced the highest cotton in South India region i.e., 66.45 lakh cotton bales in 2021-22 season, 14.63 per cent higher than the previous season. This shows the immense potential of the cotton production both in terms of employment and economy. ILO (2019) highlighted that cotton farming is one of the most challenging and labour - intensive activities. Lakhs of migrant and bonded labourers, even children and adolescents are being involved, sometimes as unpaid and invisible labour. Women are majorly involved in cotton picking, which is one of the labour - intensive activity in cotton farming. Despite these problems, mechanization is still lagging in cotton picking activity, which causes lot of drudgery and musculo-skeletal issues among them. This can in turn influence the work efficiency of the labour. Though there are cotton picking machines available in the market, farmers and farm labourers do not purchase and use them as they are unaffordable in price; unaware of the machinery and not sure of its efficiency. With these insights, the current study made an attempt to analyse the drudgery reduction among farm women by using a mechanized cotton picker. The study was conducted on ten farm women involved in cotton picking at Lillipur village of Maheswaram mandal, Telangana. Results showed that most of the sample were having a work experience between 6 - 9 years, worked for 4 - 8 hours per day in the picking season. The perceived exertion of work stress by all the sample was 'very difficult' while practicing the traditional method of cotton picking. However, it was 'neutral' for almost 70 per cent of the sample during the usage of hand operated cotton picker. There was a reduction in drudgery index in improved method (275.7+0.7) when compared to traditional method (276.2+0.5). The parameters related to physiological workload like resting, working and recovery heart rate, CCW, CCR etc., also showed positive changes by using improved cotton picking method. This study, through its results proved that increase in efficiency, drudgery reduction, saving time and effort of the labour can be done by adapting mechanization in farming activities. The results give an indication that taking up such small mechanization measures can surely help the farming community in a long run.


Background:
The number of amputees using prostheses is decreasing, and the victims complain that prostheses make stumps itchy and cause sores and they thus opt to go without artificial limbs. This has led to increased joblessness among persons with orthopedic disabilities. This research, therefore, sought to determine whether the prostheses increase the number of species of bacteria found on the stumps of amputees since bacteria are known to be the primary cause of the discomfort in form of itches and sores.
Methodology:
Thirty participants were selected for this study, and were divided into two groups; 22 candidates were in the experimental group and four were in the control group, while six withdrew from the research. Members in both groups had their stump surfaces examined for the species of bacteria present at the time of prosthesis fitting. Members in the experimental group used the prostheses while those in the control group did not use the prostheses and both groups were re-examined three weeks later.
Results:
The use of prostheses generally increased the mean number of species of bacteria found on the skin surface of stumps of amputees three weeks after starting to use the artificial limbs although the increase was not found to be statistically significant. No significant change was observed in the mean number of species of bacteria in the control group at the time of prosthetic fitting and after the three weeks of disuse. This implied that the observed increase in bacterial load was truly due to the use of prostheses in the experimental group.
Conclusion:
Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Clostridium tetani, and non-hemolytic streptococci were identified on the skin surfaces of the stumps of amputees.


The thyroid glands of nine patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis were studied by immunoperoxidase method for immunoglobulin (Ig) and thyroid hormone, and of these four tissue specimens were further examined by electron microscope. Immunoperoxidase method for Ig revealed that about 63% of the infiltrating cells contained Ig, and that about 90% of such Ig‐containing cells had IgG. IgG‐containing cells seemed to secrete autoantibodies. Immunoperoxidase method for thyroid hormone and electron microscopy revealed that there was a good correlation between the morphological features of the thyroid follicle and its immunohistochemical staining pattern. In follicles composed of columnar cells, the colloid and cytoplasm of some epithelial cells were immunohistochemically stained. Dense deposits, regarded as immune complexes, were observed in the basement membrane of these follicles, and lymphocytes were seen between the adjacent cells. When similar deposits appeared in the basement membrane of such follicles, 4 or more lymphocytes per follicle could be seen among the epithelial cells. The present findings seem to indicate that antibody‐dependent cell‐mediated cytotoxicity plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.


We read with great interest the article by Freedman et al.1 The authors have evaulated the effect of coffee consumption on liver disease progression in chronic hepatitis C and found an inverse correlation between coffee intake and liver disease progression. We would like to stress some points before making a judgement about the results of the study. First, as the authors mentioned in the article, coffee contains a variety of chemical compounds. The standardization of these compounds' concentration in a cup of coffee is almost impossible. Moreover, some authors reported that caffeine concentrations may fluctuate from one coffee house to another and may change even in the same company on the same day.2 For that reason, to measure the coffee consumption via the number of consumed cups of coffee may not correctly reflect the differences between the groups. Second, authors reported that correction for lifetime or current alcohol intake or smoking did not influence risk estimates for the association of coffee and liver disease progression. We agree with the authors, but there are some crucial points that deserve further comment. Smoking accelerates caffeine metabolism.3 We could come to the conclusion that smokers have a tendency to consume more coffee than nonsmokers because of the shorter half-life of caffeine. Even though the authors adjusted the lifetime risk, this fact may require a second review when the patients are classified. As a result, smokers who have a propensity to consume more coffee than nonsmokers may intensify their risks with this vicious circle. In our opinion, smokers and nonsmokers must be evaluated in different categories. Nevertheless, if we could make a conclusion in spite of the aforementioned limitations, we would like to add a little contribution to the suggested mechanisms regarding why coffee consumption may slow the liver disease progression in patients in the HALT-C (Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis) trial. Caffeine, which is the most-studied active substance in coffee, is mainly metabolized with cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2. CYP 1A2 has a very important role in the metabolism of caffeine and many clinically important drugs. Some drugs which are eliminated this by pathway may be affected by coffee consumption.4 Although we did not encounter any specific data about the interaction between caffeine and the drugs which are used in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, a possible interaction may make the patients more resistant to hepatitis C virus. As an habitual behavior, these patients had consumed coffee for the duration of the treatment phase. Coffee consumption may increase the drug levels, competitively inhibiting the activity of CYP 1A2. For that reason, coffee consumers may be exposed to higher doses of antiviral treatment. We were wondering about whether this point makes a difference between groups by creating a better treated group. In conclusion, we found the study to be a very valuable contribution to the literature. Still, when we consider the limitations of the study and potential drug interactions between coffee and other drugs, we are far from advising coffee consumption as safe for our patients, even though we would like it.


