To compare the effectiveness of different prenotification and invitation procedures in a web-based three-wave access panel survey over 3 consecutive months, we experimentally varied the contact mode in a fully crossed two-factorial design with (a) three different prenotification conditions (mobile short messaging service [SMS], e-mail, no prenotice) and (b) two "invita tion and reminder" conditions (SMS, e-mail). A group with nearly complete mobile phone coverage was randomly assigned to one of these six experimental conditions. As expected, SMS prenotifications outperformed e-mail prenotifications in terms of response rates across all three waves. Furthermore, e-mail invitation response rates outperformed those for SMS invitations. The combination of SMS prenotification and e-mail invitation performed best. The different experimental treatments did not have an effect on the sample composition of respondents between groups.


Improvement of quality-related traits of grains is a constant concern in white oat breeding programs, which challenges breeders to understand their dynamics. The performance of different genetic combinations must be thoroughly evaluated to make high nutritional quality cultivars available. This study aimed to estimate the heterosis on F1 and F2 generations, vigor loss, due to inbreeding, and correlation between the grain chemical components to understand the dynamics of these traits, considering two segregating oat progenies. The populations Albasul × UPF 15 (population 1) and IAC 7 × UFRGS 19 (population 2) were developed. Both populations showed transgressive segregant individuals. The combination Albasul × UPF 15 provided significant heterosis for traits β-glucan total and soluble fiber contents, while the population obtained by crossing IAC 7 × UFRGS 19 generated significant gain by heterosis for total fiber, insoluble fibers and non-structural carbohydrate contents. Considering the F2 average for each population, one can observe that population 1 presents higher β-glucan and lipid contents than population 2. On the other hand, population 2 has higher protein content than population 1. In both populations, the non-structural carbohydrate content is strongly and negatively correlated whith protein, total and insoluble fibers. Correlations between total fibers and lipids and between total fibers and insoluble fibers were both positive and high in both populations.


: As the mining industry strives to become a zero defect/harm sector, the concept of risk management using Six Sigma quality management principles for consistency and standardisation of processes/actions and the effect thereof is currently been practiced in Indian coal mines. For monitoring of the effectiveness of actions as recommended under a risk management exercise, the process and corresponding defect are predefined in a statistical manner. A series of frequency distribution patterns and defects in statistical count are generated. The defects measured per million opportunities against each activity/process and thus the corresponding sigma level of process performance is applied. In order to build up system capabilities and graduate towards higher sigma levels of operation, the backbone exercise of Six Sigma management system is reached by carrying out the failure mode effect analysis (FMEA). Each potential failure mode component is assessed for its severity (S), occurrence (O) and detection (D). Detection is measured on an inverse scale of (1-10). To build up system capabilities in risk management, the recommendations of FMEA are implemented. Subsequently the potential failure mode component(s) are reassessed for their S, O and D. With every evolution in the system, as it slowly graduates towards becoming a Six Sigma risk management system, the risk priority number (RPN) should go on decreasing. A case study of a roof bolting exercise is presented as an example.


ABSTRACT Children's lexical processing speed at 18 to 25 months of age has been linked to concurrent and later language abilities. In the current study, we extend this finding to children aged 36 months. Children (N = 126) participated in a lexical processing task in which they viewed two static images on noun trials (e.g., an ear of corn and a hat), or two dynamic video clips on verb trials (e.g., a woman stretching and the same woman clapping), and heard an auditory prompt labeling one of them (e.g., "Where is she stretching?"). They also participated in standard assessments of language and school readiness. The results indicated that lexical processing speed (i.e., how long they required to look to the labeled image or scene) was associated with measures of concurrent receptive vocabulary, as well as receptive vocabulary and school readiness two years later, although the associations are weaker than for younger children.


Lanthipeptides are ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified polycyclic peptides. Lanthipeptides that have antimicrobial activity are known as lantibiotics. Accordingly, the discovery of novel lantibiotics constitutes a possible solution for the problem of antibiotic resistance. We utilized the publicly available genome sequences and the bioinformatic tools tailored for the detection of lanthipeptides. We designed our strategy for screening of 252 firmicute genomes and detecting class-I lanthipeptide-coding gene clusters. The designed strategy resulted in identifying 69 class-I lanthipeptide sequences, of which more than 10% were putative novel. The identified putative novel lanthipeptides have not been annotated on the original or the RefSeq genomes, or have been annotated merely as coding for hypothetical proteins. Additionally, we identified bacterial strains that have not been previously recognized as lanthipeptide-producers. Moreover, we suggest corrections for certain firmicute genome annotations, and recommend lanthipeptide records for enriching the bacteriocin genome mining tool (BAGEL) databases. Furthermore, we propose Z-geobacillin, a putative class-I lanthipeptide coded on the genome of the thermophilic strain Geobacillus sp. ZGt-1. We provide lists of putative novel lanthipeptide sequences and of the previously unrecognized lanthipeptide-producing bacterial strains, so they can be prioritized for experimental investigation. Our results are expected to benefit researchers interested in the in vitro production of lanthipeptides.


Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), previously known as primary biliary cirrhosis, is an autoimmune liver disease which tends to be chronic and progressive in nature that is marked by the presence of cholangitis and small size biliary duct destruction which may cause cirrhosis or even liver failure. PBC incidence increases because PBC can now be diagnosed earlier and is due to the increasing survival rate of PBC patients. Diagnosis of PBC can be confirmed in asymptomatic state if in the indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) examination revealed AMA positive, and there is an abnormal liver function. Etiopathogenesis of PBC is multifactorial which involves genetic and environmental factors. Genetic factors which contribute to the incidence of PBC are HLA and non-HLA genes, while in the environmental factors, the triggering factors of PBC are bacterial infection and xenobiotic. Interaction of these factors causes the development of E2 subunit pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC-E2) and antimitochondrial antibody (AMA) as the causing autoantigen of biliary duct desctruction in PBC, mediated by the immune system. PBC stage is divided into minimal, mild, moderate and severe. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the first line therapy for PBC, while obeticholic acid (OCA) and fibrate is used as the second line. Liver transplantation is the definitive therapy for PBC where disease progresses into the advanced stage, although the patients have received medical treatment.


OBJECTIVES:To examine DNA content abnormalities in patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) who progress to esophageal adenocarcinoma, using image cytometric DNA analysis (ICDA) of formalin-fixed tissues.METHODS:Studies were performed on archived biopsies of BE patients' undergoing endoscopic surveillance before developing adenocarcinoma. A comparison group consisted of BE patients' free of cancer during a follow-up period of over 9 yr. Tissue sections were analyzed for the degree of dysplasia and for DNA content abnormalities, using image cytometry. Additional patients were also analyzed in a cross-sectional study of 56 BE cases with and without dysplasia, including 12 cases of adenocarcinoma.RESULTS:Five patients developed adenocarcinoma during follow-up and earlier biopsies obtained before cancer diagnosis showed specialized intestinal metaplasia (SIM) followed by low-grade dysplasia (LGD) in one, SIM followed by high-grade dysplasia (HGD) in one, LGD in two, and HGD in one case. All five showed some DNA abnormality at baseline or in interval biopsies. In the comparison group, five of seven patients showed normal diploid DNA at baseline and on follow-up biopsies. One patient initially had diploid DNA, but developed aneuploidy 11 yr later. Another case initially had aneuploidy, but was diploid on follow-up. Overall, DNA abnormalities were found in 13% of cases with SIM without dysplasia, 60% with LGD, 73% with HGD, and 100% with adenocarcinoma.CONCLUSIONS:(i) Image cytometric DNA analysis is a useful method to examine DNA abnormalities in formalin-fixed tissues and may be more sensitive in predicting progression to adenocarcinoma than HGD. (ii) Histological dysplasia of any grade and DNA abnormalities, help identify BE patients at high risk for adenocarcinoma.


We present a complex, full-rate quasi-orthogonal space-time block code for four transmit antennas. Using carefully tailored constellation phase rotations, we show that this code achieves full diversity for specialized PSK-based constellations. The optimal receiver for the new code decouples the symbol detection problem into pairs of symbols, thus greatly reducing complexity. Finally, we present and compare performance of the new code with several other codes in the literature. The new code is shown to perform as well as the best known code of its class.


We study optimal monetary policy during times of exceptionally high global demand for tradable goods, relative to non-tradable services. The optimal monetary response entails a rise in inflation, which helps rebalance production toward the tradable sector. While the inflation costs are fully beared domestically, however, part of the gains in terms of higher supply of tradable goods spill over to the rest of the world. National central banks may thus fall into a coordination trap, and implement an excessively tight monetary policy during tradable goods-driven recoveries.


The existen e of longitudinal solitary waves is shown for the Hamiltonian dynami s of a 2D elasti latti e of parti les intera ting via harmoni springs between nearest and next nearest neighbours. A ontrasting nonexisten e result for transversal solitary waves is given. The presen e of the longitudinal waves is related to the two-dimensional geometry of the latti e whi h reates a universal overall anharmoni ity.


OBJECTIVES
Hospitalists are increasingly the attending physician for hospitalized patients, and the scheduling of their shifts can affect patient continuity. For dementia patients, the impact is unknown.

DESIGN
Longitudinal study using physician billing claims between 2000 and 2014 to examine the association of continuity of care with the insertion of a feeding tube (FT).

SETTING
US hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS
Between 2000 and 2014, 166,056 hospitalizations of patients with a prior nursing home stay, advanced cognitive impairment, and impairments in four or more activities of daily living (mean age = 84.2 years; 30.4% male; 81.0% white).

