Arterial oxygenation, as measured by serial arterial blood gases (ABGs) and in vivo polarographic PaO2 during the rapid sequence induction of general endotracheal anesthesia, was evaluated in 20 ASA physical class IV subjects undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Subjects received a narcotic premedication 30-60 minutes prior to arrival in the operating room. Subjects in Group I (n = 10) were preoxygenated with 3 minutes of tidal breathing, while Group II (n = 10) subjects took four vital capacity breaths (VCB) within 30 seconds. Manual ventilation was withheld after the period of preoxygenation (the mean duration of apnea was 121.25 seconds). The mean PaO2 rose from 69.40 mmHg to 323.80 mmHg after preoxygenation in Group I and from 73.70 mmHg to 359.10 mmHg in Group II. After tracheal intubation, the mean PaO2 fell to 275.70 mmHg in Group I compared with 277.20 mmHg in Group II. There was no significant difference (p greater than 0.05) between the two methods of preoxygenation in their ability to increase arterial oxygen. In conclusion, vital capacity breathing is as effective as 3 minutes of tidal breathing in elevating the PaO2 in subjects with significant coronary artery disease prior to a rapid sequence induction.


MATLAB is a popular dynamic array-based language commonly used by students, scientists and engineers who appreciate the interactive development style, the rich set of array operators, the extensive builtin library, and the fact that they do not have to declare static types. Even though these users like to program in MATLAB, their computations are often very compute-intensive and are better suited for emerging high performance computing systems. This paper reports on MIX10, a source-to-source compiler that automatically translates MATLAB programs to X10, a language designed for "Performance and Productivity at Scale"; thus, helping scientific programmers make better use of high performance computing systems. There is a large semantic gap between the array-based dynamically-typed nature of MATLAB and the object-oriented, statically-typed, and high-level array abstractions of X10. This paper addresses the major challenges that must be overcome to produce sequential X10 code that is competitive with state-of-the-art static compilers for MATLAB which target more conventional imperative languages such as C and Fortran. Given that efficient basis, the paper then provides a translation for the MATLAB parfor construct that leverages the powerful concurrency constructs in X10. The MIX10 compiler has been implemented using the McLab compiler tools, is open source, and is available both for compiler researchers and end-user MATLAB programmers. We have used the implementation to perform many empirical measurements on a set of 17 MATLAB benchmarks. We show that our best MIX10-generated code is significantly faster than the de facto Mathworks' MATLAB system, and that our results are competitive with state-of-the-art static compilers that target C and Fortran. We also show the importance of finding the correct approach to representing the arrays in the generated X10 code, and the necessity of an IntegerOkay' analysis that determines which double variables can be safely represented as integers. Finally, we show that our X10-based handling of the MATLAB parfor greatly outperforms the de facto MATLAB implementation.


Fluorinated acrylate emulsions have been extensively applied for hydrophobic surface coatings. To obtain fluorinated emulsions of low surface energy, amphiphilic sulfonyl macro emulsifiers consisting of 2-(perfluorohexyl) ethyl acrylate (PFHEA) and 2-acrylanmido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) were designed via radical polymerization and subsequently used for the emulsion copolymerization of PFHEA, methyl methacrylate (MMA), and methyl butyl acrylate (MBA). Under optimum synthesis conditions, the emulsifier displayed superior emulsification properties such as high monomer conversion, small particle size, and excellent stability compared with conventional emulsifiers. The corresponding emulsions with sulfonyl macro emulsifiers exhibited extreme low surface energy (9.8 mN/m) and outstanding hydrophobicity due to high contents of fluorinated chains, as well as thimbleful hydrophilic sulfonyl groups, which shows the great potential in water repellent modification application. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 133, 44921.


STUDY OBJECTIVES
This mini-review considers certain factors related to the developmental decrease in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which occurs in favor of additional waking time, and its relationship to developmental factors that may influence its potential role in brain development.

DESIGN
Specifically, we discuss some of the theories proposed for the occurrence of REM sleep and agree with the classic notion that REM sleep is, at the least, a mechanism that may play a role in the maturation of thalamocortical pathways. The developmental decrease in REM sleep occurs gradually from birth until close to puberty in the human, and in other mammals it is brief and coincides with eye and ear opening and the beginning of massive exogenous activation. Therefore, the purported role for REM sleep may change to involve a number of other functions with age.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS
We describe recent findings showing that morphologic and physiologic properties as well as cholinergic, gamma amino-butyric acid, kainic acid, n-methyl-d-aspartic acid, noradrenergic, and serotonergic synaptic inputs to mesopontine cholinergic neurons, as well as the degree of electrical coupling between mostly noncholinergic mesopontine neurons and levels of the neuronal gap-junction protein connexin 36, change dramatically during this critical period in development. A novel mechanism for sleep-wake control based on well-known transmitter interactions, as well as electrical coupling, is described.

CONCLUSION
We hypothesize that a dysregulation of this process could result in life-long disturbances in arousal and REM sleep drive, leading to hypervigilance or hypovigilance such as that observed in a number of disorders that have a mostly postpubertal age of onset.


Realist evaluation asks 'how and why do interventions work or not work, for whom, and in what circumstances?' It holds promise as an approach that can help evaluate complex programmes, and provide nuanced insights to guide decisions about rolling out, scaling up, or trying out interventions elsewhere. This CDI Practice Paper, by Melanie Punton, Isabel Vogel, Jennifer Leavy, Charles Michaelis and Edward Boydell, presents lessons from four large, multi-country realist evaluations of complex interventions conducted by Itad since 2013. It argues that realist evaluation can add value by enhancing the clarity, depth, and portability of findings, helping evaluators deal with context and complexity in pragmatic ways, and providing helpful tools and lenses for implementers to critically appraise their programmes and generate learning. However, novice realist evaluators face a number of potential pitfalls, especially in large-scale evaluations. This paper shares lessons on how Itad has navigated these challenges, which may be helpful to others working in similar contexts in international development and beyond.


There are many challenges in caring for terminally Ill-patients among which include the social, emotional and spiritual distress. The spiritual care and support in a dying patient could be challenging to the carer, patient and family and often times the patients religious and spiritual and assessment and needs are not met. In some part of the world including Nigeria discussions around existential issues may be regarded as a taboo and a difficult for a care provider to initiate. The palliative care team offer to invite a chaplain is a new concept and unusual in government hospitals. This was the first time our palliative care team after spiritual care assessment involved a trained chaplain volunteer to support a patient.


Working from the fossil record, Ellis explores the natural history of these fierce predators, speculates on their habits, and tells how they eventually became extinct or did they? He traces the 200-million-year history of the great ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs who swam the ancient oceans and who, according to some, may even still frequent the likes of Loch Ness. Picture if you will seventy-foot dragons with foot-long serrated teeth, or an animal that looked like a crocodile crossed with a shark the size of a small yacht. With its impossibly long neck, Plesiosaurus conybeari has been compared to "a giant snake threaded through the body of a turtle." At a length of nearly sixty feet, Mosasaurus hoffmanni boasted powerful jaws and teeth that could crunch up even the hardest-shelled giant sea turtle. And Kronosaurus queenslandicus, perhaps the most formidable of the lot, had a skull nine feet long more than twice that of Tyrannosaurus Rex with teeth to match. The first book about these amazing animals in nearly a century, Sea Dragons draws upon the most recent scientific research to vividly reconstruct their lives and habitats. Their fossils have been found all over the world in Europe, Australia, Japan, and even Kansas in lands that once lay on the floors of Jurassic and Triassic seas. Along the way, the book also provides intriguing insights into and entertaining tales about the work, discoveries, and competing theories that compose the fascinating world of vertebrate paleontology. Ellis also graces his text with a set of incomparable illustrations. Widely hailed as our foremost artist of marine natural history, he depicts vividly how these creatures probably appeared and, through these likenesses, invites us to speculate on their locomotion, their predatory habits, their very lifestyles. A genuine book of marvels and wonders, Sea Dragons will certainly stir one's curiosity about our planet's prehistoric past.


Transplant surgeons have historically been instrumental in advancing the science of transplantation. However, research in the current environment inevitably requires external funding, and the classic career development pathway for a junior investigator is the NIH K award. We matched transplant surgeons who completed fellowships between 1998 and 2004 with the NIH funding database, and also queried them regarding research effort and attitudes. Of 373 surgeons who completed a fellowship, only 6 (1.8%) received a K award; of these, 3 subsequently obtained R‐level funding. An additional 5 individuals received an R‐level grant within their first 5 years as faculty without a K award, 3 of whom had received a prior ASTS‐sponsored award. Survey respondents reported extensive research experience during their training (78.8% spent median 24 months), a high proportion of graduate research degrees (36%), and a strong desire for more research time (78%). However, they reported clinical burdens and lack of mentorship as their primary perceived barriers to successful research careers. The very low rate of NIH funding for young transplant surgeons, combined with survey results that indicate their desire to participate in research, suggest institutional barriers to access that may warrant attention by the ASTS and the transplant surgery community.


This case study compares the differences between complementary methodologies that measure activity and participation in two subjects who use wheeled mobility devices. Data collection consisted of 1) a self-report participation measure for people with mobility disabilities the Community Participation and Perceived Receptivity Survey (CPPRS) and 2) a passive instrumentation data-gathering methodology that includes a global positioning system (GPS) data logger, followed by a prompted recall interview (PRI) to confirm GPS data location and query activity purpose. Many of the destination types (e.g., grocery stores) named in the CPPRS were confirmed by GPS/PRI data. Issues affecting subject responses in both methods included ambiguous categories and researcher assumptions about the nature of activity. Differences between self-report and instrumentation data are discussed as they impact understanding activity and community participation among wheeled mobility users and the development of self-report participation instruments.


