Advances in cell and molecular technology have fostered development of innovative approaches to manage type 1 diabetes mellitus. The main focus is to replace destroyed β cells by induced pluripotent-(hiPSC) and/or mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) thanks to multi-step differentiation protocols. The aim is to obtain β-like cells invisible to the host's immune system by their physical envelopment within recombinant, last generation biopolymers that prevent contact between embodied cells and host's immune system, thereby avoiding recipient's general immunosuppression with its global side effects.


Clitmate change-induced conflict is a major global threat to human security and the environment. It has been projected that there is going to be an increase in climate changes resulting in increased droughts and floods in northern Kenya. Climate change impacts will be differently distributed among different regions, ages, income groups, occupations and gender. People living in poverty are more vulnerable to environmental changes. In relation to these concerns, this article discusses the following issues: climate change, pastoralism and conflicts, gender issues in Turkana, and the future of pastoralism in relation to changing climate conditions. Specifically, the first section looks at the impacts of climate change on pastoralism and the livelihoods of pastoralists, and at the types of climate change-induced conflicts in Turkana. The next section focuses on the impact of climate change-induced conflict on women and men's livelihoods, including discussion of the roles and participation in decision making. Finally, the future of pastoralism in relation to changing climate is discussed. The focus will be on scenarios of the past and future projections of rainfall patterns in Turkana, the future of pastoralism and the possibility of climate-induced conflicts in the future.


Abstract Previously, the authors have studied a hierarchy of turbulent boundary layer models, all based on the same closure assumptions for the triple turbulence moments. The models differ in complexity by virtue of a systematic process of neglecting certain of the tendency and diffusion terms in the dynamic equations for the turbulent moments. Based on this work a Level 3 model was selected as one which apparently sacrificed little predictive accuracy, but which afforded considerable numerical simplification relative to the more complex Level 4 model. An earlier paper had demonstrated that the model produced similarity solutions in near agreement with surface, constant flux data. In this paper, simulators from the Level 3 model are compared with two days of Wangara atmospheric boundary layer data (Clarke et al., 1971). In this comparison, there is an easily identified error introduced by our inability to include advection of momentum in the calculation since these terms were not measured. Otherwise, the ...


This paper presents a study related to the assessment of the radiological impact on the environment due to the operation of the Pakistan Research Reactor-1 (PARR-1) at the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Sciences and Technology (PINSTECH), Islamabad. The parameters studied include the radioactivity releases in a gaseous form and also those originating from the liquid and solid wastes produced due to the operation of this research facility. The analysis is based on the environmental monitoring data for the last 10 years (1992-2002) and the conclusions have been drawn for the impact of the PARR-1 operation on the occupational workers as well as the general public living in the vicinity of the reactor site. Further, on the basis of this data, yearly average doses and the cumulative doses for the expected life of PARR-1, due to different radiation sources have been estimated. The analysis indicated that the maximum yearly doses at ground level for the occupational workers as well as for the public are a fraction of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) defined limiting values. It is, therefore, concluded that the impact of the PARR-1 normal operation on the environment is negligible and it can be regarded as " safe to the public as well as the occupational workers".


Deep brain stimulation of subcortical structures, such as the subthalamic nucleus, internal pallidum or ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus, are currently used for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease with motor fluctuations or during resistant tremor. This review discusses the various adverse events occurring with this surgery by focusing on each stage of the procedure and the various stimulated targets. Intraoperative complications are rare whichever technique or type of target is used. The most frequent postoperative side effects are observed during stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus. It is likely that the small size of the nucleus and the possible spreading of current to the surrounding functional areas contribute to this phenomenon. However, these side effects are generally mild and transient compared with the dramatic improvement in motor symptoms and fluctuations. Deep brain stimulation of the internal pallidum and thalamus are not effective on all the motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease but adverse effects appear less frequently. Whatever the target, intraoperative complications and secondary side effects are being reduced by the use of new neuroimaging technology associated with an accurate intraoperative neurophysiological investigation.


The difficulty of timely retrieval of useful information from heterogeneous data sources is a major cause of low productivity in the construction industry. The goal of this research is to provide a new methodology to handle the data-heterogeneity problems encountered in a construction project. This research proposes a treestructured product model, which binds design knowledge, cost data and schedule data together, as a feasible solution for the data integration problem in construction projects. The methodology uses the knowledge representation of construction projects based on an ontology. Meta-data are used to describe the conceptual structure of the project knowledge. The concept of views is used to answer particular queries from different domains. A general methodology is under development to support queries about a particular construction project from different user perspectives based on heterogeneous construction data sources in a dynamic environment. The research is composed of two major parts: (1) organize the heterogeneous construction data into a tree structure; and (2) retrieve information and obtain domain views by specifying the ways of traversing the tree. The future goal is to develop a prototype that will support some of the major functions needed in today's construction projects. Functional examples are used to demonstrate the validity of the proposed methodology.


Nutrition is a major determinant of the somatotropic axis during postnatal life. However, little is known about the response of the fetal somatotropic axis to nutritional limitation. From day 100 of gestation (term = 147 days), singleton-bearing ewes were fed either ad libitum (control; n = 6) or 25% of the recommended energy and protein requirements (restricted; n = 7). Ewes and fetuses were chronically catheterized on day 110. On day 120, paired maternal and fetal blood samples were taken over a 6-h period at 15-min intervals. Forty-eight hours later, fetuses were given a 20-micrograms GRF bolus (i.v.), and samples were collected for 48 h. Undernourished mothers and fetuses had higher GH concentrations (P < 0.05). Although plasma GH profiles were independent in mothers and their fetuses, both maternal and fetal GH peak and nadir levels were increased (P < 0.05) by nutritional restriction, but the peak/nadir ratio and the number of pulses remained unaltered. Deconvolution analysis showed that the GH mass secreted per burst was higher in nutritionally restricted animals, whereas basal GH secretion and GH serum half-life were not influenced by undernutrition. Both maternal and fetal insulin-like growth factor-I levels were reduced (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05), whereas insulin-like growth factor-II concentrations were not influenced by the feed restriction. Fetuses from restricted mothers had higher peak GH concentrations after a GRF challenge (P < 0.001), but after correction The specific binding of [125I]ovine placental lactogen ([125I]oPL) or [125I]oGH to maternal or fetal hepatic microsomal membrane preparations was not changed by the maternal undernutrition. Maternal oPL concentrations showed considerable short term fluctuations, whereas fetal oPL levels revealed no major fluctuations. Mean maternal oPL levels tended (P < 0.06) to be elevated, whereas fetal oPL concentrations tended (P < 0.06) to be decreased in restricted animals. These results provide evidence that the somatotropic axis is functional in utero and suggest that the fetal somatotropic axis plays an active role during adaptation of the fetus to nutritional limitation.


1 . GILLAM PMS, HEAP PJD, KAUFMAN L, LUCAS BGB. Respiration in dystrophia myotonica. Thorax 1964; 1 9 112-20. 2. MCCELLAND RMA. The myasthenic state and the myotonic syndrome. British Journal of Anaesthesia 1960; 3 2 81-8. 3. R A V I N M, NEWMARK Z. SAvlELLO G. Myotonia dystrophica -an anaesthetic hazard: two case reports. Anesthesia and Analgesia 1975; 54: 2 1 6 8 . 4. DUNDEE JW. Thiopentone in dystrophia myotonia. Anesthesia and Analgesia 1952; 31: 25762. 5 . MITCHELL MM, ALI HH, SAVARESE JJ. Myotonid and neuromuscular blocking agents. Anesthesiology 1978; 4 9 6 8 . 6. PATTERSON IS. Generalized myotonia following suxamethonium. A case report. British Journal of Anaesthesia 1962; 34: 3&2. 7. THIEL RE. The myotonic response to suxamethonium. British Journal of Anaesthesia 1967; 3 9 81 5-20.


The zebrafish is a promising model species in biomedical research, including neurotoxicology and neuroactive drug screening. 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) evokes degeneration of dopaminergic neurons and is commonly used to model Parkinson's disease (PD) in laboratory animals, including zebrafish. However, cognitive phenotypes in MPTP-evoked experimental PD models remain poorly understood. Here, we established an LD50 (292 mg/kg) for intraperitoneal MPTP administration in adult zebrafish, and report impaired spatial working memory (poorer spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze) in a PD model utilizing fish treated with 200 µg of this agent. In addition to conventional behavioral analyses, we also employed artificial intelligence (AI)-based approaches to independently and without bias characterize MPTP effects on zebrafish behavior during the Y-maze test. These analyses yielded a distinct cluster for 200-μg MPTP (vs. other) groups, suggesting that high-dose MPTP produced distinct, computationally detectable patterns of zebrafish swimming. Collectively, these findings support MPTP treatment in adult zebrafish as a late-stage experimental PD model with overt cognitive phenotypes.


This paper examines whether the system of deregulated bus services operating in Great Britain outside London is able to deliver the growth in bus usage required by Gateway Cities to underpin their economic development and specified in the Government's Ten Year Transport Plan in 2000. It examines the deregulated bus market at four geographic levels: national, county, district and bus corridor and finds that market dominance (above 40% market share) and near-monopoly control (above 66.7% market share) by individual bus companies are more prevalent the more local the geographic scale. Analysis of bus markets at bus corridor level in Greater Manchester and Merseyside equates closely with the regular travel patterns of most bus passengers. Evidence is produced to show that at this very local level the deregulated bus system yields little choice and competition and does not generate the conditions for increasing bus usage in Gateway Cities.