MEASUREMENTS
Continuity of care measured at the hospital level with the Sequential Continuity Index (SECON; range = 0 to 100; higher score indicates higher continuity).

RESULTS
Rates of a hospitalist acting as the attending physician increased from 9.6% in 2000 to 22.6% in 2010, whereas a primary care physician with a predominant outpatient focus acting as the attending physician decreased from 50.3% in 2000 to 12.6% in 2014. Post-2010, a mixture of physician specialties increased from 55.5% to 66.4% with a reduction in hospitalists from 22.6% (2010) to 14.1% (2013). Continuity of care decreased over time with SECON dropping from 63.0 to 43.5. Adjusting for patient baseline risk factors, a nonlinear association was observed between SECON and FT insertion. Using cubic splines in the multivariate logistics regression model, the risk of FT insertion in hospitals where the SECON score dropped from 82 to 23 had an adjusted risk ratio (ARR) of FT insertion of 1.48 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.34-1.63); hospitals in which SECON dropped from 51 to 23 had an ARR of FT insertion of 1.38 (95% CI = 1.27-1.50).

CONCLUSION
Hospitalized dementia patients in hospitals in which continuity of care was lower had higher rates of FT insertions. Newer models of care are needed to enhance care continuity and thus ensure treatment consistent with likely outcomes of care and goals of care.


Abstract Social anxiety is one of the most commonly reported mental health problems among adolescents, and it has been suggested that parenting style influences an adolescent's level of anxiety. A context-dependent effect of oxytocin on human social behavior has been proposed; however, research on the oxytocin gene (OXT) has mostly been reported without considering contextual factors. This study investigated the interactions between parenting style and polymorphic variations in the OXT gene in association with social anxiety symptoms in a community sample of adolescents (n = 1,359). Two single nucleotide polymorphisms linked to OXT, rs4813625 and rs2770378, were genotyped. Social anxiety and perceived parenting style were assessed by behavioral questionnaires. In interaction models adjusted for sex, significant interaction effects with parenting style were observed for both variants in relation to social anxiety. The nature of the interactions was in line with the differential susceptibility framework for rs4813625, whereas for rs2770378 the results indicated a diathesis–stress type of interaction. The findings may be interpreted from the perspective of the social salience hypothesis of oxytocin, with rs4813625 affecting social anxiety levels along a perceived unsafe–safe social context dimension.


Melanoma treatment has been revolutionized over the past decade. Long-term results with immuno-oncology (I-O) agents and targeted therapies are providing evidence of durable survival for a substantial number of patients. These results have prompted consideration of how best to define long-term benefit and cure. Now more than ever, oncologists should be aware of the long-term outcomes demonstrated with these newer agents and their relevance to treatment decision-making. As the first tumor type for which I-O agents were approved, melanoma has served as a model for other diseases. Accordingly, discussions regarding the value and impact of long-term survival data in patients with melanoma may be relevant in the future to other tumor types. Current findings indicate that, depending on the treatment, over 50% of patients with melanoma may gain durable survival benefit. The best survival outcomes are generally observed in patients with favorable prognostic factors, particularly normal baseline lactate dehydrogenase and/or a low volume of disease. Survival curves from melanoma clinical studies show a plateau at 3 to 4 years, suggesting that patients who are alive at the 3-year landmark (especially in cases in which treatment had been stopped) will likely experience prolonged cancer remission. Quality-of-life and mixture-cure modeling data, as well as metrics such as treatment-free survival, are helping to define the value of this long-term survival. In this review, we describe the current treatment landscape for melanoma and discuss the long-term survival data with immunotherapies and targeted therapies, discussing how to best evaluate the value of long-term survival. We propose that some patients might be considered functionally cured if they have responded to treatment and remained treatment-free for at least 2 years without disease progression. Finally, we consider that, while there have been major advances in the treatment of melanoma in the past decade, there remains a need to improve outcomes for the patients with melanoma who do not experience durable survival.


The apps paradigm is rapidly changing the way in which content is transferred and consumed in mobile networks. Currently, the traffic loads generated by apps are mostly provided as Over-The-Top (OTT) services, essentially transparent to the cellular network operators, while some of the content is delivered and updated in user terminals through "background transmissions", without user intervention. With increasing traffic volumes, associated to richer content and more advanced devices, the apps paradigm might create severe system inefficiencies. In this paper we explore a number of apps based content delivery methods and investigate their performances on multiple relevant dimensions, such as: terminal energy consumption, time for accessing in-apps content and their impact on the user experience associated with other mobile data services. The proposed methods include opportunistic content pre-fetching and are characterized by different degrees of context-awareness. One approach considers only context information at the individual user terminals, while another one includes network context information and assumes that content distribution coordination is performed by the network operators. The results show that when one is increasing the numbers of apps, whose content needs to be simultaneously maintained updated, only the operator-driven approach can be feasible, mainly from an energetic perspective. However, for a small number of maintained apps, pre-fetching schemes are superior to standard "on-demand" content delivery solutions, suggesting that pre-fetching should be limited only to the subset of terminal apps with higher user access probabilities.


Abstract EFSA was requested to: 1) assess the risk for the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) due to feeding on farm of calves with colostrum potentially containing residues of antibiotics; 2) assess the risk for the development of AMR due to feeding on farm of calves with milk of cows treated during lactation with an antibiotic and milked during the withdrawal period, and 3) propose possible options to mitigate the risk for the development of AMR derived from such practices. Treatment of dairy cows during the dry period and during lactation is common in the EU Member States. Penicillins, alone or in combination with aminoglycosides, and cephalosporins are most commonly used. Residue levels of antimicrobials decrease with the length of the dry period. When the interval from the start of the drying‐off treatment until calving is as long as or longer than the minimum specified in the Summary of Product Characteristics of the antimicrobial, faecal shedding of antimicrobial‐resistant bacteria will not increase when calves are fed colostrum from treated cows. Milk from cows receiving antimicrobial treatment during lactation contains substantial residues during the treatment and withdrawal period. Consumption of such milk will lead to increased faecal shedding of antimicrobial‐resistant bacteria by calves. A range of possible options exist for restricting the feeding of such milk to calves, which could be targeting the highest priority critically important antimicrobials. β‐Lactamases can reduce the concentration of β‐lactams which are the most frequently used antimicrobials in milking cows. Options to mitigate the presence of resistant bacteria in raw milk or colostrum are mainly based on thermal inactivation.


Computed tomography as a non-invasive X-ray method offers new possibilities for detecting and diagnosing recurrences after colorectal cancer surgery. By CT-examination we found recurrences in 77 patients who had undergone rectal surgery and in 4 patients who had colonic carcinomata. Diagnosing the extent of recurrences exactly will help in taking the appropriate therapeutic decision (surgery, irradiation). CT examination becomes mandatory after suspecting a recurrence (clinical symptoms, CEA level increase).


The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the influence of two carrier agents, Nopal and Aloe Vera mucilage on the physicochemical properties and stability of blackberry and raspberry powders obtained by spray drying. A pilot scale spray dryer with a feed flow of 20 L/h and an atomization speed of 28,000 rpm was used. The inlet and outlet air temperatures were from 180 to 80°C, respectively. Yield, moisture content, water activity, hygroscopicity index, solubility time, volumetric density, stability diagrams, micrographs, and particle temperature were evaluated. The highest yields for blackberry extract were 75% with a concentration of 2.5% (w/v) Nopal mucilage, while raspberry extract yielded 65% with a concentration of 5% (w/v) Nopal mucilage. The increase in the concentration of the carrier agent presented an increase in the values of humidity, water activity, volumetric density, and solubility when Nopal mucilage was used as a carrier agent in both blackberry and raspberry extracts. Furthermore, when Aloe Vera mucilage was used as a carrier agent, these same values decreased with increasing concentration. The storage conditions of the powders obtained should be stored at temperatures below 20°C and water activities below 0.4. In addition, the stability diagrams show the particle conditions that should not be exceeded during spray drying.


ABSTRACT Excess winter morbidity and mortality among older people remain significant public health issues in those European countries which experience relatively mild winter temperatures, particularly the United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, Portugal and Spain. In the UK, episodes of severe winter weather, when ambient temperatures fall below 5° C, are associated with peaks in general practitioner consultations, hospital admissions, and cardiovascular deaths among those aged over 65. While research indicates that such health risks could be substantially reduced by the adoption of appropriate behavioural strategies, accessible and credible advice on how older people can reduce risk during 'cold snaps' is lacking. This paper describes a programme of research that aimed: (a) to translate the relevant scientific literature into practical advice for older people in order to reduce health risk during episodes of severe winter weather; and (b) to integrate this advice with a severe winter weather 'Early Warning System' developed by the UK Met Office. An advice booklet was generated through a sequential process of systematic review, consensus development, and focus group discussions with older people. In a subsequent field trial, a combination of the Met Office 'Early Warning System' and the advice booklet produced behavioural change among older people consistent with risk reduction. The results also show that long-held convictions about 'healthy environments' and anxieties about fuel costs are barriers to risk reduction.


Cobalt nanostructures with different size and morphology, i.e., spherical nanoparticles, nanorods, and particles arranged into elongated structures, were prepared using micelles and microemulsions as confined reaction media. The syntheses were carried out using three types of systems: aqueous surfactant solutions, oil-in water (O/W), and water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions. The influence of the surfactant and the precipitating agent used for synthesis was also investigated. For this purpose, cobalt nanostructures were prepared using different non-ionic surfactants, namely Synperonic® 10/6, Pluronic® P123 and a mixture of SPAN 20–TWEEN 80. Three different precipitating agents were used: sodium borohydride, sodium hydroxide, and oxalic acid. Our findings revealed that by changing the type of reaction media as well as the precipitating agent it is possible to modify the shape and size of the cobalt nanostructures. Moreover, the use of O/W microemulsion generates better results in terms of colloidal stability and uniformity of particle size with respect to W/O microemulsion. The different cobalt nanostructures were supported on commercial and mesoporous silica; transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that after deposition the Co nanocrystals remain well dispersed on the silica supports. This behavior suggests their great potential in catalytic applications.


