A 36-km-wide corridor of Seabeam bathymetry was collected on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, north of 48°00′N, in May 1983. These data, merged with previous Seabeam bathymetric compilations for the Cobb Offset, as well as with Sea MARC I and Sea MARC II side-scan sonar, seismic-reflection, magnetometer, and deep-tow photography data, have been used to identify morphological variations along the spreading center of the Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge (between the Cobb Offset and Sovanco Fracture Zone). The Endeavour Segment consists of two ridge sections, separated by the 13-km-wide Endeavour Offset, which formed when spreading jumped from Middle Valley to West Valley < 200,000 yr ago. The locus of spreading occurs along the entire Endeavour Segment as a narrow (1–2 km wide), shallow (10–30 m deep) inner rift, which is superimposed upon larger structures that range from broad (5–10 km wide), deep (as much as 3,000 m) median valleys to narrow (5 km wide), shallow (2,100 m) volcanic ridges. An abrupt discontinuity in the tectonic fabric occurs at about 48°05′N. South of this latitude, spreading occurs within an axial high (Endeavour Ridge), which gradually deepens to the south (South Endeavour Valley) as it approaches the zone of overlap with the propagating rift at the Cobb Offset. North of 48°05′N, the axis is characterized by broad, deep, median valleys (North Endeavour Valley and West Valley).

These large-scale morphological variations reflect a complex interplay of the spreading center with seamount volcanism, waning magma supply at the distal ends of ridge axes, thermal contrasts across ridge offsets, propagating rifts, and an unstable triple junction. The pronounced axial deep of West Valley is interpreted as reflecting the youth of the structure (< 200,000 yr) and may be primarily due to collapse, with little extension and magmatism. The rift axis jump to West Valley fortuitously isolated Endeavour Seamount, the youngest edifice in the Heck Seamount chain, from the Pacific plate and trapped it between a pair of overlapping spreading centers at the newly formed Endeavour Offset. Development of a remarkably simple overlapping conjugate rift pair at Endeavour Offset has resulted, in spite of the complex and highly variable crustal thickness, magma supply, and pre-existing structural grain. Rifting in South West Valley has caused pre-existing topography generated at the Endeavour Ridge to be destroyed by subsidence and burial, thereby creating the apparent discontinuity in morphology north of 48°05′N.


: Trajectory prediction of road participants such as vehicles and pedestrians is crucial for autonomous driving. Recently, graph neural network (GNN) is widely adopted to capture the social interactions among the agents. Many GNN-based models formulate the prediction task as a single-agent prediction problem where multiple inference is needed for multi-agent prediction (which is common in practice), which leads to fundamental inconsistency in terms of homotopy as well as inefficiency for the memory and time. Moreover, even for models that do perform joint prediction, typically one centric agent is selected and all other agents' information is normalized based on that. Such centric-only normalization leads to asymmetric encoding of different agents in GNN, which might harm its performance. In this work, we propose a efficient multi-agent prediction framework that can predict all agents' trajectories jointly by normalizing and processing all agents' information symmetrically and homogeneously with combined egocen-tirc and allocentric views. Experiments are conducted on two interaction-rich behavior datasets: INTERACTION (vehicles) and TrajNet++ (pedestrian). The results show that the proposed framework can significantly boost the inference speed of the GNN-based model for multi-agent prediction and achieve better performance. In the INTERACTION dataset's challenge, the proposed model achieved the 1st place in the regular track and generalization track.


A turbocharger is fitted to a diesel in order to enhance the inlet charge pressure, hence increasing the fresh air in the cylinder, then more fuel can be injected into the cylinder and sequentially more engine power can put out. The electrical aided turbocharged system is a mechanism adding a high speed electronic motor into a turbocharger shaft. The electronic motor can work as a motor to drive the turbocharger shaft and as a generator to generate electricity energy to storage energy. According to certain constraint conditions, the controlling strategy of the hybrid turbocharged system is presented. The simulation results about key work points reveal that controlling the turbocharged engine following the strategy can enhance the engine performance.


Fingerspelling, an aspect of American Sign Language, is difficult for second language English-speaking adults to learn (Bahleda, 1998), yet mastery is required by professional ASLEnglish interpreters. This study compared novice and expert interpreters' interpretation of fingerspelled words under the assumption that exposure to priming material in their L1, English, would enable the interpreters to recognize those terms when fingerspelled in their L2, ASL. In this study, participants (15 novices, 15 experts) were asked to interpret an ASL text with 25 "carefully" fingerspelled words embedded. Ten subjects were not given priming materials, ten a list of words in printed English that represented the "carefully" fingerspelled words in the ASL text, and ten were given a printed English story synopsis with the "carefully" fingerspelled words embedded. Overall, there was evidence of an L1 priming effect as the interpreters who were given access to the English words interpreted more of the fingerspelled words correctly than the interpreters who were given no priming materials (*p=0.04). As predicted, the experts did significantly better at recognizing the "carefully" fingerspelled words than the novices (*p=0.00). As there was no significant difference across the three conditions for the experts (no priming, list of words, story synopsis), they may have been more balanced bilinguals than the novices. However, the expert interpreters who were given no L1 priming materials did not perform significantly better than the novices in any of the three conditions. The five novices who were given a list of words as priming material were more accurate than the ten novices in the other two conditions (no priming and story synopsis). There was also no significant difference for the five novices who were given the list of words as compared to the three expert groups. Tentatively, it would seem that experts without priming materials experienced a depressed ability to read fingerspelling and novice interpreters benefited greatly from the provision of a list of English words.


In this paper, I unite dance theory and practice and geopoetics in order to reflect on edges, peripheries and borders in a geographic region, the Scottish Borders, where the dominant cultural narrative is and has historically been based on rivalry. I draw here on the writing of the Scottish poet-philosopher Kenneth White, the practices of specific dancers and choreographers and on relational accounts of place and more-than-human perspectives. Rather than 'sense of place', my interest is in sensing place and thinking through sites. Threaded throughout are descriptions of perception practices exploring woodland, stone and riverways, which take the reader into the more experiential realm of embodied knowing. These passages are an invitation to be present with more-than-human others, to be in contact with the vitality of materials and to allow for being shaped, rather than being the shaping force. The intention is to bring different bodies of knowledge into contact as a way of revealing other vocabularies within place, which suggest alternative cultural narratives and help create the conditions for place—making a more collaborative, ethical and less anthropocentric endeavour, open to the influence and organising principles of the more-than-human.


The fully coupled analysis model of a jacket offshore wind turbine (OWT) is established based on the governing equation of motion of the structure which is derived in accordance with the blade element momentum theory (BEM), Morison formula and theories of structural dynamics. The dynamic characteristics and structural responses of the jacket OWT under the different combined seismic cases are analyzed. It can be seen that the interactions of the wind and wave loads are non-negligible in the seismic analysis of an OWT, and the abundant dominant frequencies of the responses of the support system under the combined seismic cases are discovered. Meanwhile, the passive control method of tuned mass dampers (TMD) is applied to the support system of the OWT under the earthquakes, and the influence of the TMD parameters on the reduction of the responses of the support system are investigated. Furthermore, according to the reduction of the structural responses, the suggestions for the design of a TMD under the combined seismic cases for the bottom fixed OWT are summarized.


Diabetes mellitus is considering most serious disease of endocrine, it affecting large number of people in worldwide. This study was performed to insured the effect of combination of metformin and metronidazole on disorder in metabolic that concomitant with injection of alloxan IP induced diabetes in rats. In this study forty male rats: divided into four groups including control group G1, alloxn group (150 mg/kg single dose) G2, alloxn group orally treated with metformin (150mg/kg/BW) G3, and alloxn group orally treated with metformin (150mg/kg/BW) and metronidazole (500mg/kg/BW) G4. The experiment last for 14 days. The result shows marked increase in MDA, glucose and also in liver enzymes, lipid profiles and even observed disorder in kidney function test by increased in the creatinine, urea, and uric acid levels. In addition to study the histological changes in diabetic liver of rats characterized by kupffer cells activation, dilation and congestion of central vein and hepatic sinusoids. Administration of metformin and combination of metformin and metronidazole, result in significant reduction return abnormal parameters to the normal values. Also correct the abnormal histological changes of liver.