Publisher Rights Statement: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Hogg, R., Hanley, J., & Smith, P. (2018). Learning lessons from the analysis of patient complaints relating to staff attitudes, behaviour and communication, using the concept of emotional labour. Journal of Clinical Nursing 27. 5-6, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14121 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for SelfArchiving.


Background Within the BORDERNETwork-project a biobehavioural sentinel surveillance was established in Austria, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia in 2010–12. The objectives were to record lab-confirmed STI (chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV) in clinical settings and merge them with demographic and behavioural data to assess migration aspects, vulnerable groups and risk factors and recognise necessity for targeted interventions. Methods On a monthly base, physicians reported aggregated STI testing data. Individual data was provided for each positive patient including demographics, re- and co-infections and assumed risk behaviour. Via patient questionnaires, information on socio-demographics, way of transmission and sexual behaviour was collected. All questionnaires were sent via regional to coordinating partners for merging and analysis. Results Overall, 467797 tests were performed in 45 sentinel sites (Austria 13, Slovakia 14, Romania 13, Bulgaria 5). The countries varied in the number of STI tests (range: 6071 – 298645), positivity rate (range: 2–13%), patient characteristics and sexual behaviour. 75% of all women with an STI in Austria were sexworkers, compared to 5% and 8% in Bulgaria and Romania. 34% of all men with an STI in Slovakia had sex with men, compared to 4% in Romania. STI patients, especially women had a migration background in 79% in Austria, but less than 7% in the other three countries. Casual partners were the presumed cause of infection in the majority of MSM in all countries, whereas condom use in the last 6 months with these partners varied significantly between the 4 countries. Conclusions Although not representative, sentinel surveillance gathers useful information on groups most at risk and can be compared between countries when using the same instruments. Legal and social issues can hinder disclosure of sexual preferences and practises and hamper targeted prevention. Enhancement of condom use with casual partners in MSM seems to be crucial, particularly in the East.


This work studies three differential equation models of the leukemia cell cycle: a population balance model (PBM) using intracellular protein expression levels as state variables representing phase progress; a delay differential equation model (DDE) with temporal phase durations as delays; and an ordinary differential equation model (ODE) of phase-to-phase progression. In each type of model, global sensitivity analysis determines the most significant parameters while parameter estimation fits experimental data. To compare models based on the output of their structural properties, an expected behavior was defined, and each model was coupled to a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model of chemotherapy delivery. Results suggest that the particular cell cycle model chosen highly affects the simulated treatment outcome, given the same steady state kinetic parameters and drug dosage/scheduling. The manuscript shows how cell cycle models should be selected according to the complexity, sensitivity, and parameter av...


Exterior masonry wall construction evolved over the centuries from thick mass masonry walls to modern veneer systems with backup walls and cavities for drainage. Many early cavity wall systems of the 1960s and 1970s were designed with what turned out to be inadequate waterproofing and durability features. Consequently, many older cavity walls now require remedial work to extend their useful life. After completing a multi-million dollar interior renovation of a middle school, the school district became of aware of pre-existing, widespread and severe cracking and spalling of mortar joints in the exterior brick masonry. The deterioration significantly impaired the structural integrity of the walls. Extensive remedial work, required to address the deterioration, had to be implemented from the exterior and without significant disruption to the occupants and recently completed renovations. This paper describes the investigation, evaluation, and remedial strengthening of the exterior walls.


This paper applies the Dutch Regionalized Agricultural Model (DRAM) to analyze the effects of Dutch manure and nutrients policies of 2004 for the Dutch agricultural sector and economy as compared to a base of 1996. DRAM can be characterized as a regionalised, environmental, partial equilibrium, mathematical programming model of Dutch agriculture. The model combines the technical detail, including technology options available to farmers in different regions of the Netherlands, of mathematical programming farm models with some market effects at agricultural industry level e.g. land and manure markets. Moreover the mathematical programming model is linked to a mixed input-output model to analyze economy wide effects of changes in Dutch agriculture. A special feature of DRAM is the explicit modeling of manure markets. It is found that through increased manure prices, manure policies specially affects production and profits in the beef and pigs and poultry sectors.


In this paper a method for symmetry axis detection in binary images is presented. The method exploits the nonlinear dynamic behavior of Cellular Neural Networks (CNNs), in particular the propagation of bipolar waves. The image is represented in polar form, transforming the symmetry with respect to an arbitrarily oriented axis in a vertical symmetry: the position of the vertical axis corresponds to the angle of the original symmetry axis. The parallel CNN architecture is useful to speed up the computation, because of the high computational cost of the task. The proposed algorithm is tested on a real image with good results.


'Gamesters and Highwaymen are generally very good to their Whores, but they are very Devils to their Wives.' With The Beggar's Opera (1728), John Gay created one of the most enduringly popular works in English theatre history, and invented a new dramatic form, the ballad opera. Gay's daring mixture of caustic political satire, well-loved popular tunes, and a story of crime and betrayal set in the urban underworld of prostitutes and thieves was an overnight sensation. Captain Macheath and Polly Peachum have become famous well beyond the confines of Gay's original play, and in its sequel, Polly, banned in Gay's lifetime, their adventures continue in the West Indies. With a cross-dressing heroine and a cast of female adventurers, pirates, Indian princes, rebel slaves, and rapacious landowners, Polly lays bare a culture in which all human relationships are reduced to commercial transactions. Raucous, lyrical, witty, ironic and tragic by turns, The Beggar's Opera and Polly - published together here for the first time - offer a scathing and ebullient portrait of a society in which statesmen and outlaws, colonialists and pirates, are impossible to tell apart. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.


The experience in the treatment of 77 patients with sterile pancreonecrosis is analyzed. The importance of USE as an effective method of screening-diagnosis is emphasized. Computed tomography provides a more accurate diagnosis of pancreonecrosis and complications of it. Lethality in pancreonecrosis correlates with necrosis severity. More than 50% necrosis-affected parenchyma in combination with three and more systemic complications is an unfavorable prognostic factor. Hemofiltration and early management with carbapenem antibiotics arrest progression of multiorgan failure and pyoseptic complications in 75% of cases. Laparoscopic sanation of the abdominal cavity is necessary only for patients with peritonitis. This procedure may be supplemented with laparoscopic cholecystectomy and endoscopic papillosphincterotomy with lithoextraction directly during sanation.


Background: Histologic subtypes of classical Hodgkin lymphoma [cHL; e.g., nodular sclerosis, mixed cellularity, not otherwise specified (NOS)] are epidemiologically and prognostically distinctive. Therefore, unexplained, ongoing incidence rate declines for mixed cellularity and increases for NOS require examination. Methods: We analyzed detailed histology-specific Hodgkin lymphoma incidence rates in 1992 through 2011 U.S. SEER data (n = 21,372) and reviewed a regional subset of 2007 through 2011 NOS pathology reports for insight into diagnostic practices. Results: cHL rates were stable until 2007, then decreased for whites [annual percent change (APC) and 95% confidence interval (CI), −3.6% (−5.6% to −1.5%)]. Nodular sclerosis rates declined after 2007 by 5.9% annually, with variation by gender, age, and race/ethnicity. In 1992 through 2011, mixed cellularity rates declined [APC −4.0% (−4.7% to −3.3%)], whereas NOS rates rose [5.3% (4.5%–6.2%)] overall and in most patient groups. The 2007–2011 NOS age-specific rates were more similar to mixed cellularity rates for 1992–1996 than 2007–2011. Trends in combined rates were minimal, supporting increasing misclassification of mixed cellularity, lymphocyte depletion, and specific nodular sclerosis subtypes as NOS. Eighty-eight of 165 reviewed NOS pathology reports addressed classification choice. Twenty (12.1%) justified the classification, 21 (12.7%) described insufficient biopsy material, and coders missed specific subtype information for 27 (16.4%). Conclusion: Recent nodular sclerosis rate declines largely represent true incidence changes. Long-term rate decreases for mixed cellularity and other less common subtypes, and increases for NOS (comprising ∼30% of cHL cases in 2011), likely reflect changes in diagnostic and/or classification practice. Impact: Diminishing histologic subtyping undermines future surveillance and epidemiologic study of Hodgkin lymphoma. Guideline-based use of excisional biopsies and more coding quality control are warranted. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(10); 1474–88. ©2015 AACR.


Conventional multiwavelength flying height testers rely upon an external ellipsometer for measurement of the slider's n and k. These values are used to correct the phase offset of the interferometric signal. Typically n and k measurements obtained from a sampling of 20 to 30 sliders are averaged and the results are used indefinitely in production testing. This approach to n and k phase correction may be adequate for high flying heights but it becomes less attractive as flying heights decrease and the correction becomes a large fraction of the nominal. In the new method described here phase offset is measured when a standard retract or rpm calibration is performed. Using the calibration data, an estimate is obtained of the absolute reflectivity of the slider. Next the value of the real part n of the complex index of the slider is inferred from an independent correlation of n to the slider reflectivity. Given these two numbers-the slider reflectivity R and the real part n of the index-the phase correction for flying height is calculated using a well-known relationship giving phase shift on reflection as a function of n and R.


general practice is referred to merely as a "largely untapped teaching resource." Clearly, general practice has an important contribution to make in this vital area,) but it can, and is, also contributing to the two other components of the academic task: research and scholarship. There are now 32 departments of general practice in the United Kingdom, and many of their members are are active in clinical research. Our discipline shares the problems of recruitment, career structure, and research funding experienced by our hospital based colleagues but is further constrained by very different contractual arrangements concerning clinical care. It seems unfortunate and paradoxical that while recognising that "academic medicine was not represented through any single forum" and that "such splintering diminished the impact of the academic voice" this recently formed group has not included a single general practice academic among its 31 members. Implementation of the group's recommendations might be more successful and future deliberations might be even more fruitful if this anomaly was rectified.