A Unifying Perspective to Understanding Computational Intelligence Techniques and Their Applicability in Various Applications. Computational intelligence techniques, such as Neural Networks, Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Fuzzy Inference System (FIS), has been receiving a large attention in research area nowadays. Their application has covered vast area from engineering and business. This paper highlight a perspective that could provide newcomer to this field (especially) reasons and explanations for theirsuch wide range of applications. Throughout thepaper, control applications in will be used as an example for the implementation of this perspective in real mechanical engineering application.


We seek to contribute to an understanding of how judicial elections affect the incentives and decisions of judges. We develop a theoretical model suggesting that judges who are concerned about their reputation will tend to decide against their prior decisions as they approach elections. That is, judges who imposed a large number of severe sentences in the past and are thus perceived to be strict will tend to impose less severe sentences prior to elections. Conversely, judges who imposed a large number of light sentences in the past and are thus perceived to be lenient will tend to impose more severe sentences prior to elections. Using data from the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, we test, and find evidence consistent with, the predictions of our model.


War, poverty, geographical remoteness and political isolation all contribute to unreliable or non-existent data for developing regions of the world. As a consequence, research within these areas has been hampered by an abject lack of data in underdeveloped regions. The satellite-based nighttime lights data introduced here may hold the potential to overcome this problem by providing a proxy measure for large numbers of variables dealing with second and third generation human rights issues. The images presented here represent some of the newest forms of data available to social science investigations and those interested in human rights studies, and are already being used to estimate national and sub-national socioeconomic variables, such as gross domestic product (GDP), income and wealth per capita, population density, urban development, and even CO2 emissions. Beyond its usefulness in these areas, nighttime lights images may also yet reveal embedded information about population growth, mortality rates, migration, subnational poverty rates and infant mortality. The following "Notes from the Field" is a photo-essay geared toward a general audience of practitioners and academics, and is meant to introduce to these audiences a new form of proxy data in the hopes that it will be more widely used by the human rights community in such a way that it can begin to fill-in what has been called an "information gap" on human rights data for some regions of the world.


Background: It is unknown whether intravenous iron or oral iron repletion alone can correct anemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We conducted a randomized multicenter controlled trial in adult anemic, iron-deficient non-dialysis CKD (ND-CKD) patients (≧stage 3) not receiving erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). Methods: The participants were randomized to receive either a sodium ferric gluconate complex (intravenous iron) 250 mg i.v. weekly × 4 or ferrous sulfate (oral iron) 325 mg t.i.d. × 42 days. Hemoglobin (Hgb), ferritin and transferrin saturation (TSAT) were measured serially, and the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQoL) questionnaire was administered on days 1 and 43. The primary outcome variable was change from baseline (CFB) to endpoint in Hgb values. Results: Seventy-five patients were analyzed (intravenous iron n = 36, oral iron n = 39). CFB in Hgb was similar in the two groups (intravenous iron 0.4 g/dl vs. oral iron 0.2 g/dl, p = n.s.). However, the increase in Hgb was only significant with intravenous iron (p < 0.01). In comparison to oral iron, intravenous iron achieved greater improvements in ferritin (232.0 ± 160.8 vs. 55.9 ± 236.2 ng/ml, p < 0.001) and TSAT (8.3 ± 7.5 vs. 2.9 ± 8.8%, p = 0.007). Intravenous iron caused greater improvements in KDQoL scores than oral iron (p < 0.05). The most common side effect reported with intravenous iron was hypotension, while constipation was more common with oral iron. Conclusions: Oral and intravenous iron similarly increase Hgb in anemic iron-depleted ND-CKD patients not receiving ESAs. Although in comparison to oral iron, intravenous iron may result in a more rapid repletion of iron stores and greater improvement in quality of life, it exposes the patients to a greater risk of adverse effects and increases inconvenience and cost.


In the paper presented here three peculiar cases of rotor instability are presented. The first is a tilting-pad bearing used as an intershaft bearing in a two-spool gas turbine. It was initially chosen for its good stability properties. However in a deeper study it was found that those benefits are greatly reduced when both inner shaft and outer bearing are rotating. The second case comprises a turbine which showed a very strange performance with vibrations alternating between heavy and mild amplitudes. The periods were a couple of minutes long. After a more elaborate instrumentation was installed it was found that vibrations were synchronous and that the rotor experienced continuous changes of vibrations interrupted by sudden changes of amplitude. This revealed that nonlinearity and thermal effects coupled to the rotor vibrations must be incorporated to understand the behavior Many hypotheses were tested and the one coming closest to explaining the case was one incorporating thermal bending caused by heat conduction through an annulus partly filled with oil. The third case is a simple one of more pure curiosity, where a rotor was provided with a substantial amount of inner damping, and just according to the school book showed dynamic instability.


Abstract Stress echocardiography (stress echo), with use of both old and new ultrasonographic cardiac function imaging techniques, has nowadays become a widely available, safe and inexpensive diagnostic method. Cardiac stress, such as exercise or an inotropic agent, allows for dynamic assessment of a wide range of functional parameters describing ventricles, heart valves and pulmonary circulation. In addition to diagnosis of ischemic heart disease, stress echocardiography is also used in patients with acquired and congenital valvular defects, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy as well as diastolic and systolic heart failure. Physical exercise is the recommended stressor in patients with aortic and especially mitral valvular disease. Nevertheless, dobutamine stress echo is useful for the assessment of contractile and flow reserve in aortic stenosis with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Stress echo should always be performed by an appropriately trained cardiologist assisted by a nurse or another doctor, in the settings of an adequately equipped echocardiographic laboratory and with compliance to safety requirements. Moreover, continuous education of cardiologists performing stress echo is needed.


: This study explored the relationship between traditional admissions criteria, performance in the first semester of medical school, and performance on the National Board of Medical Examiners' (NBME) Examination, Part 1 for minority medical students, non-minority medical students, and the two groups combined. Correlational analysis and step-wise multiple regression procedures were used as the analysis techniques. A different pattern of admissions variables related to National Board Part 1 performance for the two groups. The General Information section of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) contributed the most variance for the minority student group. MCAT-Science contributed the most variance for the non-minority student group. MCATs accounted for a substantial portion of the variance on the National Board examination.


This paper presents a unique finding from a larger research project exploring social media use for social support among youth development program participants in Lafayette, IN. Through participant observation and semi-structured interviews conducted with Boys and Girls Club members ages 9-15, youth revealed varied uses of social media to sustain unexpected cross-age friendships. These friendships were perceived as integral sources of social support, and members described them to be some of the most significant in their lives at the time of their interviews. This finding raises important questions about the significant role social media may play in the maintenance of such cross-age relationships and mentorships, considering the absence of consistent face-to-face contact during the school day. Ultimately, participation in youth development programs in combination with social media use fosters these mentorships and encourages maturity and stability among these youth, which validates these unique friendships as important sources of social support. This finding offers implications for integrating digital and social media into youth development spaces, as well as for informing social and digital media designers of this particular use case.


A 72-year-old man, with a history of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) undergone19 years previously and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis since 1 year before, was admitted for evaluation of dropping arterial pressure down 1 hour after starting hemodialysis. On a computed tomography on chest scan, markedly calcified pericardium on the posterior and diaphragmatic sides of the heart was revealed. Pericardium was mostly not calcified 2 years before admission, pre-initiation of hemodialysis, and the thickness of calcified pericardium was obviously increased after initiation of hemodialysis. Constrictive pericarditis (CP) was diagnosed and subsequent pericardiectomy was underwent, and dropping atrial pressure down during hemodialysis disappeared. The main cause of CP was not cardiac surgery undergone previously (postoperative CP). It is probable that secondary hyperparathyroidism in ESRD provoked dystrophic calcification of pericardium, which was injured by past CABG, subsequent rigid and thickness of pericardium, and constrictive physiology became obvious. J Med Cases. 2014;5(9):498-501 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc1910w


Craftsmen performing construction work are in the best position to determine how a job should be performed safely. They should be involved in planning the safe execution of the work. Involvement will be a function of opportunity, capability, and motivation. A survey of contractor management personnel and craftsmen was conducted to assess their perceptions of these variables. A simulated planning exercise was conducted to assess craftsmen's capabilities, in terms of knowledge, of construction tasks and risks. Craftsmen were found to be capable, but inexperienced in reducing their knowledge to writing. Questioning uncovered the depth of their knowledge. Craftsmen perceive themselves as capable and motivated and seek the opportunity to be involved in planning for health and safety.


A method was developed to determine the initial peripheral contact angle of sessile drops on solid surfaces from the rate of drop evaporation for the case where 1 < 90°. The constant drop contact radius, the initial weight, and the weight decrease with time should be measured at the ambient temperature for this purpose. When water drops are considered, the relative humidity should also be known. The peripheral contact angle so obtained is regarded as the average of all the various contact angles existing along the circumference of the drop. Thus, each determination yields an average result not unduly influenced by irregularities at a given point on the surface. In addition, the error in personal judgment involved in drawing the tangent to the curved drop profile at the point of contact can be eliminated. The application of this method requires the use of the product of the vapor diffusion coefficient with the vapor pressure at the drop surface temperature. This product can be found experimentally by follo...