Pursuing doctors for compensation through the courts when errors occur can amount to "torture" for the professional concerned and does not improve patient care, a safety conference heard.

In a debate on whether litigation improves patient care, Shelia McLean, chair of law and ethics in medicine at Glasgow University, said that the United Kingdom's adversarial system had failed. She was speaking at Risky Business, a conference on patient safety hosted by Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and supported by the BMJ .

Professor McLean, who has been investigating the possibility of introducing a no fault compensation scheme in Scotland, said, "Studies show that most patients want a meaningful apology, a meaningful explanation, and an assurance that policies have changed. Very …


Aboriginal peoples are at greater risk of experiencing early life adversity relative to non-Aboriginal peoples in Canada, and as adults frequently experience high levels of discrimination that act as a further stressor. Although these factors appear to contribute to high rates of depressive disorders and suicidality in Aboriginal peoples, the psychosocial factors that contribute to the relationship between childhood adversity and the development of depressive symptoms have hardly been assessed in this group. The present investigation explored potential mediators to help explain the relation between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms among a sample of First Nations adults from across Canada. These mediated relationships were further examined in the context of unsupportive social interactions from ingroup and outgroup members. In Study 1, (N = 225), the relationship between childhood trauma and depression scores was mediated by perceived discrimination, and this was particularly notable in the presence of unsupportive relations with outgroup members. In Study 2, (N = 134) the relationship between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms was mediated by emotion-focused coping that was specific to coping with experiences of ethnic discrimination, and this mediated effect was moderated by both outgroup and ingroup unsupportive social interactions. Thus, it seems that experiences of discrimination and unsupport might contribute to depressive symptoms among First Nations adults who had experienced early life adverse events.


There is a growing recognition for the significance of evolutionary thinking in ecology and conservation biology. However, ecology and conservation studies often work with species-specific, fixed traits that ignore intraspecific variation. The way the habitat of a species is considered is an example of typological thinking biased by human perception. Structural habitat units (e.g., land cover types) as perceived by humans may not represent functional habitat units for other organisms. Human activity may also interfere with the environmental information used by organisms. Therefore, the Umwelt-concept from ethology needs to be integrated in the way we think about habitat and habitat selection. It states that different organisms live in different perceptual worlds dealing with specific subsamples of the environment as a result of their evolutionary and developmental history. The resource-based habitat concept is a functional habitat model based on resource distributions (consumables and conditions) and individual movements. This behavioural approach takes into account aspects that relate to the perceptual world of organisms. This approach may offer new opportunities for conservation and may help avoid failures with habitat restoration. Perceptual ability may be subject to adaptive change, but it may also constrain organisms from showing adaptive behaviours in rapidly changing environments.


Summary Introduction: Powder extracts from white mulberry leaves (Morus alba L.) are desirable due to their simplicity of use. Powders intended for use in food and dietary supplements can be obtained by various methods, including water extraction and spray drying. Objective: The aim of the work was to optimize the aqueous process of extraction of white mulberry leaves and characterization of bioactive properties of the obtained extract powder. Methods: The DNJ and flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol) contents and were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Total phenolic contents were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu phenol reagent and antioxidant activity by ABTS and DPPH assays. Results: The mulberry leaf extraction process has been optimized. The obtained powdered mulberry leaf extract proved to be a good source of bioactive compounds. Characteristic phenolic compounds detected in mulberry leaves and their powder extract were quercetin and kaempferol. The sum of polyphenols was 10.9 mg GAE/g dry matter in the raw material, whereas in the powder extract 42.6 mg GAE/g dry matter. In addition, it was found that the obtained powdered extract is characterized by a five-fold higher, in comparison to the raw material, the content of antioxidant activity measured by ABTS and DPPH tests. The content of 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) in the powder extract was nearly four times higher than in dry mulberry leaves. Conclusion: The optimized process of water extraction of white mulberry leaves allows to keep valuable bioactive components and to obtain their high concentration.


For many species, burrowing is used for a variety of purposes, such as finding food, sheltering from elements and predators, or raising offspring. For threatened species, differentiating among burrow types allows effective conservation efforts, and provides insight into habitat attributes needed at different stages in their life-history. This study investigated whether burrow characteristics for the North American badger Taxidea taxus allowed discrimination among summer, winter and natal burrows, and whether these characteristics reflected different requirements by the animals. Radio-telemetry was used to monitor badgers and classify burrows based on seasonal occupancy. Characteristics relating to thermal and security cover, along with features that could correlate with prolonged usage, were measured across winter, natal and summer burrows. Winter and natal burrows showed greater vegetation cover than summer burrows, potentially indicating increased thermal protection and predator avoidance. However, for winter burrows, greater vegetation cover did not translate into warmer, winter subterranean temperatures compared to summer burrows. Winter and natal burrows also had larger soil fans and, in the case of natal burrows, also had more entrances than summer burrows. These features may be indicative of prolonged usage. All told, it appeared summer burrows were distinguishable from winter and natal burrows based on the dimensions and construction of the burrow, location and surrounding vegetation. However, because badgers are capable of modifying their environment (including existing burrows) it is difficult to make precise predictions of where certain burrow types will occur. Still, the results of this study allow protection efforts or other management considerations to be apportioned more effectively among different burrow types. Comparable work is needed in other regions to understand how burrow characteristics spatially vary in importance.


Species' ranges are dynamic, shifting in response to a large number of interrelated ecological and anthropogenic processes. Climate change is thought to be one of the most influential drivers of range shifts, but the effects of other confounded ecological processes are often ignored even though these processes may modify expected range responses to climate change. To determine the relative effects of climate, forest availability, connectivity, and biotic processes such as immigration and establishment, we examine range changes occurring in a species of bird, the Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina). We focus predominantly on the periphery of the species' northern range in Canada but we also examine data from the entire species' range. Nesting records in southern Ontario were obtained from two breeding bird Atlases of Ontario separated by a period of 20 years (1981–1985 and 2001–2005), and the rate of range expansion was estimated by comparing the number of occupied areas in each Atlas. Twelve hypotheses of the relationship between the rate of range expansion and factors known to influence range change were examined using model‐selection techniques and a mixed modeling approach (zero‐inflated Poisson's regression). Cooler temperatures were positively related to a lack of range expansion indicating that climate constrained the species' distribution. Establishment probability (based on the number of occupied, neighboring Atlas squares) and immigration from populations to the south (estimated using independent data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey) were also important predictors of range expansion. These biotic process variables can mask the effects of forest availability and connectivity on range expansion. Expansion due to climate change may be slower in fragmented systems, but the rate of expansion will be influenced largely by biotic processes such as proximity to neighboring populations.


One tradition within the complexity paradigm considers organisations as complex adaptive systems in which autonomous individuals interact, often in complex ways with difficult to predict, non-linear outcomes. Building upon this tradition, and more specifically following the complex systems leadership theory approach, we describe the ways in which leadership emerges in events. To do so, we examine the micro-level interactions among agents within these groups in terms of the programmes of action that they enact. We call these building blocks micro-enactments, propose that they can be observed and coded by researchers, identify and classify them and argue that they are used to construct the systemic mechanisms, which enable organised action and change. We offer propositions that suggest how these micro-enactments can be assembled into organisational mechanisms that enable change processes. More generally, we propose that organisational change is constructed when specific micro-enactments are assembled to reconfigure an organisation's capabilities and competencies.


Slow-wave synchronous acoustic stimulation is a promising research and therapeutic tool. It is essential to clearly understand the principles of the synchronization methods, to know their performances and limitations, and, most importantly, to have a clear picture of the effect of stimulation on slow-wave activity (SWA). This paper covers the mentioned and currently missing parts of knowledge that are essential for the appropriate development of the method itself and future applications. Artificially streamed real sleep EEG data were used to quantitatively compare the two currently used real-time methods: the phase-locking loop (PLL) and the fixed-step stimulus in our own implementation. The fixed-step stimulation method was concluded to be more reliable and practically applicable compared to the PLL method. The sleep experiment with chronic insomnia patients in our sleep laboratory was analyzed in order to precisely characterize the effect of sound stimulation during deep sleep. We found that there is a significant phase synchronization of delta waves, which were shown to be the most sensitive metric of the effect of acoustic stimulation compared to commonly used averaged signal and power analyses. This finding may change the understanding of the effect and function of the SWA stimulation described in the literature.


A sensitive and specific method for the simultaneous detection and quantification of amphetamine, opiates, and cocaine and metabolites in human postmortem brain was developed and validated. Analytes of interest included amphetamine, morphine, codeine, 6-acetylmorphine, cocaine, benzoylecgonine, ecgonine methyl ester, ecgonine ethyl ester, cocaethylene, and anhydroecgonine methyl ester. The method employed ultrasonic homogenization of brain tissue in pH 4.0 sodium acetate buffer and solid phase extraction. Extracts were derivatized with N-methyl-N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide and N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide. Separation and quantification were accomplished on a bench-top positive chemical ionization capillary gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer with selected ion monitoring. Eight deuterated analogs were used as internal standards. Limits of quantification were 50 ng/g of brain. Calibration curves were linear to 1000 ng/g for anhydroecgonine methyl ester and 6-acetylmorphine, and to 2000 ng/g for all other analytes. Accuracy across the linear range of the assay ranged from 90.2 to 112.2%, and precision, as percent relative standard deviation, was less than 16.6%. Quantification of drug concentrations in brain is a useful research tool in neurobiology and in forensic and postmortem toxicology, identifying the type, relative magnitude, and recency of abused drug exposure. This method will be employed to quantify drug concentrations in human postmortem brain in support of basic and clinical research on the physiologic, biochemical, and behavioral effects of drugs in humans.