During the biosynthesis of heparan sulphate (HS) in the Golgi compartment, the first modification enzyme, glucosaminyl N-deacetylase/N-sulphotransferase (NDST), starts to work on the growing HS polysaccharide chain. This enzyme defines the overall design of the sulphation pattern, which will determine the ability of the HS chain to interact with target molecules. NDST removes acetyl groups from glucosamine residues and replaces them with sulphate groups. These N-sulphate groups are essential for further modification during biosynthesis; without N-sulphation, no O-sulphation or conversion of glucuronic acid into iduronic acid will occur. Four NDST isoforms, transcribed from four genes, have been identified. Much of our work is concentrated on how the enzymes are organized within the Golgi compartment and the identification of interacting partners. In addition, we study mice in which the gene encoding NDST-1 or NDST-2 has been knocked out. NDST-1 knockout mice with altered HS structure die at birth due to lung failure, whereas lack of NDST-2 results in abnormal mast cells. Since NDSTs have a key role in HS design (see above), these mice can be used to study HS function. Areas of interest are cell differentiation, growth, inflammation, cancer, lipid metabolism and microbial infection.


Abstract : A new paving process known as resin modified pavement (RMP) was used in the airfield repair project at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The RMP is a composite paving material that combines the flexible characteristics of an asphalt concrete material with the durability of a portland cement concrete pavement. This paving process was developed by the French construction company Jean Lefebvre as a cost-effective alternative to portland cement concrete. The RMP is best suited for pavements that are subjected to abrasive traffic, heavy static loads, excessive fuel spillage, and channelized traffic. The RMP process was constructed at Fort Campbell Army Airfield in September 1992. The U.S. Army Engineer District, Louisville, was responsible for the design and construction of the airfield project. The Pavement Systems Division of the Geotechnical Laboratory at the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station was requested to provide technical assistance in preparing the RMP mix designs and onsite assistance during construction of the test section and the airfield pavement. This report discusses in detail the laboratory evaluations for the open-graded asphalt mixture, cement slurry grout mix designs, and construction of the RMP test section and warm-up apron (hardstand) at the east end of Runway 04-22. The RMP warm-up apron was successfully constructed and has been opened for traffic since October 1992.


In the era of the IoT (Internet of Things) and Edge computing, SoC (System on Chip) with an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a suitable solution for embedded systems because it supports running rich operating systems on general-purpose CPUs, as well as the FPGA's acceleration for specific computing. One problem of designing an accelerator on an FPGA is that optimization of the logic for the accelerator is not automatic and much trial and error is needed before attaining peak performance from the SoC. In this paper we propose a method to reduce the development time of the accelerator using N-body simulation as a target application. Based on the hardware resources needed for several pipelines of the accelerator and their performance estimation model, we can estimate how many pipelines can be implemented on an SoC. In addition, the amount of memory each pipeline requires for attaining maximum performance is suggested. Our model agreed with the actual calculation speed for different constraining conditions.


Despite a large literature on fertility and education there has been little research on how these joint decisions are affected by risks and shocks. This paper uses data on hurricanes in Guatemala combined with a household survey to analyse how households' decisions on fertility and investments in education respond to both risk and shocks. The data on hurricanes cover the period 1880 to 1997 and allow for the calculation of hurricane risk by municipality. An increase in risk leads to higher fertility for households with land, while households without land reduce fertility. For both types of households higher risk is associated with higher education but the effect is largest for households without land. Negative shocks lead to decreases in both fertility and education. There is a compensatory effect later in life for fertility, but not for education, indicating that births "lost" to shocks can be made up but lost schooling cannot. The most convincing explanation for these patterns is parents' need for insurance.


A theoretical model is developed for describing phase transition kinetics occurring by nucleation and growth processes. The model treats the case of spatially correlated nuclei and applies to any kind of nucleation function. A stochastic approach is employed that gives the fraction of transformed phase as a function of a series in terms of the m-dots correlation functions. Truncation of the expansion up to the second order in the correlation functions leads to an analytical solution. Computer simulations based on the hard core model have been also performed confirming the goodness of the analytical approach.


The key motivation of this thesis is to find innovative solutions for facilitating the deployment of ubiquitous systems, with the purpose of making technology supported collaboration an easier task. Users, being in a ubiquitous environment, continuously encounter new resources that might provide some value. As the number of these resources increase, the management of them will be a central task in a ubiquitous computing system. The problems and challenges discussed in this thesis are related to continuous and unpredictable changes in the ubiquitous environment, which makes it difficult for users to retrieve appropriate software for utilizing resources. We also discuss the challenge of managing resources, and sharing them between users. The research questions in this thesis are: RQ-1: How can we extend existing service management architectures to support user-centered and community-based service management? RQ-2: What technologies, architectures and platforms are the most suitable for implementing user-centered and community-based service management? RQ-3: How can we evaluate the usability and utility of user-centered and community-based service management? What are the most compelling scenarios? The contributions in this thesis are, correspondingly: C1: We have made a solution proposal and an implementation of an improved service management system, which is based on earlier works of the Ubicollab platform. C2: Four items were found suitable: 1. The deployment model used by distribution platforms for mobile applications (such as AppStore and Android Market), 2. OSGi, 3. R-OSGi, and 4. HTTP-based communication using Java Servlets. C3: The evaluation of such systems can be done using a three-step process that includes: 1. Examining the system's fulfillment its requirement specification. 2. Compare the system's functionality with that of a scenario-described ideal system. 3. Create applications that demonstrate the utility of the system.