Content-aware resizing methods have recently been developed, among which, seam-carving has achieved the most widespread use. Seam-carving's versatility enables deliberate object removal and benign image resizing, in which perceptually important content is preserved. Both types of modifications compromise the utility and validity of the modified images as evidence in legal and journalistic applications. It is therefore desirable that image forensic techniques detect the presence of seam-carving. In this paper we address detection of seam-carving for forensic purposes. As in other forensic applications, we pose the problem of seam-carving detection as the problem of classifying a test image in either of two classes: a) seam-carved or b) non-seam-carved. We adopt a pattern recognition approach in which a set of features is extracted from the test image and then a Support Vector Machine based classifier, trained over a set of images, is utilized to estimate which of the two classes the test image lies in. Based on our study of the seam-carving algorithm, we propose a set of intuitively motivated features for the detection of seam-carving. Our methodology for detection of seam-carving is then evaluated over a test database of images. We demonstrate that the proposed method provides the capability for detecting seam-carving with high accuracy. For images which have been reduced 30% by benign seam-carving, our method provides a classification accuracy of 91%.


Anthracyclines have a severe adverse effect in cardiac function. Same here, trastuzumab has cardiotoxicity even in single use and also should lead to exacerbation of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity. Concurrent administration of anthracycline and trastuzumab is dangerous, but sequential administration is also dangerous. We should carefully design trastuzumab-containing regimens based on anthracycline dosing, regardless of whether it is concurrent or sequential. Contraindication of concurrent use of anthracyclines and trastuzumab has distracted us from its potential efficacy as well as from the inherent dan- ger of anthracyclines together with trastuzumab. Avoidance of concurrent dosing is insufficient. As anthracyclines and trastuzumab are essential agents for HER2-positive breast cancer, and so, we must continue to address this issue from both safety and efficacy aspects. was insufficient in combination. However, the anti-cancer performance of this regimen is promising.


Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is the etiological agent for zoonotic caseous
lymphadenitis (CLA). CLA is a zoonotic disease with high prevalence in sheep and
goats worldwide in chronic and subclinical forms. CLA cause high financial loss to
CLA endemic countries due to the condemnation of affected carcasses, reproductive
problems, decreased in milk and meat production, poor wool growth and mortality in
goats, sheep and other small ruminants. Therefore, the present study aims to examine
the presence of C. pseudotuberculosis in reproductive organs and iliac lymph node of
non-pregnant does in respect to cellular, hormone and cytokine changes inoculated
intradermally in chronic form. This is the first study to review the chronicity of the
infection in the reproductive organs and associated lymph node of non-pregnant does.
In this study, eighteen non-pregnant healthy Katjang does aged 2 years old were
divided randomly into two groups. The first and second group consisted of nine does
each and the two groups were subdivided into three subgroups. The first group was
experimentally inoculated with 1 ml of 107 cfu of live C. pseudotuberculosis by
intradermal route while the second group was given 1 ml of PBS (pH 7) intradermally.
The first group was further subdivided into three subgroups where the first subgroup
(B1) was kept for 30 days post infection, the second subgroup (B2) was kept for 60
days post infection and the third subgroup (B3) was kept for 90 days. The second group
was further subdivided into three subgroups (C1, C2, C3) where they were kept for 30,
60 and 90 days post infection respectively. During the post challenged periods, the
goats were observed for clinical signs and blood samples were collected at
predetermined intervals for three consecutive months for further analyses. Three goats
from the treatment group were sacrificed monthly and post mortem examination was
performed and reproductive organs and associated lymph nodes were collected for
histopathology. Isolation and identification of C. pseudotuberculosis and PCR were
conducted. Results showed there was successful isolation of C. pseudotuberculosis
from reproductive organs and iliac lymph nodes of the experimental does after the
second month from one of the infected does whereas the other two does only showed
positive isolation from the ovary. For the second and third month of post-infection, all
infected does showed positive C. pseudotuberculosis in the iliac lymph nodes and all reproductive organs. The concentration of IL-1β and IL-6 increased after three month
post-inoculation. Whereas, the hormonal response in the challenged does showed a
decrement pattern in progesterone concentration and increment pattern for estradiol
hormone throughout three month post-infection. The changes in the hormonal
concentration were further supported with the changes in the tissues of reproductive
organs in the challenged does. The histopathology of exposed group showed mild to
severe inflammatory cells, congestion, degeneration and necrosis in all the reproductive
organs and iliac lymph nodes in all treated groups. Iliac lymph node showed moderate
inflammatory cells (1.6±0.00), mild congestion (1.0±0.45), moderate degeneration and
necrosis (1.5±0.00) for one month post-infection group. In the second month postinfection
group, iliac lymph node revealed the presence of moderate inflammatory cells
(1.6±0.21), mild congestion (1.2±0.18) and moderate degeneration and necrosis
(1.5±0.22). For the treatment group of three month post-infection, the iliac lymph node
exhibited the presence of moderate inflammatory cells (1.6±0.22), moderate congestion
(1.5±0.11), severe lesion degeneration and necrosis (2.6±0.22). In the treated group of
one month post-infection showed mild infiltration of inflammatory cells (1.4±0.00),
mild congestion (1.4±0.55), mild degeneration and necrosis (1.4±0.55) of the ovary. In
the treated group of second month post-infection, the ovary exhibited mild
inflammatory cells (1.4±0.18), mild congestion (1.4±0.26) and mild degeneration and
necrosis (1.4±0.18). The third month post-infection group, ovary showed with moderate
degeneration and necrosis (2.4±0.15), moderate inflammatory cells (2.3±0.17) and mild
congestion (1.4±0.19). In the first groups of one month post-infection, the vagina
showed mild inflammatory cells (0.6±0.45), moderate congestion (1.5±0.55) and severe
degeneration and necrosis (2.6±0.45). The second month post-infection group revealed
vagina with moderate congestion (1.5±0.21), severe degeneration and necrosis
(2.5±0.22) and mild inflammatory cells (0.9±0.08). The third month group, the vagina
exhibited moderate inflammatory cells (1.5±0.22), severe congestion (2.6±0.22), and
severe degeneration and necrosis (2.6±0.22). The uterine horn in the first groups of one
month post-infection animals showed mild inflammatory cells (1.4±0.00), moderate
congestion (1.9±0.00) and mild degeneration and necrosis (1.3±0.00). In the second
month post-infection group, the uterine horn exhibited mild degeneration and necrosis
(1.4±0.19), moderate congestion (2.3±0.13) and mild inflammatory cells (1.4±0.21).
For the third month post-infection, the uterine horn showed mild degeneration and
necrosis (1.3±0.21), moderate inflammatory cells (1.9±0.04) and moderate congestion
(2.2±0.06). The uterus of the first month post-infection group showed mild
inflammatory cells (1.2±0.00), mild congestion (0.8±0.45) and mild degeneration and
necrosis (1.4±0.45). For the second month post-infection group, the uterus showed mild
inflammatory cells (1.0±0.04), mild congestion (1.1±0.13) and mild degeneration and
necrosis (0.5±0.22). For the third month post-infection group, the uterus exhibited
moderate congestion (1.5±0.22), moderate inflammatory cells (1.6±0.22) and moderate
degeneration and necrosis (1.5±0.22). For cervix, the first month post infection group
showed presence of mild inflammatory cells with mean score of 1.2±0.45, mild
congestion with mean score of 1.4±0.33 and mild degeneration and necrosis with mean
score of 0.5±0.45. For the second month post-infection group, cervix showed cellular
changes of mild inflammatory cells with mean score of 1.0±0.00, mild congestion with
mean score of 1.1±0.13, and mild presence of degeneration and necrosis with mean
score of 0.8±0.19. For the third month post-infection group, cervix exhibited cellular
changes of mild congestion with mean score of 1.1±0.07, moderate inflammatory cells
with mean score of 1.5±0.22 and moderate degeneration and necrosis with mean score
of 1.5±0.22. In conclusion, PCR and histopathology of the reproductive tract of Katjang
does proved that C. pseudotuberculosis can successfully ascended the reproductive tract and penetrated the physical barrier of the genital tract causing severe lesions as observed in this study. The presence of C. pseudotuberculosis causes the IL-1β, IL-6
and estradiol to be increased while progesterone hormone to be decreased gradually.


Recent years have witnessed the rise of neo-nationalist sentiments, especially for immigration controls amongst the post-industrial white working-class in Britain. However, this trend visibly faltered in 2017 as unexpectedly large numbers of the post-industrial white working-class voted against political parties with implicitly neo-nationalist agendas. On the basis of ethnographic research conducted in post-industrial northeast England, I explain this unexpected turn of events as driven, in part, by a backlash against the implicit xenophobia in the agendas of neo-nationalist political organisations. I argue that the bac klash is grounded in widespread perceptions of immigrants embodying locally valorised forms of sociality and personhood that are intimately linked to experiences of work and industrial work in particular. Simultaneously however, I argue that the very same members of the post-industrial white working-class often remain opposed to immigration because it enables access to an international labour force that obviates the need for the development of local human capital and, thereby, the possibility of many of 'their own' people having access to the means by which they can develop these same valorised types of sociality and personhood. In this way, commonly the post-industrial white working-class is opposed to immigration whilst, however, being positively predisposed towards immigrants.