This research was conducted as a field experiment that explored the potential benefits of anchoring in asynchronous online discussions for business statistics classes. Many students tend to perform poorly in these classes, which are usually taught using traditional methods with emphasis on lecturing, knowledge reproduction, and treatment of students as dependent learners. Course activities are typically centered on the teacher as the source of all knowledge and understanding. Moreover, student interactions are often limited to face-to-face meetings in the classroom, where students have exerted little effort towards engaging themselves. Online discussions show promise for improving students' learning in business statistics classes. We examined and compared the impact of anchored asynchronous online discussions (AAODs) and standard asynchronous online discussions (AODs) on students' participation and engagement in a blended learning environment. The findings show that AAODs facilitated more and better quality participation and engagement for undergraduate students.


Myosin was isolated and purified from plasmodia of the slime mould Physarum polycephalum by a new method. This method is based on actomyosin extraction at low ionic strength after extensive washing, followed by the selective precipitation of myosin at pH 6.1 under relaxing conditions. The yield of myosin was 3-5 times higher than reported for other methods. In contrast to earlier studies a remarkably strong tendency to filament formation was found for slime mould myosin, probably due to a better preservation of some structural properties during preparation. Conditions were worked out under which numerous filaments up to 4 µm in length can be produced. It was established that not only a gradual decrease of ionic strength may influence filament formation, but also pH, ATP concentration and the presence of divalent cations. Compared to the current filament models a difference exists in the structure of the filaments. No central bare zone can be found, and thus, they lack an apparent bipolarity. Along the entire filament there are lateral projections representing the head portion of myosin molecules. A clear periodicity with an axial repeat of about 14 nm was observed, indicating a highly ordered arrangement of these projections. In this paper it is shown for the first time that myosin from one of the primitive motile systems is able to form aggregates of high structural order, indicating that the contraction of non-muscular actomyosin systems is not necessarily effected with oligomeric or randomly aggregated myosin. The possible role of myosin aggregation in vivo and the similarity of filament structure to that recently reported for myosin from vertebrate smooth muscle and striated muscle are discussed.


The use and performance of an improved diagnostic and selective medium, PEMBA (polymyxin pyruvate egg yolk mannitol bromothymol blue agar), for the detection of Bacillus cereus in foods is described. The distinct colonial appearance of B. cereus on PEMBA permitted the recognition of both strains: those that do precipitate egg yolk and those that do not react with egg yolk. A staining procedure, used to demonstrate microscopically both the presence of lipid globules in vegetative cells and spore morphology of isolates, proved a rapid and reliable confirmatory test which gave complete agreement with a battery of biochemical tests used for this purpose. The quantitative recovery of B. cereus on PEMBA from 143 food samples was not significantly different from counts on KG (Kim and Goepfert), MYP (mannitol egg yolk phenol red), and McClung's media, and the selectivity of PEMBA was generally superior.


The first clinical experience with the successful application of fetal fibroblasts for the reconstruction of the tympanic membrane is presented.


Satellite DNA (satDNA) repeats can make up a large fraction of eukaryotic genomes. These blocks of tandem repeats are rapidly evolving and have roles in genome stability and chromosome segregation. Their repetitive nature poses genome assembly challenges and has stymied progress on the detailed study of satDNA structure. Here we use single molecule real-time sequencing reads to assemble and study the genomic structure of two complex satDNA loci in Drosophila melanogaster—260-bp and Responder—with unprecedented resolution. We find that complex satDNAs are organized into large tandem arrays interrupted by transposable elements. The homogenized repeats in the array center suggest that gene conversion and unequal crossovers drive the concerted evolution of repeats, the degree to which differs among satDNA loci. Both satDNA arrays have a higher order organization that suggests recent structural rearrangements. These assemblies provide a platform for the evolutionary and functional genomics of satDNAs in pericentric heterochromatin.


The modeling of automated manufacturing systems has been studied to cope with production planning and control problems. Petri nets have been applied to model these systems because they provide resources to represent the system behavior. When the systems are too large or complex, the modeling task is difficult and the elements in the model are too many for a simple understanding and analysis. This paper proposes an approach to modeling these systems to minimize these difficulties. The proposed approach uses Petri nets and a modular strategy considering shared resources and alternative process planning. Using this approach, a system has been modeled. First the system elements for the modeling job were considered, and then the modules were linked to build the complete model.


There are several reports concerning exercise and rabdomyolysis. There has been no report in the English literature of exercise induced rabdomyolisis from a stationary bike.A 63-year-old female recreational athlete presented to our hospital seeking treatment for lower back, leg pain and stiffness after exercising on a stationary bicycle one day prior. Blood work showed a raised CK of 38,120 U/L, a myoglobin of 5330 and an AST 495 U/L with normal urea and electrolytes. Urinalysis remained negative. She was admitted for oral and intravenous hydration and fluid balance monitoringThis is a very rare case of rhabdomyolysis due to exercise. This study highlights the difficulties faced by accident and emergency teams in distinguishing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) from exercise-induced rhabdomyolysis, and reinforces the concept that rhabdomyolysis can occur at any level of exercise intensity.


Vascular Smooth Muscle cell (V.S.M.C) plays a major role in the regulation of vasomotion. Sympathetic system play a key role in vascular smooth muscle function. Epinephrine (humoral pathway) and norepinephrine (nervous pathway) can both stimulate V.S.C.M. via delta and beta adrenergic receptors. The function of parasympathetic system is more controversial. Acetylcholine induces the release of a relaxing factor by the endothelial cell (E.D.R.F.) but it has a direct contracting effect on V.S.C.M. Neural vasodilation is also concerned by noradrenergic mechanisms.


A practical challenge facing the adoption of self-driving vehicles is the complex influence of the lateral dimension in vehicle traffic. This phenomenon has received little attention in the literature and few quantitative descriptions of interactions between vehicles are available for model validation. This paper proposes an analysis of the kinematic variables describing vehicle interactions on both axes during overtaking maneuvers using linear as well as nonlinear and nonparametric models based on real-world highway data. The principal findings are as follows: (a) a mutual influence between pairs of vehicles, especially at small lateral separation distances; (b) the higher the longitudinal velocity, the greater the lateral distances, no doubt to avoid collisions; and (c) lateral accelerations that tend to narrow lateral distance are associated with longitudinal accelerations that tend to widen it. These results are consistent across the different models applied and also with previous studies.


We evaluated the results following the use of the Volkov-Oganesyan-Povarov hinged distraction apparatus to correct equinocavovarus deformity of the foot in sixty-five adults (eighty-three feet). The deformity was secondary to ischemic and neuropathic changes after trauma to the foot and ankle, poliomyelitis, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, or untreated clubfoot. The deformity often was associated with severe neurotrophic changes, extensive scarring of the skin, callosities, or osteomyelitis of the foot, all of which usually preclude operative reconstruction. The average age of the patients was twenty-six years (range, sixteen to fifty-six years). The average duration of follow-up was ten years (range, three to nineteen years). The duration of distraction was three to thirteen weeks, and the apparatus usually was kept in place for an additional two months after the desired position of correction had been achieved. The patient then wore a plaster cast for an average of eight weeks and custom-molded shoe-inserts for at least one year. A plantigrade foot was obtained with this external transosseous distraction device. Eight patients had inflammation of pin tracks, which was treated with local injection of antibiotics into the soft tissues and application of bandages soaked in antibiotics to the area around the pin sites. The pins were removed from five of the eight patients, and the apparatus was removed from three additional patients because of osteomyelitis. The results were classified as good in fifty-nine feet, satisfactory in twenty, and unsatisfactory in four. In the four feet (three patients) with an unsatisfactory result, a good result was obtained after an arthrodesis was done.


PURPOSE
The Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) Patient Survey Network identified pain during intravesical procedures as a research priority for patients. Although intraurethral lidocaine is standard of care in this setting, evidence for its use is equivocal. We performed a systematic review of studies evaluating interventions to reduce discomfort during cystoscopy and intravesical therapies for bladder cancer. We performed a meta-analysis for interventions with available randomized-controlled trials.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Search terms derived from the Key Questions were incorporated into the literature search constructed by a research librarian and accessed English medical literature from 1990-2017. Initial search yielded 626 potential studies. Final review incorporated 62 studies. We combined 12 trials into a meta-analysis with a random-effects model of the efficacy of intraurethral lidocaine versus plain lubricant for reducing pain during flexible cystoscopy as measured by a 10-point Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

RESULTS
Data from 12 randomized-controlled trials on 1,549 patients were included in the final intraurethral lidocaine meta-analysis. The standardized mean difference between VAS pain scores in patients undergoing flexible cystoscopy with intraurethral lidocaine and plain lubricant was -0.22 (95% CI -0.39 to -0.05). The evidence was insufficient to evaluate other interventions for mitigating discomfort from invasive bladder procedures.

CONCLUSIONS
Intraurethral lidocaine provides a statistically significant reduction in pain among men undergoing flexible cystoscopy, particularly with longer dwell times. The evidence was insufficient for other tested interventions. A prospective study is needed to further clarify interventions to decrease patient discomfort during cystoscopy and other intravesical procedures in a diverse population.