Early research on categorisation suggested that verbalizable and nonverbalizable category-learning are qualitatively different. Toward this end, the implementational-level model (COVIS–COmpetition between Verbal and Implicit Systems) of categorisation assumes that category-learning involves separate but parallel sub-systems. Specifically, for verbalizable tasks abstract category-labels are learned by a hypothesis-testing sub-system, while for nonvertbalizable tasks response position is learned by a procedural-learning sub-system. However, recent research has revealed that: 1) regardless of category structure, reversal learning is easier than learning novel categories; 2) qualitative difference between verbalizable and nonverbalizable tasks disappears when automaticity has developed; and 3) control of automatic categorisation is different from both proposed sub-systems. These challenges suggest a fundamental revision of the mechanisms of categorisation. Contrary to the separate, parallel-processing sub-systems theory, we argue that categorisation involves hierarchical-processing sub-systems of responseproduction and category-label association. This framework, when combined with Supervisory Attentional System theory, may facilitate the unification of human categorisation.


Radiocarbon dating was first applied to historic lime mortars during the 1960s. However, despite the relative simplicity of the technique in principle, a number of subsequent studies have highlighted important aspects that should be considered. One of the most significant of these challenges arises from sample contamination by carbonaceous substances such as incompletely burnt limestone and aggregates of fossil origin containing "dead" 14C. More recent studies have shown that in the majority of old lime-based mixtures the contamination problem can be avoided through selection of pure lime lumps. These particular types of lumps are believed to originate from areas where the lime is incompletely mixed with the aggregate. It has been demonstrated that even a single lime lump can provide sufficient material for a 14C date of the mortar from which the lump was taken (Pesce et al. 2009). This paper describes the practical challenges associated with location, extraction, and preparation of 4 lime lumps extracted from 2 new sites for 14C dating. These include distinguishing the lime lumps from other lumps present in the matrix and the removal of material surrounding the lime lump. The coherence of 14C dating with other archaeological information on the chronology of historic sites is highlighted through case studies.


The objective of this study is to provide the numerical model for prediction of the frost growth of the round plate fin for the purpose of using it as a round plate fin-tube heat exchanger (evaporator) under frosting conditions. In this study, numerical model was considering the frost density change with time, and it showed better agreement with experimental data of Sahin (1994) than that of the Kim model (2004) and the Jonse and Parker model (1975). This is because the prediction on the frost height with time was improved by using the frost thermal conductivity reflecting the void fraction and density of ice crystal with frost growth. Therefore, the developed numerical model could be used for frosting performance prediction of the round plate fin-tube heat exchanger.


Abstract Congenital stapes footplate fixation is not so common in the clinical otology. The clinical features are the fixation of the stapedial footplate, and the consequent conductive hearing loss with flat curve at the level of 50 to 60 dB in air conduction since birth. Its familial occurrence have never been reported before. The authors found five these cases in one family. All five cases were females, two of whom were sisters and other three were cousins. Their mothers had not particular disturbances in the early stage of pregnancy. The sex‐linked heredity was highly suspected in this familial occurrence. All the cases showed bilateral conductive hearing loss. Tympanotomies on all cases revealed no abnormality of the middle ear cavity, except that all the stapes were not mobile at the footplate in spite of the normal shape. Openings of a small fenestra onto the footplate were performed and teflon piston wire prostheses were used to reconstruct the new conducting route. The excellent improvement of postoperative hearing was gained in all the cases. Furthermore, out of family members another three cases with hearing loss were found. Pathogenesis was discussed in consideration of the developmental process of the stapes and histopathological findings in the previous reports.


Effective management of pediatric craniofacial tumors requires coordinated input from medical, oncologic, and surgical specialties. Reconstructive algorithms must consider limitations in pediatric donor tissue and account for future growth and development. Immediate reconstruction is often focused on filling dead space, protecting underlying structures, and ensuring skeletal symmetry. Staged reconstruction occurs after the patient has reached skeletal maturity and is focused on restoring permanent dentition. Reconstructive options vary depending on the location, size, and composition of resected tissue. Virtual surgical planning (VSP) reduces the complexity of pediatric craniofacial reconstruction and ensures more predictable outcomes.


Aim: We aimed to clarify the impacts of H. pylori infection on disease activity and clinical findings of AS. Material and Method: Forty-eight patients with AS were included in this study. The demographic data including age, sex, durations of the disease and medication of the patients were recorded. The laboratory analysis comprised Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and H. pylori antigen determination in gaita. The disease activity, functional disability and clinical status were assessed using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional index (BASFI) and The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI) respectively. We divided patients according to H. pylori antigen positivity in gaita as H. pylori positive and negative patients. Results: The mean age of patients was 41.9+11.8. CRP levels were slightly but not significantly higher in patients with positive H. pylori antigen com pared to those in patients without H. pylori antigen in gaita (p=0.08). There was no significant difference in terms of ESR levels, BASDAI, BASFI and BASMI scores in patients with positive H. pylori antigen compared to those in patients with negative H. pylori antigen in gaita (p-values were >0.05 for all). In regression model BASDAI score was found to have no relationship with H. pylori antigen positivity, ESR and CRP levels (p-values were >0.05 for all). Discussion: H. pylori seemed to have probable impacts on the disease activity of AS. Studies with greater patient population and longer follow-up periods are warranted to enlighten this issue.


Women's equal participation in all aspects of social, political and economic life is an essential requirement for sustainable development and democratic governance. How to engage women in these different spheres of policy, increase their access to information and ensure their participation in policy debates are therefore among the key questions policymakers and scholars are actively seeking to answer. This study aims to contribute to this growing scholarship by examining Turkish women's views on gender equality at large, and current social policies targeting women in particular. The study examines a sample of 1218 women's views from a central province, Çankaya, in the capital city of Ankara. Of those in the sample, 41% work full time outside the home. Of the remaining group, 24% cites childcare, 19.5% cites spousal objections, and 15.5% cites housekeeping for reasons that keep them from seeking and keeping full time jobs. Among one of its interesting findings, the study shows a significant lack of women's civic engagement and/or interest in volunteer activities in organizations that take on gendered issues. A miserly 3.2% of the women interviewed report having participated in any civil society organizations that work on women's issues. A further statistical analysis of participating women's views highlight a clear age and education divide among the women, which in turn shapes whether they perceive the current social policy changes positively. Of those recent policy changes, the most wellrecognized one concerns equality after divorce. 90.3% of the women interviewed recalled the recent policy change giving women the equal rights over assets accumulated during marriage. When asked, majority of women noted domestic violence and lack of employment opportunities respectively as top two concerns Turkish women face at the moment.


This study focuses on six female francophone writers, referred to in Sweden as from African Sub-Saharan countries. In order to better understand the processes of categorization, the aim is to observe how their literature is received on the Swedish literary market and interpreted by the journalistic criticism. It turns out that journalists are seduced by world literature, where migration and cultural hybridity is at the center. In this context, postcolonial representations of local and global geography, culture and language are promoted, to the detriment of traditionally French and national literature.


The desirability of inheritance and gift taxes depends on individuals' tax responsiveness. This paper demonstrates how strongly, and in what way, the German inheritance and gift tax influences taxpayer behavior. To that end, it combines administrative data with cross-bracket tax variation: a convex kink in the tax liability precedes a concave kink. Extending the bunching approach to such double-kinked tax schedules, I document that individuals tailor their taxable wealth transfers to the schedules. One type of response dominates for inheritances: testators engage in testament planning. The magnitude of the testament-planning response is comparable to that of inter vivos gifts. However, neither the overall responses of gifts nor those of inheritances heavily interfere with tax revenue collection: the associated short-run net-of-tax elasticities of taxable wealth transfers lie below 0.1.


Government intervention changes the allocation of resources through effects on input and output prices. While explicit forms of intervention have been the subject of many studies, implicit forms of intervention have been given much less attention. The price and output policies pursued by public authorities systematically cross-subsidise from densely populated to sparsely populated areas. Thus, their effects are in the opposite direction from the effects of tariffs and quotas. Examination of the effects of one form of intervention in isolation overstates the net effects of that intervention. Effective rates of cross-subsidies must be taken into consideration when attempting to measure the impact of government intervention on resource allocation.


The aim of the work was to study certain histochemical changes in the process of regeneration of adrenal autotransplants. The autotransplants regenerated at the expense of the external area of the glomerular zone (the subcapsular zone). Though certain changes in the capsule were observed, in no case the adrenals capsule elements were turned into cortical cells. On the 28th day after the operation the cortical substance regenerated almost completely. The medullary substance failed to restore.


The Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) offers publicly-funded vouchers to students in low-performing schools with family income no greater than 250 percent of the poverty line, allowing them to enroll in participating private schools. Established in 2008 as a pilot program in New Orleans, the LSP was expanded statewide in 2012. In this study, we estimate the achievement impacts of ever using an LSP voucher to enroll in one's first-choice private school over the four year period spanning from 2012-13 (Year 1) through 2015-16 (Year 4). In contrast to our previous research, which indicated large initial negative achievement effects of the program that improved after two and three years of participation, the results presented here indicate large negative effects of LSP voucher usage after four years, especially in math. Similar to previous studies, we observe little evidence of differentiation in general effects by gender. However, in contrast to findings presented in our previous studies, African American students are reported to have significantly less negative impacts of voucher usage relative to other students.