The entrepreneurial stress construct's nomological validity is not well established as past studies have not delineated between entrepreneurial and employee stress. This study investigated several entrepreneurship-specific stressors positing their causal effect on perceived entrepreneurial stress (PES). It examined four directional hypotheses testing the causal, reverse, reciprocal relationships and moderation effects between stressors and PES. Further, it looked at the moderating impact of psychological capital. More than 300 entrepreneurs in emerging markets, namely India, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates, participated in this longitudinal study (Time 1 n = 325, Time 2 n = 310). The study adopted a cross-lagged competing model research design and analyzed the data using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that entrepreneurship-specific personal, social, and occupational stressors cause PES. Further, the results also support the reverse causal effect of PES on stressors and a reciprocal relationship. The study advances resource-based theory to an entrepreneurial background, highlighting the role of intangible resource gaps in perceived entrepreneurial stress. The study concludes that entrepreneurship-specific intangible resources are useful to entrepreneurs at personal, social, and occupational levels. An actual or perceived loss of these resources may lead to perceived entrepreneurial stress. Furthermore, PES can interfere with the entrepreneurial capacity for innovation over time. Psychological capital can be an effective coping response as a moderator of perceived entrepreneurial stress' adverse effects. This is one of the first studies that examines PES in an emerging market context, specific to entrepreneurial employment.


New diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-containing conjugated polymers such as poly(2,5-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-3-(5-(pyren-1-yl)thiophen-2-yl)-6-(thiophen-2-yl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-dione) (P(DTDPP-alt-(1,6)PY)) and poly(2,5-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-3-(5-(pyren-2-yl)thiophen-2-yl)-6-(thiophen-2-yl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-dione) (P(DTDPP-alt-(2,7)PY)) were successfully synthesized via Suzuki coupling reactions under Pd(0)-catalyzed conditions. P(DTDPP-alt-(2,7)PY), incorporating 2,5-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-3,6-di(thiophen-2-yl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-dione (DTDPP) at the 2,7-position of a pyrene ring showed a lower band-gap energy (E. = 1.65 eV) than the 1,6-substituted analog, P(DTDPP-alt-(1,6)PY) (E = 1.71 eV). The energies of the molecular frontier orbitals of the substituted polymers were successfully tuned by changing the anchoring position of DTDPP from the 1,6- to the 2,7-position of the pyrene ring. An organic thin-film transistor fabricated using the newly synthesized P(DTDPP-alt-(2,7)PY), as a semiconductor material exhibited a maximum mobility of up to 0.23 cm2 V−1 s−1 (Ion/off ∼ 106), which was much larger than that obtained using P(DTDPP-alt-(1,6)PY). This distinction is attributed to morphological differences in the solid state arising from differences between the geometrical configurations of DTDPP and the pyrene ring. In addition, the organic phototransistor devices made of P(DTDPP-alt-(2,7)PY) showed interesting photoinduced enhancement of drain current when irradiating the excitation light whose intensity is very small. Based on the photoinduced effect on IDS, photocontrolled memory could be realized under the variation of gate voltages. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013


Magnesium powders were sintered by using spark plasma sintering (SPS) and conventional pressureless sintering (PLS) techniques at sintering temperatures ranged from 552°C to 605°C to investigate effect of sintering method on microstructure and mechanical properties of sintered magnesium. High densed magnesium could be obtained by using spark plasma sintering technique compared to conventional presureless sintering at the same sintering temperature. It was found that the ultimate tensile strength increased with increasing sintering temperature for both the materials sintered by PLS and SPS. The magnesium samples prepared by SPS showed better mechanical properties than those prepared by PLS. The microstructural observations revealed that the grain growth was not significant in SPS process compared to PLS, which would enhance the mechanical properties of the SPS sintered magnesium.


Based on the improvements of the lithography technology, the dimension of the device has decreased to nanometer. On the other hand, silicon nanowire has been proposed to detect proteins, DNA, and ions etc. In general, the silicon nanowires are made either by CVD (chemical vapor deposition) or by silicon on insulator (SOI) fabrication process. The former has trouble in electrodes arranging and the latter suffers from more expensive than standard semiconductor process. In this work, we announced CMOS compatible technique which is used to develop polysilicon nanowire field effect transistor as a chemical sensor with low cost and high fidelity to pave the way toward system-on-chip design.


PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to expand knowledge of care options for aging populations cross-nationally by examining key individual-level and nation-level predictors of European middle-aged and older adults' preferences for care.

DESIGN AND METHODS
Drawing on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, we analyze old age care preferences of a sample of 6,469 adults aged 50 and older with chronic disease in 14 nations. Using multilevel modeling, we analyze associations between individual-level health care needs and nation-level health care infrastructure and preference for family-based (vs. state-based) personal care.

RESULTS
We find that middle-aged and older adults with chronic disease whose health limits their ability to perform paid work, who did not receive personal care from informal sources, and who live in nations with generous long-term care funding are less likely to prefer family-based care and more likely to prefer state-based care.

IMPLICATIONS
We discuss these findings in light of financial risks in later life and the future role of specialized health support programs, such as long-term care.


[1] This paper investigates the role of ion-induced nucleation (IIN) in new particle formation events observed near ground level at a sampling site located near Boulder, Colorado (14 March 2004 to 27 October 2005). Measurements of mobility distributions of small and intermediate ions (0.4–6.3 nm), size distributions of total particles (3 nm to 5 μm), and charged fractions (2.5–25 nm) were carried out. The relative contributions of neutral nucleation and IIN were inferred using both qualitative and quantitative analyses. First, a simple theoretical analysis is performed to show what can be learned about the initial charge state of the nucleated particles from charged fractions measured after they had grown to 3.0–5.5 nm. We found that for much of our data the charge fractions of freshly nucleated particles below 5 nm were significantly below stationary-state values, and that this tendency increased with decreasing size, indicating that neutral nucleation was dominant. However, the data also show that there were occasionally asymmetries between negative and positive charge fractions that we could not explain unless positive or negative IIN occurred to some extent. A quantitative analysis is then performed to estimate the fractional contribution of positive and negative IIN to new particle formation rates for each nucleation event observed during this period. The results show the average contribution of IIN is about 0.5% for both polarities indicating that IIN was a relatively insignificant contributor to new particle formation in this study. This result is consistent with the direct mass spectrometric measurements of sulfuric acid ion cluster compositions and concentrations performed at the same measurement site.


: Purpose: An attempt was made to build an analytical framework for measuring the evaluation of the effectiveness of EU development aid in comparison to other donors. We integrated the theoretical aspects of development aid effectiveness with practical indicators created by the Center for Global Development, which, in the authors' opinion, are a good analytical tool for assessing the quality of development assistance provided by international institutions and countries. Design/Methodology/Approach: An inductive method was used to formulate general statements within the following procedures: defining, describing, classifying. Classification was presented using the QuODA method of assessing development aid effectiveness. Comparative analysis and synthesis were also used in the study. The spectrum of applied methods guarantees the objectivity of obtained results. Findings: Based on the research, it was confirmed that in the light of the realisation of its priorities and its role as an international organisation, the EU is a platform reconciling multinational interests and a coordinator of activities aimed at increasing the effectiveness of development aid. The analysis of the process of increasing the effectiveness of development cooperation and its evaluation by QuODA allowed for the conclusion that the actions undertaken in this field by the EU have not yet proven to be fully effective and have not produced the full extent of expected results. Practical implications: QuODA is a simple and transparent method with a potential for development. It enabled the study to analyse, compare and classify the EU and other donors of development aid. The literature research and measuring of the quality of provided development aid, as well as performance ratings attributed to individual donors including the EU, allowed for a practical assessment of the effectiveness of EU development aid against other donors that stakeholders can take advantage of. Originality/Value: In the study, the authors departed from the traditional understanding of development aid effectiveness from the perspective of beneficiaries' activities, focusing instead on assistance provided by the donors. This area is poorly researched and not discussed comprehensively in the available literature. Few researchers have so far addressed this important issue. Acknowledgements: This publication was produced within the project: Jean Monnet Module on the European Union Multidimensional Strategy for Tackling Africa's Challenges (EU4AFRI). With the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.