BACKGROUND
Although mast cells (MCs) have been implicated in promoting angiogenesis in some malignant tumors, especially of the aerodigestive tract, little is known in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

METHODS
A retrospective study was conducted to elaborate upon the correlation between MCs and tumor angiogenesis in 26 cases of oral SCC, six cases of oral pre-malignant dysplasia, 10 cases of oral hyperkeratosis, and six cases of normal oral mucosa by means of immunohistochemical technique.

RESULTS
The MCs in all lesions and normal oral mucosa strongly expressed tryptase. The densities of MCs and microvessels appeared to increase with disease progression. The MC and microvascular counts were significantly higher in oral SCC than in hyperkeratosis and normal oral mucosa (P < 0.05). A significant correlation between MC and microvascular densities was observed in oral SCC (r = 0.5; P = 0.012).

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that MCs may upregulate tumor angiogenesis in oral SCC, perhaps via MC tryptase.


Objectives: To analyze our own functional results to delineate a critical vestibular schwannoma size for middle cranial fossa (MCF) surgery with the best possible outcome. Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Academic tertiary referral center. Methods: Tumors were divided into intracanalicular, tumors 1 to 5, 6 to 10, and 11 to 15 mm in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA). Patients were evaluated at 2 months, 1 year, and 5 years after surgery. Results: At 1 year, House-Brackmann score of I or II was obtained in 100% of intracanalicular and in 96%, 86%, and 85% with tumors up to 5, 10, and 15 mm in the CPA, respectively. Class I hearing was postoperatively preserved in 61%, 41%, 29%, and 20%, and measurable word recognition in 67%, 51%, 35%, and 21% of patients, respectively. Conclusion: The outcome is predominantly a function of tumor size, and these changes influence MCF surgery at an earlier stage than in the translabyrinthine or retrosigmoid approach. For the facial nerve, there is a cutoff at 5-mm extracanalicular extension. Also, chances for successful hearing preservation decrease rapidly with size, and in tumors beyond 1.5 cm are below 20%. Consequently, although an expectant policy with small tumors may be reasonable in some instances, it is not so for MCF candidates.


Background: Guidelines published by the International Liaison Committee for Resuscitation and by the World Health Organization recommend delaying cord clamping at birth as part of routine care for infants. Objective: To study the use of milking of the cord 4 times as an alternative to enhance the redistribution of placental blood into the baby. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of neurodevelopmental assessment by the Bayley III method of very preterm infants who had participated in a trial of delayed cord clamping versus cord milking at birth that was conducted in a neonatal tertiary care hospital. The primary outcomes were differences in cognitive, motor and language development at 2 and 3.5 years. Two-tailed analyses were performed with the χ2 test, Fisher's exact test, t test, Mann-Whitney U test and ANCOVA. Results: Out of the 58 infants enrolled in the original study, 39 infants (67%) were assessed at 2 years and 29 (50%) at 3.5 years of age. Neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2 and 3.5 years did not significantly differ between the two groups for the three Bayley III composite scores. At 3.5 years there was a trend towards higher scores for girls in the language composite scores (girls: mean = 121.6, SD = 15.22; boys: mean = 101.07, SD = 19.84) and on the motor scale (girls: mean = 124.60, SD = 18.15; boys: mean = 97.86, SD = 17.23). Conclusions: In this small number of participants followed up at 2 and 3.5 years of age, milking of the cord 4 times did not have any long-term adverse effect on neurodevelopmental outcome, suggesting that cord milking could be used as an alternative to delayed cord clamping.


Dermatoses affecting the skin around stoma sites are common and difficult to treat. We have investigated the effectiveness of topical sucralfate in the management of peristomal dermatoses in adults using an open study design. Apart from forming a physical barrier to further irritation, sucralfate binds to basic fibroblast growth factor preventing its degradation and thereby promotes healing. In eight out of nine patients with faecal or urine erosions, daily, topical sucralfate treatment was associated with healing within 4 weeks. There was limited or no response to treatment in a further nine patients with traumatic ulcers, excoriated dermatitis or pyoderma gangrenosum. Topical sucralfate represents a safe, inexpensive and effective therapeutic intervention, particularly for those patients with high output or short stomas where repeated stoma leakage may be unavoidable.


In this letter, a novel near-field chipless-Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system with sequential bit reading is reported. The main novelty concerns the tags, implemented by means of straight half-wavelength resonators separated by a small distance and forming a linear chain in the direction orthogonal to their axis. By this means, the number of resonant elements (or bits) per unit length of the tag is significantly increased, as compared to the previous implementations, with the result of very competitive tags in terms of data density. The active part of the reader is a microstrip line loaded with a shunt stub. Through a proper design, it is possible to achieve a significant excursion of the transmission coefficient when the stub is either loaded or unloaded with a functional resonant element of the tag. Consequently, by tag motion over the reader (stub), it is possible to infer the Identification (ID) code by simply injecting a harmonic signal to the input port of the stub-loaded line (the ID code is contained in the amplitude modulated, signal at the output port). This system has been validated by considering 100 b tags exhibiting a surface data density of 4.9 b/cm2. However, the relevant parameter is the data density per unit length, as high as 16.7 b/cm, i.e., much larger than previous values reported in the literature in similar chipless-RFID systems.


Linear logic circuits are used extensively in digital computing and signal processing systems. They are constructed as regular arrays (for example as cascade or tree circuits), employing linear gates such as Exclusive OR (EOR) and Exclusive NOR (ENOR) gates. Earlier studies on fault diagnosis in linear logic circuits were based on the classical fault model of line stuck-at faults. Transistor stuck-open (SOP) and stuck-on (SON) faults in linear circuits were studied recently, but the effect of signal transients due to circuit delays and time skews in input changes were not considered in the derivation of test sequences. These latter factors are known to cause invalidation of two pattern tests for stuck-open faults. In this article we consider the problem of generating robust tests for linear logic circuits. These tests are not affected by circuit transients caused by delays. A major finding in this paper is that, if the test invalidation problem is redressed by introducing robust tests, the test length becomes a linear function of the depth of the circuit as opposed to the constant number of tests derived in previous studies, by neglecting circuit transients. A lower bound on minimum number of distinct test patterns needed for a tree of EOR gates of depthd is derived. This number depends on the specific implementation of the gate. Robust test-generation procedures are proposed for both single and multiple fault models and their optimalities are argued. Given that every gate in a parity tree is robustly testable, a test sequence that can test for all faults in the circuit, regardless of the nature of gate implementation, is calleduniversal robust test sequence for a parity tree. Finally we propose an optimal universal robust test sequence.