Neurogenic inflammation is a pathological process based on bidirectional interactions between cells of the nervous and immune systems as well as on a wide range of biologically active substances. Aim. Basing on scientific publications and information provided in databases, to analyze markers of neurogenic inflammation (biochemical, genetic) and characterize their involvement in the pathogenesis of diseases of various organ systems. Results. Neurogenic inflammation that occurs during the development of various diseases (asthma, urticaria, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, pain syndrome, interstitial cystitis, colitis, etc.) is characterized by common stages and pathophysiologically active substances. Mediators released by nerve cells (substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, vasoactive peptide), acting on specific receptors, contribute to mast cell degranulation with the release of a complex of biologically active substances (histamine, tryptase, nerve growth factor, etc.), which activate inflammatory processes. Biologically active substances and receptors significant for the development of neurogenic inflammation are under genetic control. At the same time, there are overlaps of the spectrum of diseases for which importance in the pathogenesis of neurogenic inflammation is proved and an association between variants of neurogenic inflammation genes. This makes it possible to conclude that the course of neurogenic inflammation will depend not only on the etiological factors, but also on the genetic features of key molecules involved in neurogenic inflammation processes. The similarity of the pathogenetic links of neurogenic inflammation (at the genetic and biochemical levels) in various pathologies may underlie the formation of comorbid conditions. ones) based on this pathological process.


The study evaluated clinicians' usability perceptions of an electronic medical record (EMR) over time in a large east coast research medical center. The descriptive retrospective longitudinal design used secondary data obtained from a performance measurement plan. Electronic survey data were collected at five different points in time over four years. The anonymous responses made matching of the 1148 individuals impossible so thirty cases were defined grouping clinicians by age category, gender, and role. Each response was considered to be a repetition of measurement of the case. The research questions explored the overall patterns of change in usability related to an EMR implementation, the short term and long term change in usability, and if the patterns of usability were influenced by frequency of use, gender, age, length of service (LOS), or role. The short term impact included evaluations at baseline, four months, and 16 months after the implementation of an EMR. The long term impact included evaluations before, four months, and 16 months following a system upgrade.
Linear mixed model analysis was used to examine patterns of change over time including the contribution of frequency of use and user characteristics on the outcome variables. Each variable had curvilinear and linear patterns following the initial EMR implementation but not after the system upgrade. Usefulness, ease of use, supports clinical care, and supports research had significant linear and/or quadratic changes over the short term but no significant changes in long term except for ease of use. Frequency of use was a significant predictor for usefulness and supports clinical care but not for ease of use. Age, LOS, and role contributed significantly to usefulness, ease of use and supports clinical care but gender did not. Role and LOS combined were significant predictors for usefulness, supports clinical care, and ease of use over the short term. The findings indicate significant short term changes related to the initial EMR implementation but not the upgrade. This had implications for system development related to education, clinical practice and research.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality and hydrochemical characteristics of urban groundwater in Urmia City, northwest of Iran. In order, 59 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for various anions and cations. Result shows that, mineral weathering, ion exchange and anthropogenic activity are the main hydrochemical processes controlling urban groundwater chemistry. The evaluation of groundwater geochemistry in the flow path beneath the urban area shows that, due to land use changes, the hydrochemical change occurs predominantly in electrical conductivity (EC), Cl − and NO 3 – . The EC is increased in the direction of groundwater flow and in the last decade in industrial areas. According to the groundwater quality index values, most of the samples fit into the good quality class and samples with poor quality are located in the old residential, parks and agricultural areas of the city. The calculation of the irrigation water quality indices (Na%, sodium adsorption ratio, permeability index, residual sodium carbonate), and industrial water quality indices (Ryznar stability index, Langelier saturation index, Larson–Skold, Puckorius scaling index) indicated that the quality of water for irrigation purposes could be classified in the excellent to permissible categories. However, as for the industrial uses, the results also revealed that most of the samples could be classified in the aggressive and very aggressive categories.


This study was conducted to estimate the effect of natural pastures grazing conditions on Sudan Desert Sheep Skin\leather quality. Five Sudan desert sheep breeds aged 1- 1.2 years old were used in this experiment. One hundred and fifty (150) pieces of fresh skins from Five (5) non-castrated male of Sudan desert sheep breeds which bring from different geographical area from west Sudan (Kordofan state) and east Sudan (Gezira and Butana).  Sheep were divided in two groups according to geographical zone. 15 pieces of sheep skins for each breed were selected from animals grazed at poor pasture areas and similar number were obtained from animals grazed in enriched pasture areas, according to pasture measurements records at each breed locations. The results revealed that, fresh skin weight and Leather cracking load were significantly affected (P ≤ 0.05) by pasture quality. Leather elongation, Tensile strength kg/cm 2 , Thickness values and Flexibility values were not statistically (P ≤ 0.05) affected by pastures quality. Moisture content of Sudan desert sheep leather values were significantly affected by pasture condition, with highest values of leather moisture content on Shugor sheep (group one) either on enriches and poor nutrition samples, and lowest values were in Kabashi and Hamari (group two)  on poor pastures level. There were no significant effect of pasture quality on chemical characteristic (fat, ash and chrome oxide contents) on leather quality  .The high values on fat content was in Shugor, Watish (group one)  and Kabashi(group two)   in both enrich and poor pastures levels. While the lowest fat contents were in Dubasi (group one) and Hamari (group two) sub-types on poor levels of pastures.


This paper is devoted to the problem of developing and application of data storage systems (DSS) and tools for managing such systems to predict failures and provide fault tolerance specifications. Nowadays DSS are widely used for collecting data in Smart Home and Smart Cites management systems. For example, large data warehouses are utilized in traffic management systems. The results of the current data storage market state analysis are shown, and the project the purpose of which is to develop a hardware and software complex to predict failures in the storage system is presented.


Persuasiveness is a creative art which aims at inducing certain set of beliefs in the target audience. In an e-commerce setting, for a newly launched product, persuasive descriptions are often composed to motivate an online buyer towards a successful purchase. Such descriptions can be catchy taglines, product-summaries, style-tipsetc.. In this paper, we present PersuAIDE! - a persuasive system based on linguistic creativity to generate various forms of persuasive sentences from the input product specification. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system, we have applied the technology to fashion domain, where, for a given fashion product like"red collar shirt" we were able to generate descriptive sentences that not only explain the item but also garner positive attention, making it persuasive. PersuAIDE! identifies fashion related keywords from input specifications and intelligently expands the keywords to creative phrases. Once such compatible phrases are obtained, persuasive descriptions are synthesized from the set of phrases and input keywords with the help of a neural language model trained on a large domain-specific fashion corpus. We evaluate the system on a large fashion corpus collected from different sources using (a) automatic text generation metrics used for Machine Translation and Automatic Summarization evaluation and Readability measurement, and (b) human judgment scores evaluating the persuasiveness and fluency of the generated text. Experimental results and qualitative analysis show that an unsupervised system like ours can produce more creative and better constructed persuasive output than supervised generative counterparts based on neural sequence-to-sequence models and statistical machine translation.


The Ideology of the Swedish Conservative (Moderate) Party: An Interpretation of the Political Science Debate of the Early iggos. The conclusions drawn by Aronson (199G), Hylen (1991) and Ljunggren (1992) concerning the ideology and the process of ideological development of the Swedish Conservative (Moderate) Party during the twentieth century are highly diverging. Two of the authors concluded that the party always has been and still is a predominantly conservative party. The third author, Jan Hylen, came to the completely opposite conclusion. According to Hylen, the party has developed in a direction from a collectivist and pessimistic conservative ideology to a predominantly liberal, individualist and optimistic ideology. This has been a process of ideological transformation over the whole century, according to Hylen. This study considers the particular metaphysical traits of conservatism as opposed to the modem concept of more or less secularised ideologies. The results support the idea that the conclusions of these authors diverge so much because their theoretical frameworks and their methodological instruments are very different.


In this paper we consider the channel representation based upon quadratic B-splines from a statistical point of view. Interpreting the channel representation as a kernel method for estimating probability density functions, we establish a channel algebra which allows to perform basic algebraic operations on measurements directly in the channel representation. Furthermore, as a central point, we identify the smoothing of channel values with a robust estimator, or equivalently, a diffusion process.


The development and cooperation of distinct subsets of antigen-presenting cells, particularly dendritic cells (DCs), may be critical for maintaining homeostatic immune responses. Recently, much attention has been focused on IFN-α/β, the cytokines induced en masse by virus infection or the activation of Toll-like receptors, in the context of DC activation. Here, we show that mice deficient in IFN regulatory factor 2 exhibit selective loss of CD8α– DCs, the so-called myeloid DCs, which is accompanied by a notable increase in CD11c–CD11bhigh other myeloid lineage cells. Such deficiency is intrinsic to the bone marrow precursors, in which the abnormal induction of IFN-α/β genes causes excessive IFN signaling. The critical function of IFN regulatory factor 2 in the negative regulation of IFN-α/β signaling is underscored by the observation that the deficiency is rescued by introducing an additional null mutation for the IFN receptor complex. In view of accumulating evidence of the critical role of IFN-α/β signaling in DC activation, our present study offers a unique example in that the magnitude of a cytokine signal should be properly balanced in a stage-specific manner during the differentiation and activation of DCs.


