The mammalian skin is a densely innervated soft tissue where embedded neural mechanoreceptors report to the brain the mechanical events arising at its surface. Up to now, models of the transformations of these events into neural signals relied on quasistatic or viscoelastic mechanical models of the skin. Here, we employed a model which, in addition to elasticity and viscosity, accounted for mass to accurately reproduce the propagation of mechanical waves observed in vivo. Skin dynamics converted sensory inputs into rapidly evolving spatiotemporal patterns that magnified the information made available to a population of mechanoreceptors. Accounting for dynamics greatly enhanced the separability of tactile inputs and was efficient for a large range of mechanical parameter values. This advantage vanished when these parameters were set to approximate the quasistatic or viscoelastic cases.


The establishment of neuronal connections during embryonic development requires the precise guidance and targeting of the neuronal growth cone, an expanded cellular structure at the leading tip of a growing axon. The growth cone contains sophisticated signaling systems that allow the rapid communication between guidance receptors and the actin cytoskeleton in generating directed motility. Previous studies demonstrated a specific role for the Nck/Dock SH2/SH3 adapter protein in photoreceptor (R cell) axon guidance and target recognition in the Drosophila visual system, suggesting strongly that Nck/Dock is one of the long-sought missing links between cell surface receptors and the actin cytoskeleton. In this review, I discuss the recent progress on dissecting the Nck/Dock signaling pathways in R-cell growth cones. These studies have identified additional key components of the Nck/Dock signaling pathways for linking the receptor signaling to the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton in controlling growth-cone motility.


2D and 3D computer vision systems are frequently being used in automated production to detect and determine the position of objects. Accuracy is important in the production industry, and computer vision systems require structured environments to function optimally. For 2D vision systems, a change in surfaces, lighting and viewpoint angles can reduce the accuracy of a method, maybe even to a degree that it will be erroneous, while for 3D vision systems, the accuracy mainly depends on the 3D laser sensors. Commercially available 3D cameras lack the precision found in high-grade 3D laser scanners, and are therefore not suited for accurate measurements in industrial use. In this paper, we show that it is possible to identify and locate objects using a combination of 2D and 3D cameras. A rough estimate of the object pose is first found using a commercially available 3D camera. Then, a robotic arm with an eye-in-hand 2D camera is used to determine the pose accurately. We show that this increases the accuracy to < 1 and < 1 . This was demonstrated in a real industrial assembly task where high accuracy is required.


Objectives To evaluate the efficacy of omalizumab (OMA) therapy for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis as a sole therapeutic line versus traditional therapy. Patients and methods Eighty-six patients were randomly divided into two equal groups: study patients received OMA [0.016 mg/kg/immunoglobulin E (IgE) (IU/ml)] therapy only and control patients received conventional therapy. All patients completed a questionnaire to determine the total subjective score (TSS), who underwent rigid nasal endoscopy for endoscopic scoring according to the Lund-Kennedy scoring system, had paranasal sinuses computed tomographic (CT) imaging for scoring according to the Lund-Mackay scale, and estimation of pretreatment serum IgE levels. Study outcomes included the therapeutic effect determined as more than 50% decrease of TSS with improvement on endoscopic findings, recurrence rate, and frequency of decision; shift to surgery or repeat the trial of OMA therapy. Results Serum IgE level positively correlated with TSS and endoscopic and CT scores. Seventeen patients had successful response without recurrence with significantly lower TSS in the study versus control patients. Twenty-seven patients had recurrence after primary successful outcome with significantly lower TSS in study than control patients and significantly longer duration till recurrence with OMA than conventional therapy. Forty-two patients showed no response to the first session of therapy. Nineteen study patients with recurrent manifestations received a second session of OMA therapy; 11 had successful response, five patients had rerecurrence, and three patients failed to respond. Surgery-sparing effect is significantly higher with OMA than conventional therapy (46.5 vs. 18.6%). Endoscopic and CT scores of total patients, at the end of follow-up, were nonsignificantly lower in control while they were significantly lower in the study group. Conclusion OMA significantly superiorly improved the outcome of conservative treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis than conventional with higher surgery-sparing rate. The second session of OMA minimized the recurrence rate of manifestations.


Public health campaigns are a specific type of care communication that are almost ubiquitous. They are designed to prompt longhterm changes in knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and, sometimes, public policy. This chapter presents some guidelines based on research and best practices for public health campaigns. Understanding the goal of the campaign drives the communication plan, including measurements of effectiveness. Formative research is used to form the communication, helping designers choose content, format, and delivery strategies through participatory design. It is important to use several channels, such as the news media, paid placements, independent coverage, and online venues, to ensure that the information is reaching those at risk. The chapter also discusses evaluation methods for public health campaigns.


Interactions and connectivity is increasingly expanding to shared objects and environments, such as furniture, vehicles, lighting, and entertainment systems. For transparent personalization in such contexts, we see an opportunity for embedded recognition, to complement traditional, explicit authentication. We introduce Zensei, an implicit sensing system that leverages bio-sensing, signal processing and machine learning to classify uninstrumented users by their body's electrical properties. Zensei could allow many objects to recognize users. E.g., phones that unlock when held, cars that automatically adjust mirrors and seats, or power tools that restore user settings. We introduce wide-spectrum bioimpedance hardware that measures both amplitude and phase. It extends previous approaches through multi-electrode sensing and high-speed wireless data collection for embedded devices. We implement the sensing in devices and furniture, where unique electrode configurations generate characteristic profiles based on user's unique electrical properties. Finally, we discuss results from a comprehensive longitudinal 22-day data collection experiment with 46 subjects. Our analysis shows promising classification accuracy and low false acceptance rate.


Abstract. The spatial structures revealed in SAR intensity imagery provide essential information characterizing the natural variation processes of sea ice. This paper proposes a new method to extract the spatial structures of sea ice based on two spatial stochastic models. One is a multi-Gamma model, which characterizes continuous variations corresponding to ice-free area or the background. The other is a Poisson line mosaic model, which characterizes the regional variations of sea ice with different types. The linear combination of the two models builds the mixture model to represent spatial structures of sea ice within SAR intensity imagery. To estimate different sea ice parameters, such as its concentration, scale etc. We define two kinds of geostatistic metrics, theoretical first- and second-order variograms. Their experimental alternatives can be calculated from the SAR intensity imagery directly, then the parameters of the mixture model are estimated through fitting the theoretical variograms to the experimental ones, and by comparing the estimated parameters to the egg code, it is verified that the estimated parameters can indicate sea ice structure information showing in the egg code. The proposed method is applied to simulated images and Radarsat-1 images. The results of the experiments show that the proposed method can estimate the sea ice concentration and floe size accurately and stably within SAR testing images.


Composite materials consisting of rather rigid polymeric matrices filled with magnetic particles have been known for a long time and are called magnetic elastomers or magnetoelasts. These traditional magnetic elastomers have low flexibility and practically do not change their size, shape and elastic properties in the presence of external magnetic field. A new generation of magnetic elastomers represent a new type of composites, consisting of small (mainly nano-sized) magnetic particles dispersed in a high elastic polymeric matrix. The particles couple the shape of the elastomer to the external magnetic fields. The particles can not leave the polymer matrix, so that all of the forces acting on the particles are transmitted directly to the polymer chains resulting in either locomotion or deformation. Shape distortion occurs instantaneously and disappears abruptly when external fields are applied or removed, respectively. Combination of magnetic and elastic properties leads to a number of striking phenomena that are exhibited in response to impressed magnetic fields. The appearance of the unique ability of such materials to change their size and mechanical properties in a reversible manner has inherent interest if for no other reason than the uniqueness of having giant elastic response to magnetic polarization. The giant deformational effect, tunable elastic modulus, non-homogeneous deformation and quick response to magnetic field open new opportunities for using such materials for various applications. Since the magnetic fields are convenient stimuli from the point of view of signal control, therefore it is of great importance to develop and study such flexible magnetic systems for the design of active soft and large motion actuators, tuned vibration absorbers, stiffness tuneable mounts and suspensions.


Introduction Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) targets early intervention, achieving better outcomes for patients suffering from ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines (2012) advocate acute cardiac units as the environment of choice in which patients should be cared for by highly trained and skilled nurses who provide close monitoring and rapid response to acute changes. However the advancements in accessing early intervention by PPCI with fewer complications and improved outcomes, anecdotally some patients following uncomplicated PPCI are the most stable patients on the acute cardiac ward. We re-evaluated the nursing care pathway of the PPCI group of patients. Method A review of the literature on the nursing care post PPCI to establish an evidence base. A national benchmarking exercise on the context of the care setting, the timing of nursing interventions and length of stay on the acute cardiac units and within the hospital to identify whether unpublished care standards exist. Results The literature review identified few studies which established the standards of nursing care in this group (Oriolo and Tagney 2011, Viana-Tejedor et al 2009), much of the written nursing care is based upon traditional practices or consensus of medical opinion founded on the anticipation of complications post PPCI. For the bench marking exercise, 17/30 centres provided information by telephone. All patients post PPCI were admitted to an acute cardiac unit with ECG monitoring. There was large variation in the timing of nursing interventions; length of ECG monitoring (12 – 48 hrs), fluid balance monitoring (0 – 24 hrs) or mobilisation of the patients (6 – 24hrs). More than half kept their patients routinely on the acute cardiac unit for at least 24 h before stepping down to the ward. Two centres would step down at 12 h routinely, however five centres stated that step down was reviewed earlier dependant on patients need. Three centres discharge their patients home at 48 h with the largest number between 48–72 h, some considering "sleeps" rather than hours. One unit had no set criteria for movement, moving as part of acuity; however this was part of a larger unit so easier to manage patients. Some units varied the discharge home depending on area of STEMI or LV function or Doctor Preference. Conclusion There is little evidence to support the current timing of care of the patient post PPCI and the subsequent bench marking exercise demonstrated that set criteria was being applied to this patient group based on tradition or experience. There is little evidence that practices have changes with the advances in the outcomes post PPCI. With this variation nationally there is a need for further exploration in this area to provide a more concise, evidence based standards which would improve that patient pathway and make better use of the resources available.