Theanine, a non-proteinogenic amino acid present in tea leaves, is well known for its health promoting effects such as lowering blood pressure, reducing caffeine side effects, improving memory and supporting the immunity system. Theanine occurs in dietary supplements as racemate, while they should contain only the L-enantiomer. The article deals with the optimization of separation and detection of underivatized and derivatized theanine enantiomers on a chiral teicoplanin-based stationary phase. The chromatographic limits of detection and quantification were determined with the aim to assess the content of the theanine enantiomers in dietary supplements.


Between January 1, 1970, and December 31, 1974, 2981 patients underwent coronary arteriography. Twelve acute coronary dissections or embolizations occurred, an incidence of 0.4%. The incidences of acute occlusions for the Sones and Judkins techniques were 0.19% (4/2077 studies) and 0.88% (8/940), respectively. No instance of acute occlusion has occurred during the past 490 studies performed by the Judkins technique. Eight patients with right coronary artery dissections or circumflex emboli were treated medically. All survived, but in seven a myocardial infarction evolved. Four patients underwent emergency saphenous venous bypass grafting because of refractory ventricular fibrillation (two patients) or because large amounts of myocardium were thought jeopardized (two patients). All patients in this group had interruption of flow supplying the left anterior descending coronary artery. Despite surgical intervention in less than three hours in all patients, survivors all sustained transmural myocardial infarctions. Three patients survived surgery and were discharged home.


Nonionic surfactant vesicles (niosomes) have drawn a lot of attention in the area of modern drug delivery systems due to their salient features such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, chemical stability, low production cost, easy storage and handling and low toxicity. Niosomes are hydrated vesicular systems having a lamellar bilayer structure formed from nonionic surfactants with or without cholesterol and they are capable of encapsulating bioactive compounds with a wide range of solubility. Niosomes have been evaluated as a carrier for delivery of a number of anti-cancer drugs, genes, antigens and other bioactive compounds. Niosomal systems offer advantages over conventional delivery systems via delivering the bioactives in a controlled/sustained manner and delivering the actives to the target site. Niosomes tackle the problem of insolubility, instability, low bioavailability and rapid degradation of drugs. This paper overviews the general advantages of niosomal systems along with their potential applications in pharmaceutical areas. This article also highlights the effect of niosomal formulation on the physicochemical properties of niosomal systems. Various techniques of preparation are detailed and some down-sizing approaches have been identified.


This article describes an innovative system to protect offshore oil infrastructure against maritime piracy. To detect and respond efficiently to this threat, many factors must be taken into account, including the potential target, the protection methods already in place and operational and environmental constraints, etc. To improve the handling of this complex issue, we have designed a system to manage the entire processing chain; from threat identification to implementation of the response. The system implements Bayesian networks in order to capture the multitude of parameters and their inherent uncertainties, and to identify and manage potential responses. This article describes the system architecture, the integrated Bayesian network and its contribution to response planning.


The disintegration of boron by slow neutrons has been investigated using an ionization chamber filled with boron trichloride in conjunction with a linear amplifier. The magnitudes of the ionization impulses, measured by the oscillograph deflexions, should give under appropriate conditions a measure of the energy release in the disintegration process. The various factors which can affect the size of the oscillograph deflexion are discussed so as to define the appropriate conditions of experiment. Evidence is found for two disintegration energies. Assuming that the greater energy release corresponds to the formation of the Li7 nucleus in the ground state and is therefore 2'99 MeV, then the smaller energy, which is released in about 93- 94% of the disintegrations, is 2-57 + 0 05 MeV. An explanation is offered of the contradiction with the results of Maurer and Fisk. The y-radiation associated with the reaction has been detected and a rough measurement of its quantum energy has been made.


A beginning investigation about the presence of secondary metabolite compounds in the methanol extract of red grandiflora flower ( Sesbania grandiflora L. Pers) has been conducted . The flower which traditionally used as antihyperglycemic therapy has been extracted through methanolic-maceration. The crude extract was phytochemically analyzed by qualitative approach with specific reagent for the each type of the compound. The analysis of functional group prediction is also performed by using FTIR spectrometer. Phytochemical test showed that it contains alkaloid, tannin, polyphenol, flavonoid, quinone, and triterpenoid . The IR spectrum showed that the typical functional group of the secondary metabolite consist of hydroxide (–OH) , olefin (C=C), and aromatic which as constituents of phenolic group


Vitamin preparations have been a stalwart of the supplement industry. They reflect both our understanding that they are, by definition, essential for optimal health and function, as well as our fears that either the food supply, or the way we consume it, fails to provide us with optimal amounts of these micronutrients. In the case of B-vitamins, the greatest research interest in supplementation occurred around World War II, tied to the reasonably new discovery of many of these vitamins and the interest in adequate war rations and military feeding plans. Even with the more targeted interest in sports nutrition, the topic of vitamin supplementation seems dated, with most available studies dating back to the early 1990s. The interest in vitamin K in sports nutrition, however, is more contemporary, due to its role in bone health.

### M K Ranchordas

The B-vitamins are water-soluble vitamins that play crucial roles in energy metabolism. There are eight B-vitamins: thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5) pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), involved in energy-producing pathways; folic acid (B9), cobalamin (B12) involved in synthesising new cells, red blood cells and in cell repair. The richest sources of B-vitamins are unprocessed foods such as whole grains, green leafy vegetables, nuts, dairy products and animal foods such as meat and eggs but, in many countries, foods such as cereals and bread are fortified with these vitamins.

It has been reported that inadequate intake and deficiencies in B-vitamins could impair athletic performance.1 ,2 Studies examining dietary intakes of B-vitamins in …


This dissertation explores the socio-historical forces that account for the ongoing Turkish denial of the genocide of the Ottoman Armenians for ninety-five years after the event. I argue that because of the temporal proximity of and the institutional continuities between the two events - Armenian deportations and massacres (1915 -1916) and the rise of the new Turkish nation-state with a legendary War of Independence led by Ataturk (1919-1922) - "Turkishness" invented by the Kemalist elites during the inter-war era remained inextricably implicated with and ideologically positioned in relation to the absent presence of the Ottoman Armenians. To be able to deconstruct the relationship between the Turkish denial and the Kemalist nation formation, I tried to trace and recover these implications and the ideological repositionings along the axis of four main institutions : national press (the period from the Sabiha Gokcen controversy in 2004 until the assassination of Hrant Dink in 2007), national economy (and class formation), charismatic authority (Ataturk), and national education. My analysis showed me that what we today call "genocide denial" is more fundamentally related to the moral abyss constructed in the founding national narrations between the "Turks" and the "Armenians." Another central premise of this dissertation is that even though Ataturk was not involved in the Armenian deportations and massacres of 1915, his memory and his charismatic authority that came to be routinized over all state institutions in Turkey as the moral compass of the nation remains profoundly entangled with the legacy of the Armenian genocide and the Unionists who orchestrated it. In my analysis I do not separate state identity and its formative process anchored in Ataturk's charisma, from national identity and its formative process; I argue that these two processes can't be separated in the context of Turkish nationalism. Through rigorous historical analysis, I try to understand the ways in which this unity not only accounts for the eccentricity of the Turkish national project but also sustains the moral abyss between the Turkish "innocence" and the Armenian "evil" and the contemporary Turkish denial


Introduction: The 2022–2023 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 outbreak in the United States (U.S.) is the most geographically extensive and costly animal health event in U.S. history. In 2022 alone, over 57 million commercial and backyard poultry in 47 U.S. states were affected. Over 75% of the affected poultry were part of the commercial table egg production sector. Methods: We conducted a case-control study to identify potential risk factors for the introduction of the HPAI virus onto commercial table egg operations. Univariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to compare farm characteristics, management, and biosecurity factors on case and control farms. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of infection included being in an existing control zone, sightings of wild waterfowl, mowing or bush hogging vegetation less than 4 times a month, having an off-site method of daily mortality disposal (off-site composting or burial, rendering, or landfill), and wild bird access to feed/feed ingredients at least some of the time. Protective factors included a high level of vehicle washing for trucks and trailers entering the farm (a composite variable that included having a permanent wash station), having designated personnel assigned to specific barns, having a farm entrance gate, and requiring a change of clothing for workers entering poultry barns. Discussion: Study results improve our understanding of risk factors for HPAI infection and control measures for preventing HPAI on commercial U.S. table egg farms.


This paper presents experimental investigations of the control algorithm of a highly maneuverable mobile manipulation robot. The kinematics of a mobile manipulation robot, the algorithm of trajectory planning of the mobile robot to the point of object gripping are considered. By realization of the algorithm, the following tasks are solved: solution of the inverse positional task for the mobile manipulation robot; motion planning of the mobile manipulator taking into account the minimization of energy and time consumption per movement. The result of the algorithm is a movement to the point of gripping of the manipulation object; grasping and loading of the object. Experimental investigations of the developed algorithms are given.