Background: Meningiomas are common slow-growing primary intracranial neoplasms attached to the dura mater and are composed of neoplastic meningothelial cells. Increased incidence of meningiomas in women with an increased tumor growth during pregnancy and a possible association with breast cancer suggested that female sex hormones have been involved in the growth of meningiomas. Antihormonal-targeted therapy would be beneficial in such patients. Aim: The aim of this study is to correlate the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in meningiomas with gender, location, histological subtypes, and grade. Materials and Methods: This is a 3½-year prospective and retrospective study of intracranial and intraspinal meningiomas. Clinical details of all the patients were noted from the computerized hospital information system. Immunohistochemistry for ER and PR was performed. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square test. Results: During the study period, there were 80 Grade I, 18 Grade II, and 2 Grade III meningiomas categorized as per the World Health Organization 2007 classification. The female-to-male ratio was 1.9:1 and the mean age was 47.8 years. ER was expressed in 2% of meningiomas. PR was expressed in 67.5% of Grade I and 66.6% of Grade II and none of Grade III meningiomas. Brain-invasive meningiomas showed 54.5% PR immunopositivity and negative for ER. Conclusion: ER and PR were expressed in 2% and 66% of meningiomas, respectively. Statistically significant relationship was not found between the positivity of PR in females and males of Grade I and Grade II/III meningiomas, intracranial and spinal tumors, Grade I and Grade II/III cases, and various histological subtypes of meningiomas.


Understanding the normal anatomy and physiology of the velopharyngeal mechanism is the first step in providing appropriate diagnosis and treatment for children born with cleft lip and palate. The velopharyngeal mechanism consists of a muscular valve that extends from the posterior surface of the hard palate (roof of mouth) to the posterior pharyngeal wall and includes the velum (soft palate), lateral pharyngeal walls (sides of the throat), and the posterior pharyngeal wall (back wall of the throat). The function of the velopharyngeal mechanism is to create a tight seal between the velum and pharyngeal walls to separate the oral and nasal cavities for various purposes, including speech. Velopharyngeal closure is accomplished through the contraction of several velopharyngeal muscles including the levator veli palatini, musculus uvulae, superior pharyngeal constrictor, palatopharyngeus, palatoglossus, and salpingopharyngeus. The tensor veli palatini is thought to be responsible for eustachian tube function.


Hammerhead ribozyme sequences were incorporated into a tyrosine tRNA (tRNA(Tyr)) and compared with nonembedded molecules. To increase the levels of ribozyme and control antisense in vivo, sequences were expressed from an autonomously replicating vector derived from African cassava mosaic geminivirus. In vitro, the nonembedded ribozyme cleaved more target RNA, encoding chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), than the tRNA(Tyr) ribozyme. In contrast, the tRNA(Tyr) ribozyme was considerably more effective in vivo than either the nonembedded ribozyme or antisense sequences, reducing CAT activity to < 20% of the control level. A target sequence (CM2), mutated to be noncleavable, showed no reduction in CAT activity in the presence of the tRNA(Tyr) ribozyme beyond that for the antisense construct. The reduction in full-length CAT mRNA and the presence of specific cleavage products demonstrated in vivo cleavage of the target mRNA by the tRNA(Tyr) ribozyme. The high titer of tRNA(Tyr) ribozyme was a result of transcription from the RNA polymerase III promoter and led to the high ribozyme/substrate ratio essential for ribozyme efficiency.


Introduction: Acute under-five wheezers are the most suitable group for targeting focus aimed at reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics. Viral bronchiolitis is an important cause of wheezing in under-five children. Rationality behind antibiotic usage has rarely been reported from Odisha. Aim: The aim of the present study is to look into the decision of private practitioners of Bhubaneswar, Odisha, for an antibiotic prescription to under-five wheezers. Materials and Methods: Hundred prescriptions of private practitioners for under-five patients suffering from acute wheeze were analyzed between January and June 2016. The prescriptions were grouped as with antibiotics (Group A) and without antibiotics (Group B). The groups were compared for the presence of clinical, hematological, and radiological signs and results were statistically analyzed. Result: The number of prescriptions with antibiotic inclusion is higher (67%). Antibiotics are mostly prescribed to younger patients. Antibiotic administration was significantly higher with the symptoms of fever, tachypnea, crepitation's and leukocytosis, and X-ray findings. (p<0.05) The average recovery period was almost the same in both the groups. The prescription patterns in the present study show rational usage.


During in vivo experiments on the mouse diaphragm preparations the effect of a single sublethal dose of armin (1/2 of LD50) on the dynamics of changes in acetylcholinesterase activity, frequency and time of half-decay of miniature end-plate potentials (MEPP) was studied as compared with the H-effect value. It was found that the increase of the H-effect correlated (r = 0.902) with the decrease of acetylcholinesterase activity, the increase of MEPP frequency occurring later than the changes in the enzyme activity and the H-effect value. The data obtained reveal the possible of nonquantal secretion of the mediator from the motor nerve endings of the skeletal muscles in the pathogenesis of acute poisonings with armin.


Background: Cervical cancer is one of the most common female malignancies worldwide. Since the introduction of conventional Papanicolaou smear mortality from cervical cancer has reduced considerably. Despite its success, it has sensitivity of only 51% and false negative rate of 5-10%. Approved liquid based cytology (LBC) products by FDA claim a 65-percent increased detection rate of high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HGSIL) compared with conventional smears, as well as decreased unsatisfactory sample rates. Evidence shows that liquid based preparation is more sensitive and accurate for the detection of both squamous and glandular lesions of the cervix. Studies of the accuracy of liquid based preparations reports sensitivity of 61-66% and specificity of 82-91%. Objective of current study is to compare the performance of conventional Pap smear cytology, liquid based cytology and colposcopy clinical impression with colposcopic biopsy as the gold standard among women eligible for colposcopy in Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya. Methods: This was a hospital-based comparative cross-sectional study. Convenient sampling over a period of 4 months was used to recruit clients referred to colposcopy clinic with abnormal Pap smear results. Results: A total of 73 patients referred with abnormal pap smears were recruited into the study. The mean age of the patients was 38 yrs (SD ±10). About 45% of the patients interviewed did not have knowledge of Pap smear testing. Both the results of referral Pap smear and repeat Pap smear were predominantly low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LGSIL) or HGSIL. With biopsy results being the gold standard , Liquid based cytology had a higher specificity of 75% when compared with conventional pap smears' 11%. Conclusions: Even though colposcopy clinical impression has the highest agreement with colposcopy biopsy it's a diagnostic and not a screening test, hence Liquid based cytology showed better performance as a screening test compared to conventional Pap smear. In general, there was good agreement for cytological results of repeat CPAP and LBC. We therefore recommend that for patients referred with abnormal pap smears requiring a repeat pap smear, liquid based cytology is used due to its higher specificity compared to conventional Pap smear.


Ionizing radiations (IRs) generated by IORT treatment activates both pro- and antiproliferative signal pathways producing an imbalance in cell fate decision regulated by several genes and factors involved in cell cycle progression, survival and/or cell death, DNA repair and inflammation. This paper describes the latest advances on cellular and molecular response to IR, highlighting the most relevant research data from cell biology, gene expression profiling and epigenetic studies on different tumor cell types. Understanding the cell molecular strategies to choose between death and survival, after an irradiation-induced damage, opens new avenues for the selection of a proper therapy schedule, to counteract cancer growth and preserve healthy surrounding tissue by radiation effects.


The variable gain amplifier (VGA) embedded in an automatic gain control (AGC) loop is an essential component of a linear receiver. The AGC builds up the received signal to some specified peak output so that it fully loads the fixed full-scale of, say, an A/D converter in the IF section. The VGA described here is for use in a low-IF wideband receiver. An active analog filter with programmable bandwidth selects the channel of interest. Active filters suffer from a high input noise level, which can easily dominate the receiver noise figure. The VGA must therefore amplify the received signal enough to overcome filter noise. The circuit reported here is designed to give a continuously variable gain from 0 to 70 dB. Unlike the GSM receiver, the high-order QAM modulation being detected in this receiver cannot tolerate discrete gain jumps. It is more of a challenge to design an amplifier with continuously variable gain, than one whose gain changes in steps. Furthermore, as the VGA bandwidth is fixed at 20 MHz, it must be able to handle much larger signals in adjacent channels before they are removed by the filter. To obtain the best overall performance, the AGC assigns gain to one VGA placed before the filter and possibly another one after it. A good gain assignment algorithm is essential to useful AGC design.


New ternary codes of dimension 6 are presented which improve the bounds on optimal linear codes. These codes belong to the class of quasi-twisted (QT) codes, and have been constructed using a greedy algorithm. This work extends previous results on QT codes of dimension 6. In particular, several new two-weight QT codes are presented. Numerous new optimal codes which meet the Griesmer bound are given, as well as others which establish lower bounds on the maximum minimum distance.