Individuals with comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus (DM) are more likely to develop the complications and fatalities from COVID-19. Although researchers have performed studies across the world to evaluate the interaction between DM and COVID-19 with a specific focus on DM as a predictor or determinant for COVID-19, these studies are not synthesized collectively to provide stronger evidence. Hence we aimed to review the studies that have assessed whether diabetes is a predictor or determinants for morbidity and death among patients with COVID-19. Different articles were searched from databases such as Google Scholar and PubMed. We undertook a narrative review of full-text research articles that were published in the English language both in developed and developing countries, with a specific focus on diabetes and COVID-19. All primary research articles were examined for information pertinent to the objective. We also reviewed all references of the eligible article to avoid missing any article relevant to the topic of interest. The existing evidence suggests that diabetic patients are at increased risk for adverse outcomes including death from COVID-19. The synthesis of the review revealed that evidence regarding diabetes as a predictor or determinants for morbidity and death among patients with COVID-19 is mixed. Individuals with diabetes are at risk of infections such as COVID-19. Thus, most of the studies have identified DM as a predictor for mortality in patients with COVID-19. In contrast, there are very few studies that reported contrary findings. Individuals with DM are at higher risk of catching infections such as COVID-19. This risk can be decreased, though not eradicated, by maintaining optimum levels of glucose in the blood. Indeed, diabetes was an important predictor for morbidity and death among patients with COVID-19. Therefore, these patients should take extra precautionary measures with good glycemic control and frequent monitoring of blood glucose. J Endocrinol Metab. 2020;10(3-4):74-78 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jem665


It was established in chronic experiments on 26 dogs that long-term adaptation to regular muscular activity caused a 19.6-46.1% decrease in blood viscosity. Hematocrit was lowered and red cell deformability improved. A correlation was observed between blood viscosity and its oxygen transport function. As a result of muscular training the role of plasma protein in blood viscosity increased and that of red cells declined. Single muscular activity produced a 48.2-81% increase in blood viscosity, while plasma viscosity remained unchanged. Trained animals had lower absolute values of blood viscosity even at the time of muscular effort as compared to those in untrained animals at rest.


Research shows that the rate of technological progress is actually slowing as we near the new millennium and this will have a profound effect on the investment picture. In Defying the Market, the influential editor of Personal Finance newsletter (180,000-circulation) reveals his investment strategies for profiting in the next market wave. Packed with specific stock and mutual fund selections that any investor can implement quickly and easily, it features a model stock portfolio poised for growth in the post tech world. The book also shows investors which global factors will be most important to their financial future, and analyzes the four key investment plays likely to explode in the post technology boom.


The chronotropic effects of all currently available volatile anesthetics were investigated in isolated rat atrial preparations. Anesthetic ethers, diethyl ether, methoxyflurane, and enflurane elicited a dose-dependent positive chronotropic effect. Fluroxene produced a slight depression at low concentrations. The halogenated hydrocarbon anesthetics, halothane, chloroform, and trichloroethylene, did not show a uniform pattern. Halothane's effect was small and biphasic. Chloroform caused a dose-dependent decrease in heart rate, and trichloroethylene caused a marked positive chronotropic effect. The dose-response curves of all anesthetics remained unaltered in the presence of either 3 × 10−7 M dl-propranolol or 1 × 10−6 M atropine. It is concluded that volatile anesthetics elicit significant direct chronotropic actions on rat atrial preparations. The mechanism of their actions does not involve stimulation of beta-adrenergic or cholinergic receptors.


One reason why Europe went to war in 1914 is that all of the continental great powers judged it a favorable moment for them to fight, and all were more pessimistic about postponing the fight until later. Not only is this historical paradox an interesting puzzle in its own right, but it sheds light on what is arguably the reigning theory of the causes of wars in general: James Fearon's rational bargaining theory. None of Fearon's three main mechanisms—private information, commitment problems, or indivisibility of stakes—can explain the paradox of the universal, simultaneous view of 1914 as a favorable year for war. Two mechanisms that play a marginal role in his analysis, however—bounded rationality in multidimensional power assessments and attempts to mitigate power shifts through coercive diplomacy—help to explain how Europe's powers became trapped in a choice between war now and war later. These mechanisms were set in motion by background strategic assumptions rooted in the culture of militarism and nationalism that perversely structured the options facing Europe's political leaders in 1914. Whereas Fearon's theory assumes that states are paying equal attention to all relevant information, in 1914 each power's strategic calculations produced disproportionate levels of self-absorption in its own domestic concerns and alliance anxieties.


This document presents a Services Research Roadmap that launches four pivotal, inherently related, research themes to Service-Oriented Computing (SOC): service foundations, service composition, service management and monitoring and service-oriented engineering. Each theme is introduced briefly from a technology, state of the art and scientific challenges standpoint. From the technology standpoint a comprehensive review of state of the art, standards, and current research activities in each key area is provided. From the state of the art the major open problems and bottlenecks to progress are identified.

During the during seminar each core theme was initially introduced by a leading expert in the field who described the state of the art and highlighting open problems and important research topics for the SOC community to work on in the future. These experts were then asked to coordinate parallel workgroups that were entrusted with an in-depth analysis of the research opportunities and needs in the respective theme. The findings presented in this summary report build on the advice of those panels of experts from industry and academia who participated in this Dagstuhl Seminar and met at other occasions during the past three years, e.g., at the International Conference on Service Oriented Computing (ICSOC, see www.icsoc.org). These experts represent many disciplines including distributed computing, database and information systems, software engineering, computer architectures and middleware and knowledge representation.


A progressive increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) has been reported over the last few decades. This either reflects the increased number of newly discovered and accurately selected thyroid nodules with more sensitive technologies and a relative more potent carcinogenic effect of pathogenetic factors in malignant, but not benign nodules. This observational time-trend study addresses this issue by analysing the proportion of TC within 8411 consecutive thyroid nodule (TN) patients evaluated in Pisa by the same pathology Department and individual clinician over a four-decade period. From 1972 to 1979 surgery was used to detect TC among the TN patients: 1140 TN patients were operated on and 35 cancers were detected (3.1% of all the TN patients). Subsequently, needle aspiration techniques were used to select TN for surgery. From 1980 to 1992, 5403 TN patients were examined, 483 were selected for surgery, and 150 cancers were found (2.8% of all the TN patients). From 1993 to 2010, 1568 TN patients were examined, 143 were selected for surgery, and 46 cancers were found (2.9% of all the TN patients). Therefore, in the University Hospital of Pisa, and independent of preoperative TN selection protocols, these proportions of TN eventually found to harbor TC remained statistically unchanged over 40 years (p = 0.810). This finding suggests that pathogenic risk factors and more sensitive diagnostic technologies did not differentially affect the incidence of TN and TC.


Different amounts of SiO2 were used to substitute P2O5 to prepare lithium-iron-phosphate glass melts. It was found that glass can only formed after annealing the melt cast sample if the sample contains SiO2 not more than 5 mol%. The addition of 5 mol% SiO2 into the lithium-iron-phosphate glass strengthens the phosphate glass network. The density, chemical durability, both the transition and crystallization temperatures increase with the addition of SiO2. In addition, the addition of SiO2 results in the decrease in the activation energy of lithium-iron-phosphate glass, making the glass easier to crystallize. However, both the lithium-iron-phosphate glass and the glass with SiO2 show surface crystallization with LiFeP2O7 as the crystalline phase.


Kitab Musarar is one of the famous works of Syaikh Subakir described the condition of Java both before and after the arrival of Syaikh Subakir in the 13th century in Java on the mission of Islamization. This study uses a qualitative research method based on the Kitab Musarar which has been rewritten in an old spelling Indonesian translation printed book titled Kitab Musarar Syaikh Subakir-Asal Muasal Tanah Jawa karya Sukri (2011) and the book of Melacak Jejak Syaikh Subakir: Riwayat Penumbalan Tanah Jawa dan Walisanga Generasi Pertama written by Romadhon (2017). The results of this study are: (1) The existence of the early history of the world until the entry of Islam in Java in the 13th century in the Kitab Musarar by Syaikh Subakir, (2) The existence of figures who played a role of rukyat in Java in the 13th century based on the Kitab Musarar by Syaikh Subakir, and (3) The story of sangsara era and Ratu Adil profil in the Kitab Musarar by Syaikh Subakir. Overall, it can be seen that there are traces of Javanese Islamization brought by Syaikh Subakir in the 13th century based on the Kitab Musarar.


Patent pools have been promoted as an innovative means of promoting the production of fixed-dose combination antiretroviral medicines (ARVs), which can be particularly appropriate for resource-poor settings. An important question, however, is what are the implications of patent pools on innovation for creating new and improved antiretrovirals. Indeed, given the continuing mutation of HIV and growing resistance to existing treatments, continued innovation in ARV development is vital for addressing these challenges. Would patent pools be a hindrance or rather a stimulus for further innovation? This question is particularly relevant in light of UNITAID's initiative to create a patent pool for ARV development, focusing on pediatric formulations and new combinations, by the end of 2009. In this article, the author argues that a voluntary and well-designed patent pool, involving both innovative and generic manufacturers, focused on developing fixed-dose combinations for resource-poor markets with the greatest need, could actually stimulate increased innovation to meet these needs. Indeed, by bringing together the major ARV producers worldwide to collaborate on developing products which will meet the needs of the poorest, an ARV patent pool could create significant public health benefits. UNITAID has taken the lead in designing and implementing such a pool and UNITAID's experience will have important lessons for policy-makers in the future.