Happiness as an abstract concept is interesting to briefly ponder; do we have a right to be happy? If so, what, all the time? Is this a realistic expectation? Tears of happiness are not the only anatomical reason we have tear ducts, so a degree of non-happiness or unhappiness is to be expected, right? The Yin to the Yang? What goes up…?Happiness is big business, literally. It is the endeavor of serious academic inquiry; there are Happiness Conferences! I bet they'd be fun (come on - you'd hope so). 'Sex sells' and so does happiness; when did you last see a Crabby Coke drinker on a billboard? Or a Moody Motorist in his new car on a TV ad? Modern society seems to shun the very thought of 'non-elatedness' if advertising is to be believed, but times of occasionally having 'The Blues' or down-time from brimming with happiness are, perhaps, part of the natural rhythm of life and only to be expected at some points along our respective journeys. Obviously, persistent and unshakable melancholy is worth seeking advice over from a registered medical practitioner, as it may be symptomatic of an underlying issue and is best to get checked out, if just for peace of mind, but this is a separate thing to what I wish to discuss. I wish to discuss being unhappy if not because of, then during the study of, Law.


As variability and timing closure become critical challenges in synchronous CAD flows, one attractive alternative is to use robust asynchronous circuits which gracefully accommodate timing discrepancies. In this approach, each gate in an initial Boolean netlist is typically replaced by a robust dual-rail asynchronous template. However, these circuits typically have significant area and latency overhead. A gate-level relaxation approach has recently been proposed: replacing selected simple gates by asynchronous templates performing eager evaluation, without affecting the circuit's overall timing robustness. In this paper, the approach has been significantly extended to block-level relaxation: handling arbitrarily complex multi-output blocks. For these circuits, a much wider range of optimizations is applicable than in the gate-level approach. A block-level relaxation algorithm is implemented, and experiments performed on several high-speed arithmetic circuits (Brent-Kung and Kogge-Stone adders, combinational multipliers). On average, 38.4\% of the blocks could be relaxed (48.4\% best-case),with area improvement of 27.2% (49.7% best-case)and delay improvement of 13.1% (25.5% best-case) for the critical path,while still preserving the circuit's overall timing robustness.


Upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis is a rare manifestation of venous thromboembolic disease. In the past few decades, the clinical importance of upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis has increased because of the wider use of central venous catheters and the development of ultrasonography as a simple and accurate objective diagnostic method. Primary upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis is a rare disorder (2 per 100,000 persons per year), which comprises (1) Paget-Schroetter Syndrome, also known as effort thrombosis, and (2) idiopathic upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis. Secundary upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis develops in patients with upper extremity central venous catheters, pacemakers or cancer and accounts for most cases of upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis. The imaging modes used for diagnosis are: duplex ultrasound, magnetic resonance. Contrast venogram is the standard diagnostic test for characterization of the anatomy. A staged, multimodal approach to Paget-Schroetter Syndrome can effectively restore venous patency, reduce the risk of rethrombosis, and return the patient to normal function. Primary care physicians should be aware of this condition and its atypical presentations, because delayed recognition in a high-functioning persons can be potentially disabling.


This article examines whether the European Commission succeeded in reducing the negative socio-environmental externalities of road transport in Northern, Central and South-eastern Europe by introducing the First Infrastructure Package and Interoperability Directive that opened rail freight markets to competition. Using results from the EC-sponsored REORIENT project, the article searches for causal links between the completeness of legislative adherence and the occurrence of market rivalry. In so doing, it draws on the New Public Management (NPM) theorem which provided conceptual underpinnings for liberalisation policy and the notion of path-dependency warning that effectiveness of any public policy is contingent on the features of its implementation context. The article contrasts the adoption of rail deregulation directives by the old and rich EU-states in the Nordic region with the newly liberated, more recent EU-members in Central and South-eastern Europe in order to expose how the political, economic and cultural features of these countries affected the quality of legislative compliance and market rivalry. This method unearthed a clearly polarised picture of inter-country compliance and competition pattern. Norway, Sweden and Finland exhibit high levels of legal adherence without however, much intra-rail competition. Cut-off from the government subsidies, these countries' state railways compete today with road operators, without however facing much rivalry from truckers. On the other hand, the new EU-members still lag on legislative conformance, but their licensing authorities granted operating permits to quite many private entrants. These carriers compete fiercely with the national incumbents, but the rail service quality they provide does not as yet threaten the dominance of truck in national freight transport. As a result, no inter-modal competition exists there. These findings indicate that liberalisation of rail freight market has not as yet reduced the road-rail imbalance in European freight markets nor curbed the negative socio-environmental externalities associated with motorised transport. Methodologically, this article exposed the analytical shortcoming of the NPM theorem and the strong empirical relevance of the path-dependency hypothesis.


The changes have been so marked that recently on two occasions in this hospital a tentative radiological diagnosis of an infiltrative carcinoma of the stomach has been suggested. In one case the inflammatory nature of the hard, fixed mass was mistaken at laparotomy for inoperable malignancy, and only the subsequent spontaneous remission indicated the true nature of the lesion. It is perhaps unfortunate that over-emphasis in the literature on the radiological changes demonstrable in the duodenum has resulted in neglect of other signs which may be seen in the stomach. This perhaps arises from the lack of appreciation of the frequency with which chronic pancreatitis or relapsing pancreatitis occurs as a segmental disease, often involving a segment of the body or tail of the pancreas, leavirng the pancreatic head and consequently the duodenal curve completely normal.-I am, etc.,


Information is the most valuable commodity during emergencies which is needed by everyone for decision making. In a chaotic environment, information communication technology (ICT) supported by advanced smart devices have the capacity to enormously improve the emergency medical response to such mass-casualty incident disasters. Next-generation wireless Internet and geo-positioning have the greatest impact on improving communications, information management, and overall disaster response and emergency medical care. ICT is important to rescue victims on the site of accident or disaster and in hospitals which is used for triaging, testing and evaluation, handoffs, and admitting. ICT communication has three major challenges: sociological, technological, and organizational. The future communication in emergency will relay on wireless internet and geo-positioning technologies. Internet of Things and Machine to Machine communication are confirmed to be usedin the future during state of uncertainty. The purpose of this essay is to review present and future differentials of ICT for emergency communication.

Key Words: Information Communication Technology, Electronic health record, internet, and emergency


The short and long-range atomic and magnetic order in BaFe12-xCoxTixO19 (x=0.4, 0.7, 0.8) and BaFe10.4Sc1.6O19 prepared by soft chemistry routes were studied and compared with parent BaFe12O19 prepared by solid-state reaction. For BaFe10.3Co0.85Ti0.85O19 neutron diffraction and magnetic measurements revealed that (Co2+, Ti4+) substitution causes significant distortions in the local oxygen surrounding of ferric cation sites, while the grain-size effect on the structural parameters is considerably smaller. The thermal expansion coefficient exhibits a strong anisotropy. The refined magnetic moments for x=0.45 and 0.7 based on the five-cation sublattice block-type collinear ferrimagnetic structure of uniaxial type known as Gorter type for BaFe12O19, are considerably lower than the theoretical spin only moments, especially for the 4e and 12k sites, indicating for x = 0.7 a local noncollinearity with short-range ordering. For x = 0.85, at 10 K a block-type conical magnetic structure sets in. For BaFe10.4Sc1.6O19, combined neutron diffraction, field-dependent 57Fe Mössbauer studies and magnetic measurements show that the collinear block-type structure remains effective at 300 K and below it down to about 190 K. In the 190 – 1.6 K range we observe a temperature dependent incommensurate complex block-type conical structure.


In this article, we construct the exact traveling wave solutions of the nonlinear (2+1)-dimensional Davey-Stewartson equation (D-S) using the generalized ( G � G )-expansion method which play an important role in mathematical physics. As a result, hyperbolic, trigonometric and rational function solutions with parameters are obtained. When these parameters are taken special values, the solitary and periodic solutions are derived from the hyperbolic and trigonometric function solutions respectively. New complex type traveling wave solutions to the nonlinear (2+1)- dimensional Davey-Stewartson equation were obtained with Liu's theorem.


Although pyridine is used in many laboratories and chemical industries as a solvent for anhydrous mineral salts, in synthesis of organic compounds and in analytic procedures, only a few instances of its toxic effect on man have been recorded. The unfortunate outcome of an experiment in the treatment of epilepsy by the use of pyridine afforded us an opportunity to observe the development of its toxic effect. Since the effect of pyridine on the human organism has been incompletely studied and knowledge concerning its action is sketchy, we concluded that our observations were worthy of description. In searching for an anticonvulsant which does not produce a narcotic side effect, we studied the effect of pyridine on convulsions produced by the intravenous injection into rabbits of minimal convulsant doses of metrazol. It was found that pyridine and some of its derivatives, such as niacin (nicotinic acid) amide, significantly reduced the severity


Underground water samples at eight different sites at Sambhal, Moradabad were collected and analysed for different physico-chemical water quality parameters following standards methodology of samplying and estimation to assess underground water quality. The estimated values were compared with drinking water quality standards prescribed by W.H.O. Ground water was found to be polluted with reference to most of the parameters studied, while it was moderately polluted with reference to other parameters. The present study suggests that people dependent on source of study area are prone to health hazards of polluted water and water quality management is urgently needed.


With slowly increasing survival rates in pancreatic cancer and international consensus guidelines recommending surgical resection of premalignant lesions, survival post-pancreatic resection is increasing. With longer survival time, the significant comorbidities of such major surgery have far-reaching effects on the nutrition status of the survivor of pancreatic cancer. This review describes the many nutrition-related side effects of pancreatic surgery, including the development of pancreatic enzyme insufficiency, micronutrient deficiencies, diabetes, fatty liver, and metabolic bone disease. Beyond causing additional medical problems, each of these can have significant effects on quality of life and functional status. The potential mechanisms, diagnosis criteria, and potential treatments of these conditions are described. Overall, little literature exists to fully describe the effects of these comorbidities, and even less is able to guide effective treatments for this population. Clinicians caring for these patients should begin incorporating goals for promotion of long-term health and reduction of these known and reported comorbidities in patients who have undergone pancreatic surgery. Treatment plans in this population remain understudied, and clinicians may need to consider recommendations for similar disease states when developing interventions for these patients.