The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence, pattern, and social determinants of chronic conditions multimorbidity among chronic disease primary care patients in four Greater Mekong countries (Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam). In a cross-sectional survey, chronic disease patients accessing primary care were recruited if they had been diagnosed with any of 21 chronic conditions in the past 12 months, and were interviewed with a structured questionnaire on anxiety, depression, alcohol use, tobacco use, dietary behaviour, physical activity, and quality of life. The sample included 6236 public primary care patients (32.8% men and 67.2% women), with a mean age of 53.0 years (SD = 16.8). From 21 chronic conditions, the three most common were hypertension (37.4%), depression (34.4%), and digestive diseases (32.0%). In all, 27.4% had one chronic condition, 28.6% had two, 22.4% had three, and 21.6% had four or more chronic conditions. The percentage with the highest comorbidity was depression (47.3%), hypertension (43.4%), and digestive diseases (34.1%). The highest mean multimorbidity reported was for mental illness (4.44), kidney disease (4.11), and Parkinson's disease (4.10), and the lowest multimorbidity for epilepsy (2.43) and cancer (2.80). Compared to those who had only one chronic condition, being male, older age, lower education, and lower quality of life were associated with having two and three or more chronic conditions. Multimorbidity is a prevalent problem among chronic condition primary care patients—a finding with implications for health care delivery, management, and research.


Nowadays, electrochemical biosensors are reliable analytical tools to determine a broad range of molecular analytes because of their simplicity, affordable cost, and compatibility with multiplexed and point-of-care strategies. There is an increasing demand to improve their sensitivity and selectivity, but also to provide electrochemical biosensors with important attributes such as near real-time and continuous monitoring in complex or denaturing media, or in vivo with minimal intervention to make them even more attractive and suitable for getting into the real world. Modification of biosensors surfaces with antibiofouling reagents, smart coupling with nanomaterials, and the advances experienced by folded-based biosensors have endowed bioelectroanalytical platforms with one or more of such attributes. With this background in mind, this review aims to give an updated and general overview of these technologies as well as to discuss the remarkable achievements arising from the development of electrochemical biosensors free of reagents, washing, or calibration steps, and/or with antifouling properties and the ability to perform continuous, real-time, and even in vivo operation in nearly autonomous way. The challenges to be faced and the next features that these devices may offer to continue impacting in fields closely related with essential aspects of people's safety and health are also commented upon.


Population ageing and international migration are two of the most significant challenges that Sweden is facing today. These – combined with the scholarly debate on the ethics-of-care that notions such as 'caring democracies' have re-ignited – raise questions about how media representations of elderly care and migration are shaped. This research note gives insight into how care, and migrant care workers, are regarded in one of the world's most egalitarian societies. In doing so, it suggests that the intersection between population ageing and international migration is an abundant source of information about societies' moral compasses.


The regulation of DNA topology by topoisomerase II from Drosophila melanogaster has been studied extensively by biochemical methods but little is known about its roles in vivo. We have performed experiments on the inhibition of topoisomerase II in living Drosophila blastoderm embryos. We show that the enzymatic activity can be specifically disrupted by microinjection of antitopoisomerase II antibodies as well as the epipodophyllotoxin VM26, a known inhibitor of topoisomerase II in vitro. By labeling the chromatin of live embryos with tetramethylrhodamine-coupled histones, the effects of inhibition on nuclear morphology and behaviour was followed in vivo using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Both the antibodies and the drug prevented or hindered the segregation of chromatin daughter sets at the anaphase stage of mitosis. In addition, high concentrations of inhibitor interfered with the condensation of chromatin and its proper arrangement into the metaphase plate. The observed effects yielded non-functional nuclei, which were drawn into the inner yolk mass of the embryo. Concurrently, undamaged nuclei surrounding the affected region underwent compensatory division, leading to the restoration of the nuclear population, and thereby demonstrating the regulative capacity of Drosophila blastoderm embryos.


The Hα surface brightness - radius (SHα-r) relation is a robust distance indicator for planetary nebulae (PNe), further enhanced by different populations of PNe having distinct loci in SHα-r space. Other types of photoionized nebulae also plot in quite distinct regions in the SHa-r plane, allowing its use as a diagnostic tool. In particular, the nova shells and massive star ejecta (MSE) plot on relatively tight loci illustrating their evolutionary sequences. For the MSE, there is potential to develop a distance indicator for these objects, based on their trend in SHα-r space. As high-resolution, narrowband surveys of the nearest galaxies become more commonplace, the SHα-r plane is a potentially useful diagnostic tool to help identify the various ionized nebulae in these systems.


Three hundred and sixty different samples were collected from different sources, including wound, burn, nasal, and oral swabs from several hospitals in Baghdad. A number of 150 (53%) Staphylococcus aureus samples were isolated and identified among a total of 283 samples. Then, the spread of the Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 gene (tsst-1) was investigated in β-lactamase resistant S. aureus. According to the source of samples, the distribution of S. aureus isolates was found to be significantly higher (p < 0.01) in wound samples as compared to other sources. According to the age, a highly significant distribution (p < 0.01) was recorded in the age group of 15-30 years, whereas gender comparison showed no statistically significant differences. All the isolates were subjected to susceptibility test against eight β-Lactam antibiotics by using the disc diffusion method. The antimicrobial susceptibility test showed that S. aureus had maximum resistance percentage to Carbenicillin (97.3%), while the lowest resistance rate was against Meropenem, with a sensitivity rate of up to 82%. In addition, 144 (96%) out of the 150 S. aureus isolates have multiple drug resistance (MDR). All the isolates were subjected to polymerase chain reaction to amplify tsst-1 toxin gene. A number of 70 isolates (46.7%) were found to be positive for tsst-1 gene. The results showed no significant correlation between tsst-1 gene with the individual antibiotic resistance and the multi-drug resistance patterns of the isolates (p = 0.226).


Mathematical provability , then classication, of Saint-Venant's Principle are discussed. Beginning with the simplest case of Saint-Venant's Principle, four problems of elasticity are discussed mathematically. It is concluded that there exist two categories of elastic problems concerning Saint-Venant's Principle: Experimental Problems, whose Saint-Venant's Principle is established in virtue of supporting experiment, and Analytical Problems, whose Saint-Venant's decay is proved or disproved mathematically, based on fundamental equations of linear elasticity. The boundaryvalue problems whose stress boundary condition consists of Dirac measure, a \ singular distribution ", can not be dealt with by the mathematics of elasticity for \ proof " or \ disproof " of their Saint-Venant's decay, in terms of mathematical coverage.


Rabies claims approximately 59,000 human lives annually and is a potential risk to 3.3 billion people in over 100 countries worldwide. Despite being fatal in almost 100% of cases, human rabies can be prevented by vaccinating dogs, the most common vector, and the timely administration of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to exposed victims. For the control and prevention of human rabies in N'Djamena, the capital city of Chad, a free mass vaccination campaign for dogs was organized in 2012 and 2013. The campaigns were monitored by parallel studies on the incidence of canine rabies based on diagnostic testing of suspect animals and the incidence of human bite exposure recorded at selected health facilities. Based on the cost description of the campaign and the need for PEP registered in health centers, three cost scenarios were compared: cumulative cost-efficiency of (1) PEP alone, (2) dog mass vaccination and PEP, (3) dog mass vaccination, PEP, and maximal communication between human health and veterinary workers (One Health communication). Assuming ideal One Health communication, the cumulative prospective cost of dog vaccination and PEP break even with the cumulative prospective cost of PEP alone in the 10th year from the start of the calculation (2012). The cost efficiency expressed in cost per human exposure averted is much higher with canine vaccination and One Health communication than with PEP alone. As shown in other studies, our cost-effectiveness analysis highlights that canine vaccination is financially the best option for animal rabies control and rabies prevention in humans. This study also provides evidence of the beneficial effect of One Health communication. Only with close communication between the human and animal health sectors will the decrease in animal rabies incidence be translated into a decline for PEP. An efficiently applied One Health concept would largely reduce the cost of PEP in resource poor countries and should be implemented for zoonosis control in general.