Humans with biallelic inactivating mutations in Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule (EpCAM) develop congenital tufting enteropathy (CTE). To gain mechanistic insights regarding EpCAM function in this disorder, we prepared intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) organoids and spheroids. IEC organoids and spheroids were generated from ROSA-CreERT2 EpCAMfl/fl mice. Proliferation, tight junctions, cell polarity and epithelial integrity were assessed in tamoxifen-induced EpCAM-deficient organoids via confocal immunofluorescence microscopy and Western blotting. Olfm4-expressing stem cells were assessed in IEC cells in vitro and in vivo via fluorescence in situ hybridization. To determine if existing drugs could ameliorate effects of EpCAM deficiency in IEC cells, a variety of pharmacologic inhibitors were screened. Deletion of EpCAM resulted in increased apoptosis and attenuated growth of organoids and spheroids. Selected claudins were destabilized and epithelial integrity was severely compromised. Epithelial integrity was improved by treatment with Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase (ROCK) inhibitors without restoration of claudin expression. Correspondingly, enhanced phosphorylation of myosin light chain, a serine/threonine ROCK substrate, was observed in EpCAM-deficient organoids. Strikingly, frequencies of Olfm4-expressing stem cells in EpCAM-deficient IEC cells in vitro and in vivo were decreased. Treatment with ROCK inhibitors increased numbers of stem cells in EpCAM-deficient organoids and spheroids. Thus, EpCAM regulates intestinal epithelial homeostasis via a signaling pathway that includes ROCK.


This Nursing guide is designed to provide quick access to the following information pertinent to nursing students: using library resources, careers, professional organizations, APA style, textbooks, nursing theorists, conducting research & more


This paper analyzes the deformation and strength under horizontal dynamic load of the model which acquired the first prize on the 3rd Structural Design Contest of Shandong Universities. The bearing capacity and stability of the model are verified by loading experiment. This contest provides a platform for college students to broaden their view and practice their innovation ideas. This contest make students' creative thinking get a full training and display.


Traditionally, network analysis is based on local properties of vertices, like their degree or clustering, and their statistical behavior across the network in question. This paper develops an approach which is different in two respects. We investigate edge-based properties, and we define global characteristics of networks directly. The latter will provide our affirmative answer to the question raised in the title. More concretely, we start with Forman's notion of the Ricci curvature of a graph, or more generally, a polyhedral complex. This will allow us to pass from a graph as representing a network to a polyhedral complex for instance by filling in triangles into connected triples of edges and to investigate the resulting effect on the curvature. This is insightful for two reasons: First, we can define a curvature flow in order to asymptotically simplify a network and reduce it to its essentials. Second, using a construction of Bloch, which yields a discrete Gauss-Bonnet theorem, we have the Euler characteristic of a network as a global characteristic. These two aspects beautifully merge in the sense that the asymptotic properties of the curvature flow are indicated by that Euler characteristic.


OBJECTIVE--To determine spontaneous improvement after a follow up interval of 18 months in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and to identify factors that predict improvement. METHODS--A longitudinal study was used. Of 298 initially assessed self referred patients fulfilling criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome, 246 patients completed self report questionnaires at follow up (response rate 83%). A multidimensional assessment method was used, measuring behavioural, emotional, cognitive, and social functioning. Comparison data from 53 healthy subjects matched for age, sex, and educational level were available. RESULTS--Three per cent of patients reported complete recovery and 17% reported improvement. At follow up, there were considerable problems at work and consumption of medication was high. Subjective improvement was confirmed by dimensional change: at follow up recovered patients had similar scores to healthy subjects and improved patients showed significant improvement on four out of seven outcome measures and had higher scores than healthy subjects in all dimensions. Sociodemographic variables or treatment by specialists and alternative practitioners did not predict improvement. Predictors of improvement were: subjective sense of control over symptoms, less fatigue, shorter duration of complaints, and a relative absence of physical attributions. CONCLUSION--The improvement rate in patients with a relatively long duration of complaints is small. Psychological factors are related to improvement, especially cognitive factors.


The safety constraints commonly used by existing safe reinforcement learning (RL) methods are defined only on expectation of initial states, but allow each certain state to be unsafe, which is unsatisfying for real-world safety-critical tasks. In this paper, we introduce the feasible actor-critic (FAC) algorithm, which is the first model-free constrained RL method that considers statewise safety, e.g, safety for each initial state. We claim that some states are inherently unsafe no matter what policy we choose, while for other states there exist policies ensuring safety, where we say such states and policies are feasible. By constructing a statewise Lagrange function available on RL sampling and adopting an additional neural network to approximate the statewise Lagrange multiplier, we manage to obtain the optimal feasible policy which ensures safety for each feasible state and the safest possible policy for infeasible states. Furthermore, the trained multiplier net can indicate whether a given state is feasible or not through the statewise complementary slackness condition. We provide theoretical guarantees that FAC outperforms previous expectation-based constrained RL methods in terms of both constraint satisfaction and reward optimization. Experimental results on both robot locomotive tasks and safe exploration tasks verify the safety enhancement and feasibility interpretation of the proposed method.


In a review of adverse events associated with childhood vaccines, the Vaccine Safety Committee of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1993 concluded that a causal relationship exists between live-virus measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination and thrombocytopenia.1 This finding was based on case reports of temporally associated onset of acute thrombocytopenia purpura and MMR vaccination,2,3 population-based surveillance of adverse vaccine reactions in Sweden4 and Finland,5 and demonstrated decreases in platelet concentrations after measles vaccination with the Edmonston B strain.6 The IOM committee also noted that children with prior histories of thrombocytopenia may be at an increased risk of recurrence after MMR vaccination.


Background: CD16 +CD14+ monocytes dramatically increase in number in patients with severe infection. Hemoperfusion with PMX-F (direct hemoperfusion with polymyxin B immobilized fibers) has been reported to be a safe and effective treatment for patients with septic shock, although the molecular mechanism that accounts for its effectiveness is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to quantify the number of CD16+CD14+ monocytes in patients with an intra-abdominal infection and to evaluate the effects of PMX-F treatment on clinical parameters and leukocyte surface antigen expression in these patients. Materials and Methods : Seventeen septic patients who had an intra-abdominal infection were enrolled in this study; 7 of these patients received PMX-F treatment. Peripheral blood samples were obtained immediately after admission, and were also collected from the above 7 patients before, during, and immediately after their PMX-F treatment. The expression of CD14, CD16, and Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 on these patients' monocytes was evaluated using flow cytometry. In addition, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of TNF-α and IL-1β by these cells was measured by ELISA. Results: Monocytic expression of CD16 and TLR-4 was significantly greater in septic patients than in healthy controls, and their proportion of CD16+CD14 + monocytes was similarly elevated. LPSinduced production of TNF-α and IL-1β by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of septic patients was significantly reduced compared to controls. Furthermore, there was a reduction in the proportion of CD 16+CD 14+ monocytes during PMX-F treatment, and in the expression of TLR-4 on monocytes after PMX-F treatment. Conclusions: These results showed that the number of peripheral blood CD16+CD14 + monocytes and monocytic TLR-4 expression were markedly increased, and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in response to LPS significantly reduced in patients with sepsis. PMX-F treatment was found to be effective in reducing the number of CD 16+CD 14+ monocytes and in decreasing the monocytic expression of TLR-4 in patients with septic shock.


We introduce a new Rigid-Field Hydrodynamics approach to modelling the magnetospheres of massive stars in the limit of very strong magnetic fields. Treating the field lines as effectively rigid, we develop hydrodynamical equations describing the one-dimensional flow along each, subject to pressure, radiative, gravitational and centrifugal forces. We solve these equations numerically for a large ensemble of field lines to build up a three-dimensional time-dependent simulation of a model star with parameters similar to the archetypal Bp star σ Ori E. Since the flow along each field line can be solved independently of other field lines, the computational cost of this approach is a fraction of an equivalent magnetohydrodynamical treatment.

The simulations confirm many of the predictions of previous analytical and numerical studies. Collisions between wind streams from opposing magnetic hemispheres lead to strong shock heating. The post-shock plasma cools initially via X-ray emission, and eventually accumulates into a warped, rigidly rotating disc defined by the locus of minima of the effective (gravitational plus centrifugal) potential. However, a number of novel results also emerge. For field lines extending far from the star, the rapid area divergence enhances the radiative acceleration of the wind, resulting in high shock velocities (up to ∼3000 km s−1) and hard X-rays. Moreover, the release of centrifugal potential energy continues to heat the wind plasma after the shocks, up to temperatures around twice those achieved at the shocks themselves. Finally, in some circumstances the cool plasma in the accumulating disc can oscillate about its equilibrium position, possibly due to radiative cooling instabilities in the adjacent post-shock regions.


This study examines the relationships between illness perceptions and illness-related distress among adults with type 2 diabetes. Research participants (N = 615) were randomly selected from a primary care database in New Zealand. Data were collected through a mailed questionnaire survey and review of medical records. The primary outcome was diabetes-related psychological distress measured using the Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID) scale. Multiple regression analyses controlling for age, clinical characteristics, and mental health showed that illness perceptions accounted for 15% of differences in distress about diabetes (F change (4,462) = 35.37, p < .001). Poor mental health and illness severity alone do not explain differences in diabetes-related emotional adjustment. Results suggest that 'making sense' of diabetes may be central to successfully managing the emotional consequences of diabetes.