Mullite ceramics have been known as the engineering materials due to their special properties such as high refractoriness, good thermal shock resistance, low thermal expansion, good strength at low and high temperatures, good creep resistance and low dielectric constant. In the present work, mullite samples were prepared by reaction sinteing of alumina and silica gel and subsequent sintering in a microwave process. The sintering of samples was carried out at temperatures in the range of 1400-1500°C with no soaking time. Density and porosity measurements showed a high density (89.3% TD) and low porosity (5.8%) for samples sintered at 1400°C under microwave conditions while for samples sintered conventionally at this temperature after 2h heating, density decreased (81.9% TD) and porosity increased (18.5%). By increasing sintering temperature to 1450 and 1500°C under microwave conditions, density increased (93.3 and 93.8% TD) and porosity decreased (0.31 and 0.36%), respectively. Microhardness measurements showed 27.6% increment when sintering temperature increased from 1400 to 1500°C. The mean grain size increased (34.8%) for samples sintered in furnace rather than those sintered in microwave process.


This paper explores the impact of self-reflective processes of staff at Charles Sturt University (CSU) while undertaking an online Indigenous Cultural Competency Program (ICCP). The ICCP was designed for completion by all university staff to enhance their knowledge and understanding of Indigenous cultures, histories and contemporary realities. Staff were requirement to complete and submit answers to an online quiz, and a written reflection on their learning. This paper reflects on the responses of 64 volunteers and indicates large positive shifts are self-reported knowledge and understanding. The reflective texts of staff provide a rich source of information on the 'journey within'. In-depth thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) identified three key themes: evaluation, the mapped learning journey and the personal learning journey. The participant feedback, not only pointed to the cognitive, attitudinal and emotional impact of the content and pedagogical approach of the programme, but also identified barriers and issues for programmes aimed at complex change in a contested space. Our programme assessment relied on self-reported individual perception that surfaced hidden assumptions about Indigenous cultural competency (Kumas-Tan¸ Beagan, Loppie, MacLeod, & Frank, 2007). We acknowledge in the longer term a range of comprehensive outcome measures are needed.


This collaborative study between a Marketing lecturer and a learning developer analyses students' reflections on an industry group project in order to identify common issues surrounding the assignment. Participatory action research was utilised in order to incorporate the student view and shift the focus of the research from the students to the group project assignment itself with a view to improving it. The findings uncovered six key themes: asking for help, obstacles, specific skills achieved, acquired self-knowledge, identified strategies and identified traits still to be achieved. Within these themes, limitations within communication skills, emotional factors and teamwork, including cultural differences proved to be the main areas of interest, although it is clear that many difficulties were overcome with newly-found perspectives throughout the process. We have observed that students will take their learning from other modules to apply to other assignments, their tutors play a great role in supporting their learning, this group project enables a clear improvement in understanding career expectations and that we can mitigate some identified obstacles.


Background—Fibrinogen levels are a widely accepted risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but the extent of the genetic component is unknown. Materials and Results—To search for these genes, we conducted a genome-wide scan using 21 Spanish families from the Genetic Analysis of Idiopathic Thrombophila (GAIT) Project. Two loci were detected: 1 on chromosome 12 and another on chromosome 14. There are no cardiovascular-related candidate genes on chromosome 14, which implies that this locus represents a novel cardiovascular risk factor. Importantly, the locus on chromosome 12 contains the hepatocyte nuclear factors (TCF1), a candidate gene involved in the hepatocyte-specific transcription of the fibrinogen α-chain and β-chain genes. Three polymorphisms in TCF1 showed significant association with fibrinogen levels, supporting the implication of TCF1 in the determination of this phenotype. Conclusions—Two loci, 1 on chromosome 12 (most likely the TCF1) and another on chromosome 14, are important determinants of fibrinogen levels in Spanish families. These data should help define the relationship between fibrinogen levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease.


A policy of structural change in regions has been initiated by the European Commission through the innovation policy. Smart specialization has emerged as a key concept raising some theoretical and methodological issues. In this paper, statistical analysis of networks is used to characterize evolutionary trends in the techno-industrial potential of a region and to study its consequences in terms of public innovation policy. The statistical analysis of networks characterizes the structure of interactions between agents and can be used to follow the development of these connections and dissemination of technologies. The data used are those of publicly funded technological innovation projects submitted in the Franche-Comte region from 2007 to 2012. JEL Codes: O38, O25


Due to the emergence of massive real-world graphs, whose sizes may extend to terabytes, new tools must be developed to enable data scientists to handle such graphs efficiently. These graphs may include social networks, computer networks, and genomes. In this paper, we propose a novel graph package Arachne to make large-scale graph analytics more effortless and more efficient based on the open-source Arkouda framework, which has been developed to allow users to perform massively parallel computations on distributed data with an interface similar to NumPy. In this package, we developed a fundamental sparse graph data structure and several useful graph algorithms around our data structure to build a basic algorithmic library. Benchmarks and tools have also been developed to evaluate and demonstrate the provided graph algorithms. The graph algorithms we have implemented thus far include breadth-first search (BFS), connected components (CC), k-Truss (KT), Jaccard coefficients (JC), triangle counting (TC), and triangle centrality (TCE). Their corresponding experimental results based on realworld and synthetic graphs are presented. Arachne is organized as an Arkouda extension package and is publicly available on GitHub (https://github.com/Bears-R-Us/arkouda-njit).


The aim of this paper is to present the basics of differential spaces theory. In particular differential spaces in a sense of Sikorski are exposed. They are some generalisation of a smooth manifold concept. Except a concise and general exposition to the topic at the introductory level, also some new ideas of gluing two spaces are sketched.


Children's Needs in Focus: A Framework with Children's Knowledge in Focus? There are different frameworks for risk and needs assessment that can be used by social workers in child welfare in encounters with children who are in risk of suffering significant harm. BBIC, which is the Swedish abbreviation for 'Children's Needs in Focus' is widely used in the context of Swedish child protection system. BBIC is a modified version of the Integrated Children's System from the United Kingdom that has been adapted to Swedish conditions, legislation and practice.In this presentation, I will give an overview of my PhD project which focuses on BBIC in relation to children who are exposed to violence in intimate relationships. I present a critical analysis of BBIC by mapping out different knowledge cultures; the 'evidence-based' scientific knowledge that BBIC is based upon, and some explanation models from the field of violence research and practice. I discuss how particular explanation models about violence in intimate relationships also give different accounts about children and violence. This will be linked to a discussion about what status is granted children's 'opinions' and children as knowledgeable agents in this complex context. Using posters from Operation Kvinnofrid, a campaign against men's violence against women as an example, I illustrate the knowledges and explanations that are part of the BBIC-frame, as well as those that fall outside.


Abstract. The mesoscale variability in the Caribbean Sea is dominated by anticyclonic eddies that are formed in the eastern part of the basin. These anticyclones intensify on their path westward while they pass the coastal upwelling region along the Venezuelan and Colombian coast. In this study, we used a regional model to show that this westward intensification of Caribbean anticyclones is steered by the advection of cold upwelling filaments. Following the thermal wind balance, the increased horizontal density gradients result in an increase in the vertical shear of the anticyclones and in their westward intensification. To assess the impact of variations in upwelling on the anticyclones, several simulations were performed in which the northward Ekman transport (and thus the upwelling strength) is altered. As expected, stronger (weaker) upwelling is associated with stronger (weaker) offshore cooling and a stronger (weaker) westward intensification of the anticyclones. Moreover, the simulations with weaker upwelling show farther advection of the Amazon and Orinoco River plumes into the basin. As a result, in these simulations the horizontal density gradients were predominantly set by horizontal salinity gradients. The importance of the horizontal density gradients driven by temperature, which are associated with the upwelling, increased with increasing upwelling strength. The results of this study highlight that both upwelling and the advection of the river plumes affect the life cycle of mesoscale eddies in the Caribbean Sea.


This thesis addresses three aspects of the systematics of Thomandersia . Firstly, a taxonomic account of Thomandersia is provided. Secondly, the anatomy of Thomandersia is described. Finally, the phylogenetic position of Thomandersia in Lamiales is investigated and the potential of morphological and molecular datasets to resolve relationships in Lamiales is assessed. Six species of Thomandersia are recognised, based upon previous taxonomic treatments, an assessment of variability within the genus, and a rationale for describing infrageneric taxa. An improved key to species, species descriptions, distribution maps and illustrations are presented. A preliminary analysis of molecular sequence data suggests that previous, morphology-based classifications of Thomandersia in Acanthaceae do not reflect phylogenetic relationships. The floral and wood anatomy of Thomandersia are reexamined in this light and discussed in the context of Lamiales. Unique characters of Thomandersia include a particularly large calycine nectary, expanded placentas, irregular corolla aestivation, and spherical, scaly seeds. Thomandersia is found to share anatomical features with all other Lamiales investigated. Detailed anatomical studies of retinacula, a character shared with Acanthaceae, and extrafloral nectaries, which may be homologous to nectaries in other Lamiales, are presented. The majority of anatomical characters are homoplastically-distributed in Lamiales and therefore of little use for diagnosing monophyletic groups. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic investigations support the resurrection of Thomandersiaceae, a family of isolated phylogenetic position with a large number of molecular and morphological autapomorphies. At the same time, the investigations highlight problems in resolving interfamilial relationships in Lamiales. The ultimate aim of phylogenetic analysis in Lamiales is an accurately-resolved tree with stronglysupported relationships between all taxa. Morphological characters are of limited use in achieving this goal: when a large morphological matrix is combined with molecular data only small, poorly-supported increases in resolution are achieved. The increasing availability of molecular sequence data is expected to make it possible, in the near future, to resolve an accurate, supported phylogeny of Lamiales and elucidate the sister group relationships of isolated taxa such as Thomandersiaceae.