We present an overview of predator-prey and other trophic relationships of spinner dolphins ( Stenella longirostris ) around Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, off northeastern Brazil, with use of original data and a brief review of data published elsewhere. Records were made while snorkelling among the dolphins in daytime. Individual fish pursuit and coordinated school herding were the two hunting tactics recorded. Three small prey types (oceanic squids, fishes, and prawns) were recovered from vomits collected in situ and from stomachs of two stranded dolphins. In their turn, spinners were preyed on by the cookiecutter sharks (Dalatiidae) as evidenced by round and crater-like wounds and circular scars. Additionally, the dolphins were preyed on by large sharks (Lamnidae, Carcharhinidae), as evidenced by crescent-shaped wounds and scars. Unidentified fishes bit fin pieces, as evidenced by variably-shaped marks. On the other hand, dolphins' particulate faeces, vomits and live roundworms were eaten by plankton-feeding fishes. Thus, the trophic role of the spinner dolphins of Fernando de Noronha may be summarised as that of : 1) a predator of small oceanic squids, fishes, and prawns; 2) a prey for the small, piece-eating cookiecutter sharks and other unidentified fishes; 3) a prey for large sharks able to kill a dolphin; and 4) a particulate food supplier for plankton-eating fishes.


Objective: To compare postplacental and early postpartum intrauterine device (IUD) insertions with postpuerperal and interval IUD insertions regarding the reason for continuation and discontinuation. Material and Methods: A study of 130 women (84 postplacental and 46 postpartum) and a control group of 138 women (62 postpuerperal and 76 interval) who had T Cu 380A IUDs inserted were followed-up at 8 weeks and 6 and 12 months, and the data was analyzed. Results: Continuation occurred in 38.6% of the study group and in 72.3% of the control group (p< 0.001). The highest continuation rate was in interval, postpuerperal and postplacental groups respectively (p< 0.05). The reason for discontinuation was frequently partial expulsion in the study group (52.6%) and displacement in the control group (27.8%). The insertion time of IUD most frequently discontinued was postplacental in the study group (55.2%) and interval in the control group (31.3%). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the postplacental and early postpartum IUD insertion techniques should be re-evaluated in units that offer this service to decrease the rate of discontinuation due to complications.


Back ground and objectives : Jaundice is a common clinical disorder in tropical countries like India. It is defined as yellowish discolouration of skin, sclera and mucus membrane due to increase in serum bilirubin concentration which affects the liver function. The objective is to evaluate the liver function parameters in jaundice.

Methods : Liver function parameters were estimated in 100 subjects suffering from jaundice to evaluate the clinical utility of these tests to differentiate hepatocellular jaundice from obstructive jaundice. 50 normal healthy subjects were studied as control group. Serum total bilirubin with its fractions(both conjugated and unconjugated bilirubin), ALT, AST,ALP, GGT and albumin were analysed by standared methods. Statistical analysis was done by student 't' test(unpaired-t test) and 'p' value was elicited.

Results : We observed a significant increase in serum total bilirubin with its fractions(p<0,001) in both the types of jaundice compared to controls. Conjugated bilirubin, ALP & GGT were much more significantly increased in obstructive jaundice(p<0.001). Unconjugated bilirubin, ALT & AST were significantly increased and albumin levels were significantly decreased in hepatocellular jaundice(p<0.001).

Conclusions : our results suggest that increase in unconjugated bilirubin, transaminases and decrease in albumin are in favour of hepatocellular jaundice. Increase in conjugated bilirubin, ALP & GGT are in favour of obstructive jaundice.


During its first decade in existence, the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine has struggled to transcend the complexities that plague humanitarian action. This article examines the political challenges that shape the practice of R2P, as well as the discourse that informs it. It reflects on the constant presence of failure that haunts humanitarian intervention, and argues for a more humble stance on what is possible in such situations. Humility entails meditating on human limits, both physical and mental, which serves as an important guide in determining action. It promotes a more chastened position; one that acknowledges that right intentions might not lead to just outcomes, that there are real limits on the ability of external actors to understand or control events during and following an intervention, and that our ability to comprehend such complex situations should warn against premature judgements and confident conclusions. And when failure occurs, it means not denying or avoiding it, but facing it squarely and reckoning with the consequences. The value of adopting a more humble approach will be considered through examining the 2011 Libyan intervention, a significant case for the R2P doctrine. There, success appears to have been exchanged for failure, leaving challenging and unresolved questions about what this experience means for Libya and R2P.


In this paper I consider how theology impacted on the uprising philosophy in ancient Greece. In the €first part of my text I analyze the concept of theology and philosophy and I want to know the relation between these two ideas. I am especially interested in point of the line separating theology and philosophy. The main question concerning it is when we could say about theology that it is already philosophy, and reversely – when we could say about philosophy that it is still theology in Greek meaning. For the better understanding of the answer of this question I analyze Hesiod's Theogony . Hesiod of Beotia is accepted as a poet and theologian and that is why I pay attention to him in the second part of my text.


The Brazilian flora has a large number of species with ornamental potential. These species are poorly recognized or even completely unexplored. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential use of four accessions belonging to the species of Anthurium plowmanii, A. raimundii, A. bonplandii and A. Affine for cutting foliage. The accessions from Embrapa Germplasm Bank of Tropical flowers were evaluated for 21 morphological and phenological characteristics and post-harvest longevity. The ornamental characterization was based on the evaluation of this data and florist acceptance as well. The accessions presented differences in almost all the characteristics related to the morphology of the inflorescence and the leaf. Some characteristics such: fruit color, petiole, spadix, and spathe length, are highly variable within the species and depend on the developmental stage. Some characters like petiole length and inflorescence position are particularly important as indicators for the use as cut foliage. The plants have slow development as typical from members of this family and and the production of leaves per year ranged between 6.6 (A. plowmanii) to 10.5 (A. bonplandii), which might be increased with the improvement of cultivation aspects, with an emphasis on spacing, plant management and fertilization. The leaves of Anthurium plowmanii, A. raimundii, A. bonplandii and A. affine present high postharvest durability and great potential as cut foliage, possessing florist acceptance as well


This study introduces a process of high-pressure torsion (HPT) using ring samples and compares with the results of conventional disk HPT. Both types of HPT were conducted at room temperature on pure Al and pure Cu. The microhardness was measured along the diameters of the disks and rings. Microstructures were examined using transmission electron microscopy. When hardness values were plotted against equivalent strain, all data points fell on a single line for each material. There was a hardness maximum for pure Al but no such a maximum was present in pure Cu. In pure Al, many dislocations were visible within grains up to the equivalent strain corresponding to the hardness maximum but beyond this strain, grains with low dislocation density appear. All materials exhibited steady state where the hardness remains constant with respect to imposed equivalent strain. This study concludes that use of ring samples is effective as an alternative to the disk samples.


Aims : Several studies have questioned the validity of separating the diagnosis of alcohol abuse from that of alcohol dependence, and the DSM-5 task force has proposed combining the criteria from these two diagnoses to assess a single category of alcohol use disorders (AUD). Furthermore, the DSM-5 task force has proposed including a new 2-symptom threshold and a severity scale based on symptom counts for the AUD diagnosis. The current study aimed to examine these modifications in a large population-based sample. Method : Data stemmed from an adult sample (N=2588 ; mean age 51.3 years (s.d.: 0.2), 44.9% female) of current and lifetime drinkers from the PsyCoLaus study, conducted in the Lausanne area in Switzerland. AUDs and validating variables were assessed using a semi-structured diagnostic interview for the assessment of alcohol and other major psychiatric disorders. First, the adequacy of the proposed 2-symptom threshold was tested by comparing threshold models at each possible cutoff and a linear model, in relation to different validating variables. The model with the smallest Akaike Criterion Information (AIC) value was established as the best model for each validating variable. Second, models with varying subsets of individual AUD symptoms were created to assess the associations between each symptom and the validating variables. The subset of symptoms with the smallest AIC value was established as the best subset for each validator. Results : 1) For the majority of validating variables, the linear model was found to be the best fitting model. 2) Among the various subsets of symptoms, the symptoms most frequently associated with the validating variables were : a) drinking despite having knowledge of a physical or psychological problem, b) having had a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control drinking and c) craving. The least frequent symptoms were : d) drinking in larger amounts or over a longer period than was intended, e) spending a great deal of time in obtaining, using or recovering from alcohol use and f) failing to fulfill major role obligations. Conclusions : The proposed DSM-5 2-symptom threshold did not receive support in our data. Instead, a linear AUD diagnosis was supported with individuals receiving an increasingly severe AUD diagnosis. Moreover, certain symptoms were more frequently associated with the validating variables, which suggests that these symptoms should be considered as more severe.