Stem cells hold promise for treating a wide variety of diseases, including degenerative disorders of the eye. The eye is an ideal organ for stem cell therapy because of its relative immunological privilege, surgical accessibility, and its being a self-contained system. The eye also has many potential target diseases amenable to stem cell-based treatment, such as corneal limbal stem cell deficiency, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Among them, AMD and glaucoma are the two most common diseases, affecting over 200 million people worldwide. Recent results on the clinical trial of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in treating dry AMD and Stargardt's disease in the US, Japan, England, and China have generated great excitement and hope. This marks the beginning of the ocular stem cell therapy era. The recent Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center Ocular Stem Cell Symposium discussed the potential applications of various stem cell types in stem cell-based therapies, drug discoveries and tissue engineering for treating ocular diseases.


Abstract Confusions in vowel quality and in speaker sex for whispered and phonated versions of the long vowels of Swedish have been analysed. The recognition rate was higher than that obtained in other studies, and this is attributed to the use of real words (letter names). The recognition of vowel quality was observed to interact with that of speaker sex in the whispered versions, but not in the phonated ones. The paper also reports on F₀ and the frequency positions of the first three formants, and their dynamics, as well as on the overall spectral shape of the vowels. Intrinsic pitch and the observed upward shift of the lower formants in whispering as well as the spectral level differences agree largely with those found in other languages. Discrepancies and similarities with previous descriptions of the Swedish vowels are discussed.


A physical map of the Streptococcus (Diplococcus) pneumoniae chromosome, which is circular and 2,270 kbp in circumference, has been constructed. The restriction enzymes ApaI, SmaI, and SacII were used to digest intact chromosomes, and the fragments were resolved by field inversion gel electrophoresis (FIGE). The digests produced 22, 20, and 29 fragments, respectively. The order of the fragments was deduced from Southern blot hybridization of isolated labeled fragments to separated fragments of the various restriction digests. Genetic markers were correlated with the physical map by transformation of recipient cells with FIGE-isolated DNA fragments derived from genetically marked S. pneumoniae strains. In addition, markers were mapped by the hybridization of cloned genes to FIGE-separated restriction fragments. Six rRNA gene (rrn) clusters were mapped by hybridization to rrn-containing fragments of Haemophilus influenzae.


ABSTRACT Professional societies of biologists, including ornithological societies, have struggled to determine the appropriate way to apply the expertise of their memberships in conservation, largely because of a tension between issue advocacy and pure science. Within societies, some argue for using science to promote conservation, and others worry that such advocacy will render the science less credible in the eyes of decisionmakers. This debate excludes other important applications of science in conservation. We outline a vision for an expanded role of ornithological societies in avian conservation that includes pure science and emphasizes one of these other applications, science arbitration. Science arbitration involves evaluating the science relevant to an issue and providing the results to decisionmakers without taking a position on the outcome. We perceive a great need for science arbitration as judges, politicians, and other decisionmakers typically lack access to current, relevant scientific information in an objective form and as a result must act as their own arbiters despite a lack of appropriate expertise. The ornithological societies are in a unique position to fill this void in the area of avian conservation. We describe an additional role in which the societies may also wish to engage, Honest Broker, which is similar to Science Arbiter but also includes development of policy alternatives based on the science evaluated. We provide examples of the kinds of activities in which we envision the societies engaging, and outline a process for approaching science arbitration as the scholarly activity it should be.


Chemicals detection and quantification is extremely important for ensuring safety and security in multiple application domains like smart environments, building automation, etc. Characteristics of chemical signal propagation make single point of measure approach mostly inefficient. Distributed chemical sensing with wireless platforms may be the key for reconstructing chemical images of sensed environment but its development is currently hampered by technological limits on solid-state sensors power management. We present the implementation of power saving sensor censoring strategies on a novel wireless electronic nose platform specifically designed for cooperative chemical sensing and based on TinyOS. An on-board sensor fusion component complements its software architecture with the capability of locally estimate air quality and chemicals concentrations. Each node is hence capable to decide the informative content of sampled data extending the operative lifespan of the entire network. Actual power savings are modeled and estimated with a measurement approach in experimental scenarios.


Abstract Population studies within all communities have confirmed the rise of what has been referred to as a revolution in longevity. With the first wave of the baby boom generation about to join the existing over sixty-five generations, new life stages and experiences are being created in ways that will challenge religious communities. An important aspect of this revolution will be the opportunity to create new religious rituals that will respond to and reflect these new life stages and experiences. This growing multi-generational cohort will increasingly seek that their religious communities respond to their changing life experiences in ways that infuse their lives with meaning.


Chronic pain exerts a tremendous burden on individuals and societies. If one views chronic pain as a single disease entity, then it is the most common and costly medical condition. At present, medical professionals who treat patients in chronic pain are recommended to provide comprehensive and multidisciplinary treatments, which may include pharmacotherapy. Many providers use nonopioid medications to treat chronic pain; however, for some patients, opioid analgesics are the exclusive treatment of chronic pain. However, there is currently an epidemic of opioid use in the United States, and recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have recommended that the use of opioids for nonmalignant chronic pain be used only in certain circumstances. The goal of this review was to report the current body of evidence-based medicine gained from prospective, randomized-controlled, blinded studies on the use of nonopioid analgesics for the most common noncancer chronic pain conditions. A total of 9566 studies were obtained during literature searches, and 271 of these met inclusion for this review. Overall, while many nonopioid analgesics have been found to be effective in reducing pain for many chronic pain conditions, it is evident that the number of high-quality studies is lacking, and the effect sizes noted in many studies are not considered to be clinically significant despite statistical significance. More research is needed to determine effective and mechanism-based treatments for the chronic pain syndromes discussed in this review. Utilization of rigorous and homogeneous research methodology would likely allow for better consistency and reproducibility, which is of utmost importance in guiding evidence-based care.


High serum levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) correlate with poor outcome in breast cancer patients. However no data are available on the relationship between IL-6 and stem/progenitor cells which may fuel the genesis of breast cancer in vivo. Herein, we address this issue in mammospheres (MS), multi-cellular structures enriched in stem/progenitor cells of the mammary gland, and also in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. We show that MS from node invasive breast carcinoma tissues express IL-6 mRNA at higher levels than MS from matched non-neoplastic mammary glands. We find that IL-6 mRNA is detectable only in basal-like breast carcinoma tissues, an aggressive variant showing stem cell features. Our results reveal that IL-6 triggers a Notch-3-dependent up-regulation of the Notch ligand Jagged-1, whose interaction with Notch-3 promotes the growth of MS and MCF-7 derived spheroids. Moreover, IL-6 induces a Notch-3-dependent up-regulation of the carbonic anhydrase IX gene, which promotes a hypoxia-resistant/invasive phenotype in MCF-7 cells and MS. Finally, an autocrine IL-6 loop relies upon Notch-3 activity to sustain the aggressive features of MCF-7-derived hypoxia-selected cells. In conclusion, our data support the hypothesis that IL-6 induces malignant features in Notch-3 expressing, stem/progenitor cells from human ductal breast carcinoma and normal mammary gland.


Energy balance of large-scale and small-scale scenarios of macroalgae harvesting for biogas production was assessed from the energy balance perspective. Evaluation was based on primary energy Input Output (IO) ratio where all primary energy inputs into the stages of the process life-cycle were summarized and divided by the final energy output from the system. Estimations were made for three cases of possible methane yield from macroalgae as well as for different scenarios of macroalgae co-digestion with other feedstock. Anaerobic digestion of macroalgae as a single substrate both on a small- and large-scale is energy efficient only in case when their methane potential is at the average or high level with the IO ratio of 0.47 and 0.32 correspondently. In general co-digestion with other substrates is more preferable with respect to process condition and energy balance. Large-scale scenario is more stable and efficient than small-scale with the lowest IO ratio for co-digestion with crops. This is explained by the fact that biogas plant operation is among the most energy demanding stages which on the small-scale requires about 65 % of the input energy when this number for large-scale plant does not exceed 28 %. Energy inputs into digestate handling, feedstock pre-treatment and biogas upgrading, that are next most energy consuming stages, is greatly affected by the assumptions made about amount of substrate, produced biogas and transportation distance. When considering the maximal distance between macroalgae harvesting point and biogas production site and to which at which the energy balance remains positive then digestate handling becomes the most energy demanding process stage.


Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2)
over transition metals follows a complex reaction network. Even for products
with a single carbon atom (C1 products), two bifurcated pathways
exist: initially between carboxyl (COOH*) and formate (HCOO*) intermediates and
the COOH* intermediate is further bifurcated by pathways involving either formyl
(CHO*) or COH*. In this study, we combine evidence from the experimental
literature with a theoretical analysis of energetics to rationalize that not
all steps in the reduction of CO2 are electrochemical. This insight
enables us to create a selectivity map for two-electron products (carbon
monoxide (CO) and formate) on elemental metal surfaces using only the CO and OH
binding energies as descriptors. In the further reduction of CO*, we
find that CHO* is formed through a chemical step only whereas COH* follows from
an electrochemical step. Notably on Cu(100), the COH pathway becomes dominant
at an applied potential lower than −0.5V vs. RHE. For the
elemental metals selective towards CO formation, the variation of the CO
binding energy is sufficient to further subdivide the map into domains that
predominantly form H2, CO, and ultimately more reduced products. We
find Cu to be the only elemental metal capable of reducing CO2 to
products beyond 2e− via the proposed COH pathway and we identify atomic
carbon as the key component leading to the production of methane. Our analysis also
rationalizes experimentally observed differences in products between thermal
and electrochemical reduction of CO2 on Cu.