With rapid economic growth and urbanization in China, the Chinese building sector now accounted for a large amount of its energy usage and pollution. In order to minimize the environmental effect, the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development (MOHURD) has set a goal that 30% of all new constructed buildings will be green by 2020.This report reviews the Three Star System, the Chinese green building standard developed by the government agency MOHURD in order to promote and regulate green buildings in China. The study is done by comparing the Three Star System with two of its western equivalents, BREEAM and LEED. The technical manual of each standard is studied and compared, results from various researches within the area is also featured in the report.The finding of this report is that Three Star System is necessary to fulfill Chinas unique situation with a building sector that consist of high rates of new construction, although the standard is necessary it still need improvement in technical detail and user-friendliness to be at the same level as LEED and BREEAM. Some suggestion are proposed in the report for further development of the Three Star System


Equine inflammatory airway disease (IAD) and recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) represent a spectrum of chronic inflammatory disease of the airways in horses resembling human asthma in many aspects. Therefore, both are now described as severity grades of equine asthma. Increasing evidence in horses and humans suggests that local pulmonary inflammation is influenced by systemic inflammatory processes and the other way around. Inflammation, coagulation, and fibrinolysis as well as extracellular remodeling show close interactions. Cytology of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and tracheal wash is commonly used to evaluate the severity of local inflammation in the lung. Other mediators of inflammation, like interleukins involved in the chemotaxis of neutrophils, have been studied. Chronic obstructive pneumopathies lead to remodeling of bronchial walls and lung parenchyma, ultimately causing fibrosis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are discussed as the most important proteolytic enzymes during remodeling in human medicine and increasing evidence exists for the horse as well. A systemic involvement has been shown for severe equine asthma by increased acute phase proteins like serum amyloid A and haptoglobin in peripheral blood during exacerbation. Studies focusing on these and further possible inflammatory markers for chronic respiratory disease in the horse are discussed in this review of the literature.


A multidisciplinary anthropological and epidemiological pilot field study of the Bayash population living in 6 villages of the eastern Croatian region of Baranya has been performed in 2005/06. The Bayash (or Boyash) belong to the Roma minority population speaking a distinct archaic dialect of the Romanian language. Since the bone mineral density values in the Roma have not been explored so far and the prevalence of osteoporosis is unknown for this ethnic minority group a screening by means of the " Sahara" Hologic clinical bone sonometer has been performed on 232 voluntary participants (73 males and 159 females). The prevalence of osteoporosis (T-score <-2.5) in the Bayash aged 50 and older is found to be 9.1% in males and 34.4% in females, which is substantially higher than in the general population of Croatia. The prevalence of T-values ranging from -1 to -2.5 indicating osteopenia is found to be 63.6% in males and 45.3% in females, while normal T-values range is found only in 27.3% males and 20.3% females. In addition to the low bone mass in older subjects, the mean estimated bone mineral density in all age groups of in Bayash men and women was lower in comparison to the manufacturer' s reference ranges for European Caucasian population of the same age. Since body size effects could not be declined, the reference values that would be appropriate for the Roma population should be further explored. The high estimated prevalence of developed osteoporosis calls for attention and the survey should also be extended towards exploring the association of low bone mineral density with particular life style and reproductive factors present in this semi-sedentary Roma population.


The breakdown arc of a negative discharge is preceded by a burst of current pulses. Near to breakdown this burst of current pulses gives information about the size of the discharge and can be used to map its development. This paper develops the idea that, w ith the advent of fast digitizing oscilloscopes, the recording of such current pulse bursts can provide an alternative approach to the testing of insulating oils. The standard electrical breakdown test for transformer oil continues to be employed for the want of a better test, although it is acknowledged that the information it gives is of limited value. The proposed alternative approach, by avoiding actual breakdowns and testing over a longer period, can give more reliable (and reproducible) information not only about the breakdown voltage but also about the particle content of the oil.


Research has found differences between women and men in some health indicators. Women's life expectancy is higher than men's, but research on differences in morbidity has proved less consistent than on the differences in mortality. These differences vary in terms of the type of health indicator used, the life cycle period analyzed, and even the country where research is conducted. Generally, men have more life-threatening chronic diseases at younger ages, including coronary heart disease, as well as more externalizing mental health problems and substance use disorders. Women present higher rates of chronic debilitating conditions such as arthritis, frequent or severe headaches, gallbladder conditions, and also more internalizing mental problems such as affective and anxiety disorders. Results of research on the differences between women and men in self-rated health have also highlighted the complexity of gender differences in health. Although several studies have shown that women have poorer self-rated health than men, this is not the case in all countries. Also, differences in self-rated health vary depending on other psychosocial and demographic variables. The present study reviews the main differences in women's and men's health as well as the most relevant factors that may account for them.


The legal regulation of the Court's decision is the institution, whose investigation requires rather great attention to the theory of civil procedure. However, a question of the legal power of the Court's decision, as the link between a formal side of Court's decision and it's rnaterial realization, is often left apart. In this way, the bigger part of this article is linked with the investigation of the indication of the legal power of the Court's decision; it's limitations, the meaning in civil procedure. While using the ideas of eminent scientists, the author tries to notice the contradictions in the theoretical conceptions, which define the object of this article. In this article we can see the main characteristics of the legal power of the Court's decision described: obligatoriness, subjectivity, consistence, stability, prejudice. Great attention is attached to the latter characteristic – prejudice, which is described under the aspect of legal practice. The question of implication of personal rights takes an important position in the paragraph of this article considering the prejudice aspect. An author obviously negates the execution of the Court's decision, as the characteristic of the legal power of the Court's decision. The importance of the legitimate characteristic of the legal power of the Court's decision is declared in an original way. This quality is defined considering the relation with the corresponding law system. In conclusion the author shows the meaning of the legal power of the Court's decision as the form of judicial power and Court's authority in the sphere of regulation of social relations.


This paper seeks to offer an economic explanation for the emergence of democracy in societies with high income inequality and narrow middle-class such as Apartheid South Africa. The presence of a credible threat of capital flight is shown to render democracy less unpleasant to the elites by making future tax concessions possible. However, inequality should be sufficiently low for the poor to have enough incentive to concede less redistribution to avoid capital flight. The development of the finance sector in South Africa in the later years of Apartheid made the exit option a major part of the democratic bargain.


Mangroves are unique tropical coastal wetland ecosystems that have important roles to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Recent studies showed that mangroves have been severely threatened by deforestation, land use change, aquaculture and other human activities. This study shows that remote sensing techniques can assess the spatial extent and aboveground biomass spatial data of mangrove ecosystems in Segara Anakan lagoon, southern coast of Central Java Province. By combining Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite and aboveground biomass field data in 2009 there was increasing pattern of aboveground biomass with mean value of 359 Mg ha-1 and 547 Mg ha-1 for 2001 and 2013 respectively. The increasing biomass value implies that mangrove ecosystems in this lagoon could survive and grew well although severely threatened due to mangrove conversion. Despite of some limitation data availability and processes, this study fills the gap information on aboveground biomass mapping and may be very valuable to support monitoring on deforestation and degradation and other activities like measuring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of carbon stocks and reducing emission from deforestation and degradation (REDD+) especially on coastal mangrove forests.


Manufacturers of branded pharmaceuticals sometimes strategically redesign their products in order to prevent the substitution of a generic product at the pharmacy counter. This product-redesign strategy impairs the generic's most cost-efficient (and only commercially feasible) means of competing. Regardless of whether the reformulated product brings any medical or other benefits to consumers – indeed, even if the reformulated product is undeniably inferior to the original brand product – the brand manufacturer's reformulation can significantly impair consumers' access to the far less expensive generic product.In this first of two articles on the subject, we begin by outlining the legal and regulatory context in which product reformulations occur, emphasizing the structural aspects of the pharmaceutical marketplace that make reformulations an effective strategy for brand manufacturers. Fundamentally, prescription pharmaceutical markets suffer from a "price disconnect"; the doctor who prescribes the product does not pay for it, and the consumer (or her insurer) who does pay does not choose the product. Thus, these markets are not founded on the consumer's price/quality choice that, in most markets, ensures that manufacturers make only those product changes that are likely to enhance consumer welfare.We next discuss a comprehensive database of more than 400 pharmaceutical reformulations from 1995 through April 2009. The data reveal 32 reformulations – with more than $28 billion in combined annual sales – that are temporally linked to imminent generic competition and are clearly "suspect," e.g., minor reformulations such as changes from a capsule to a tablet or vice versa; changes in chemical structure that yielded little or no consumer value; and multiple, seriatim product reformulations. Another 22 reformulations, with combined annual sales of an additional $15.8 billion, involved switches to extended-release products or "combination" products.We discuss the dataset in light of the various tactics that manufacturers use as part of their reformulation strategies, including: (1) switching promotional efforts from the original product to the reformulated product; (2) introducing the redesigned product before generic entry; and (3) withdrawing the original product from the market. We then evaluate whether the recent court decisions in TriCor and Nexium effectively deal with the unique aspects of the pharmaceutical industry and with the economic effects of the manufacturers' tactics. This sets the stage for our proposed second article, which will advocate a fact-based approach to the proper antitrust treatment of pharmaceutical reformulations.


Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have demonstrated their promising potential in bio-motion energy harvesting. A combination of the TENG and textile materials presents an effective approach toward smart fabric. However, most traditional fabric-TENGs with alternating current (AC) have to use stiff, uncomfortable and unfriendly rectifier bridge to obtain direct current (DC) to store and supply power for electron devices. Here, a DC Fabric-TENG (DC F-TENG) with the most common plain structure, is designed to harvest bio-motion energy by tactfully taking advantage of the harmful and annoying electrostatic breakdown phenomenon of clothes. A small DC F-TENG (1.5 cm × 3.5 cm) can easily light up 416 serially connected light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Furthermore, some yarn super-capacitors (SCs) are fabricated and woven into the DC F-TENG to harvest, store energy and power electron devices, such as a hygrothermograph or a calculator, which shows great convenience and high-efficiency in practice. This low cost and efficient DC F-TENG which can directly generate DC energy without using the rectifier bridge by harvesting energy from unhealthy electrostatic breakdown has great potential as a lightweight, flexible, wearable and comfortable energy harvesting device in the future.