Protection of satellites and ground systems against cyber-attack is necessary to ensure safe operations in the space sector. Protection will be required for both the command segments of and workloads served by a rapidly proliferating constellation of new, largely commercial satellites, numbering possibly in the tens of thousands. Effective and commercially viable cyber protection strategies are required that can be updated regularly to meet changing threats. Cyber protection strategies have been developed in other (non-space) sectors using collaborative processes, which has resulted in more secure systems. This paper describes some of the cyber protection work in other sectors, the collaborative processes used to develop viable cyber protection solutions, the solutions themselves that have been identified and are being used, and the lessons-learned from their use, resulting in a set of 'best - practices' in these sectors. The processes used in these domains to develop these strategies can be applied to the space domain, with similar expected results and best practices for space systems.


Social science phenomena are regularly faced with a myriad of debate among whichare the issues of conceptualization and perspectives. These differing views come aboutas a result of differences in the scope, operationalization, methodology, objectives,time or socio cultural context of exiting social science researches. Expectedly, theconcept of online political participation on social media in the digital age has also beenaffected by these debates. Social media has rapidly been adopted as a tool for politicalparticipation because online opportunities for such participation have become animportant avenue for citizens' engagement in democracies. Consequently, increasingnumber of researches are being carried out in this area, thus creating differing views interms of definitions and perspectives of the phenomena online political participation onsocial media. As a consequence, this paper attempts to elucidate arguments on theseviews by reviewing some existing studies in this area with a view to providing a clearunderstanding of this form of political participation on social media.


Even when markets become more accessible to poor people in general, wealth differentials occur and the most vulnerable are the ones excluded. The reasons for their exclusion are complex and inextricably linked with many aspects of their lives; an integrated approach takes these multiple dimensions of poverty into account, whilst addressing their deep levels of poverty through employment and enterprise. This article focuses on reaching those who are excluded from markets due to pervasive social discrimination and other challenges specific to their disability and health context. Two case studies of people with disabilities and those affected by HIV/ AIDS describe entry points and key services required to facilitate and sustain their participation as employees and enterprise owners. They demonstrate how successful models use participation in economic activities to achieve sustainable impact through stimulating attitude change, and create a more level playing field for their access to markets and wider develo...


Blazars and Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are the fastest objects k nown so far. The radiation we see from these sources originates in a jet of similar apertur e angle, and we think it is the result of the conversion of some of the jet kinetic energy into rando m motion of the emitting particles. Mechanisms for producing, collimating and accelerating th e jets in these sources are uncertain, and it is fruitful to compare the characteristics of both cla ss of sources in search of enlightening similarities. I discuss some general characteristics of bl azars and GRBs such as the power of their jets compared with what they can extract through accretion, and the dissipation mechanism operating in the jets of both classes of sources. In both classes, th re is a well defined trend between the bolometric power and the frequency at which this power is mainly emitted, but blazars are "redder when brighter", while GRBs are "bluer when brighter ". Finally, I discuss some recent exciting prospects to use blazars to put constraints on the c osmi IR–Optical–UV backgrounds, and to use GRBs as standard candles to measure the Universe.


Fifty manic probands were examined for age at first onset of affective illness, subsequent clinical course, any associated alcoholism, drug abuse, sociopathy or homosexuality. Information was obtained for all first-degree relatives for history and type of affective illness. Onset of affective illness before age 30 was associated with a bipolar illness course, equal number of prior attacks of mania and depression, and a high prevalence of affective disorder, alcoholism, drug abuse, and sociopathy in first-degree relatives. Onset of affective illness after age 30 was associated with a unipolar manic course, excess prior attacks of mania, and a dearth of affective illness and associated conditions in first-degree relatives. These data suggest that mania is not a single clinical entity and should not be used as the sole criterion for the diagnosis of bipolar illness.


Gas hydrates occur in deep, cold areas on the Hikurangi margin, New Zealand, generally at water depths of ≥ 600m and ≤ 8oC temperature. In these areas elevated hydrostatic pressures and low temperatures create stable conditions for hydrate formation. The occurrence of Bottom-Simulating Reflections (BSRs) is known to indicate the Base of the Gas Hydrate Stability (BGHS) zone, below which solid hydrates cannot exist due to increasing temperatures of sediments. BSRs in most settings worldwide are thought to be largely caused by free gas at the base of the gas hydrate stability zone. They are characterized by a large negative reflection coefficient due to significant decrease in P-wave velocity attributed to the presence of gas below the BSR. On the Hikurangi margin however, many BSRs appear relatively weak. This study presents the results of Amplitude Variation with Offset (AVO) analysis of a weak BSR beneath Puke Ridge, a thrust ridge on the accretionary wedge east of Gisborne, North Island. Rock-physics modelling is used to interpret the findings.
The 05CM04 seismic line has been processed by preserving the amplitude and care has been taken to not bias the variation of reflectivity coefficient with offset. The zero-offset reflection coefficient or AVO intercept (A) is in the range of -0.008 to - 0.015 and the AVO gradient (B) is between -0.015 and -0.03.
Rock-physics modelling was employed to determine the possible concentrations of gas and hydrate that can yield the observed reflection coefficients. Negligible hydrate saturation above with a patchy gas distribution of 3% saturation beneath the BSR might explain this pattern. An alternative end-member estimation of 13% saturation of hydrate in a frame-supporting model with no gas beneath it could generate the observed reflection coefficient but it is geologically unlikely. Synthetic modelling reveals that the low reflectivity of the BSR could also be due to the presence of thin layers of more concentrated or evenly distributed gas but this scenario is considered to be geologically unlikely.
BSRs beneath some thrust ridges in the southern Hikurangi margin, appear as a series of clearly separated bright spots, which indicate free gas accumulations which when connected mimic the geometry of the seafloor. The most likely lithologic explanation for these high amplitude patches within weak BSRs, is the concept of segmented BSRs which is also seen in the Gulf of Mexico. The bright ―gas‖ anomalies are inferred to correlate with sand-rich high permeability layers while the weak BSR could be due to low saturations of gas in clay-rich low permeability layers. The weak BSR beneath the Puke Ridge is indicative of low and patchy gas saturations in low-permeability reservoir rocks while high amplitude patches found in this area may indicate high-permeability sands that may be attractive reservoir rocks for future gas hydrate production.


Tuberculosis (TB) in a joint arthroplasty is unusual, and is usually due to reactivation from a previously infected joint or rarely from endogenous spread. We present a patient with septic loosening of a cemented Thompsons hemiarthroplasty due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection seven years post-operatively. At the time of surgery he had no symptoms or signs of TB. There have been no such reported cases in the English medical literature. (Hip International 2004; 14: 258-61).


"Recognition of Mary Shelley's systemic dual focus on public and domestic power as the means to interrogate traditional norms and propose alternatives materially alters parochial perceptions of her objectives and her achievements. Her novels, outside of Frankenstein, and recently, The Last Man, have been dismissed as simple, mutual dissociated "romances" or experiments in genre solely to intersect with a market niche; they are neither. Rather, they and all of Mary Shelley's major works voice a cosmopolitan, socio-political reformist ideology that evolved as their author's acute awareness of world events enabled her to calibrate her literary voice to deal with unfolding rather than past societal issues. Her multidisciplinary fusion of literature, political philosophy, and history calls for a commensurate multidisciplinary reading in order to understand the complexities of both the author and her works." -Betty T. Bennett In this book, Betty T. Bennett offers an extensively expanded version of the introduction she wrote for Pickering and Chatto's eight volume set, The Novels and Selected Works of Mary Shelley. Along with her insightful retelling of Mary Shelley's eventful life story, Bennett gives us a fresh reading of Frankenstein in the context of its author's full career. She also discusses a variety of Mary Shelley's lesser known works, including Matilda, Valperga, The Last Man, Perkin Warbeck, Lodore, Falkner, and her travel books. The result is a compelling portrait of Mary Shelley as she saw herself-an inventive, irreverent writer whose desire for political and social reform was at the heart of her literary expression for three decades.


Populations of Pinus ponderosa and Juniperus virginiana are expanding into semiarid Sandhills grasslands in Nebraska. To evaluate the physiological basis of their success, we measured the seasonal course of leaf gas exchange, plant water status, and carbon isotope discrimination in these two native trees and two native C4 grasses (Schizachyrium scoparium and Panicum virgatum). Compared to the trees, grasses had higher net photosynthetic rates (Anet) and water use efficiency (WUE) and more negative predawn and midday water potentials (Ψ) in June and July. While leaf Ψ and rates of leaf gas exchange declined for all four species during August, the Ψmid of the grasses were significantly more negative than those of the two trees. The deeply rooted trees maintained water status during summer, in contrast to the grasses, which senesced. Juniperus virginiana in particular was well adapted to xeric conditions, with low stomatal conductance, high WUE, and positive Anet at low Ψ. The highest values of Anet were observed in May for J. virginiana and in May and September for P. ponderosa. Both species maintained low but positive Anet throughout the winter at temperatures above 0°C. Leaf carbon isotopic signature differed between tree and grass species but did not exhibit significant within‐species seasonal variability. The semiarid grassland climate of Nebraska does not appear to limit P. ponderosa and J. virginiana, which use growth during the nongrowing season and access to deep soil moisture to compensate for growing‐season drought.