Since the launch in 2002 of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, several estimates of the mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) have been produced. To obtain ice mass changes estimates, data need to be corrected for the effect of deformation changes of the Earth's crust. This is usually done by independently modeling the Glaciological Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) trend and then by removing it from the data. Recently, Wu et al. (2010) proposed a new method to simultaneously estimate GIA and the present-day ice mass change, reporting an ice mass loss of around half of the previously published estimates and a general bedrock subsidence concentrated in the central parts of Greenland. This subsidence appears to be counterintuitive since the ice sheet is loosing mass at present. It was suggested by the authors that this could be a new evidence for additional net past ice accumulation. In this study, a 3-D ice-sheet model with a surface mass balance forcing based on a mass balance gradient approach has been used to: (a) analyze the bedrock response to changes in the ice load in order to evaluate whether bedrock subsidence and ice thinning can exist simultaneously; (b) study the magnitude and the pattern of the bedrock movement; and (c) evaluate if present-day bedrock subsidence could be the result of a net past mass accumulation. Under a sine forcing of the annual temperature, that mimics the temperature variations in the Holocene, mass changes yield a delay of the bedrock response of 200 years. Thinning of the ice as well as bedrock subsidence coexist during this period with an order of magnitude equal to the observations by Wu et al. (2010). Although, the resulting pattern of bedrock changes differs considerable: instead of the general bedrock subsidence reported before, we found areas of bedrock uplift as well as areas of bedrock subsidence. A simulation since the last glacial maximum (with the temperature represented as a linear increase from −10 K to present-day) yields a time lag of 1990 years for the bedrock response relative to the temperature forcing and an average uplift of 0.3 mm yr−1 for present-day. The spatial pattern of bedrock-change shows subsidence in the south and northwest as well as uplift in the center and northeast. We obtained these results assuming that the solid earth is a flat elastic lithosphere resting over a viscous relaxed asthenosphere (ELRA model). Using a more sophisticated Self Gravitational Viscoelastic (SGVE) model, we obtain qualitatively similar results: a 2200 years lag and an average uplift for present-day of 0.2 mm yr−1. The spatial pattern of bedrock movement is similar as well. Finally, results are shown for a temperature reconstruction based on ice core data confirming the deglaciation experiment. According to this study, a bedrock subsidence with a maximum in the central parts of Greenland cannot be that recent explained by a net past ice accumulation. This undermines results suggesting that recent loss is only half of the regular ice mass loss changes.


Background and aims: Favipiravir is a ribonucleic acid (RNA)-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) inhibitor antiviral agent used in the treatment of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we investigated the changes in serum transaminase levels of patients and the relationship between serum transaminase elevation with mortality in patients who were hospitalized with the diagnosis of COVID-19 and received favipiravir treatment. Materials and methods: 454 patients who received favipiravir and 113 patients who did not receive favipiravir were evaluated. Serum transaminase levels of the patients were compared at baseline and after five days of treatment, and the relationship between serum transaminase elevation and mortality was investigated. Results: No significant aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation was detected due to favipiravir treatment. AST elevation was found, respectively, as 133 (29.3%), 32 (28.3%) (p=0.100), ALT elevation as 112 (24.7%), 35 (29.3%) (p=0.100) in the groups receiving and not receiving favipiravir. High AST level was found as a risk factor for mortality in all patient groups (p=0.008). Conclusions: There was no statistically significant elevation in serum transaminase levels due to favipiravir use in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. A high level of AST is a significant risk factor to show mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission in patients with COVID-19.


ABSTRACT Background To better understand transmission dynamics, we characterized Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) genetic diversity in Eswatini, where transmission is low and sustained by importation. Methods 26 Pf microsatellites were genotyped in 66% of all confirmed cases from 2014-2016 (n=582). Population and within-host diversity were used to characterize differences between imported and locally-acquired infections, as determined by travel history. Logistic regression was used to assess the added value of diversity metrics to classify imported and local infections beyond epidemiology data alone. Results The parasite population in Eswatini was highly diverse (HE=0.75) and complex, with 67% polyclonal infections, a mean MOI of 2.2, and mean FWS of 0.84. Imported cases had comparable diversity to local cases, but exhibited higher MOI (2.4 versus 2.0; p=0.004) and lower mean FWS (0.82 vs. 0.85; p=0.03). Addition of MOI and FWS to multivariate analyses did not increase discrimination between imported and local infections. Discussion In contrast to the commonly held perception that Pf diversity declines with decreasing transmission intensity, isolates from Eswatini exhibited high parasite diversity consistent with high rates of malaria importation and limited local transmission. Estimates of malaria transmission intensity from genetic data need to consider the effect of importation, especially as countries near elimination.


Endogenous gene regulation is an essential tool for the survival of all organisms. In recent years, scientists have gained valuable mechanistic insight into these endogenous gene regulation pathways. Using synthetic oligonucleotides (chemically modified DNA or RNA), we have been able to tap into these pathways and manipulate gene expression. The development of techniques such as solid phase synthesis have enabled researchers to make custom-made oligonucleotides quickly and efficiently. Although solid phase synthesis is a routine method of obtaining oligonucleotides, more complicated oligonucleotides, e.g. chemically modified or longer RNAs, require optimization of the synthesis cycle and deprotection methodology. In order to synthesize complex oligonucleotides in high yield and purity, we tested several synthesis reagents, cycles, deprotection conditions, and purification methods. Using these optimized conditions, we have successfully synthesized a variety of oligonucleotides for gene silencing and genome editing applications. For synthesis of locked nucleic acid (LNA)-containing phosphorothioate oligonucleotides, tetraethylthiuram disulphide (TETD) is insufficiently reactive but 3-Ethoyx-1,2,4-dithiazoline-5-one (EDITH) gives excellent results. ADAM33 is a susceptibility gene for asthma and bronchial hyperresponsiveness and is implicated in airway remodeling, but its function is only partially understood. Oligonucleotide-mediated gene silencing of ADAM33 could provide valuable insight to its biology and allow us to observe airway development under low ADAM33 expression levels. We show potent silencing of ADAM33 in MRC-5 lung fibroblasts using four different classes of oligonucleotides: siRNAs, single-stranded siRNAs, LNA gapmers, and novel conjugates of antisense oligonucleotides. We observed that several LNA gapmers showed subnanomolar potency when transfected with a cationic lipid, and low micromolar potency when delivered gymnotically. Also, we observed that RNase H-dependent antisense oligonucleotides greatly outperformed RISC-dependent oligonucleotides for silencing ADAM33. As ADAM33 mRNA is 95% retained in the nucleus, this work is consistent with recent findings that antisense oligonucleotides are often more potent against nuclear-localised transcripts. Single-stranded siRNAs (ss-siRNAs) are chemically modified single stranded oligonucleotides that engage the RISC complex, they have the potential to combine the advantages of both duplex siRNAs and antisense oligonucleotides. One disadvantage of the published single-stranded siRNA chemical modification scheme is the use of 2'-O-methoxyethyl-RNA at the 3' terminus. This modification is not available to most researchers so the use of the ss-siRNA technology has been limited up to the present. During our ADAM33 work, we observed that making small changes to the 3' terminus of our single-stranded siRNAs could greatly improve the potency of the oligonucleotide. We found that replacing the 3' terminal 2'-O-methoxyethyl residues with the commercially available 2'-O-methyl or LNA modifications actually improved the potency of the single-stranded siRNA against ADAM33. We developed and optimized single-standed siRNAs based on four additional active siRNA duplex sequences targeting different genes within mammalian cells. In one additional gene, PR, we were able to support our ADAM33 findings that single-stranded siRNAs show improved potency with 2'-O-methyl or LNA modification at the 3' terminus. However, the single-stranded siRNAs against three target genes in two HEK-293 cell lines failed to show any gene silencing activity with any 3' terminus modification. The failure of the oligonucleotides could be related to the specific cell lines used for the experiments as we also observed increased toxicity with our single-stranded siRNAs in these cells compared to their parent siRNA duplex. Additionally, as chemically modified oligonucleotides can be used to provide greater affinity and specificity to their target sequence, we wanted to explore whether chemical modifications can improve DNA cleavage activity and specificity for genome editing applications. For this work, we used the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/crispr associated (CRISPR/Cas9) type II system, which is commonly used in genome editing applications as it requires only two guide RNAs (crRNA, tracrRNA) and a single protein (Cas9 nuclease) for cleavage of a target dsDNA. We wanted to explore whether the use of chemically modified crRNA could improve the specificity or efficiency of cleavage of target DNA when compared to an unmodified crRNA. However, as no work has been published on chemically modified crRNAs, it was unknown whether the CRISPR/Cas system could tolerate chemical modifications and retain cleavage ability. Using a variety of chemically modified crRNAs, we were successfully able to obtain cleavage of our target DNA sequence, although none of our chemically modified crRNAs were able to match the cleavage efficiency of our unmodified crRNA.


The Kerr-effect error in the fiber-optic gyroscope is modeled as arising from continuous reflections off a refractive-index grating set up by the counterpropagating beams. This reflection-hologram model is shown to predict correctly the source statistics necessary for suppressing the error.