This grazing experiment aimed at assessing effects of providing high quality forage as supplements for Bali cattle grazing native pasture in the wet season. Twenty four Bali heifers with a mean live weight of 85.4±3.8 kg were allotted into four reatments. The treatments were (1) grazing only, (2) grazing + Gliricidia sepium leaf, (3) grazing + Acacia villosa leaf, and (4) grazing + Lannea grandis leaf.  The heifers grazed together on a 25 ha Bothriochloa timorensis dominant pasture during the day (0700 h to 1700 h) in wet season, and supplements were provided at night. The supplements were given in accordance to achieve 30% refusal.  Total intake was estimated by marker technique (Cr 2 O 3 ). Live weight was recorded twice a month. Data were subjected to statistical analysis based on general linear model suited to a completely random design.  The results showed that growth rate of Bali heifers grazing native pasture during wet season in Timor was low (35 g/d), and providing high quality forages as supplements at night significantly improved LWG by up 205%. Yet, the magnitude of LWG response varies according to type of forage, with the best result achieved by heifers given Gliricidia sepium leaf. Key Words :  Bali Cattle, Grazing, Native Pasture, Wet Season, Supplement


One of the under-utilized food ingredients in Africa and other developing economies is the Tigernut milk. In this study, the nutritional, physico-chemical and sensory properties of tigernut milk were evaluated by comparing them with those of peak milk, a popular animal milk product in Nigeria, using standard methods. The results showed that all the nutrient factors were significantly (P≤ 0.05) different. There was a higher amount of moisture (10.95%) and crude protein (3.65%) in PM than TM. Conversely, there were higher amounts of crude fibre (93.33%) crude fat (61.96%), total ash (16.67%), and carbohydrates (77.59%) in TM than PM. With the exception of pH and total titratable acidity, the other physico-chemical properties varied significantly (P≤0.05). PM contained 11.76% and 13.58% more total titrable acidity and total solids, respectively than TM while TM had 65.39% more energy value than PM. Both milk samples showed mild acidic pH values of 6.63±0.03 and 6.64±0.13 for PM and TM, respectively. This suggests high susceptibility of both milk samples to microbial spoilage at ambient temperatures, hence, the need to stabilize them. Sensory evaluation showed that PM was 8.40%, 17.81%, 16.76%, and 6.06% more preferred to TM while the aroma of TM was 38.79% adjudged better than that of PM. Ultimately, all the sensory properties were significantly (P≤0.05) different except colour and general acceptability.


Some 106 tick species occur in South Africa, of which only 23 are considered endemic. For the livestock industry, 35 species are associated with domestic animals, of which 15 species are vectors of at least 23 diseases or health syndromes. However, tick control does not only impact animal health, but also human health, as a number of veterinary tick-borne diseases have been detected in humans and classified as emerging zoonotic diseases. New research supports an integrated control strategy for ticks and tick-borne diseases.


A random national survey of 50 general practitioners was undertaken to ascertain current trends in the pharmacological management of hypertension. Forty general practitioners entered the study, and scripts written by them over a two month period in 1988 were collected and recorded by the pharmaceutical pricing offices of the health department. The general practitioners provided details on whether the script had been written for hypertension, as well as the age and sex of the patients. Information from 37 general practitioners was available for study, involving 2675 scripts written for hypertension for 1858 patients. Sixty point two percent of the treated hypertensives were female, and 58.9% were aged over 60 years. The most commonly prescribed antihypertensives were the diuretics (47.1% of patients) and beta blockers (47.9%). They were followed by angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (18.2%) and calcium antagonists (9.7%). There was substantial variability in the prescription of antihypertensives with respect to the age and sex of the patients treated; the mean costs and duration of supply of different generic drug types; and the prescribing habits of general practitioners. By generic type, the mean monthly costs of therapy ranged from $3.77 (diuretics) to $48.19 (calcium antagonists). The age and sex adjusted geometric mean script costs ranged from $17.78 to $49.11 per month (median: $29.30). It seems unlikely that the observed degree of variability is explained by differences in the severity of hypertension between general practice populations.


The history of the management of extra-uterine pregnancy, like every other conception which has finally resulted in good to the human race, begins with very crude—I might almost say utterly empirical manœuvres. Slowly it has emerged from its horribly uninviting chrysalis to its crawling caterpillar stage, which is almost passed, and its bright-winged life has now really begun. Passing over without mention the mistakes and blunders of those who used to evacuate the amniotic fluid, and those who once injected substances into the gestation sac, as well as that later and better procedure, elytrotomy, let us go at once to the discussion of the only two methods which now receive much recognition from the medical world, which are electricity and abdominal section. Eet me state clearly and distinctly in regard to the electric current in all its forms, that I believe it wrong in principle, dangerous in practice, and frequently


Overall attendance at bowl games has steadily decreased since 2010, meaning that institutions are often left with tickets they cannot sell. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the drivers of spectator attendance at college football bowl games through four competing econometric models. The full random-effects model included 41 explanatory variables, and was examined using both OLS and interval regression. A competing fixed-effects model is also presented. Finally, practical and theoretical implications are discussed.