Ever since the fall of the Somali government in 1991, the country has been in the state of civil war and in some regions total lawlessness. The creation of different, smaller, autonomous regions has led to fragmentation of the country as a whole and some districts seem to in fact claim sovereignty over their respective territories. While the country has been practically left to fend for itself, politicians, warlords and local clans were fast to proclaim parts of the country as independent regions. Moreover the infrastructure, industries, healthcare and the "gears of country`s machinery" were falling apart along with people who did not have much to start with. Most of the institutions have been disbanded and hopes of a normal future suddenly became very distant for the people of Somalia. Coupled with constantly ongoing armed conflicts within the nation made it even more difficult for the country`s poor. There are few theories as to why piracy had this sudden upspring off the coast of Somalia. One of which is as commonly known that foreign fishing fleets were depleting the Somali fishing stocks, while also pushing the local fishermen away from their usual grounds. Coupled with toxic waste dumping in the territorial and EEZ waters made fishermen to start to arm themselves. There is also a theory that, since Somali weapons embargo, the prices had risen, thus local clans needed more capital in order to fund wars, subsequently creating piracy. After the fall of the government, Somali ex-navy members returned to their clans and later on used their knowledge and skills in order to conduct their operations. The international community through UN and with independent efforts, acting under chapter VII of the UN Charter, has begun to tackle the problem, however with varying effects. Meanwhile the massive release of military personnel and equipment after the end of cold war has led to an immerse rise of another industry, namely the one of private security which is now actively lobbying to provide its services both on land in Somalia as well as to the shipping industry that has been suffering greatly due to piracy.


This paper summarizes, structures, and provides some context for discussions of the round table mentioned in the title. The first part of the paper focuses on sources of market power for airports and on policy responses. When an airport is congested and competition with other airports is limited, regulation may be justified, and the dual till approach likely works best. In other cases, however, policy should establish conditions for competition to emerge as much as possible, instead of attempting to design a general regulatory framework. The second part of the paper discusses elements of climate change policy in aviation. Including aviation in emission trading schemes is a sensible idea, but should not be expected to produce major cuts in CO2-emissions from aviation; containing its growth possibly is a more realistic, yet ambitious, objective. High-speed rail is justified in a number of situations, but is not a general alternative for air travel and certainly not a second-best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aviation.


We show that films of the 3-dimensional perovskite Cs1−xRbxSnI3 can be prepared from room temperature N,N-dimethylformamide solutions of RbI, CsI and SnCl2 for x ≤ 0.5, and that for x ≤ 0.2 film stability is sufficient for utility as the light harvesting layer in inverted photovoltaic (PV) devices. Electronic absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy measurements supported by computational simulation, show that increasing x increases the band gap, due to distortion of the lattice of SnI6 octahedra that occurs when Cs is substituted with Rb, although it also reduces the stability towards decomposition. When Cs0.8Rb0.2SnI3 perovskite is incorporated into the model inverted PV device structure; ITO|perovskite|C60|bathocuproine|Al, an ∼120 mV increase in open-circuit is achieved which is shown to correlate with an increase in perovskite ionisation potential. However, for this low Rb loading the increase in band gap is very small (∼30 meV) and so a significant increase in open circuit-voltage is achieved without reducing the range of wavelengths over which the perovskite can harvest light. The experimental findings presented are shown to agree well with the predictions of density functional theory (DFT) simulations of the stability and electronic structure, also performed as part of this study.


Several emerging applications, such as "Analytics of Things" and "Integrative Analytics" call for a fusion of statistical learning (SL) and stochastic optimization (SO). The Learning Enabled Optimization paradigm fuses concepts from these disciplines in a manner which not only enriches both SL and SO, but also provides a framework which supports rapid model updates and optimization, together with a methodology for rapid model-validation, assessment, and selection. Moreover, in many big data/big decisions applications these steps are repetitive, and possible only through a continuous cycle involving data analysis, optimization, and validation. This paper sets forth the foundation for such a framework by introducing several novel concepts such as statistical optimality, hypothesis tests for model-fidelity, generalization error of stochastic optimization, and finally, a non-parametric methodology for model selection. These new concepts provide a formal framework for modeling, solving, validating, and reporting solutions for Learning Enabled Optimization (LEO). We illustrate the LEO framework by applying it to an inventory control model in which we use demand data available for ARIMA modeling in the statistical package "R". In addition, we also study a production-marketing coordination model based on combining a pedagogical production planning model with an advertising data set intended for sales prediction. Because the approach requires the solution of several stochastic programming instances, some using continuous random variables, we leverage stochastic decomposition (SD) for the fusion of regression and stochastic linear programming. In this sense, the novelty of this paper is its framework, rather than a specific new algorithm. Finally, we present an architecture of a software framework to bring about the fusion we envision.


Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L) Millsp.) is one of the most important pulse crops grown worldwide because it is endowed with several unique characteristics with diversified uses for human needs and is an important crop in semiarid tropical and subtropical areas. Especially in Asia it is a major source of protein for humans. As many as 250 insect species have been recorded to attack pigeon pea among which the pod-borers and pod fly are the most damaging pests, inflicting considerable damage to the reproductive parts of the plant. The pigeon pea pod fly Melanagromyza obtusa Malloch (Diptera: Agromyzidae) is found throughout south and central Asia. The main country suffering from its pestilence is India because of widespread pigeonpea cultivation (>90% of the world production). Females deposit eggs on the pigeon pea green pods and the developing larva initially feeds just under the epidermis of the seed like a leaf miner. Generally, pod yield losses due to this vary between 5-30 per cent during winter and spring from several countries Hence, attempts were made to evaluate the efficacy of different insecticides and botanicals for the sustainable management of the pigeon pea pod fly.


Several thrombotic complications in patients affected with SARS-CoV-2 have been reported. Single-centre pilot study aimed to analyse the coexistence of antiphospholipid antibodies and thrombotic events on SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Antiphospholipid antibodies were measured by solid phase enzyme immunoassay. Clinical data were collected from electronic history and clinical records. Over 25 patients studied we report four cases of COVID-19 patients who presented circulating antiphospholipid antibodies and arterial or venous thrombotic events. No patient had a previous history of thrombosis. Two cases presented with pulmonary embolism, one with pulmonary embolism and pulmonary infarction and one with a stroke. All of them showed positive anti-cardiolipin antibodies. One patient died and three were discharged. The presence of antiphospholipid antibodies in these patients might represent an epiphenomenon secondary to the immune stimulation by the virus. It could be reasonable to consider measuring antiphospholipid antibodies as part of the study of a thrombotic event in COVID-19 patients to better understand the impact of these antibodies in the development of thrombotic events and we highlight the value of a periodic determination to define the need of long-term anticoagulant therapy.


SUMMARY The Upper Carboniferous coalfields of Great Britain occupy various tectonic settings. Excellent data sets allow detailed analysis of any relationship between structure and the depositional patterns. Syn-depositional movement can be identified on a basin scale, and also at the scale of individual faults. However, with the exception of the Scottish Midland Valley, definitive evidence for syn-depositional movement on specific structures is relatively rare, and especially so in the English Pennine Basin. In particular, there is a general scarcity of detailed structural control on coal-depositional patterns. The environments in which coals formed would have been much more sensitive to subtle ground movements than the higher energy environments of the major channel belts. The precursor peats were widespread and commonly diachronous, and probably spanned around half the available time and space during Westphalian deposition across the Pennine Basin. The rarity of localized structural controls on coal patterns is therefore firm evidence of rarity of specific syn-depositional faulting throughout the sedimentary volume. Using mining data mainly from the Pennine Basin and the Midland Valley, this account discusses examples of likely, and less likely syn-depositional features, and proposes structural and sedimentological critieria for systematic assessment.