What would you do if you were a student living on campus and you were burdened by an annoying fire alarm late at night? Though evacuating the building seems like the most logical and safe course of action, sleeping or studying for a big midterm may be a risk you are willing to take. Going back to grade school and up to your freshman year of college, we have been exposed to countless fire drills and false alarms. It is important to know the real facts on how students respond to fire alarms, the reason why they would respond, and their overall interpretation of them. In this paper is one in person survey of 50 students in the Yosemite dorms, three phone interviews with two fire alarm contractors and a Cal Poly fire and life safety specialist. Most of the student responses were the right thing to do in terms of response, but their thought process on whether an alarm would be a real fire, or a drill was exactly what was expected. By collecting the qualitative data in the three phone interviews, a general overview of fire alarm systems and the sequence of operation of those systems could be better understood. The results of this survey bring up some concerning evidence on whether students take fire alarms seriously.


Young brown dwarfs are analogs to giant exoplanets, as they share effective temperatures, near-infrared colors, and surface gravities. Thus, the detailed characterization of young brown dwarfs might shed light on the study of giant exoplanets that we are currently unable to observe with a sufficient signal-to-noise to allow a precise characterization of their atmospheres. 2MASS J22081363+2921215 is a young L3 brown dwarf, and a member of the β-Pictoris young moving group (23 ± 3 Myr), which shares its effective temperature and mass with the β Pictoris b giant exoplanet. We performed a ∼2.5 hr spectrophotometric J-band monitoring of 2MASS J22081363+2921215 with the MOSFIRE multi-object spectrograph, installed at the Keck I telescope. We measured a minimum variability amplitude of 3.22 ± 0.42% for its J-band light curve. The ratio between the maximum and the minimum flux spectra of 2MASS J22081363+2921215 shows a weak wavelength dependence, and a potentially enhanced variability amplitude in its alkali lines. Further analysis suggests that the variability amplitudes of the alkali lines are higher than its overall variability amplitude (4.5%–11%, depending on the lines). The variability amplitudes of these lines are lower if we degrade the resolution of the original MOSFIRE spectra to R ∼ 100, which explains why this potentially enhanced variability of the alkali lines had not been found previously in Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/WFC3 light curves. Using radiative-transfer models, we obtained the different cloud layers that might be introducing the spectrophotometric variability we observe for 2MASS J22081363+2921215, which further supports the measured enhanced variability amplitudes of the alkali lines. We provide an artistic recreation of the vertical cloud structure of this β-Pictoris b analog.


In this paper the authors examine the zero-temperature phase diagram and ground-state configurations of a Heisenberg Hamiltonian with exchange competition up to third-nearest neighbour in 1D (linear chain). In the classical limit S to infinity they find that the ground state is ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic or modulated depending on the interactions. Transitions between the various phases are all first order with the exception of a finite portion of the boundary between the ferromagnetic and the helical phases, where the transition is continuous. The authors also study the quantum model by means of a perturbative approach that evaluates the zero-point-motion energy to order 1/S in the non-collinear phases, thus establishing the relative location of the quantum ground-state configurations. However, one can evaluate to all orders in 1/S the exact expression of the zero-point motion for vanishing helix wavevectors in the vicinity of the second-order ferro-helix classical transition line. The result is that a finite part of the ferro-helix classical line is swept away by quantum fluctuations and replaced by a first-order transition. The scenario should be realistic at low but finite temperature, and should indicate the relevance of quantum effects even on the critical behaviour in quasi-1D systems with very-low-temperature transitions.


Gunther's splendid monograph on the gigantic landtortoises, which appeared a few years ago, induced me to compare the specimens belonging to this group, which form part of the Leyden collections. Among these is the original specimen of Testudo indica vosmaeri Schoepff as it was first described and figured by this author in 1792 in his Historia Testudinorum (page 103, Pl. 22). Fitzinger, Dumeril & Bibron and others have since introduced this species into science under the name of Testudo vosmaeri, without however being able to decide anything with certainty as to the locality where the species was to be sought for. Other authors such as Schlegel and Gray united all the gigantic landtortoises into one species to which the name of Testudo indica was applied: for them T. vosmaeri was a mere synonym. Gunther was the first to clear up the confusion with the aid of extensive material collected both in the Indian ocean and on the Galapagos islands. He succeeded in definitely settling that T. vosmaeri was a distinct species, which in former centuries had inhabited the island of Rodriguez, where however it had become exterminated in the beginning of this century. The species never occured anywhere else but in this isolated spot, and the only remnants of it which, according to Gunther, are preserved for posterity are two carapaces in the Paris Museum (from which Dumeril & Bibron took their description after having identified them with Schoepff's figure) and five partially mutilated carapaces, together with numerous parts of the endoskeleton of a great number of individuals, now forming part of the collections in the British Museum, which have been collected by the naturalist of the Expedition for the observation of the Transit of Venus, stationed in 1876 on Rodriguez.


(1) In an introductory scene of an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, entitled "Hush," the character of Willow Rosenberg is sitting with a group of young women gathered in what is obviously the lounge of a busy college dorm. She struggles to maintain concentration as one of the women leads the rest in a guided meditation vaguely focusing on feminine energy. The leader then promptly breaks the meditation and begins discussing bake sales and newsletters. This is the Wiccan group of UC-Sunnydale, the fictional college that is the setting for the fourth season of the popular WB show (currently in its fifth season). Though mentioned in previous episodes, this is the only time we see the group and its members. Sunnydale's young Wiccans toss around all the buzz words associated with the contemporary feminist spirituality movement: empowerment, energy, blessing. Yet when Willow proposes they do actual magical work, like conjuring or casting spells, she is mocked, and accused of both perpetuating negative stereotypes and "sucking energy" from the group. Afterwards, Willow relates her experiences to Buffy. The dialogue ensues:


OBJECTIVE
To examine the effectiveness of a program promoting network building between disciplinary agencies and informal community organizations (IGOs) comprising community residents, by implemention with staff of a community comprehensive support center (CJCSG).

METHODS
The program was implemented for nine staff of a GGSG in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo for a year. For process evaluation, items were assessed concerning the contents of the program such as satisfaction and understandability, participants' goal attainment level at each period of the program, and program satisfaction as a whole. Outcome evaluation included measurement of participants' self-efficacy regarding network building with ICOs before and after the program, using interviews of the members who completed the program.

RESULT
Eight out of the nine participants completed the program. All positively evaluated the contents of the program and their own goal attainment at each period of the program. After its completion, they felt highly satisfied. Moreover, there was an improvement in the cognition of the participants, including self-efficacy on network building with IGOs and the atmosphere in the GGSG with regard to network building.

CONCLUSION
The efficacy of this program could be confirmed as demonstrated by the staff of the CCSC, although a more detailed assessment of validity and effectiveness will be necessary in the future.


Context speaking rate is an important cue in spoken-word recognition in a speaker's native language [1], [2]. Native speakers entrain to the context rate; when they encounter ambiguous regions of speech, native speakers perceive fewer words and/or syllables when the surrounding speaking material is presented a relatively slow rate than when presented with a relatively fast context speaking rate. In the present study, we ask whether non-native speakers are able to use context speaking rate in the same way. We present results from an experiment examining whether non-native speakers show similar patterns to native speakers when determining the number of words being spoken. Results suggest that while non-native speakers are sensitive speaking rate when they hear ambiguous regions of speech, they only show such sensitivity when the speech is relatively slow. When the speech is fast, they do not demonstrate context speaking rate effects. This suggests that some aspects of the context speaking rate effect may be closely tied to proficiency, while other aspects may demonstrate more language-general patterns.


Thesis Outline This thesis is divided into three parts: Part I provides an overview of the current value of echocardiography in ARVC and a further elaboration on the possible clinical value of echocardiographic deformation imaging in ARVC is provided. Part II focuses on early detection of ARVC and shows the capability of echocardiographic RV deformation imaging to detect early pathological changes in absence of established disease criteria. While activation delay is one of the hallmarks of ARVC, we explored the value of measuring activation delay by RV deformation imaging. We defined a new deformation imaging derived parameter: time to onset of myocardial contraction (or electromechanical interval (EMI)), as a surrogate marker for activation delay. In Chapter 3, the hypothesis was tested whether this parameter could identify signs of activation delay in both ARVC patients and family members during early disease stages. Previously, several other deformation parameters were described with potential value for early detection of ARVC. In Chapter 4 we described a new patternbased approach that combines multiple deformation parameters into deformation patterns, including those described in chapter 3, and were correlated to disease severity. In the same chapter, we aimed to characterize the underlying substrate causing these patterns by a computer model to determine the underlying disease substrate. Based on current literature, we hypothesized that abnormal deformation patterns in the early stages of ARVC were caused by an underlying electrical substrate consisting of activation delay. In Chapter 5, we further explored the clinical value of RV deformation patterns, as proposed in chapter 4, in early ARVC. In this chapter we tested the hypothesis that the presence of abnormal RV deformation patterns predicts disease progression in early ARVC. Although ARVC preferentially affects the RV, early LV abnormalities are now more frequently recognized in ARVC.49-51 Chapter 6 explores the capability of echocardiographic deformation imaging to detect early subtle LV pathology in ARVC and tested the hypothesis that the presence of LV involvement has prognostic implications with respect to the occurrence of arrhythmic events, heart failure, and death. In Part III, we explored the role of both conventional echocardiography and RV deformation imaging for the optimal assessment of structural disease. In Chapter 7 we aimed to gain insight in the capability of conventional echocardiography to detect progressive RV dysfunction in advanced ARVC during long-term follow-up. Previous studies showed that structural disease progression detected by conventional imaging approaches is rare in early ARVC. In the last chapter of this part (chapter 8), we explored the value of echocardiographic deformation imaging to detect structural disease progression in early ARVC. Our hypothesis was that echocardiographic deformation imaging detects signs of structural disease progression in absence of disease progression by conventional imaging approaches. All parts are discussed further in Chapter 9 and Chapter 10. In these chapters we summarize our findings and look at the future perspective of echocardiographic deformation imaging and ARVC.