Pollution is now a day has become a threat to living beings. Pollutants in the form of pesticide inhabit a variety of environments which affect the normal vital activities of organisms living. They reach the aquatic environment as a washout from agriculture fields as well as from industrial areas. Pesticide contamination in water may accumulate in the bodies of animals and affect the vital organs which alter the usual activities. Cypermethrin is a synthetic pyrethrum insecticide used in agriculture to control pest in crops such as lettuce and cotton and household pest such as cockroach. To understand the toxic effect of pesticides, it creates a need for histopathological observation of tissues. Present work was carried to evaluate the toxic effect of cypermethrin (25% EC) in liver and gills of tilapia (O.mossambicus). The fish experimented to different sublethal concentration of 1/10th,1/20th and 1/30th level of LC50 (4.5 mg/l) value of cypermethrin for 30 days. Gill exhibited epithelial cell damage, Fusion , Length reduction , Curling and Repturing of secondary gill lamellae, primary gill lamellae Enlargement, Necrosis, Cytoplasmic vacuolization, Damaged red blood corpuscle, Excessive secretion of mucus, whereas liver showed increased vacuolization, Necrosis, Hyperplasia, disintegration of hepatocytes and necrotic nuclei. Aim of the present study is to identify the effect of cypermethrin on organs tissues ( liver, kidney) of   freshwater fish, Oreochromis mossambicus.
Keywords: Cypermethrin, Oreochromis mossambicus, Gill, Liver


The advantage of cable deployed electric submersible pump (CDESP) systems are beginning to be understood and realized as experience has been gained with the deployment and retrieval of these systems. Cable deployed ESP systems have at times been touted as a temporary system for failed conventional ESP systems. Long-term successes have demonstrated the value of permanently installed CDESP systems, which provide the benefit of reduced production deferral, less costly change-out, and reduced HSE risk.
 The decision to change from conventional ESP to a rigless CDESP system is not necessarily a simple conclusion. The decision must consider technical, economic, and operational considerations to gain the full benefit from the technology. The learnings developed over multiple deployments and retrievals will benefit decision makers in the evaluation of the technology use. The technology application presented in the paper sheds the light on a journey to develop and bring alternative ESP deployment from concept to reality, overcoming technical and operational challenges.
 The current CDESP requires a rig to initially construct the permanent completion to accept the rigless CDESP system. Production rates requirements determine the ESP size, and in turn the tubing and wellhead size. Pressure control equipment is installed on top of the Christmas tree. Rigless installation and retrieval of the CDESP is performed on an elevated tower with the wellhead in place. The tower design has been improved to allow the production flowline to remain in place. A minimum of two well barriers, with one barrier well kill fluid, are in place at all times. A key learning of the killed well CDESP system is the need to understand the potential changes to the reservoir after sustained production in planning the replacement of a failed ESP. Kill fluid losses can be higher than expected with restorative well cleanup and production. Actual deployment or retrieval time can be improved with successive change-outs. Long-term operational robustness of the CDESP is proven with a system continuing to operate after 5 years of cumulative operations.
 This paper shares the lessons learned from an early technology adopter with multiple deployment and retrievals in various well environments including highly fractured reservoirs and high hydrogen sulfide wells.


Background
Patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are at increased risk of polypharmacy. A potential approach to this group of patients could be the use of herbal treatments influencing multiple biological pathways and aiming simultaneously at both OA and related comorbid conditions. Comarum palustre L. is widely used in traditional medicine but there is a lack of studies evaluating its pleiotropic effects in OA and DM.

Primary Study Objective
To investigate pleiotropic effects of Comarum palustre L. in patients with OA and diabetes mellitus (DM).

Methods
This was open-label, single-arm exploratory study on patients with knee OA and DM.

Setting
Single-center study.

Participants
Fifteen adult patients (mean age 68.6 years, fourteen women, one man) with knee OA and DM.

Intervention
The patients received Comarum palustre L.tablets 500 mg twice daily for 28 days.

Primary Outcome Measure
Changes from baseline in Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for Pain.

Results
At the end of treatment there were significant reductions in VAS pain (effect size (ES) 1.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61 to 2.3), OA symptoms (ES 1.1 95% CI (-1.9 to -0.29), and disability (ES -0.88 95% CI -1.66 to -0.09). Treatment with Comarum palustre L. resulted in decrease in total cholesterol (TC), cholesterol ratio, and an increase in HDL-C. There was decrease of circulating TNF-α concentrations, and increase in circulating IL-10 and adiponectin levels.

Conclusion
Treatment with Comarum palustre L.is associated with pleiotropic effects in patients with OA and comorbid DM. These results provide a rationale for larger randomized controlled studies.


This article describes the in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) operated at electrode–electrolyte interfaces. It is demonstrated that in situ STM makes it possible to monitor with atomic resolution a wide variety of electrode processes such as the adsorption of inorganic and organic species and the dissolution and deposition of metals and semiconductors. Owing to limitations on space, the focus is on selected topics and mainly on our own experimental results.