On the basis of follow-up findings about juvenile schizophrenia first expressed in superworship manifestations according to the type of metaphysical intoxication (98 observations), the authors established that most frequently these cases were characterized by a torpid course of the disease in the framework of slowly progressing juvenile schizophrenia. There was a high rate of favourable outcomes at the level of "clinical recovery" (in 42.5%). Favourable prognostic signs were as follows: the complete nature of the clinical picture of the syndrome, its similarity to pubertal crisis manifestations, the absence in its structure of other positive disturbances and a number of specific features of the premorbid picture. The authors determined the pattern of correlation between the typological characteristics of the state of juvenile metaphysical intoxication and the outcome of the disease, peculiarities of manifestations of this phenomenon at the initial stage of psychotic forms of juvenile schizophrenia, as well as distinctive features of superworship formations according to the type of juvenile metaphysical intoxication observed in the framework of pubertal decompensation in schizoid psychopathies.


Background Unplanned admission of a patient which is a vague or fuzzy event has important financial implications for efficient use of hospital resources. Patients at high risk of admission are of major concern due to heavy use of hospital resources. Traditional approaches are not capable of accounting for the complex uncertainty and vague nature of hospital admissions. Methods adapting fuzzy regression methods could be an alternative method for decision-making experts to predict patient admission. Purpose To deal with uncertainty in health system variables, identify the relationship between risk of admission and risk factors associated with the admission of a patient, and capture a vague definition of admission of a patient. Materials and Methods A modelling approach adapting a fuzzy regression method was designed and developed using UK Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data to capture the vague definition of admission of a patient. This model deals with uncertainty in health system variables which act as input variables in the model. The data collected is fuzzified, upper and lower bounds of the fuzzy membership function are evaluated using a JAVA programme that uses fuzzy regression methods. Results The fuzzy membership function was evaluated for about 10,000 patient records. 404 inpatient variables were scanned using HES data sets. Significant risk factors were admission source, admission method, reference conditions, age, length of stay, disease diagnosis. The uncertain relationship between predictors and outcome associated with it is shown with the help of upper and lower bound regression equations. Conclusions The fuzzy regression model was found to be capable of quantifying and estimating the unknown relationships between input predictors and predicted outcomes. The findings suggest that the fuzzy regression approach provides a good way of dealing with uncertainty in health system variables and vagueness in the admission of a patient. No conflict of interest.


The injection of carbon dioxid gas under pressure through the uterus to determine the patency of the fallopian tubes has been employed rather extensively in the gynecologic clinic of the University of Michigan for the last three years. During this period the Rubin test, with some modifications, has been used, since it was thought to be the best method of controlling the flow of gas, regulating its pressure and estimating the amount of gas passed through the uterus and fallopian tubes into the peritoneal cavity. Not only was the Rubin technic employed to determine the patency of the tubes, but it was the method of choice for the introduction of sufficient gas into the peritoneal cavity to allow the taking of satisfactory roentgenograms whereby pathologic changes in the pelvis could be carefully studied. If, under suitable pressure and after repeated attempts, the gas failed to pass by the transuterine route,


Direct intratumoral introduction of therapeutic or regulatory genes is a developing technology with potential application for cancer gene therapy. Macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta (MIP-1beta) is a chemokine which can chemoattract immune cells such as T cells. In the present study, murine colorectal adenocarcinoma CT26 cells were transfected with a recombinant adenovirus (AdhMIP-1beta) carrying the human MIP-1beta gene. 24 h post-transfection, hMIP-1beta levels reached approximately 980 pg/ml in supernatants of 10(6) hMIP-1beta-transfected CT26 cells. Moreover, the supernatants exhibited chemotactic activity for CD8(+) T cells, CD4(+) T cells, NK cells and immature DCs. Intratumoral injection of AdhMIP-1beta significantly inhibited tumor growth and prolonged the survival time of tumor-bearing mice. Intratumoral hMIP-1beta gene transfer also induced powerful tumor-specific CTL responses in vivo. The therapeutic effects of hMIP-1beta gene therapy were greatly reduced following in vivo depletion of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, but were unaffected by depletion of single T cell subsets. Immune cell depletion experiments also revealed that NK cells played an important role in hMIP-1beta-induced antitumor responses. These results suggest that intratumoral expression of hMIP-1beta has the potential effect to induce host antitumor immunity and may prove to be a useful form of cancer gene therapy.


Technological developments move at lightening pace and can bring with them new possibilities for social harm. This book brings together original empirical and theoretical work examining how digital technologies both create and sustain various forms of gendered violence and provide platforms for resistance and criminal justice intervention. This edited collection is organised around two key themes of facilitation and resistance, with an emphasis through the whole collection on the development of a gendered interrogation of contemporary practices of technologically-enabled or enhanced practices of violence. Addressing a broad range of criminological issues such as intimate partner violence, rape and sexual assault, online sexual harassment, gendered political violence, online culture, cyberbullying, and human trafficking, and including a critical examination of the broader issue of feminist 'digilantism' and resistance to online sexual harassment, this book examines the ways in which new and emerging technologies facilitate new platforms for gendered violence as well as offering both formal and informal opportunities to prevent and/or respond to gendered violence.


Background It has been hypothesized that the virulence of lab-passaged Mycobacterium tuberculosis and recombinant M. tuberculosis mutants might be reduced due to multiple in vitro passages, and that virulence might be augmented by passage of these strains through mice before quantitative virulence testing in the mouse or guinea pig aerosol models. Methodology/Principal Findings By testing three M. tuberculosis H37Rv samples, one deletion mutant, and one recent clinical isolate for survival by the quantitative organ CFU counting method in mouse or guinea pig aerosol or intravenous infection models, we could discern no increase in bacterial fitness as a result of passaging of M. tuberculosis strains in mice prior to quantitative virulence testing in two animal models. Surface lipid expression as assessed by neutral red staining and thin-layer chromatography for PDIM analysis also failed to identify virulence correlates. Conclusions/Significance These results indicate that animal passaging of M. tuberculosis strains prior to quantitative virulence testing in mouse or guinea pig models does not enhance or restore potency to strains that may have lost virulence due to in vitro passaging. It is critical to verify virulence of parental strains before genetic manipulations are undertaken and comparisons are made.


Summary Activation of complement by parasites (living parasites or purified parasite antigens) is involved in several mechanisms of the host parasite relationship. In most of the experiments performed in vitro, complement activation was found to be lethal for the parasites, but sometimes it could be essential for the development of parasitemia. Both classical and alternative complement pathways may be activated by parasites; the classical pathway nearly always requires the involvement of antibodies whereas the alternative pathway is activated directly by products released by the parasites or present in their teguments. Activation of complement, especially via the alternative pathway may also be a prerequisite for cellular adherence to parasites which can then cause their death.


When outgoing interim Iraqi Health Minister, Dr Khudair Abbas, embarked on the reconstruction of Iraq's collapsed health system last summer, he was shocked to find that there were only two psychiatric hospitals for a country of 24 million people. According to Abbas, patients with mental health problems had been kept under prison-like conditions and many escaped when their institutions were looted and vandalized last year. Inhumane treatment of patients was symptomatic of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship which tortured and murdered thousands of citizens, said Abbas. "[It is] not only the trauma of the past. We have to address the effect of the current conflict on the people," said Dr R. Srinivasa Murthy from WHO's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, who is responsible for mental health in the region. In July 2003, WHO hosted an expert consultation in Cairo to discuss the mental health and rehabilitation of psychiatric services in post-conflict and complex emergencies in a number of countries, including Iraq. They found that these populations were traumatized by acute and chronic stress. "Most of the population needs support to master the situation," Dr Murthy said, referring to countries like Iraq. When Abbas became health minister in September 2003 he drafted a health needs assessment with the help of WHO and other international experts, including James K Haveman, a public administrator from the US, appointed by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to advise him. They singled out mental health, alongside infectious diseases and cancer treatment, as the three top priorities. In February, Dr Abbas appointed Iraqi-born psychiatrist Sabah Sadik, who had been in exile in the UK for 25 years, as Iraq's National Advisor for mental health. An Iraqi Mental Health Council representing a wide range of disciplines was then formed and a draft Mental Health Act has been submitted to Iraq's Governing Council. In May, 16 psychiatrists from across Iraq attended a WHO training workshop in Beirut, Lebanon, to review Iraq's mental health needs, update their own knowledge and discuss the proposed mental health reforms. The same month, the Iraqi health ministry prepared a one-year mental health plan financed by a US$ 6 million donation from Japan to focus on mental health services, training new staff and rebuilding a mental health infrastructure. Iraqi psychiatrists have received training in Jordan, Kuwait, the US and the UK. …


Increasing water scarcity, climate change and pressure to provide water for environmental flows urge irrigators to be more efficient. In Australia, ongoing water reforms and most recent National Water Security Plan offer incentives to irrigators to adjust their farming practices by adopting water saving irrigation infrastructures to match with soils, crop and climatic conditions. WaterWorks is a decision support tool to facilitate irrigators to make long and short term irrigation infrastructure investment decision at the farm level. It assists irrigators to improve the economic efficiency, water use efficiency and environmental performance of their farm businesses. The WaterWorks has been tested, validated and accepted by the irrigation community and reachers in NSW. The interface of WaterWorks is user-friendly and flexible. The simulation and optimisation module in WaterWorks provides an opportunity to evaluate infrastructure investment decisions to suit their seasonal or long-term water availability. The sensitivity analysis allows substantiating the impact of major variables. Net present value, internal rate of return, benefit cost ratio and payback period are used to analyse the costs and benefits of modern irrigation technology. Application of WaterWorks using a whole farm-level case study indicates its effectiveness in making long term and short term investment decisions. The WaterWorks can be easily integrated into commercial software such as spreadsheets, GIS, real time data acquisition and control systems to further enhance its usability. The WaterWorks can also be used in regional development planning


IMPORTANCE
Patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are at high risk for liver disease progression. However, interferon-based treatments for HCV infection have significant toxicities, limiting treatment uptake.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the all-oral 3 direct-acting antiviral (3D) regimen of ombitasvir, paritaprevir (co-dosed with ritonavir [paritaprevir/r]), dasabuvir, and ribavirin in HCV genotype 1-infected adults with HIV-1 co-infection, including patients with cirrhosis.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
TURQUOISE-I is a randomized, open-label study. Part 1a of this pilot study was conducted at 17 sites in the United States and Puerto Rico between September 2013 and August 2014 and included 63 patients with HCV genotype 1 and HIV-1 co-infection who were HCV treatment-naive or had history of prior treatment failure with peginterferon plus ribavirin therapy. The study allowed enrollment of patients, including those with cirrhosis, with a CD4+ count of 200/mm3 or greater or CD4+ percentage of 14% or more and plasma HIV-1 RNA suppressed while taking a stable atazanavir- or raltegravir-inclusive antiretroviral regimen.