Marketers in tourism industry have to be careful in modern competitive market while satisfying needs and want of the clients having great expectations, higher education, requiring high quality service. Hence, the companies offering different and alternative tourism services will develop the country's tourism industry. Azerbaijan has very good opportunities for tourism services, activates and adventures as the country owns well-constructed tourism infrastructure, beautiful natural environment and hospitality values. Azerbaijan will get benefit by using these opportunities. Types of tourism will be differentiated, service supply will be developed, and alternative tourism fields will be enhanced for economic and social development of different regions of Azerbaijan. Adventure tourism is a niche market. Azerbaijan's natural environment, cultural diversification allow country to develop tourism's potential capacity. The rise in interest towards activity- based tourism has allowed many players to enter what is now a highly specialized and profitable market characterized by enormous variety of products such as hunting, bird watching trips, cycling trips, canoeing, hitchhiking, trekking etc. This study inquired the definitions and marketing requirements of adventure tourism and also examined how it is perceived by the tourists taking part in. Besides, this study investigated the effect of demographic, socioeconomic and trip related characteristics of tourists on the adventure trip types. For this purpose, the data used in this study was collected from incoming tourists to Azerbaijan. The results of this study highlight various implications for the future researches in adventure tourism marketing.


China's economic success has bred a new complacency and resistance to change. This in turn has created a credibility crisis, as many Chinese citizens believe the opposition of vested interests makes reform impossible. However, proponents of economic reform argue that the current economic strategy is unsustainable. They point to reform backsliding, overinvestment, and financial fragility as problems that will collide with an inevitable economic slowdown caused by rapid demographic changes, and that will potentially cause economic and political crisis. Renewed economic reform is thus the only prudent and viable choice. The November 2013 Third Plenum shows that China's leaders have tentatively accepted the need for reform.


This chapter develops a novel approach to predict post-money valuation of startups across various regions and sectors, as well as their probabilities of success. Using startup funding data and descriptions from Crunchbase over a ten-year period, we develop two models linking information such as description, region, and venture capital funding to successful outcomes such as the achievement of an acquisition or IPO. The first model utilizes latent Dirichlet allocation, a generative statistical model in natural language processing, to organize the startups in the dataset into clusters representing various sectors in the typical economy. An optimized distributed gradient boosting regressor (XGBoost) is subsequently deployed to make use of the resultant feature set to predict post-money valuation, with Bayesian optimization used to find the optimal hyperparameters. Our model consistently achieves an accuracy of over 95% on hold-out test sets, even with some continuous features removed. The second model is a feed-forward neural network constructed using TensorFlow, with the final layer providing probabilities of success.We find that post-money valuations across regions are typically log-normally distributed, and startups in regions such as San Francisco Bay Area typically witness higher valuations across most sectors. We also find that startups operating in specific geographical regions and sectors of economy (e.g., regions and sectors with higher number of investors) typically have higher predicted probabilities of success. Our approach offers an empirical perspective to startups, policymakers, and venture funds to benchmark and predict valuation and success, clearing some opacity in the modern startup economy.


Background: Non–cross-linked porcine acellular dermal matrices have been used clinically for abdominal wall repair; however, their biologic and mechanical properties and propensity to form visceral adhesions have not been studied. The authors hypothesized that their use would result in fewer, weaker visceral adhesions than polypropylene mesh when used to repair ventral hernias and form a strong interface with the surrounding musculofascia. Methods: Thirty-four guinea pigs underwent inlay repair of surgically created ventral hernias using polypropylene mesh, porcine acellular dermal matrix, or a composite of the two. The animals were killed at 4 weeks, and the adhesion tenacity grade and surface area of the repair site involved by adhesions were measured. Sections of the repair sites, including the implant-musculofascia interface, underwent histologic analysis and uniaxial mechanical testing. Results: The incidence of bowel adhesions to the repair site was significantly lower with the dermal matrix (8 percent, p < 0.01) and the matrix/mesh combination (0 percent, p < 0.001) than with polypropylene mesh alone (70 percent). The repairs made with the matrix or the matrix/mesh combination, compared with the polypropylene mesh repairs, had significantly lower mean adhesion surface areas [12.8 percent (p < 0.001), 9.2 percent (p < 0.001), and 79.9 percent] and grades [0.6 (p < 0.001), 0.6 (p < 0.001), and 2.9]. The dermal matrix underwent robust cellular and vascular infiltration. The ultimate tensile strength at the implant-musculofascia interface was similar in all groups. Conclusions: Porcine acellular dermal matrix becomes incorporated into the host tissue and causes fewer adhesions to repair sites than does polypropylene mesh, with similar implant-musculofascia interface strength. It also inhibits adhesions to adjacent dermal matrix in the combination repairs. It has distinct advantages over polypropylene mesh for complex abdominal wall repairs, particularly when material placement directly over bowel is unavoidable.


Research Highlights: In this study, the Generally Recognised as Safe (GRAS) compounds were applied in order to study mould-fungi growth on dried Scots pine sapwood. Background and Objectives: The transition to the use of more sustainable wood-material may be possible by applying GRAS compounds that can control and prevent contamination by primary colonising mould fungi. Materials and Methods: Kiln-dried sawn timber was treated with three different GRAS compounds, and different fungal inoculation methods applied in order to investigate differences in the development of fungal communities. Results: Substances based on potassium silicate significantly reduced fungal growth and mould contamination on the studied wood surfaces. By combining wood-surface treatments with GRAS compounds, fungal-area size as predictors and mould grade as response, a partial least squares (PLS) model that makes it possible to predict mould grade on wood surfaces was developed. The PLS model is a key component in the development of a smart grading-systems equipped by e.g. high-speed digital cameras for the early detection of fungal attack on wood surfaces in different applications. However, the measurements based on chemical characterisation should be the next step to take in order significantly to enhance the model and increase the range of robust applications. In the current study, a multivariate model describing the influence of each fungal-covering area on mould grade was presented for the first time.


THIS CHAPTER FOCUSES ON DUALITIES in both the process and outcomes of participation in work. The process of participation in work activities and interactions is held to draw on the contributions of both individuals and the social world in ways that are interdependent, yet relational. The affordances of workplaces shape the array of experiences able to be accessed by individuals and they, in turn, elect how they engage, construe and construct what the workplace affords. Both the social and individual contributions are exercisable with different degrees of intensity, focus and intentionality, making the process of participation a relational one. Consistent with these processes, the outcomes of workplace participation also comprise dualities. These are individual learning or change, on the one hand, and the remaking or transformation of cultural practice that comprises work, on the other. In illuminating and elaborating these concepts, this paper draws upon the initial findings of a research project that is mapping the working lives of groups of three workers in each of four workplaces. The aim is to understand how these relational interdependences shape the participation, learning and remaking of work practices in these workplaces and their workers and to identify the exercise of both affordances and engagement for each participant within the same workplace, and then to make comparisons across the four workplaces. The findings emphasise the distinctive bases by which individuals engage with work and construct meaning and practice as a result of that engagement and, in turn, their remaking of the work practices.


Equilibrium computation with continuous games is currently a challenging open task in artificial intelligence. In this paper, we design an iterative algorithm that finds an ε-approximate Markov perfect equilibrium with two-player zero-sum continuous stochastic games with switching controller. When the game is polynomial (i.e., utility and state transitions are polynomial functions), our algorithm converges to ε = 0 by exploiting semidefinite programming. When the game is not polynomial, the algorithm exploits polynomial approximations and converges to an ε value whose upper bound is a function of the maximum approximation error with infinity norm. To our knowledge, this is the first algorithm for equilibrium approximation with arbitrary utility and transition functions providing theoretical guarantees. The algorithm is also empirically evaluated.


Bioethics is the study of the ethical issues emerging from advances in biology and medicine. It is also moral discernment as it relates to medical policy and show more  Encyclopedia of bioethics Responsibility edited by Stephen G. Post Creator Post, Stephen Garrard, Gale Group Edition 3rd ed. Language English (英語) Publisher Macmillan Reference USA Year 2004Place New York, N.Y., New York (State) Relation Series: Gale virtual reference library Abstract Covering a wealth of topics on the ethics of health professions, animal research, population control and the environment, the set helps researchers to consider the impact of new scientific knowledge a... Table of


Section one details a thematic synthesis that sought to understand men's experiences of chronic pain. Systematic searches of CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed and PsycINFO identified 14 qualitative studies. Five domains were identified: 'The effort and unpredictability of being in pain', 'Becoming a burden', 'Being judged as less of a man', 'Trying to hold on to a 'masculine' identity' and 'Rebuilding and rehabilitating'. Domains were interconnected and represented a process following pain onset. Men initially described a wish to control both the pain and its impact on their daily lives. Reductions in daily functioning and the effect of social judgements led men to feel burdensome and the prevailing Western masculine hegemony shaped men's responses to these stigmatising experiences. Over time, men built a new understanding of the self, renegotiating their masculinity and sought to rebuild and rehabilitate. Section two describes correlation analyses, hierarchical linear regressions and moderation analyses that sought to understand if: (1) stigma, fear of compassion from others (FOCO) and fear of compassion from self (FOCS) independently predict outcomes of painrelated anxiety, depression or pain interference, and (2) FOCO or FOCS moderate the relationship between pain intensity or stigma and outcomes of psychological distress. FOCO and FOCS significantly correlated with depression, anxiety and pain interference. Pain intensity and stigma were independent predictors of depression, anxiety and pain interference. FOCO significantly predicted depression and anxiety but not pain interference. FOCS predicted depression but not anxiety or pain interference. For the first time in chronic pain, FOCO was demonstrated to moderate the relationship between stigma and depression. This study demonstrates that FOC is an important psychological factor in the experiences of individuals with chronic pain. Section three provides a critical appraisal of the work presented in this thesis, including an exploration of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the process.