Abstract 4311 Objectives Oral mucositis is a common complication of high-dose chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed by hematopoietic stem-cell support (HSCT). We evaluated the efficacy and safety of calcium phosphate mouth rinse (Caphosol) for prevention and reduction of severity and duration of oral mucositis in patients treated with HSCT. Methods In 2009 23 patients were treated. Three received allogeneic stem cells (ALLO): 2- Hodgkin disease (HD), 1-myeloma multiplex (MM) and twenty autologous transplantation (AUTO): 8-non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL); 7- HD; 3-MM. For ALLO conditioning regimens were composed of: fludarabine 150mg/m 2 and melphalan 140mg/m 2. AUTO were treated with: BEAM: carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine and melphalan (HD and NHL) and melphalan 200mg/m 2 (MM). The source of hematopoietic stem cells was peripheral blood. Caphosol was prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions and administered 4 times daily, starting from the day before the beginning of chemotherapy till the end of hospitalization. Control group was composed of patients, who had been treated with HSCT previously, before "palifermin and caphosol era". The groups were comparable according to number of patients, their age, type of disease, transplant and conditioning regimen. Oral mucositis was assessed with the use of the five-grade World Health Organization (WHO) oral-toxicity scale. Oral mucositis was evaluated daily after the beginning of transplantation procedure until discharge from the BMT Unit. The number of days with painkillers or antibiotics were estimated. Total parenteral nutrition was given according to the standards [Martin-Salces M, De Paz R, Canales MA et al (2008) Nutritional recommendations in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Nutrition 24: 769-775]. Treatment with antibiotics was started when neutropenic fever occurred. Safety was assessed on the basis of the incidence of adverse events. Statistical analysis was performed using Wilcoxon' test for analysis of differences between groups. Results Oral mucositis grade 2-4 was not observed. In patients treated with calcium phosphate mouth rinse oral mucositis grade 2-4 was not observed. Nobody had to receive opioid analgesics or total parenteral nutrition. 30% patients developed the first degree of oral mucositis 4-5 days9 duration. In the control group OM was observed in all cases, 50% patients had III- IV degree. Median duration of OM was 10 and 12 days (range 5- 20) for auto- and allogeneic patients, respectively. As compared with control group, treatment with calcium phosphate mouth rinse was associated with significant reduction of the incidence of oral mucositis in II- IV degrees (0 percent versus 50 percent, p Conclusion In comparison with control group, treatment with Caphosol was associated with the significant reduction of the incidence of oral mucositis in II- IV degrees, duration of oral mucositis, pain-killers' treatment and number of days with antibiotics' treatment. Calcium phosphate mouth rinse is a very promising medicine for prevention of oral mucositis for patients treated with high dose chemotherapy supported with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


BACKGROUND
Dendritic cells (DCs) play a central role in the initiation and expansion of T cell mediated immune responses with potential immunotherapy application. The compounds which have the ability to induce immunomodulatory effects on DCs may be employed for the treatment of immunopathologic conditions such as autoimmune diseases.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the in vivo effects of calcitriol (active form of vitamin D3) on DCs.

METHODS
0.1 microgram calcitriol was injected intra-peritoneally into C57BL/6 mice every other day within 3 weeks, and spleen DCs were extracted by magnetic beads. The phenotypic and functional properties of DCs were studied by flow cytometry and mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), respectively.

RESULTS
The expression of CD86 and MHC II, as maturation markers and costimulatory molecules were significantly decreased (p=0.028 and p=0.047, respectively) while CD11b expression, as a marker of mice myeloid DCs which mostly induces Th2 cytokine profile, was significantly increased (p=0.011). Allogeneic T cell stimulation in MLR was also significantly inhibited in comparison with the control groups (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION
Our data indicate that in vivo calcitriol administration inhibits maturation and activation of DCs in the same manner as in vitro conditions.


The cancer chemotherapeutic agent amsacrine, 4'-(9-acridinylamino)-methanesulfon-m-anisidide (mAMSA), is thought to effect cytotoxicity by inhibiting the ATP-dependent enzyme topoisomerase II in the act of its duplex strand-passing action. Upon protein denaturation, the arrested "cleavable complex" that results gives rise to double- and single-strand breaks (dsbs and ssbs) and DNA-protein cross-links (dpcs). Simultaneous cotreatments with 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) or novobiocin (novo) abrogates mAMSA cytotoxicity in Chinese hamster cells (H. Utsumi et al., Cancer Res., 50:2577-2581, 1990). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used to estimate dsbs, velocity sedimentation in alkaline sucrose gradients for ssbs, and alkaline elution without protease digestion for dpcs. Although cotreatment with DNP or novo modulated somewhat the yield of DNA lesions due to mAMSA, quantitatively these changes did not correlate at all with, and therefore could not account for, the reduced lethality that resulted from cotreatments. For example, DNA cotreatment markedly increased the yields of dsbs, ssbs, and dpcs, even though cell killing was appreciably reduced. Furthermore, neither DNP nor novo cotreatment affected the rate, or the completeness of, the repair of mAMSA-induced DNA damage, and neither cotreatment lowered total cellular ATP. Hence, the arresting of the cleavable complex by mAMSA, made evident by lesions in DNA, did not correlate with cytotoxicity. However, cotreatment with either DNP or novo resulted in an enhanced recovery of the mAMSA-induced inhibition of replicative DNA synthesis. Because DNP and novo (transiently) slow down DNA synthesis, it is proposed that these compounds abrogate mAMSA killing of S phase cells by reducing the disorganization of the processing of replicated DNA by topoisomerase II.