INTERVENTIONS
Ombitasvir/paritaprevir/r, dasabuvir, and ribavirin for 12 or 24 weeks of treatment as randomized.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The primary assessment was the proportion of patients with sustained virologic response (HCV RNA <25 IU/mL) at posttreatment week 12 (SVR12).

RESULTS
Among patients receiving 12 or 24 weeks of 3D and ribavirin, SVR12 was achieved by 29 of 31 (94%; 95% CI, 79%-98%) and 29 of 32 patients (91%; 95% CI, 76%-97%), respectively. Of the 5 patients who did not achieve SVR, 1 withdrew consent, 2 had confirmed virologic relapse or breakthrough, and 2 patients had clinical history and phylogenetic evidence consistent with HCV reinfection. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were fatigue (48%), insomnia (19%), nausea (18%), and headache (16%). Adverse events were generally mild, with none reported as serious or leading to discontinuation. No patient had a confirmed HIV-1 breakthrough of 200 copies/mL or greater during treatment.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In this open-label, randomized uncontrolled study, treatment with the all-oral, interferon-free 3D-plus-ribavirin regimen resulted in high SVR rates among patients co-infected with HCV genotype 1 and HIV-1 whether treated for 12 or 24 weeks. Further phase 3 studies of this regimen are warranted in patients with co-infection.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01939197.


Mechanical loadings on pipe systems caused by water hammer (hydraulic transients) belong to the most important and most difficult to calculate design loadings in nuclear power plants. The most common procedure in Sweden is to calculate the water hammer loadings on pipe segments, according to the classical 1D theory of liquid transient flow in a pipeline, and then transfer the results to strength analyses of pipeline structure. This procedure assumes that there is quasi-steady respond of the pipeline structure to pressure surges — no dynamic interaction between the fluid and the pipeline construction. The hydraulic loadings are calculated with 1-D so-called "network" programs. Commonly used in Sweden are Relap5, Drako and Flowmaster2 — all using quasi-steady wall friction model. As a third party accredited inspection body INSPECTA NUCLEAR AB reviews calculations of water hammer loadings. The presented work shall be seen as an attempt to illustrate ability of Relap5, Flowmaster2 and Drako programs to calculate the water hammer loadings. A special attention was paid to using of Relap5 for calculation of water hammer pressure surges and forces (including some aspects of influence of Courant number on the calculation results) and also the importance of considering the dynamic (or unsteady) friction models. The calculations are compared with experimental results. The experiments have been conducted at a test rig designed and constructed at the Szewalski Institute of Fluid–Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN) in Gdansk, Poland. The analyses show quite small differences between pressures and forces calculated with Relap5, Flowmaster2 and Drako (the differences regard mainly damping of pressure waves). The comparison of calculated and measured pressures and also a force acting on a pre-defined pipe segment show significant differences. It is shown that the differences can be reduced by using unsteady friction models in calculations. Recently, such models have been subjects of works of several researches in the world.Copyright © 2006 by ASME


Solar water pumping system (SPVWPS) plays a vital role in irrigation system throughout the world. In this paper, performance of a solar photovoltaic pumping system is established. Two 35 watt solar modules are used in this purpose. The author has calculated the solar radiation over six month (November to April) for covering all the seasonal solar radiation during 6-7 hrs. As the panel capture maximum solar radiation during day time. Author has measured input of the system (radiation*area of the solar panel) and output of the system in terms of voltage and current. Main objective of this paper is to establish the relation between the discharge rate and radiation and also, the relation between efficiency and the output.


In the present research, the authors examined the effects of the probability distribution of the target shape to the results of four component decomposition. The four component decomposition method decomposes polarimetric microwave data into four components, i.e. surface scattering, double bounce scattering, volume scattering and helix scattering. Prior to the present research, three dimensional structure of the rice was measured and modeled. The model was used to calculate the probability density funtion of the rice leaves at a viewpoint of arbitrary zenith and azimuth angles. With this probability density function, a covariance matrix of volume scattering for the rice was developed. This covariance matrix was embedded in the four component decomposition, and it was applied for the polarimetric X-band scattering data of rice, measured in an anechoic radio wave chamber in Niigata Univ. during September 25 to 26, 2007. It was found that the proposed four component decomposition produced more volume scattering and less surface scattering than the results produced by the standard four component analysis. As a result, it is concluded that the probability distribution of the target shape should be considered.


Introduction Concomitant abdominal aortic aneurysm formation and aortoiliac occlusive disease is a challenging combination, often requiring open reconstructive surgery. In this study, we have assessed a single center experience of the Nellix EndoVascular Aneurysm Sealing System in the treatment of an abdominal aortic aneurysm in conjunction with iliac artery occlusive disease. Methods Retrospectively case files of patients treated with Nellix EndoVascular Aneurysm Sealing System in a single center were reviewed. The primary endpoints of the study were the technical success of Nellix EndoVascular Aneurysm Sealing System in patients with coincidental iliac artery occlusive disease and the successful exclusion of the aneurysm during follow-up. Results Of the 96 patients that were treated with Nellix EndoVascular Aneurysm Sealing System, five were identified that had an abdominal aortic aneurysm in conjunction with iliac artery occlusive disease. Treated patients had either unilateral (n = 4) or bilateral (n = 1) common iliac artery occlusive disease varying from 70% stenosis to complete occlusions. The lesion length varied from 5 to 50 mm and in two cases it involved an occluded bare metal stent. The indication for surgery was the abdominal aortic aneurysm in all patients, including three also suffering from claudication. In all patients the iliac artery occlusive disease was pretreated with balloon-expandable covered stents. Technical success was achieved in all five patients. After a median follow-up of nine months all stents were patent with no signs of endoleak and stable aneurysm diameters. All patients were free of intermittent claudication or ischemic wounds. Conclusion Nellix EndoVascular Aneurysm Sealing System seems feasible and safe in patients with a combination of abdominal aortic aneurysm and iliac artery occlusive disease.


Weaving practical, hands-on ideas with theory and research about child development, child treatment, and the therapeutic relationship, this book describes an innovative approach to treatment of children and adolescents who won't or can't respond to traditional, conversation-based therapy. Within an interpersonal and developmental framework, Martha Straus spells out the deceptively simple goals of no-talk therapy: someone to be close to, and something to be proud of. As Straus demonstrates in her case examples, no-talk children fit many diagnostic pictures. Many start out hesitant about the whole enterprise of therapy, and a few remain intractably detached despite the therapist's best efforts to engage them. For some, the interpersonal requirements of problem-talk or play therapy are well beyond their developmental level. Others may have an abundance of talking and playing skills and be determined not to use them. Most have had lives that are unspeakably hard. Ironically, traditional therapy, with its most fundamental purpose of helping children feel better, is painfully uncomfortable for no-talk children and adolescents. For these children, therapists need an entirely new clinical language, one that doesn't depend on words.Through empathy and respect, games, activities, community involvement, a circle of adults, and little pleasures, this approach emphasizes individual connection, competence, and creativity. Going beyond other methods, no-talk therapy begins to provide these anxious, sullen, enraged, and confused kids with the self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-awareness to develop a voice of their own. Straus opens for readers a huge grab bag of gimmicks, gadgets, and games, from which to draw resources appropriate to every no-talk occasion. Most of all, she offers herself as an engaged, creative, fallible, caring therapist who hears the pain-and the strengths-in the silence.


This paper addresses the implementability of sustainable design guidelines while emphasizing the need for introducing project delivery processes. Reporting on two components integral to the development of Minnesota state sustainable design guidelines the paper provides the results of an inductive analysis of five major guidance documents and of a survey of selected Minnesota professionals. Results corroborate several shortcomings that pertain to the lack of clear measures and when and how specific tasks need to be conducted in a project delivery process. However, a number of positive tendencies are observed including addressing sustainability early in a project delivery process, awareness and involvement of clients and users, partnership and team building, linking technical issues to project phases, and referencing sustainable guidance documents to other policy documents. Concomitantly, a number of features are incorporated in a manner that avoids the missing process aspects of current documents and that overcomes obstacles expressed by the professional community of Minnesota.


Simple relations in terms of effective g parameters are given for linear resonators that contain laser rods with curved endfaces and for symmetrical and asymmetric ring resonators of Nd:Glass and Nd:YAG lasers. The equivalence relationships of thick and thin lenses have been applied.