Economic changes have played a leading role in the transformation of agricultural industries. The evolution of environmental issues, government regulations in agriculture have produced a lot of challenges to the economic viability of agricultural industries, that should be met through better and more sophisticated planning tools, particularly the moving away from a commodity based agriculture to a more value-added orientated agriculture. This his given rise to industry strategic planning and coordination (ISPC) approaches, as an analytical tool used to address some of this problems, hence, the purpose of this paper is to explore the use of ISPC in an agricultural industry set up. Developed countries, particularly, the US has made progress in positioning its agricultural industry to meet this challenges through the use of ISPC. An example of this success story is the Michigan apple industry which has been using a functional ISPC process. It is therefore, interesting to use this approach to other related industries in order to solve the problem that they are facing. 1.1 Objective of the research paper The objectives of this paper are three fold. A principal goal of this paper is to develop a case study situational analysis related to a broad industry strategic planning context for the Michigan-U.S. tart cherry industry. A second objective of the paper is to give the author experience with the strategic planning analysis and concepts as it applies to an agricultural industry situation. Most importantly tins will enable the author to apply the frame work and concepts to other agricultural industries. To accomplish the above goals, a review of concepts and framework of analysis for industry strategic planning, as presented in the literature and other related work with other agricultural industries will be included. Then a case study of a situational analysis for Michigan-U.S. tart cherry industry will be used to show applications and the use of the concepts. Since leaders of the Michigan-U.S. cherry industry are currently involved with a process of industry strategic planning which is being done in partnership with analysts from Michigan State University, this industry is appropriate to use as a case study. The tart cherry industry may be useful to illustrate the situational analysis component of the strategic planning approach that may also be useful for other industries as well. 1.2 Methodology This research paper is organized into eight chapters. The remainder of the paper will be organized as follows. Chapter 2 will review an ISPC framework, concepts and other related work. An effort will be made to define the Michigan-U.S. tart cherry industry. Chapter 3 will provide an over view of the Michigan -U.S. tart cherry industry. A description and the role of the cherry industry in the U.S. agriculture will be provided in this chapter. Chapter 4 will present an analysis of the industry's strengths. Chapter 5 will also present an analysis of the industry's weaknesses as they affect the economic viability of the industry. An elaboration of the industry's opportunities will be provided in Chapter 6 which will outline the important areas which can be improved upon to increase performance and competitiveness. Chapter 7 will discuss the threats facing the industry, which are areas which negatively affect the industry's performance. The final chapter will sum up the paper with some concluding remarks as to what lessons the author has learned about the applicability of an ISPC approach and how the author could use such an approach in other industries apart from the Michigan-U.S. tart cherry industry.


Embedded system technology has become an important, if not dominating component in the realization of all sorts of high-tech products, machines, and infrastructures. The temptation to create systems with new, powerful, intelligent features has turned embedded software into an essential high-tech ingredient that, exploiting the hardware capabilities afforded by Moore's law, is subject to exponential growth. As has been pointed out by many authors before, the complexity of the embedded software is not just a product of its growing size, but also results from the required relation between the software and its physical environment, both in terms of its execution on physical platforms and in its interaction with the system environment. This combination of digital control and physical phenomena makes it plausible that hybrid modelling and hybrid systems theory have a role to play in the design of embedded systems. Last year Henzinger and Sifakis (The Embedded Systems Design Challenge) suggested that we need the development of more physically informed models of computation combining analytical and constructive elements. This would provide a more fundamental basis for embedded systems design, as well as provide a much needed paradigmatic change for computer science. Being in principle sympathetic to the proposed programme from a scientific point of view, in this talk we want to examine what are the most pressing problems from an engineering point of view, in particular from the overall system perspective. The software complexity of high-tech systems is often related to the system integration, and not to the embedded software of individual components. The interpretation of the required integral functionality usually includes engineering disciplines beyond those related to hardware, software, and control, with particular methods, models, and tools. It remains to be seen whether deep (i.e. at the semantic level) integration of relevant models and methods will ultimately outperform more loosely coupled coalitions of specialized approaches that are closer to the cultures of the contributing disciplines. Another practically dominant concern often is the sheer size of the collective system software. Alternative approaches to design, therefore, must scale up and support the management of large quantities of design software (programs, models, specifications, etc.). In our presentation we will draw on a number of big industry-as-laboratory projects carried out by the Embedded Systems Institute.


It is significant and valuable to improve the time length and accuracy of ships' motion prediction for the efficiency, comfort and security of marine operation. Autoregressive time series analysis method (AR) is the mainstream currently and the effectiveness for the prediction of ships' motion attitudes has been fully validated. However, the algorithm fixes the order only once but forecasts the future data for multi-step, result in degradation of the step length and accuracy, especially when the ship sails in the bad sea condition. In order to solve this issue, this paper proposes a new autoregressive-multiple method (Arm), which can determine the orders and parameters of model in a real-time. The method is applied to forecast a ship's motion attitudes in eight different situations. The simulative results of autoregressive-multiple method show the validity and veracity.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder which is histopathologically characterised by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Amyloid plaques consist of the amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) that can form aggregates in the brain. Aβ is generated from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) through proteolytic cleavage. APP belongs to a conserved protein family that also includes the two paralogues, APP-like proteins 1 and 2 (APLP1 and APLP2). Despite the immense amount of research on APP, motivated by its implication in AD, the function of this protein family has not yet been determined. In this thesis, we have studied the expression and proteolytic processing of the APP protein family. Our results are consistent with previous findings that suggest a role for APP during neuronal development. Treatment of cells with retinoic acid (RA) resulted in increased synthesis. In addition, we observed that RA treatment shifted the processing of APP from the amyloidogenic to the non-amyloidogenic pathway. The proteins in the APP family have been hard to distinguish both with respect to function and proteolytic processing. However, for development of new drugs with APP processing enzymes as targets this is of great importance. Our studies suggest similarities, but also differences in the mechanism regulating the processing of the different paralogues. We found that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) had different impact on the members of the APP family. Most interestingly, we also found that the mechanism behind the increased processing in response to IGF-1 was not identical between the homologous proteins. In summary, our results indicate that in terms of regulation APLP1 and APLP2 differ more from each other than from APP. Our studies open up the possibility of finding means to selectively block Aβ production without interfering with the processing and function of the paralogous proteins.


The article presents the results of analysis of the number and structure of physicians and specialists with secondary medical education in the Moscow health care system. The results of study demonstrated that in 2019, the support of the population with physicians and specialists with secondary medical education decreased as compared with 2014 from 39.4 to 37.1 and from 74.2 to 55.7 (per 10 thousand people) respectively. The number of occupied medical positions increased from 84.6% in 2014 to 87% in 2019, the staffing rates (for occupied positions of secondary medical personnel) also increased from 84.9% to 87.4 %. It was established that the staffing of individuals, both for physicians and paramedical personnel, increased from 66.8% to 79.8% and from 69.4% to 79.0%, respectively. The concurrency coefficient was 1.1 (for medical positions and positions of secondary medical personnel). The issues related to low staffing levels and high co-employment rates for individual medical positions and positions of secondary medical personnel require further resolution.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background: Human heterotaxy is a group of congenital disorders characterized by misplacement of one or more organs according to the left-right axis. The genetic causes of human heterotaxy are highly heterogeneous. Methods: We performed exome sequencing in a cohort of 26 probands with heterotaxy followed by gene burden analysis for the enrichment of novel rare damaging mutations. Transcription activator-like effector nuclease was used to generate somatic loss-of-function mutants in a zebrafish model. Ciliary defects were examined by whole-mount immunostaining of acetylated α-tubulin. Results: We identified a significant enrichment of novel rare damaging mutations in the CC2D1A gene. Seven occurrences of CC2D1A mutations were found to affect 4 highly conserved amino acid residues of the protein. Functional analyses in the transcription activator-like effector nuclease–mediated zebrafish knockout models were performed, and heterotaxy phenotypes of the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems in both somatic and germline mutants were observed. Defective cilia were demonstrated by whole-mount immunostaining of acetylated α-tubulin. These abnormalities were rescued by wild-type cc2d1a mRNA but not cc2d1a mutant mRNA, strongly suggesting a loss-of-function mechanism. On the other hand, overexpression of cc2d1a orthologous mutations cc2d1a P559L and cc2d1a G808V (orthologous to human CC2D1A P532L and CC2D1A G781V) did not affect embryonic development. Conclusions: Using a zebrafish model, we were able to establish a novel association of CC2D1A with heterotaxy and ciliary dysfunction in the F2 generation via a loss-of-function mechanism. Future mechanistic studies are needed for a better understanding of the role of CC2D1A in left-right patterning and ciliary dysfunction.