Background 20 years after biotherapies were introduced in rheumatic diseases treatment in France, biosimilars are a new medical and economic issue in terms of therapeutic opportunities, and innovative treatment spreading and development. Patients' rights - quality of life, information on treatment and safety - as well as public health cost management, medical and other caregivers 'practices are involved. Objectives AFLAR wants to play an active role in these fields, as about one million of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, and next other diseases, are concerned. Methods AFLAR's patient led board (1), medical and scientific experts and especially expert patients have been working together to: state AFLAR's position about biosimilars define the most adapted association's actions in the field of biosimilars create the most proper tool to inform and empower patients to their rights, especially in the field of treatment efficacy and safety. Results A position paper leading to a press release dated Dec. 7th, 2018 prior to national rheumatology medical congress opening has been achieved. An informative tool to be used for shared medical decision when biosimilars are involved, is currently in progress. AFLAR'S position on biosimilars includes 2 statements and 6 advices addressed to patients, caregivers and other stakeholders: Statements Biosimilars are a medical and healthcare cost reduction effective solution in rheumatic diseases treatment; Biosimilars have scientifically proved their efficacy and safety in past and ongoing studies; drug safety monitoring is ensured by national and European drug safety agencies. Advices Further continuous clinical post–marketing studies should be achieved, and their results easily available to patients. Patient should be properly informed each time a biosimilar is proposed if has not been tested versus original biotherapy in his/her own specific disease Biosimilar drug can be prescribed for cost reduction reason as initial biotherapy treatment, when not contraindicated Blind random switch from originator to biosimilar and among biosimilar products should not be done, based on precautionary principle Patient should be precisely informed of product with biosimilar name (not only international non–proprietary name), and batch number, as this allows mandatory pharmacovigilance by professionals and patients. As per law (2) and professional ethics, patient preference and right to informed consent must prevail. Self–assessment surveys, and patient reported outcomes using studies, should be encouraged. These are facilitated by new information technologies practices and devices. Conclusion The information tool will be proposed in the form of an information letter to be remitted by professionals to patient when biosimilar prescription or initiation is planned. The process includes: creation of document by expert patients user testing of tool (assessment about understandability and usefulness), in hospital departments, patient groups and on–line knowledge assessment and opinion gathering among patients about biosimilars. References [1] According to its current by-laws, AFLAR board consists of at least 2/3 of persons affected with/concerned by rheumatic diseases, and/or presidents of affiliated patient associations. [2] Articles L1111-2 and L2002-303 Code de Sante Publique Acknowledgement thank you to the patients and associations of French patients having given their opinion on this topic Disclosure of Interests Laurence Carton Grant/research support from: AMGEN UCB MYLAN BIOGARAN BIOGEN PFIZER LILLY GRUNENTHAL TEVA NOVARTIS JANSSEN EXPANSCIENCE SANOFI THUASNE MSD GENEVRIER ABBVIE, Claire Cardon Grant/research support from: AMGEN UCB MYLAN BIOGARAN BIOGEN PFIZER LILLY GRUNENTHAL TEVA NOVARTIS JANSSEN EXPANSCIENCE SANOFI THUASNE MSD GENEVRIER ABBVIE, Francoise Alliot Launois: None declared, Gerard Chales Grant/research support from: AMGEN UCB MYLAN BIOGARAN BIOGEN PFIZER LILLY GRUNENTHAL TEVA NOVARTIS JANSSEN EXPANSCIENCE SANOFI THUASNE MSD GENEVRIER ABBVIE, Brigitte Liesse Grant/research support from: AMGEN UCB MYLAN BIOGARAN BIOGEN PFIZER LILLY GRUNENTHAL TEVA NOVARTIS JANSSEN EXPANSCIENCE SANOFI THUASNE MSD GENEVRIER ABBVIE, LAURENT GRANGE Consultant for: Laurent Grange has received honoraria from Amgen, Lilly and UCB and research support from Lilly, Amgen, UCB, Expanscience, Mylan, Roche diagnostics and TEVA


Large field-of-view imaging of spine in ultra-high field 5.0T magnetic resonance imaging system is achieved with RF hardware design of an 8-channel volume transmit coil and a dedicated posterior spine array of 48 receive channels. The axial coverage and transmit homogeneity allow the use of refocusing pulses under specific-absorption ratio limits by safety regulations. Consequent high-resolution fast spin echo clinical images are acquired and compared with results on a commercial 3.0T scanner.


Abstract This essay aims to illustrate the way in which the American writer Cormac McCarthy constructs the role of the children in his novels Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West and The Road to challenge the discursive reality elaborated by the two adult protagonists. The premise of this endeavor is that both Judge Holden and the man offer a logocentric vision of the world, which the young characters resist by questioning its validity and exposing its limits. The Post-Structuralist criticism of Jacques Derrida and Friedrich Nietzsche represents the theoretical foundation of the text analysis proposed below.


Oncology nurses and their patients are frequently on the cutting edge of new therapies and interventions that support coping, health, and healing. Reiki is a practice that is requested with increasing frequency, is easy to learn, does not require expensive equipment, and in preliminary research, elicits a relaxation response and helps patients to feel more peaceful and experience less pain. Those who practice Reiki report that it supports them in self-care and a healthy lifestyle. This article will describe the process of Reiki, review current literature, present vignettes of patient responses to the intervention, and make recommendations for future study.


A one-dimensional discrete random variable X describes two populations. A random sample is drawn from each. We formalize a generic statistical test to determine whether the samples provide enough evidence that the distributions of X in the two populations are different. After showing the drawbacks of the existing analytical tests, we develop a Bootstrap procedure with Pearson test statistic calculated from a contingency table. The p-value is estimated using the simulated conditional distribution of the test statistics under null hypothesis for equality of population distributions. Compared to analytical tests, our procedure gives higher precision and decreases uncertainty in both small and big samples. We apply our procedure to survey data on leadership capabilities in academia among two samples of respondents. We take one question from the survey and analyse significance of differences in the responses depending on three criteria.


We have considered the stochastic effect of a thermal reservoir on a two-level system interacting with a classical electromagnetic field. The collective effect of the bath is modelled in this work as a random Bohr frequency whose manifestation is the broadening of the upper level according to a prescribed random function. This assumption transforms the optical Bloch equations to a system of multiplicative stochastic differential equations whose solution is found. After obtaining analytical expressions for the linear absorption coefficient and linear refraction index, numerical results are presented. This is done in the form of tridimensional plots of the optical properties as a function of the pump-frequency detuning factor and the strength or relaxation time of the noise source.