The first surgical heart valve replacement was undertaken over half a century ago since when there has been a continuing quest to develop a prosthesis with the perfect combination of durability, haematological compatibility and haemodynamic performance. Early caged ball mechanical valves were robust but associated with red cell trauma and rapidly followed by introduction of mono-leaflet and bi-leaflet designs which remain in use today. Introduced later in the 1960s, bioprosthetic valves consisting of pericardial or valve tissue mounted on a frame and sewing ring were initially conceived for use in elderly patients unlikely to outlive the valve, or in other patients at risk of bleeding complications associated with anticoagulation. Until recently, mechanical valves have remained the logical choice in patients <65 years of age given the minimal rates of primary valve failure.1 However, advances in the longevity and haemodynamic performance of modern bioprostheses and the emerging potential for transcatheter treatment when they degenerate seem set to challenge this paradigm.2

Stentless bioprosthetic valves offer the potential for (A) further improvements in the flow dynamics of cardiac output and consequent haemodynamic performance, (B) remodelling and dynamic adaptation to the anatomy of the aortic root with resulting progressive increase in the effective orifice area, and (C) enhanced regression of left ventricular hypertrophy with …


Parallel imports are authentic products that challenge those sold through authorized dealers. Such imports are fast becoming popular, especially in Asia. Authorized dealers need to find ways to combat against parallel imports. One such means is to first understand consumer perceptions of parallel imports. A survey among respondents from an Asian country, Singapore, showed that perception and not demography or past product experience influence purchase intention of parallel imports. Perception of beneficial and image properties, more so than perception of physical properties, influenced purchase intention. The factors influencing the magnitude of discount expected from parallel importers were different from those for purchase intention. Women expected higher discounts than men, while an inverse relationship was observed for income. The unique properties for each product category also influenced purchase intention and expected discount. Managerial implications are discussed together with directions for future research.


The porous NiO/ samaria doped ceria (SDC) cermets, which have been used as the anode-supported for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), are fabricated via the tape casting process. In this article using different kinds of slurry system, prepared the large size (60×60mm) anode substrates for SOFC successfully. Effects of solvent, dispersant, plasticizer, binder and the sintering temperature program were investigated. Experimental results show that thicknesses and pore rates of anode substrates are 0.6 ~ 1.5mm and 20% ~ 40% respectively. And all of the complete and flat anode substrates have highly support intensity, for their homogeneous microstructure and pore distribution. Sintering the green pieces of anode substrates at the temperature of 1300°C for 2h, different green pieces have different shrinkages that could be from 20% to 30% measuring with thermal dilatometer. Using this kind of anode substrate, could find out a perfect one to matching the electrolyte film easily.


Abstract Obesity has been associated with a marked risk of metabolic diseases and requires therapeutic strategies. Changes in redox status with increased oxidative stress in adipose tissue have been linked with obesity-related disorders. Thus, the biological effect of antioxidants such as polyphenols is of high interest. We aimed to measure antioxidant capacities of 28 polyphenols representative of main dietary phenolic acids, flavonoids, stilbenes and curcuminoids. Then, 14 molecules were selected for the evaluation of their effect on 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and human red blood cells exposed to oxidative stress. Analysis of reducing and free radical-scavenging capacities of compounds revealed antioxidant properties related to their structure, with higher activities for flavonoids such as quercetin and epicatechin. Their effects on preadipocytes' viability also depended on their structure, dose and time of exposure. Interestingly, most of the compounds exhibited a protective effect on preadipocytes exposed to oxidative stress, by reversing H2O2-induced anti-proliferative action and reactive oxygen species production. Polyphenols also exerted an anti-inflammatory effect on preadipocytes exposed to H2O2 by reducing IL-6 secretion. Importantly, such antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects were observed in co-exposition (polyphenol and prooxidant during 24 h) or pretreatment (polyphenol during 24 h, then prooxidant for 24 h) conditions. Moreover, compounds protected erythrocytes from AAPH radical-induced lysis. Finally, these results led to demonstrate that antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of polyphenols may depend on structure, dose, time of exposure and cell conditioning with oxidative stress. Such findings should be considered for a better understanding of polyphenols' benefits in strategies aiming to prevent obesity-related diseases.


The study's objective was to assess the impact on clinical functioning of group based mindfulness training alongside standard psychiatric care for people with current, subjectively distressing psychosis. Data are presented from the first 10 people to complete one of four Mindfulness Groups, each lasting six sessions. People were taught mindfulness of the breath, and encouraged to let unpleasant experiences come into awareness, to observe and note them, and let them go without judgment, clinging or struggle. There was a significant pre-post drop in scores on the CORE (z=−2.655, p=.008). Secondary data indicated improvement in mindfulness skills, and the subjective importance of mindfulness to the group process (N=11). The results are encouraging and warrant further controlled outcome and process research.


The thesis investigates the institutional change in the case of the same-sex marriage referendum in Ireland. By using theories of discursive opportunity, framing and institutional change the study traces the public discourse on homosexuality, and analyzes which opportunities for progressive gay rights policies it presented. The focus is particularly on three informal institutions: marriage, family and religion which are at the center of controversy in the case of same-sex marriage. The first part of the paper conducts a frame analysis on the public discourse surrounding homosexuality as presented in newspaper articles of the Irish Times.In the second part of the study, the discourse of three prominent gay rights movements is analyzed in order to see how they used the opportunities presented by the public discourse and achieved a yes vote in the marriage referendum. The paper concludes with a discussion on how institutions both offer opportunities for change or reframing of current institutionalized meanings, but also constrain the framing processes of actors.


Human inhibitory alloantibodies and autoantibodies to Factor VIII (FVIII) are usually directed toward the A2 and/or C2 domains of the FVIII molecule. Anti-C2 antibodies block the binding of FVIII to phospholipid, but the mechanism of action of anti-A2 antibodies is not known. We investigated the properties of a patient autoantibody, RC, and a monoclonal antibody, 413, that bind to the region which contains the epitopes of all anti-A2 alloantibodies or autoantibodies studied to date. mAb 413 and RC were noncompetitive inhibitors of a model intrinsic Factor X activation complex (intrinsic FXase) consisting of Factor IXa, activated FVIII (FVIIIa), and synthetic phospholipid vesicles, since they decreased the Vmax of intrinsic FXase by > 95% at saturating concentrations without altering the Km. This indicates that RC and mAb 413 either block the binding of FVIIIa to FIXa or phospholipid or interfere with the catalytic function of fully assembled intrinsic FXase, but they do not inhibit the binding of the substrate Factor X. mAb 413 did not inhibit the increase in fluorescence anisotropy that results from the binding of Factor VIIIa to fluorescein-5-maleimidyl-D-phenylalanyl-prolyl-arginyl-FIXa (Fl-M-FPR-FIXa) on phospholipid vesicles in the absence of Factor X, indicating it does not inhibit assembly of intrinsic FXase. Addition of Factor X to Fl-M-FPR-FIXa, FVIIIa, and phospholipid vesicles produced a further increase in fluorescence anisotropy and a decrease in fluorescence intensity. This effect was blocked completely by mAb 413. We conclude that anti-A2 antibodies inhibit FVIIIa function by blocking the conversion of intrinsic FXase/FX complex to the transition state, rather than by interfering with formation of the ground state Michaelis complex.


These are two excellent books, with clarity as their outstanding feature, tailored to the needs of students of Electrical Engineering Craft Practice taking the City and Guilds of London Institute 'A' course. Both are easy to read, concise and informative. The text is well presented and amply illustrated. Indeed it is hardly possible to open either book without being confronted with either an illustration, diagram, caricature or table. The caricatures serve effectively to drive home some important points.


The predictable quantum efficient detector (PQED) consists of two custom-made induced junction photodiodes that are mounted in a wedged trap configuration for the reduction of reflectance losses. Until now, all manufactured PQED photodiodes have been based on a structure where a SiO2 layer is thermally grown on top of p-type silicon substrate. In this paper, we present the design, manufacturing, modelling and characterization of a new type of PQED, where the photodiodes have an Al2O3 layer on top of n-type silicon substrate. Atomic layer deposition is used to deposit the layer to the desired thickness. Two sets of photodiodes with varying oxide thicknesses and substrate doping concentrations were fabricated. In order to predict recombination losses of charge carriers, a 3D model of the photodiode was built into Cogenda Genius semiconductor simulation software. It is important to note that a novel experimental method was developed to obtain values for the 3D model parameters. This makes the prediction of the PQED responsivity a completely autonomous process. Detectors were characterized for temperature dependence of dark current, spatial uniformity of responsivity, reflectance, linearity and absolute responsivity at the wavelengths of 488 nm and 532 nm. For both sets of photodiodes, the modelled and measured responsivities were generally in agreement within the measurement and modelling uncertainties of around 100 parts per million (ppm). There is, however, an indication that the modelled internal quantum deficiency may be underestimated by a similar amount. Moreover, the responsivities of the detectors were spatially uniform within 30 ppm peak-to-peak variation. The results obtained in this research indicate that the n-type induced junction photodiode is a very promising alternative to the existing p-type detectors, and thus give additional credibility to the concept of modelled quantum detector serving as a primary standard. Furthermore, the manufacturing of PQEDs is no longer dependent on the availability of a certain type of very lightly doped p-type silicon wafers.