Owing to their specialized functions and various potential applications, bioinspired superwettable surfaces have captured much attention. Nevertheless, superhydrophobic surfaces are vulnerable to destruction under various harsh conditions when applied in industry and life science, limiting larger-scale applications. Herein, the subject of prolonging lifetime is comprehensively discussed by means of analyzing the breakdown mechanism, which is influenced by the parameters of surface structures. First of all, the mechanical durability of surfaces can be highly enhanced to endure mechanical damage, through introducing elastic materials and exceptionally stable rough structure. Secondly, chemically stable superhydrophobic coatings are introduced to resist UV ultraviolet irradiation, acid/base/salt solutions and high temperatures. Thirdly, a certain number of vital advances are summarized regarding surface self-healing properties, which can greatly prolong the service life of surfaces through releasing low surface energy agents and regenerating topographic structures. Last but not least, the easy repairability of superhydrophobic coatings is beneficial for chemical damage resistance on account of the fast restoration of original characteristics. Conclusions and outlooks concerning constructing super stable and durable bioinspired superwettable surfaces are revealed and discussed in this review, aimed at extending the application of these surfaces to our daily life and industrial manufacture.


ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of rhamnolipids (RLs) extracted from Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a possible eco-friendly inhibitor for the corrosion protection of rebars in concrete. Two application methods were tested: application of RLs as a coating on the steel (conditioning method) and addition of the RLs directly to the aggressive environment (addition method). Both methods were evaluated for their ability to protect steel in simulated concrete pore solution containing 0.5 M NaCl. The results highlight a delay in the initiation of local corrosion followed by a rapid propagation rate of corrosion for conditioning method. This evolution is in relation with the heterogeneity of the formed RLs layers. The addition method provides a different film formation and better protection against corrosion. Using a 1 g·L concentration, the inhibition effect was observed at least for 24 h of immersion.


This report describes policies that affect the agricultural sector in 25 countries in the Western Hemisphere, including policies that affect commodity and input prices, the activities of parastatals (government-owned companies), and the integration of economies in the Western Hemisphere. To facilitate understanding of the policy choices made in each country, this bulletin also pi'~3t::ntS data on each country's economy, trade flows, and resource base. Governments throughout the Western Hemisphere are reducing their role in agricultural markets by reducing or eliminating tariff and nontariff barriers to trade, the scope of parastatal activities, and/or budgetary transfers to the sector. This trend is especially pronounced in the countries of Latin America, where government intervention in agricultural markets had been prevalent.


Received: 31-May-2020. Revised: 22-Jun-2020. Accepted: 17-Jul-2020. Published: 28-Sep-2020. This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non‐commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.


Nearly half a century has passed since the emergence of modernity's aspects in the way of building houses in Iran. With long time passing from the life of this experience, the pattern of residential complex development did not change much compared to the beginning and its results can be seen in the design quality and satisfaction of residents from space. Clearly the expense of land as well as adequate knowledge and lack of awareness are the main reasons for the poor quality of design. Outdoor space in this type of development was under fundamental changes so that the type of ownership, access, and size of this space gained a different nature that has not been known clearly, and poor environmental quality is its main consequence. The scope of this paper is to recognize divergences – resulting in environment quality – from residential complex construction in Iran. For this goal, at the beginning some main concerns related to environmental quality are explained, and then related issues are examined. Finally, the quality of open spaces in residential complexes in Tehran, the capital of Iran, is discussed. In order to succeed in this objective, data have been derived from 235 cases in four residential complexes by means of a questionnaire that includes 54 questions, and results of this survey were evaluated by Chronbach's Alpha and the percentage values were calculated by frequencies of the answers. It is concluded that the residents are not adequately satisfied by the quality of open environment provided by their housing units.


Recombinant immunotoxin (RIT) therapy is limited in patients by neutralizing Ab responses. Ninety percent of patients with normal immune systems make neutralizing Abs after one cycle of RIT, preventing repeated dosing. Furthermore, some patients have pre-existing Abs from environmental exposure to Pseudomonas exotoxin, the component of the RIT that elicits the neutralizing Ab response. Bortezomib is an U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved proteasome inhibitor that selectively targets and kills plasma cells that are necessary for the neutralizing Ab response. We hypothesized that bortezomib may abrogate neutralizing Ab levels, making dosing of RIT possible in mice already immune to RIT. We immunized BALB/c mice with multiple doses of SS1P, a RIT whose Ab portion targets mesothelin. Mice with elevated Ab levels were separated into groups to receive saline, bortezomib, the pentostatin/cyclophosphamide (PC) regimen, or the bortezomib/PC (BPC) combination regimen. Four weeks after finishing therapy, plasma Ab levels were assayed, and bone marrow was harvested. The bortezomib and PC regimens significantly reduced Ab levels, and we observed fewer plasma cells in the bone marrow of bortezomib-treated mice but not in PC-treated mice. The BPC combination regimen almost completely eliminated Abs and further reduced plasma cells in the bone marrow. This regimen is more effective than individual regimens and may reduce Ab levels in patients with pre-existing neutralizing Abs to Pseudomonas exotoxin, allowing RIT treatment. The Journal of Immunology , 2015, 194: 000–000.


Finite-field multiplication has received prominent attention in the literature with applications in cryptography and error-detecting codes. For many cryptographic algorithms, this arithmetic operation is a complex, costly, and time-consuming task that may require millions of gates. In this work, we propose efficient hardware architectures based on cyclic redundancy check (CRC) as error-detection schemes for postquantum cryptography (PQC) with case studies for the Luov cryptographic algorithm. Luov was submitted for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) PQC standardization competition and was advanced to the second round. The CRC polynomials selected are in-line with the required error-detection capabilities and with the field sizes as well. We have developed verification codes through which software implementations of the proposed schemes are performed to verify the derivations of the formulations. Additionally, hardware implementations of the original multipliers with the proposed error-detection schemes are performed over a Xilinx field-programmable gate array (FPGA), verifying that the proposed schemes achieve high error coverage with acceptable overhead.


This article presents a technique of reduction mammoplasty that is modified from the "B" operation for breast reduction devised by Dr Regnault. The overall excision line resembles the letter "B". The advantages of this technique are as followings: 1. It avoids incision in the so-called hypertrophic areas of the chest. 2. The patient has only a short curved scar (the medial horizontal branch of classic inverted-T incision is eliminated) that is not visible laterally. 3. Because there is no skin undermining, and the nipple is transposed on a upper semicircular dermal flap, so the blood supply of the nipple and areola is very good. 4. Ptotic and hypertrophic breasts can be treated with this method. 5. The resulting shape of the breast was satisfactory.


1. The results of over 400 assays of fumarase activity in separated leukocytes and erythrocytes in a variety of hematologic and nonhematologic diseases are presented. 2. The highest mean leukocyte fumarase values occurred in acute monocytic leukemia and acute granulocytic leukemia. Blast cells have greater fumarase activity than more mature forms of the same cell type. 3. Fumarase appears to be distributed ubiquitously among the various leukocytes. Cell populations which contained predominantly neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, blasts, eosinophils, and basophils, all exhibited appreciable enzyme activity. 4. Assays of erythrocyte fumarase activity did not reveal a pattern with the exception of elevated values in macrocytic anemias and in some, but not all, cases of hemolytic anemia.


In this paper we consider the Hankel operators from two points of view. On one hand the Hankel operator is induced by the coefficient sequence $a\sb0,a\sb1,a\sb2,\...$ and operates on a Hilbert space $H\sp2(\beta)$ with $\Sigma\sbsp{n=0}{\infty}\ \beta(n)\sp2 < \infty.$ In this situation we can find necessary conditions and sufficient conditions for the Hankel operator to be bounded. However, with compactness and HilbertSchmidt we can get only sufficient conditions. On the other hand we look at the Hankel operator $H\ sb{f,\alpha}$ and little Hankel operator $h\sb{f,\alpha},$ with symbol function f, that operates on a weighted Bergman space. In this case we can determine bounded, compact, Hilbert Schmidt, or trace class operators of the Hankel operator $H\sb{f}$ and $h\sb{f,\alpha}.$ We also give a good estimate of bounded norm of little Hankel operators with a particular symbol function $f = z\bar g$ where g is in the Bloch space.


Summary. The present study was carried out to investigate the permeability of normal spinal nerve root sheaths around dorsal and ventral roots in the rat. In vivo studies were performed using Evans bluealbumin and lanthanum chloride as tracers. The Evans blue-albumin complex is macromolecular in size and lanthanum ions are small and easily visible in the electron microscope. Both tracers were injected into the subarachnoid space and 15 rain later samples were taken and further processed for detection of tracer. Postmortem studies with lanthanum was also performed. Following fixation by cardiac perfusion with fixative without tracer, lanthanum chloride was added to the fixative and applied directly to exposed spinal cord including the spinal nerve roots. Macroscopical examination showed Evans blue staining of the superficial blood vessels of the spinal cord, but no staining of the parenchyma of either spinal cord or nerve roots. Fluorescence microscopy revealed, in addition to a bright red fluorescence of root sheaths, a faint longitudinally orientated red fluorescence in the endoneurium of the nerve roots, indicating the presence of the dye-albumin complex. In both in vivo and post-mortem lanthanum studies, the tracer was detected between cell layers of the nerve root sheath and in invaginations of the plasma membrane of these cells, as well as inside the nerve root parenchyma. Some of the cells of the sheaths in post-mortem animals were diffusely marked with intracellular tracer. The endoradicular lanthanum was most often seen superficially, but lanthanum could occasionally be detected deeper in the parenchyma in the post mortem studies. The results show that the spinal nerve root sheaths are permeable to both the macromolecular substance Evans blue-albumin and the small lanthanum