Reduced NMDA‐receptor (NMDAR) function has been implicated in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disease, most strongly in schizophrenia but also recently in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). To determine the direct contribution of NMDAR dysfunction to disease phenotypes, a mouse model with constitutively reduced expression of the obligatory NR1 subunit has been developed and extensively investigated. Adult NR1neo−/− mice show multiple abnormal behaviors, including reduced social interactions, locomotor hyperactivity, self‐injury, deficits in prepulse inhibition (PPI) and sensory hypersensitivity, among others. Whereas such phenotypes have largely been interpreted in the context of schizophrenia, these behavioral abnormalities are rather non‐specific and are frequently present across models of diseases characterized by negative symptom domains. This study investigated auditory electrophysiological and behavioral paradigms relevant to autism, to determine whether NMDAR hypofunction may be more consistent with adult ASD‐like phenotypes. Indeed, transgenic mice showed behavioral deficits relevant to all core ASD symptoms, including decreased social interactions, altered ultrasonic vocalizations and increased repetitive behaviors. NMDAR disruption recapitulated clinical endophenotypes including reduced PPI, auditory‐evoked response N1 latency delay and reduced gamma synchrony. Auditory electrophysiological abnormalities more closely resembled those seen in clinical studies of autism than schizophrenia. These results suggest that NMDAR hypofunction may be associated with a continuum of neuropsychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia and autism. Neural synchrony abnormalities suggest an imbalance of glutamatergic and GABAergic coupling and may provide a target, along with behavioral phenotypes, for preclinical screening of novel therapeutics.


The aim of this study was to characterize and compare natural organic matter (NOM) removal and disinfection by-product (DBP) formation in the drinking water treatment train that can give valuable information, while optimizing the treatment process. In this study, the determination of the hydrophobic (HPO), transphilic (THP) and hydrophilic (HPI) NOM distribution was used in parallel with more related drinking water parameters to compare the selected waters. High-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) was applied to evaluate the relative changes of molecular size distribution of NOM in different treatment steps and source waters. This showed that the quantity, speciation and activated carbon adsorption of DBPs could vary not only by water quality, but also by the distribution and properties of the organic molecules that comprise NOM.


Dealing with the curse of dimensionality is a key challenge in high-dimensional data visualization. We present SeekAView to address three main gaps in the existing research literature. First, automated methods like dimensionality reduction or clustering suffer from a lack of transparency in letting analysts interact with their outputs in real-time to suit their exploration strategies. The results often suffer from a lack of interpretability, especially for domain experts not trained in statistics and machine learning. Second, exploratory visualization techniques like scatter plots or parallel coordinates suffer from a lack of visual scalability: it is difficult to present a coherent overview of interesting combinations of dimensions. Third, the existing techniques do not provide a flexible workflow that allows for multiple perspectives into the analysis process by automatically detecting and suggesting potentially interesting subspaces. In SeekAView we address these issues using suggestion based visual exploration of interesting patterns for building and refining multidimensional subspaces. Compared to the state-of-the-art in subspace search and visualization methods, we achieve higher transparency in showing not only the results of the algorithms, but also interesting dimensions calibrated against different metrics. We integrate a visually scalable design space with an iterative workflow guiding the analysts by choosing the starting points and letting them slice and dice through the data to find interesting subspaces and detect correlations, clusters, and outliers. We present two usage scenarios for demonstrating how SeekAView can be applied in real-world data analysis scenarios.


This research has been implemented based on the area of #369 Dowon-dong, Dalseo-gu, Dae-gu which is considered as a place with satisfactory characteristics for the flow of fresh air into the city. Simulations of the target area both prior to the development plan and after apartment complex blocking were analyzed in regard to blocking planning and pilotis based on the main direction of wind, (east wind) and (south wind). In addition, congested wind corridor flow in the target place was identified through a pollution spread simulation according to the wind corridor. Therefore, the flow of wind in the one area is affected by the blocking of the complex and the main direction of the wind. Also blocking, in regard of pilotis, provides a better flow of wind. This study was implemented based on wind formation by apartment complex planning, so further study on the other factors affecting the flow of a wind corridor along with block planning and pilotis need to be carried out. Sustainable environmental factors through analysis of the environmental factors have to be analyzed. Moreover, building and complementing fundamental resources and systematic devices should be supported.


Background and Purpose— Primary stroke center (PSC) certification was established to identify hospitals providing evidence-based care for stroke patients. The numbers of PSCs certified by Joint Commission (JC), Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, Det Norske Veritas, and State-based agencies have significantly increased in the past decade. This study aimed to evaluate whether PSCs certified by different organizations have similar quality of care and in-hospital outcomes. Methods— The study population consisted of acute ischemic stroke patients who were admitted to PSCs participating in Get With The Guidelines-Stroke between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2012. Measures of care quality and outcomes were compared among the 4 different PSC certifications. Results— A total of 477 297 acute ischemic stroke admissions were identified from 977 certified PSCs (73.8% JC, 3.7% Det Norske Veritas, 1.2% Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, and 21.3% State-based). Composite care quality was generally similar among the 4 groups of hospitals, although State-based PSCs underperformed JC PSCs in a few key measures, including intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator use. The rates of tissue-type plasminogen activator use were higher in JC and Det Norske Veritas (9.0% and 9.8%) and lower in State and Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program certified hospitals (7.1% and 5.9%) (P<0.0001). Door-to-needle times were significantly longer in Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program hospitals. State PSCs had higher in-hospital risk-adjusted mortality (odds ratio 1.23, 95% confidence intervals 1.07–1.41) compared with JC PSCs. Conclusions— Among Get With The Guidelines-Stroke hospitals with PSC certification, acute ischemic stroke quality of care and outcomes may differ according to which organization provided certification. These findings may have important implications for further improving systems of care.


Purpose of review Carcinoid tumors often present with metastatic disease. Generally, these tumors can be treated conservatively. New evidence exists, however, that stage IV disease may be better managed with more aggressive medical and surgical treatment. Headway is also being made into understanding the associated fibrosis seen with advanced disease and in better understanding signaling pathways with the hope of offering future treatment options. Recent findings Recent literature has advocated for more aggressive surgical treatment of carcinoid tumors, especially in the setting of hepatic metastases and peritoneal carcinomatosis. Octreotide and lanreotide are further being described for treating metastatic carcinoids. Radiolabeled somatostatin analogues may prove to be as effective for treating carcinoids as for visualizing them. Other potential treatment modalities include pharmacologic activation of signaling pathways to control excess hormone production. Research into fibrosis – a cause of pain, bowel obstruction, retroperitoneal vascular constriction and right heart failure – has shown that serotonin and tachykinins may be the key mediators. Summary Patients with stage IV carcinoid tumors may benefit from more aggressive surgical management and new treatment modalities. The growing body of knowledge regarding important molecular signaling pathway may lead to new medical therapies and further understanding of the sequelae of excess hormone production.


ABSTRACT The Abrakurrie Limestone is a bryozoan-rich, cool-water, open shelf unit of Oligocene--middle Miocene age beneath the Nullarbor Plain. The sediments have been in the meteoric diagenetic environment, never buried more than a few hundred meters, since middle Miocene time. The unit is composed of meter-scale subtidal cycles, each of which is capped by an erosion surface. The upper several centimeters of most cycles are well lithified, forming distinctive hard layers in otherwise friable carbonates. Intergranular cements in these layers are now isopachous rinds of low-magnesium calcite. Crystals are inclusion-rich, generally fibrous, and have a speckled cathodoluminescence signature. Cements in intergranular pores at the tops of cycles are overlain by interstitial marine sediment. The cem nts are interpreted to have been marine precipitates in the form of magnesium calcite originally containing from 8-12 mole % MgCO3 and having a 18O value of -1.0 ± 0.5 versus PDB. Stable carbon and oxygen isotope values in these interpreted marine hardgrounds are distinctly more positive than values from underlying soft sediments, reflecting alteration under lower water-rock ratio conditions due to reduced permeabilities. Covariance in stable isotope values from different localities suggests diagenesis in groundwaters of mixed composition. Fluid inclusions indicate neomorphism in fluids with salinities equal to or slightly greater than seawater. Alteration is envisaged to have taken place in a paleogroundwater system of variably mixed saline continental waters and seawater. Occurrence of similar to identical cemented layers and cements in coeval cool-water New Zealand shelf carbonates suggests that such cementation was a sporadic but widespread phenomenon on mid-Cenozoic platforms in this area. By inference, cool-water carbonates of all ages may contain units lithified on the seafloor by cements containing low to intermediate amounts of magnesium. Cool water is not an inhibitor to synsedimentary cementation.