In our earlier works, we proposed rate adaptive hierarchical modulation-assisted two-best user opportunistic scheduling (TBS) and hybrid two-user scheduling (HTS) schemes. The proposed schemes are innovative in the sense that they include a second user in the transmission opportunistically using hierarchical modulations. As such the frequency of information access of the users increases without any degradation of the system spectral efficiency (SSE) compared to the classical opportunistic scheduling scheme. In this paper, we analyze channel access delay of an incoming packet at the base station (BS) buffer when our proposed TBS and HTS schemes are employed at the BS. Specifically, using a queuing analytic model we derive channel access delay as well as buffer distribution of the packets that wait at BS buffer for down-link (DL) transmission. We compare performance of the TBS and HTS schemes with that of the classical single user opportunistic schemes namely, absolute carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR)-based single user scheduling (ASS) and normalized CNR-based single user scheduling (NSS). For an independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) fading environment, our proposed scheme can improve packet's access delay performance compared to the ASS. Selected numerical results in an independent but non-identically distributed (i.n.d.) fading environment show that our proposed HTS achieves overall good channel access delay performance.


In traditional dynamic modeling of multi-body mechanical systems, the kinematic joints are assumed to be ideal or perfect, i.e., the clearance, friction, wear, and lubrication effects at the joints are neglected in order to simplify the dynamic model. However, in a real mechanical joint, a gap is always present to allow for the relative motion between the connected links as well as to permit the assembly of components. Studies have shown that the clearances and the tribological effects at the joint seriously affect the dynamic response of mechanical systems, and therefore, proper modeling of the imperfect joints in multi-body mechanical systems is required to achieve better understanding of the dynamic performance of the multi-body systems, especially at this era of the increasing demand for high-speed and precise mechanisms and machines. In this paper a state of the art on dynamic modeling of multibody mechanical systems with imperfect kinematic joints is critically reviewed. The goal is to review past and recent developments and approaches used in the computer-aided kinematic and dynamic analysis of mechanical systems with real joints. Suitability of various strategies employed in computational dynamics, and also the insufficiently addressed areas which require further attention in this fieldof study are presented.


Objective: There are controversial indications for neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAT) in the treatment of locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC). Here, we aimed to identify indications for NAT based on pre-treatment clinicopathological and laboratory parameters. Methods: This study included a retrospective cohort of 1083 LAGC patients who had underwent radical D2 gastrectomy in the Cancer Hospital of China Medical University between 2012 and 2016. After propensity score matching, 756 patients were recruited and were separated into NAT (n=378) or primary surgery (PS) (n=378) groups. Cox regression identified pre-treatment risk factors for overall survival (OS). A nomogram was established to predict OS and calculate scores for risk factors. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) determined cut off values, where the entire patient cohort was divided into low and high risk groups. Results: Seven risk factors that were significantly related to OS were incorporated in the nomogram. These risk factors included age, tumor size, tumor site, carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199), carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA), clinical T stage (cT) and clinical N stage (cN). The model contained a C-index of 0.637. The calibration curve revealed anticipated values that were reflective of actual values. The decision curve revealed an achievement of optimal clinical impact when threshold possibility was 0-54%. Next, the cohort was split into low (≤ 252 points) or high (> 252 points) risk groups based on the 5-year OS projected by RPA. The PS group showed a worse OS compared to the NAT group for high-risk patients (P =0.004). There was no significant difference when comparing OS between the PS and NAT groups for low-risk patients (P =0.407). Conclusions: A feasible, quantifiable and practical prognostic tool was generated to screen for potential survival benefits for patients receiving NAT. Surgeons can use this model to identify optimal treatment regimens for individualized treatment strategies during the diagnosis of LAGC patients. For these patients, NAT is suggested for high-risk patients.


Determination of thermal properties of some select wood samples for predicting temperature variation with thickness as determinant for selection of thermally suitable wood samples needed in passively cooled building design was undertaken. Results show that sample E, Iroko wood sample has among others, the best thermal insulation properties based on the highest and least values of thermal diffusivity[91.60 ± 0.04m2s] and thermal absorptivity [1.993 ± 0.111m-1] respectively. For the frequently used wood samples in building design investigated, the thermal conductivity of all of them are compatibly suitable for thermal insulation according to prediction limits given by other researchers. Moreover, thermal mathematical modelings have been developed for the prediction of thermal response of the wood samples frequently used in building design and these equations thermally thrive on predicting the variation and suitability of the investigated samples at any given thickness and time of the day with solar radiations absorbed by wood samples used for roofing, making of ceiling panels, making of doors or any other padded building design.


The aim of this article is to present a fault diagnosis scheme for the case of squirrel-cage Three Phase Induction Motors based on uncertainty bounds violation conditions. The suggested scheme has the capability to diagnose two types of faults: a) broken rotor bar and b) short circuit in stator winding. The fault diagnosis is being performed through a two steps procedure. In the first step the parameters of the healthy induction motor are being identified by utilizing a Set Membership Identification approach, where corresponding uncertainty bounds are also being provided. In the second step, specific proposed bound violation conditions for the fault detection and fault diagnosis are being on-line evaluated during a sliding time window. Multiple simulation results are being presented that prove the efficacy of the proposed scheme towards fault detection and fault diagnosis.


John Hilton Grace was born on 21 May 1873 at Halewood, a village in South Lancashire not far from Liverpool, the eldest of six children of a farmer. He received his early education at the village school, from which he went on to the Liverpool Institute. Here he came under the influence of an outstanding teacher of mathematics, J. A. Owen (who lived to the advanced age of 103), and in 1892 he entered Peterhouse, Cambridge, with an open Entrance Scholarship. His was a vintage year for Cambridge mathematics; among those who took the Mathematical Tripos in 1895 were six future Fellows of the Royal Society; besides Grace himself these were T. J. I'A. Bromwich, F. W. Carter, B. Hopkinson, E. T. Whittaker (later Sir Edmund Whittaker), and A. Young. Young was to become closely associated with Grace in his later mathematical work. There was intense rivalry, not only between the candidates but between their colleges, for the Senior Wrangler-ship. Grace, Bromwich, and Whittaker were the most fancied candidates, and the element of doubt in Grace's case was not due to any misgivings regarding his mathematical ability, but because it was thought that his rather unstable way of life might result in his not doing himself justice. At any rate a wag pinned on the door of one of the favourites, who was known to be of a religious turn of mind, the verse 'Work, as if on that alone Hung the issue of the day, Pray that Grace may be sent down, Work and pray!' In the event, Bromwich was Senior Wrangler, and Grace and Whittaker were bracketed second. Rumour had it that Grace was in the lead at the end of the penultimate paper, but celebrated a day too soon. Whether this is true or not it is in keeping with the fact that Grace was his own worst enemy, and throughout his life he missed opportunities of achieving the greatness of which he was capable through his intemperate habits.


Volume 1 The First National Debt A Plan for the Payment of the National Debt by Means of a National Bank (1785) Matthew McConnell, An Essay on the Domestic Debts of the United States (1787) Robert Aitken, A View of the Principles, Operation, and Probable Effects of the Funding System of Pennsylvania (1788) John Beale Bordley, National Credit and Character (1790) Robert R Livingston, Considerations on the Nature of a Funded Debt (1790) William Findley, A Review of the Revenue System ... Wherein the Principles and Tendencies of the Funding System ... Are Examined (1794) Jeremiah Allen, The Memorial and Petition of the Subscribers, For Themselves and Others (1796) Anon., A Correct Table Shewing the Net Amount of Funded 6 Percent Stock of the United States (1798) Albert Gallatin, Views of the Public Debt, Receipts, & Expenditures of the United States (1801) Volume 2 The First National Debt, 1787-1832 (continued) Oliver Wolcott, Remarks on the Present State of Currency, Credit, Commerce, and National Industry (1820) Bernard Cohen, Compendium of Finance (1822) Volume 3 The First National Debt, 1787-1832 (continued) Bernard Cohen (continued), Compendium of Finance (1822) The Antebellum Debt Anon., Harrison's National Debt: Assumption of the State Debts (1840) Anon., The National Debt As It Was, and As It Is: Facts from the Public Records of the Treasury (1843) Thomas Cary, The Americans Defended by an American: Being a Letter to One of His Countrymen in Europe in Answer to Inquiries Concerning the Late Imputations of Dishonour Upon the United States (1844) Volume 4 The Civil War Debt A B Johnson, The Advanced Value of Gold, Suspended Specie Payments, Legal-Tender Notes, Taxation and National Debt, Investigated Impartially (1862) A W Stetson, Is our Prosperity a Delusion? Our National Debt and Currency (1864) Samuel Wilkeson and Jay Cooke, How Our National Debt May Be a National Blessing: The Debt is Public Wealth, Political Union, Protection of Industry, Secure Basis of National Currency, The Orphans' and Widows' Savings Fund (1865) David Ames Wells, Our Financial Credit Abroad (1867) Charles Bowles, Cosmopolitan Views of American Finance (1870) William Richardson, Practical Information Concerning the Public Debt of the United States with the National Banking Laws: For Banks, Bankers, Brokers, Bank Directors, and Investors (1872) J C Zachos, Our Financial Revolution: An Address to the Merchants and Professional Men of the Country, Without Respect to Parties (1878) John Sherman, Refunding the National Debt (1880) Fernando Wood, Refunding the Public Debt. Financial Policy of the Secretary of the Treasury. Can a three-and-a-half per cent. Bond be Negotiated at Par? (1880) Margaret Sullivan Burke, The Truth About Our Finances (1892) A J Warner, Our Debt Abroad: How It Has Grown, and How It Is Affected by the Appreciation of Gold (1895)


In this paper, we present indoor measurement results on the cluster angular spread (AS), the tap AS and its variation with different channel bandwidths. A frequency domain space alternating generalized expectation maximization (FD-SAGE) algorithm is employed to estimate the multipath components from the measured data. We then manually identify the clusters of the multipaths and calculate the tap and cluster ASs for each identified cluster. It is found that for the 100 MHz channels, the average tap AS is just few degrees less than the cluster AS and the difference diminishes for less channel bandwidth.