In a mixed economy the implementation of planning policies must, to a large extent, depend upon the actions of the private sector. This places an onus on the planning system to understand and appreciate how its objectives can be achieved through the management of market forces. The present study attempts to examine some of the problems which this can pose; particularly in relation to the control of private housebuilders. It is not, however, intended to be a comprehensive essay on the relationship between planning and the market. Rather, the emphasis is placed throughout on an examination of the practical problems which planners face in this respect; and on considering how the operation of market forces can frustrate the planning system in its efforts to control private investment . The study is structured in the following manner: Chapter One sets out to establish the rationale for land-use planning intervening in the operation of the market. Firstly, planning can be justified on the grounds that its purpose is to compensate for the imperfections which characterise the workings of the land market. Planning, in these circumstances, restricts itself to the task of removing any obstructions. Which hinder the efficient operation of market forces; playing, in effect, a passive rather than an active role. Secondly, planning can legitimise its actions by pointing cut that the unfettered operation of market forces will inevitably work to the disadvantage of those in greatest need. Planning must, therefore, play a more active role, challenging the was in which private agents operate in the market. The question is whether or not planning can actually fulfill this task, hearing in mind both the tools which are available to carry out land-use planning; and the hostility which this course of action is likely to generate in the private sector. Chapter Two examines some of the practical implications of these problems by looking at the way in which the economics of private housebuilding can create special problems for the planning process. Here the emphasis is placed upon developing a critique of the land-use planning system, by illustrating the limited opportunity which it has to control the decisions made by private builders, operanting in the land and development market. The chapter highlights the conflicting and variable pressures which a planner can experience when attempting to deal directly with the market. Chapter Three develops these considerations further with a study of the private builder public planner relationship in the West of Scotland. The study traces, in some detail, the was in which the housing and land markets have developed in the area in order to stress their importance in determining the milieu within which land-use planning must take place- This provides the essential background for an analysis of the conflict between Strathclyde Region and the private housebuilders, over the allocation of land for private housing in the Structure Plan. Certain features of this conflict cogently illustrate how past and prevailing market forces can circumscribe the actions of planners. The role of the housebuilding lobby, representing the market, and the Secretary of State, representing central government, in determining the outcome of this conflict and seen as crucial. Chapter Pour deals with the practical problems which Glasgow District Council face in their efforts Ill to manage and direct the activities of private housebuilders. The influence which the micro-political environment can have on the planner/market relationship is examined. In addition, the methods used by the planners to increase the level of in-town private housebuilding are examined. Basing its conclusions on evidence detailed in the previous two chapters the final chapter analyses the problems which can arise when planning attempts to influence the operation of the market-motivated, private sector. The chapter also includes some general suggestion on how the planning system might be made both more effective and more sensitive in its efforts to cope with the management of market forces.


This chapter deals with the kinetics of solvent extraction of oil from Amaranth, as well as the thermodynamics of the extraction process. Brief introduction of Amaranth and Amaranth oil yields and compositions were given. The justifications of the choice of extraction method, as well as the solvent used in the kinetics and thermodynamic studies, were discussed. Known kinetic models used to model vegetable oils extraction process, were discussed, with the view of evaluating the feasibility of fitting the obtained experimental data into the models. The extraction kinetic models considered are the parabolic diffusion, power law, hyperbolic, Elovich's and pseudo second order models. The thermodynamics of oil extraction process were also considered. Hence, the thermodynamic parameters, enthalpy, entropy and Gibb's free energy change of the process were also discussed.


For a detailed pheno- and genotypic characterization of the genus Thermus, the following seven representative strains were analyzed: Three extremely thermophilic strains (optimal temperature for growth, 65 to 75°C), Thermus aquaticus DSM 625, "Thermus flavus" DSM 674, and "Thermus thermophilus" DSM 579; and four moderately thermophilic strains (optimal temperature for growth 55 to 60°C), Thermus ruber DSM 1279 and three new isolates (strains H1, H2, and H3) from sewage. All of these strains exhibited isobranched pentadecanoic and heptadecanoic acids as principal components of their fatty acids, possessed unsaturated menaquinones with eight isoprene units, and had deoxyribonucleic acid guanine-plus-cytosine contents of 59 to 65.5 mol%, and their cell walls contained a murein structure of the A3β variation (interpeptide bridge, Gly2). The clustering of the organisms into extremely and moderately thermophilic strains correlated well with molecular properties, such as the absorption spectra of their pigments and the ratio of pentadecanoic acid to heptadecanoic acid. This grouping was confirmed by the results of 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid cataloging and deoxyribonucleic acid-deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization. Our data confirm current proposals for classification of the genus Thermus into the following two distinct species: T. aquaticus for the extremely thermophilic strains and T. ruber for the moderately thermophilic strains. Phylogenetically, representatives of the genus Thermus show a remote but significant relationship to Deinococcus species (similarity coefficients, 0.22 to 0.29); members of these two genera share a common peptidoglycan type.


H2A.Z plays a fundamental role in the regulation of transcription and epigenetics, however, the mechanisms that underlie its functions are not fully understood. Using rapid chromatin immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry, we uncovered the association of H2A.Z-bound chromatin with an array of tricarboxylic acid cycle and beta-oxidation enzymes in the mouse heart. Recombinant green florescence fusion proteins combined with mutations of putative nuclear localization signals of select enzymes, including acetyl-CoA acyltransferase 2 (ACAA2), oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (OGDH), and isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 confirmed their nuclear localization and chromatin binding in both rodent and human cells. Conclusively, chromatin immunoprecipitation-deep sequencing, confirmed the selective association of ACAA2 and OGDH with H2A.Z-occupied transcription start sites. Finally, human H2A.Z-deficient HAP1 cells exhibited reduced chromatin-bound metabolic enzymes, with the exception of pyruvate dehydrogenase, accompanied with reduced posttranslational histone modifications. Thus, the data show that metabolic enzymes are recruited to active promoters for potential site-directed epigenetic modifications.


This fortnightly Covid-19, Conflict, and Governance Evidence Summary aims to signpost the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and other UK government departments to the latest evidence and opinions on Covid-19 (C19), to inform and support their responses. Based on feedback from the recent survey, and analysis by the Xcept project, this edition, as a trial, focusses less on the challenges that C19 poses, and more on more on the policy responses to these challenges. The below summary features resources on legislative leadership during the C19 crisis; and the heightening of risks emanating from C19's indirect impacts – including non-C19 healthcare, economy and food security, and women and girls and unrest and instability. Many of the core C19 themes continue to be covered this week, including anti-corruption approaches; and whether and how C19 is shaping conflict dynamics (this time with articles focussing on Northwestern Nigeria, Myanmar's Rakhine State, and the Middle East). The summary uses two main sections – (1) literature: – this includes policy papers, academic articles, and long-form articles that go deeper than the typical blog; and (2) blogs & news articles. It is the result of one day of work and is thus indicative but not comprehensive of all issues or publications.


Objectives Dosimetric control of staff exposure during interventional procedures under fluoroscopy is of high relevance. In this paper, a novel ray casting approximation of radiation transport is presented and the potential and limitation vs. a full Monte Carlo transport and dose measurements are discussed. Method The x‐ray source of a Siemens Axiom Artix C‐arm is modeled by a virtual source model using single Gaussian‐shaped source. A Geant4‐based Monte Carlo simulation determines the radiation transport from the source to compute scatter from the patient, the table, the ceiling and the floor. A phase space around these scatterers stores all photon information. Only those photons are traced that hit a surface of phantom that represents medical staff in the treatment room, no indirect scattering is considered; and a complete dose deposition on the surface is calculated. To evaluate the accuracy of the approximation, both experimental measurements using Thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) and a Geant4‐based Monte Carlo simulation of dose depositing for different tube angulations of the C‐arm from cranial‐caudal angle 0° and from LAO (Left Anterior Oblique) 0°‐90° are realized. Since the measurements were performed on both sides of the table, using the symmetry of the setup, RAO (Right Anterior Oblique) measurements were not necessary. Results The Geant4‐Monte Carlo simulation agreed within 3% with the measured data, which is within the accuracy of measurement and simulation. The ray casting approximation has been compared to TLD measurements and the achieved percentage difference was −7% for data from tube angulations 45°‐90° and −29% from tube angulations 0°‐45° on the side of the x‐ray source, whereas on the opposite side of the x‐ray source, the difference was −83.8% and −75%, respectively. Ray casting approximation for only LAO 90° was compared to a Monte Carlo simulation, where the percentage differences were between 0.5–3% on the side of the x‐ray source where the highest dose usually detected was mainly from primary scattering (photons), whereas percentage differences between 2.8–20% are found on the side opposite to the x‐ray source, where the lowest doses were detected. Dose calculation time of our approach was 0.85 seconds. Conclusion The proposed approach yields a fast scatter dose estimation where we could run the Monte Carlo simulation only once for each x‐ray tube angulation to get the Phase Space Files (PSF) for being used later by our ray casting approach to calculate the dose from only photons which will hit an movable elliptical cylinder shaped phantom and getting an output file for the positions of those hits to be used for visualizing the scatter dose propagation on the phantom surface. With dose calculation times of less than one second, we are saving much time compared to using a Monte Carlo simulation instead. With our approach, larger deviations occur only in regions with very low doses, whereas it provides a high precision in high‐dose regions.


Corona discharge is always a sign of failure processes of high-voltage electrical apparatus, including those utilized in electric railway systems. Solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) cameras are effective tools for corona inspection. In this work, we present an automatic railway corona-discharge detection system based on solar-blind ultraviolet detection. The UV camera, mounted on top of a train, inspects the electrical apparatus, including transmission lines and insulators, along the railway during fast cruising of the train. An algorithm based on the Hough transform is proposed for distinguishing the emitting objects (corona discharge) from the noise. The detection system can report the suspected corona discharge in real time during fast cruises. An experiment was carried out during a routine inspection of railway apparatus in Xinjiang Province, China. Several corona-discharge points were found along the railway. The false-alarm rate was controlled to less than one time per hour during this inspection.


Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a neuropathic pain. PHN patients experience various types of pain, suggesting multipathophysiologic mechanisms. Gabapentinoids are first-line therapy for PHN. However, PHN is often refractory to the treatment. Mechanisms of gabapentinoids on pain include altering calcium channels, inhibiting N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and reducing inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Selenium mediates neuroprotection through modulating NMDA receptors and reducing iNOS. We reported that a PHN patient with a low normal selenium level received intravenous selenium as an add-on therapy to pregabalin and responded well. More studies are required to determine the analgesic effects of selenium on PHN.