There are central written exams (Abitur) in Germany in 15 of 16 federal states meanwhile. The author himself was head of the author group for the written exams in mathematics in Saxony from 1992 to 2002 By a fundamental change of the performances of mathematics lessons to a stronger orientation on the acquisition of competences but also by the availabil-ity of new media lessons and central exams have changed the mathematic at school in the last years. Many countries have introduced the central abitur in Germany within the last 10 years. Fur-thermore the countries have for Bavaria, Hamburg, Niedersachsen, Mecklenburg, Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein in 2014 introduced a country general central abitur even for the first time. In connection with this, there are a lot of questions, it was to look for solutions: What is the role and sense of technology in the lesson and in exams? How do the pupils have to document solution ways? How should the structure of a exam be chosen? Which role plays parts with paper and pencil in the exams? What is an "easy" task in future? Which contents should be taken into account in a mathematics lesson with technology? In the lecture some of these questions shall be illustrate with different examples of abitur tasks.


Both global obesity prevalence rates and media attention to obesity have increased significantly in recent years. The current study examined the representation of obesity in The Irish Times, from 1997 to 2009. A quantitative content analysis was conducted on 479 articles to examine how the causes, consequences, and solutions to obesity have been portrayed and how obesity has been described. A frame analysis was also conducted to examine the dominant frames over time. It was found that attention to obesity was positively correlated with time, indicating coverage has increased significantly over the period examined. Regarding reported causes and solutions, the behavioral frame has been dominant, though environmental and mixed-frame stories have become more frequent. The presence of the genetic frame was consistently low. The study provides an overview of how the issue is being represented in Ireland's paper of record and informs health communicators of the dominant and trending messages and the implications for individuals' formation of illness representations.


By making use of the chiral kinetic theory in the relaxation-time approximation, we derive an Israel-Stewart type formulation of the hydrodynamic equations for a chiral relativistic plasma made of neutral particles (e.g., neutrinos). The effects of chiral asymmetry are captured by including an additional continuity equation for the axial charge, as well as the leading-order quantum corrections due to the spin of particles. In a formulation of the chiral kinetic theory used, we introduce a symmetric form of the energy-momentum tensor that is suitable for the description of a weakly nonuniform chiral plasma. By construction, the energy and momentum are conserved to the same leading order in the Planck constant as the kinetic equation itself. By making use of such a chiral kinetic theory and the Chapman-Enskog approach, we obtain a set of second-order dissipative hydrodynamic equations. The effects of the fluid vorticity and velocity fluctuations on the dispersion relations of chiral vortical waves are analyzed.


The computation of a mobile robot position and orientation is a common task in the area of computing vision and image processing. For a successful application, it is important that the position and orientation of a mobile robot must be determined properly. In this paper, a simple procedure for determining the orientation of the mobile robot using two cameras is presented. The two cameras are used to capture the images of a mobile robot at various orientations. Four simple neural network models are developed to associate the inputs and output (orientation). First neural network model is used to estimate the orientation of a mobile robot using only the features derived from the center camera. The second neural network model is used for estimating the orientation of a mobile robot using features derived from both the centre and side cameras. The third neural network model is used to estimate the orientation using features derived from the composition matrix. The fourth neural network model is used for estimating the orientation using Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) technique. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can be used to estimate the orientation of the mobile robot accurately.


Abstract This article addresses the historical justice dilemma: although critical memory is indispensable for accountability, efforts to use it are often hampered by the unjust relations and systems that caused the wrongs to which historical justice is compelled to respond in the first place. Contemporary authors tackle this problem by focusing on collective responsibility for structural injustice. This article takes a different tack. Studying closely the 2009–2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) report, it argues that the structural turn may come at the expense of a focus on agency and may thus provide unwitting anonymity for wrongdoers while crimping our thinking about leadership and responsibility. Although this article strongly criticizes the TRC report, it tries to work constructively with it, developing an analysis that compensates for the report's unwitting invisibilization of perpetrators. Distilling portraits and analyses of wrongdoer agency that are latent in the TRC's postwar history volume, this article shows how we can develop the report as a resource of what I call retributive social accountability.


Extraordinary floral variation is common among some orchids that employ deception to attract pollinators. This variation may be maintained by frequency-dependent selection where rare phenotypes are preferred. Over a 2-yr period, 1993-1994, we monitored the reproductive success of Tolumnia variegata, an obligately outcrossing epiphytic orchid, at three localities in Puerto Rico that differed in pollinator service. Plants varied in floral morphology and fragrance characteristics. Artificial arrays of varying frequencies of scentless and fragrant phenotypes were established to test for frequency-dependent selection. Where pollinators were rare (Cambalache, range of census average = 0-0.2 bees/h), 0.9-1.2% of the flowers were effectively visited (pollinarium removals and pollinations). At Tortuguero where 0.4-1.1 bees/h were observed, 4-9.2% of the flowers were visited. At Pi;atnones where bees were the most abundant (1.4-5.2 bees/h), 20.9-25.0% of the flowers were visited. A significant portion of the variance in all measures of reproductive success (male, female, and combined) was explained by differences among populations, which we attribute mostly to variation in pollinator abundance. Neither the fragrance phenotype nor its frequency had a significant effect on success as revealed by a split-plot ANOVA. There was a significant interaction between population and phenotypic frequencies in all our measures of reproductive success, but only for the 1994 flowering season. Thus, variation in floral fragrance phenotypes is not likely maintained by frequency-dependent selection. High levels of variation remain unexplained.


This study provides insight into the wide and chronic gaps between childcare research and policy in Canada. More specifically, connections are made between how childcare policy was discussed in newspapers between 2008 and 2015, power relationships in society and policy outcomes. The theoretical ideas and methodological tools of political scientist Carol Bacchi and Norman Fairclough inform a what-is-the-problem-represented-to-be (WPR) and critical
discourse analysis (CDA) respectively. The data was broken up into two periods: Period A (Jan 2008-Oct 2014) when childcare policy was peripheral on the federal policy agenda and Period B (Oct 2014-Nov 2015) when childcare policy re-emerged on the agenda. Data from both periods was analysed using WPR while only Period B data were analyzed using CDA.

The findings reveal low levels of coverage of childcare policy during Period A, though coverage that did exist included a variety of problematizations. In Period B, when the volume of coverage of childcare coverage notably increased, the diversity of problematizations was much more limited and polarized. Childcare was most frequently represented as a private/family problem, a free market problem and/or a public problem – though the CDA revealed that the
latter problematization was often superficially treated. The CDA revealed ideological tensions through a tendency of authors to dichotomize parental and non-parental care of children (care as a barrier/support to parenting). Gendered differences to reporting on childcare policy were also observed whereby male reporters asserted stronger modal claims than female authors, although female authors appear to have made a more concerted effort to contextualize their muted claims.

Overall it is concluded that representation of childcare policy problems was limited to ideological ideals that perpetuate gendered, hegemonic power relations in society. It is suggested that this has contributed to a continuation of the status quo – with no significant shift in childcare policy at the federal level. A closer analysis of selected texts published in the year leading up to the 2015 election revealed that several text and discourse processes allowed dominant discourses not in the interests of those most affected by childcare (i.e., women, children and families) to remain largely unchallenged.


A predominant fraction of UAV videos are never watched or analyzed and there is growing interest in having a summary view of the UAV videos for obtaining a better overall perspective of the visual content. Real time summarization of the UAV video events is also important from tactical perspective. Our research focuses on developing resilient algorithms for summarizing videos that can be efficiently processed either onboard or offline. Our previous work [2] on the video summarization has focused on the event summarization. More recently, we have investigated the challenges in providing the coverage summarization of the video content from UAV videos. Different from the traditional coverage summarization taking SfM approach (e.g., [7]) on SIFT-based [14] feature points, there are several additional challenges including jitter, low resolution, contrast, lack of salient features in UAV videos. We propose a novel correspondence algorithm that exploits the 3D context that can potentially alleviate the correspondence ambiguity. Our results on VIRAT dataset shows that our algorithm can find many correct correspondences in low resolution imagery while avoiding many false positives from the traditional algorithms.