Abstract.
 Marine wood-boring teredinids, some of the most destructive wood borers in the sea, are a particularly difficult group to identify from morphological features. While in most bivalve species shell features are used as diagnostic characters, in the teredinids shell morphology shows high intraspecific variation and thus identification is based almost entirely on the morphology of the pallets. In the present study we aimed at improving 'taxonomic resolution' in teredinids by combining morphological evidence with mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences, respectively Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and small subunit rRNA 18S gene, to generate more rigorous and accessible identifications. DNA barcodes of Atlantic and Mediterranean populations of Lyrodus pedicellatus diverged by ∼20%, suggesting cryptic species in the morphospecies L. pedicellatus. The low intraspecific divergence found in barcodes of specimens of Nototeredo norvagica (0.78%) confirms that Atlantic and Mediterranean forms of N. norvagica, the latter sometimes reported as Teredo utriculus, are the same species. Teredothyra dominicensis was found for the first time in the Mediterranean. A match was obtained between our 18S sequences and sequences of T. dominicensis from Netherlands Antilles, confirming that T. dominicensis in the Mediterranean is the same species that occurs in the Caribbean. There were differences in 18S sequences between Bankia carinata from the Mediterranean and Caribbean, which may indicate cryptic species.


While Canada is not considered to be economically disadvantaged, certain peoples within Canada are. For example, economic 'mastery in one's own house' is important to native peoples in Northwest British Columbia (NWBC) but has not yet been achieved. Thus arises the yet unanswered question: How can such economic dependency be eliminated? In this paper, I make the case for a new economic literacy in native economic development. I argue that the elimination of economic dependency can only occur by conscientiously repairing the damage from 19th century globalisation, while not missing globalisation opportunities in the 21st century. This means going beyond a simplistic resource redistribution approach, and fostering high levels of economic literacy, based on: (1) key transaction cognitions (as defined herein) in a larger portion of people on-reserve, (2) providing equal opportunities for on-reserve capital formation through attention to property rights and (3) adjusting or transforming native governance structures; all to minimise the economic entropy from transaction costs.


Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (µc-Si:H) is a mixed-phase material consisting of crystalline silicon grains, hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) tissue, and voids. Microcrystalline silicon is extensively used as absorber layer in thin-film tandem solar cells, combining the advantages of a low (indirect) band gap (1.1 eV), which results in an enhanced absorption of red and (near) infrared light, with an improved stability under light exposure (reduced Staebler–Wronski effect). However, due to the indirect nature of the band gap, relatively thick (1–2 µm) µc-Si:H films are necessary to achieve an efficient absorption of red and (near) infrared light, even when light trapping concepts are applied. Therefore, from a cost-perspective point of view, high growth rates (>1 nm/s) are required, preferably in combination with large-area (roll-to-roll) processing. The most common, and so far most successful, deposition technique is the capacitively-coupled plasma (CCP) in parallel plate configuration using radio or very high excitation frequencies (RF or VHF, respectively) and highly hydrogen diluted hydrogen and silane gas mixtures. Approaches to increase the growth rate include an increase of the plasma power, moving from a low-pressure to a high-pressure depletion (LPD to HPD, respectively) regime, and/or by increasing the excitation frequency from 13.56 MHz to 27–300 MHz. The combination of HPD-VHF has resulted in high deposition rates (2-3 nm/s) while maintaining high solar cell efficiencies (7-8%). In this work, the use of an ultra-fast (2-20 nm/s) deposition technique, i.e. the expanding thermal plasma, has been explored for the deposition of µc-Si:H films. Characteristic for ETP-grown µc-Si:H films is the lack of a sufficient amount of a-Si:H tissue, which is necessary to passivate the grain boundaries and fill the intergranular space, resulting in a network of (inter-connected) cracks and voids. As a consequence, the µc-Si:H films are prone to post-deposition oxidation, resulting in low solar cells efficiencies (<2%). The post-deposition oxidation has been monitored by means of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy over a period of 8 months. This study revealed a two-timescale oxidation: on short timescales (<3 months) the crystalline silicon grain boundaries oxidize, on longer timescales the oxidation involves also the a-Si:H tissue. This indicates that in order to prevent post-deposition oxidation, it is not sufficient to fill the intergranular space, but that the a-Si:H tissue needs to be of sufficient quality, i.e. dense and not susceptible for post-deposition oxidation. One process that could be responsible for the insufficient amount of a-Si:H tissue, is hydrogen-induced etching of a-Si:H tissue. Atomic hydrogen is, under µc-Si:H growth conditions, abundant in the plasma, and is known to preferentially etch a-Si:H over crystalline silicon (c-Si). In addition, the interaction of atomic hydrogen with the (growing) film can result in the formation of an hydrogen-rich sub-surface layer, caused by the insertion of atomic hydrogen into strained Si-Si bonds, which possibly explains the porous quality of the a-Si:H tissue. Monitoring the etch rate of a-Si:H films during Ar/H2 plasma exposure by real time spectroscopic ellipsometry showed that the hydrogen-induced etch rate was at least one order of magnitude lower than typical deposition rates. In addition, FTIR spectroscopy revealed that insertion of atomic H in the sub-surface layer (top ~30 nm) during Ar/H2 plasma exposure did not result in an increased porosity. These results suggest that the interaction of atomic hydrogen with the growing film is not responsible for the insufficient amount of (dense) a-Si:H tissue. The fact that the interaction of atomic hydrogen is not responsible for the poor material properties of ETP-grown µc-Si:H, the question "what mechanism is then responsible?" arises. To address this question the plasma chemistry and the resulting growth mechanism of ETP is compared to CCP, which so far is the only technique with which solar-grade µc-Si:H is obtained. One difference between the two techniques is the absence of an ion bombardment effect in ETP. In CCP the HPD and the use of VHF are employed to suppress a (potentially uncontrolled) ion bombardment effect, hypothesized to be responsible for an amorphization of the crystalline growth and defect incorporation. However, there is always some form of ion bombardment present. The extent to which ions contribute to the growth depends on the ion flux, the ion energy, and the chemical nature of the ion. Under HPD-VHF conditions SinHm+ is identified as the dominant ion in H2/SiH4 plasmas, but no direct ion energy and ion flux measurements under HPD conditions have been reported so far. Therefore, the ion energy and flux in a CCP reactor have been studied. For this purpose, a capacitively-coupled plasma reactor in parallel plate configuration has been designed and built, in close collaboration with the Institute of Photovoltaics at Forschungszentrum Julich (Germany). This reactor has been especially designed for the implementation of plasma and (in situ) film diagnostics. Under solar-grade µc-Si:H deposition conditions the contribution of ions to the film growth has been studied by means of a capacitive probe. The ion to Si deposition flux ratio was found to be large, ~0.30. However, since the ion energy is rather low,


OBJECTIVES
This study aims to investigate whether the motor cortex (MC) or the somatosensory cortex (SC) is more active during the course of bone healing after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty-three male Wistar albino rats (age, 8 to 10 months; weighing, 250 to 300 g) were randomized into three groups as the control group, MC damage group and SC damage group. Two rats from each brain damage group were sacrificed to verify the locations of the cortical injuries. Callus formation, callus/diaphysis ratios, and serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels were measured at one, three and six weeks.

RESULTS
The increases in callus masses in the control, MC, and SC groups were statistically significantly different between one and three weeks (p<0.05). Although this increase in the MC and SC groups was significant compared to the control group at the end of one week, no statistically significant difference was found between the MC and SC groups (p>0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in callus/diaphysis ratio between control, MC and SC groups in favor of MC group only at one week (p<0.05). The increase in serum ALP levels at three weeks was statistically significantly different in the MC and SC groups compared to the control group and significantly higher in the MC group compared to the SC group (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION
There is a possible relationship between enhanced fracture healing after TBI and damage in the MC. Motor cortex plays a more active role on fracture healing in TBI.


Constrained groove pressing is a simple and effective method of grain refinement. Using the experimental data obtained by regression analysis, this paper analyzes the simulation of the four pass constrained groove pressing deformation of 7050 aluminum alloy. The simulation results show that the grain size of the billet is refined significantly after four pass constrained groove pressing deformation and decreases from the original 90 μm to a minimum of 14.0 μm. With the increase of the number of deformation passes, refinement effect becomes weakened gradually, the grain size tends to stabilize and the organization is more uniform.


The structural and elastic properties of HfN and Hf-Si-N have been studied, using first principles calculations based on the density functional theory. These calculations provide the lattice parameter, cohesive energy and elastic constants of fcc (NaCl)-HfN, the N-deficient Hf-Si-N and the Hf-deficient Hf-Si-N solution phase. In order to study the relative stability, binding energy of all configurations has been calculated. The results showed that it was difficult to add a Si atom into the center of the HfN cell because the cohesive energy decreased. However, if an Hf atom or an N atom was missing in the HfN, a silicon atom was possible to occupy the vacant site and form the Hf-Si-N substitutional solid solution. Moreover, the bulk modulus, shear modulus and elastic modulus increased accordingly, the mechanical properties were improved.


The person-centred approach to dementia care emerges from a new emphasis on the experience of the person with dementia. The person is seen as attempting to manage and cope with their difficulties, through a variety of coping mechanisms. Some are able to seek to maximize their cognitive capacities, and there are a number of strategies now available to assist in this process. However, the emotional aspects merit increased attention, with more awareness needed of the range of powerful emotions that may be present, and of the possibility of therapeutic interventions to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. Many of the difficult behaviours seen in dementia may be understood more fully with an appreciation of their emotional underpinning, in feelings of anger, fear, insecurity and hopelessness. The interaction between caregiver strain and challenging behaviour also merits further exploration. The person-centred approach has many implications for practice, as well as for research. The perspective of the person with dementia, and outcomes reflecting that perspective, must be represented in research studies in dementia care. Caregivers, whether family members or paid workers, require additional support in order to recognize the person's needs and to meet them in ways which enable the person's identity and full human value to be upheld.