Preface. Acknowledgments. About the Author. CHAPTER 1 Overview of Investment Management. Setting Investment Objectives. Establishing an Investment Policy. Selecting a Portfolio Strategy. Constructing and Monitoring the Portfolio. Measuring and Evaluating Performance. References. PART ONE Portfolio Theory and Asset Pricing. CHAPTER 2 Theory of Portfolio Selection. Some Basic Concepts. Measuring a Portfolio's Expected Return. Measuring Portfolio Risk. Portfolio Diversification. Choosing a Portfolio of Risky Assets. Index Model's Approximations to the Covariance Structure. Summary. References. CHAPTER 3 Applying Mean-Variance Analysis. Using Historical Data to Estimate Inputs. Application of Portfolio Theory to Asset Allocation. Implementing the Optimal Portfolio. Summary. References. CHAPTER 4 Issues in the Theory of Portfolio Selection. Quick Review of Probability Theory. Limitations of the Variance as a Risk Measure. Desirable Features of Investment Risk Measures. Alternative Risk Measures for Portfolio Selection. Extensions of the Theory of Portfolio Selection. Behavioral Finance Attack on the Theory of Portfolio. Summary. References. CHAPTER 5 Asset Pricing Theories. Characteristics of an Asset Pricing Model. Capital Asset Pricing Model. Arbitrage Pricing Theory Model. Some Principles to Take Away. Summary. Appendix. References. PART TWO Common Stock Analysis and Portfolio Management. CHAPTER 6 The U.S. Equity Markets. Exchange Market Structures. The U.S. Stock Markets: Exchanges and OTC Markets. Off-Exchange Markets and Alternative Electronic Markets. Evolving Stock Market Practices. Basic Functioning of Stock Markets. Summary. References. CHAPTER 7 Common Stock Strategies and Performance Evaluation. Market Efficiency. Stock Market Indicators. Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Approaches. Fundamental vs. Technical Analysis. Strategies Based on Technical Analysis. Strategies Based on Fundamental Analysis. Equity Style Investing. Passive Strategies. Measuring and Evaluating Performance. Summary. References. CHAPTER 8 Financial Analysis. Financial Ratio Analysis. Cash Flow Analysis. Usefulness of Cash Flows in Financial Analysis. Summary. References. CHAPTER 9 Applied Equity Valuation. Discounted Cash Flow Models. Relative Valuation Methods. DCF vs. RV Methods. Summary. References. CHAPTER 10 Forecasting Stock Returns. The Concept of Predictability. A Closer Look at Pricing Models. Predictive Return Models. Is Forecasting Markets Worth the Effort? Summary. References. CHAPTER 11 Managing a Common Stock Portfolio with Fundamental Factor Models. Tracking Error. Fundamental Factor Model Description and Estimation. Risk Decomposition. Applications in Portfolio Construction and Risk Control. Summary. References. CHAPTER 12 Transaction Costs and Trade Execution in Common Stock Portfolio Management. Trading Mechanics. Trading Arrangements for Institutional Investors. A Taxonomy of Transaction Costs. Liquidity and Transaction Costs. Market Impact Measurements and Empirical Findings. Forecasting and Modeling Market Impact. Incorporating Transaction Costs in Asset-Allocation Models. Optimal Trading. Integrated Portfolio Management Beyond Expected Return and Portfolio Risk. Summary. References. CHAPTER 13 Using Stock Index Futures and Equity Swaps in Equity Portfolio Management. Derivatives Process. Basic Features of Futures Contracts. Basic Features of Stock Index Futures. Applications for Stock Index Futures. Equity Swaps. Summary. References. CHAPTER 14 Using Equity Options in Investment Management. Basic Features of Options. Basic Features of Listed Equity Options. Risk and Return Characteristics of Listed Options. The Option Price. Use of Listed Equity Options in Portfolio Management. OTC Equity Options: The Basics. Use of Exotic Equity Options. Summary. References. CHAPTER 15 Equity Option Pricing Models. Put-Call Parity Relationship. Option Pricing Models. Sensitivity of the Option Price to a Change in Factors. Estimating Expected Stock Return Volatility. Summary. References PART THREE Bond Analysis and Portfolio Management. CHAPTER 16 Bond Fundamentals and Risks. Features of Bonds. Risks Associated with Investing in Bonds. Summary. Appendix: Calculating Accrued Interest. References. CHAPTER 17 Treasury and Agency Securities, Corporate Bonds, and Municipal Bonds. Treasury Securities. Federal Agency Securities. Corporate Bonds. Municipal Bonds. Non-U.S. Bonds. Summary. References. CHAPTER 18 Structured Products: RMBS, CMBS, and ABS. Agency Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities. Private-Label Residential MBS. Mortgage-Related, Asset-Backed Securities: Subprime MBS. Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities. Nonmortgage Asset-Backed Securities. Summary. References. CHAPTER 19 The Structure of Interest Rates. The Base Interest Rate. The Risk Premium Between Non-Treasury and Treasury Securities with the Same Maturity. Factors Affecting the Risk Premium. Term Structure of Interest Rates. Summary. References. CHAPTER 20 Bond Pricing and Yield Measures. Pricing of Option-Free Bonds. Conventional Yield Measures. Portfolio Yield Measures. Total Return. Summary. CHAPTER 21 Bond Price Volatility and the Measurement of Interest Rate Risk. Price Volatility Properties of Option-Free Bonds. Factors that Affect a Bond's Price Volatility. Measuring Interest Rate Risk Using the Price Value of a Basis Point. Measuring Interest Rate Risk Using Duration and Convexity. Measuring Exposure to Yield Curve Changes Key Rate Duration. Summary. References. CHAPTER 22 Valuing Bonds with Embedded Options. The Interest Rate Lattice. Calibrating the Lattice. Using the Lattice for Valuation. Using the Lattice Model to Value Bonds with Embedded Options. Extensions. Summary. References. CHAPTER 23 Bond Portfolio Strategies. Bond Market Indexes. The Spectrum of Strategies. Value-Added Strategies. Using Factor Models to Manage a Portfolio. Liability-Driven Strategies. Summary. References. CHAPTER 24 Using Derivatives in Bond Portfolio Management. Using Treasury Bond and Note Futures Contracts in Bond Portfolio Management. Use of Interest Rate Options in Bond Portfolio Management. Using Interest Rate Swaps in Bond Portfolio Management. Using Stock Index Futures and Treasury Bond Futures to Implement an Asset Allocation Decision. Using Credit Default Swaps to Manage Credit Risk. Summary. References. PART FOUR Investment Companies, Exchange-Traded Funds, and Alternative Investments. CHAPTER 25 Investment Companies, Exchange-Traded Funds, and Investment-Oriented Life Insurance. Investment Companies. Exchange-Traded Funds. Investment-Oriented Life Insurance. Summary. References. CHAPTER 26 Alternative Assets. Hedge Funds. Private Equity. Commodity Investments. Summary. References. APPENDIX. Measuring and Forecasting Yield Volatility. Calculating the Standard Deviation from Historical Data. Modeling and Forecasting Yield Volatility. Summary. References. Index.