The ATLAS experiment of the LHC is now taking its first data by collecting cosmic ray events. The full reconstruction chain including all sub-systems (inner detector, calorimeters and muon spectrometer) is being commissioned with this kind of data for the first time. Specific adaptations to deal with particles not coming from the interaction point and not synchronized with the readout clock were needed. Data decoders and the infrastructure to deal with conditions data as those coming from the data acquisition configuration, detector control system, calibration and alignment corrections were developed and validated as well. Detailed analyses are being performed in order to provide ATLAS with its first alignment and calibration constants and to study the combined muon performance. Combined monitoring tools and event displays have also been developed to ensure good data quality. A simulation of cosmic events according to the different detector and trigger setups has also been provided to verify it gives a good description of the data.


WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT
Randomized active control trials are used by health care professionals and reimbursement authorities for the assessment of the added value of a new medicine. Failing to publish the results of clinical trials limits making an evidence based assessment and conducting systematic reviews.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS
About one-third of the comparative trials used in the authorization process are published at the moment of market authorization and about four out of five within 2 or 3 years. Most of the rest remain unpublished. Unpublished trials contain information regarding a different therapeutic use or a different comparator of the same medicine and, in some cases, have influenced the risk : benefit assessment of the registration authorities. A standardized public registration of results of the main premarketing trials is advocated to fill the publication gap.

AIMS
To determine the time-lag between the EU authorization of new medicines and the publications of the main randomized active control trials (RaCTs) used in the authorization process and to compare unpublished with published RaCTs of the same medicine.

METHODS
All RaCTs for new medicines with a new active substance, authorized between 1999 and 2003, were extracted from the European Public Assessment Reports (EPAR). Information about the publication status of RaCTs was obtained from the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases.

RESULTS
We identified 116 RaCTs for 42 new medicines; 28% of the RaCTs had been published at the moment of market authorization, 59% after 1 year, 78% after 2 and 83% after 3 years. Most of the rest of the studies remained unpublished after 3 years of follow-up. Unpublished RaCTs differed from published trials of the same medicine especially regarding therapeutic use and/or comparator. In some cases unpublished trials have influenced the risk : benefit asssessment of the registration authorities.

CONCLUSIONS
Most of the main RaCTs, relevant for assessing the added value of a new medicine, are published subsequent to market entry; some of these trials remain unpublished. We argue for a standardized public registration of the results of the main premarketing clinical trials as a condition for market authorization.


Hot forging is a conventional forming process at elevated temperatures that is frequently used to produce bulk parts and components. By designing such hot forming processes FE simulations have been increasingly used. In this work, deformation behaviour of two common medium carbon steels was characterized at their hot-working temperature region by means of a deformation dilatometer machine. The effects of temperature, strain rate, and dynamic softening with respect to the recovery and recrystallization of material on the compressive flow stresses could be studied. In addition, phase transformation during continuous cooling after upsetting at high temperature was investigated for these steels. The flow curves and the Deformation Time-Temperature-Transformation (D-TTT) diagrams were determined using the determined experimental data. Subsequently, these material data could be applied for numerical FE simulations of industrial hot forging processes in order to optimize the parameters in the process. With a cellular automata (CA) model the calculation of microstructure evolution, dynamic recrystallized (DRX) grain size, and hardness of any selected areas in the forged parts after controlled cooling is possible


The notion of aggregator oblivious (AO) security for privacy preserving data aggregation was formalized with a specific construction of AO-secure blinding technique over a cyclic group by Shi et al. Some of proposals of data aggregation protocols use the blinding technique of Shi et al. for BGN cryptosystem, an additive homomorphic encryption. Previously, there have been some security analysis on some of BGN based data aggregation protocols in the context of integrity or authenticity of data. Even with such security analysis, the BGN cryptosystem has been a popular building block of privacy preserving data aggregation protocol. In this paper, we study the privacy issues in the blinding technique of Shi et al. used for BGN cryptosystem. We show that the blinding techniques for the BGN cryptosystem used in several protocols are not privacy preserving against the recipient, the decryptor. Our analysis is based on the fact that the BGN cryptosystem uses a pairing e : G × G → GT and the existence of the pairing makes the DDH problem on G easy to solve. We also suggest how to prevent such privacy leakage in the blinding technique of Shi et al. used for BGN cryptosystem.


Purpose/Background For a drug to acquire Food and Drug Administration approval, it must significantly outperform placebo treatment. In recent years, the placebo effect seems to be increasing in neuropsychiatric conditions. Here, we examine placebo effects across self-reported, clinically rated, and performance-based data from a trial using a corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor type 1 (CRHR1) antagonist for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods/Procedures Women with chronic PTSD were randomized to treatment with either GSK561679, a CRHR1 antagonist, or placebo. Before randomization, participants completed self-report scales, clinician-rated measures of PTSD and depression symptoms, and objective tests of cognition and functioning. Differences in change scores on measures were compared between GSK561679 and placebo-treated participants. Findings/Results GSK561679 failed to produce any significant improvement in the participants. A substantial placebo effect was observed in both self-report and clinical rating scales, with effect sizes up to 1.5 SD. No single variable predicted placebo-related changes. Notably, there was an improvement on objective performance measures of cognition that exceeded previous standards for practice effects. Implications/Conclusions Participants in this trial manifested retest effects on performance-based measures of cognition. Notably, they had minimal prior experience with performance-based assessments. Experiencing the structure and support of a clinical trial may have contributed to significant reductions in subject-reported and clinician-rated PTSD symptom levels. The improvement seen across all assessment domains was consistent with that seen in previous studies where the active treatments separated from placebo. Investigators conducting clinical trials treating PTSD patients should expect placebo effects and design studies accordingly.


Actual issues of surgical treatment of patients, suffering complications of severe forms of varicose disease of the lower extremities (VDLE) are discussed. The causes of unsatisfactory results of treatment in patients, suffering varicothrombophlebitis (VTHPH), the main of which--absence of the only one tactics for operative treatment and anticoagulant therapy, were analyzed. The results of patients examination, suffering thrombotic complications of severe forms of VDLE, while its recurrent course, in conjunction of VTHPH and thrombosis of deep veins of the lower extremities, using diagnostic complex "PLR genetics thrombophilia", are adduced. Differential tactics of treatment in patients, suffering severe forms of VDLE, while various localization of thrombotic process, concerning the presence of thrombophilic states, is proposed.


Introduction: The aim of the study was to compare the validity and reliability of two different methods for localization of the cranial midline through a cephalometric analysis of mandibular condylar asymmetry in a representative adult population. The hypothesis that the most reliable landmark for identifying transverse craniofacial asymmetry on SMV is spinosum foramina was tested.
Materials and Method: This cross-sectional study was performed by analyzing the SMV radiograms of 70 patients. Two different cephalometric analyses were chosen to trace the basicranium midline. The first considers the craniostat ear rods as initial landmarks and the second analysis uses the spinosum foramina (SF) as main landmarks to identify the axis of symmetry. Quantification of the condylar asymmetry was performed using eight parameters and their symmetrical ratio (Symmetry ratio (SR) =Left parameter/Right parameter).
Results: Statistical analysis of the results showed substantial equivalence and reliability of both tracing methods used. This reliability results from the fact that the left/right discrepancy for midline MP & MSP is not statistically significant. The extent of asymmetry falls within physiologic limit [2-3mm for left/right discrepancy from midsagittal plane is normal limit].
Conclusion: Submentovertex radiograms can provide assistance in diagnosing condylar asymmetries and planning the most appropriate treatment. The results of this study failed to validate our hypothesis indicating that the midline traced with spinosum foramina as landmark approximates the ideal midsagittal more closely. However another study with bigger sample size should be conducted before refuting or accepting this hypothesis.

Keyword: Submentovertex, Condylar asymmetry, Foramen Spinosum


The planning problem is considered for a mobile manipulator system which must perform a sequence of tasks defined by position, orientation, force, and moment vectors at the end effector. Each task can be performed in multiple configurations due to the redundancy introduced by mobility. The planning problem is formulated as an optimization problem in which the decision variables for mobility (base position) are separated from the manipulator joint angles in the cost function. The resulting numerical problem is nonlinear with nonconvex, unconnected feasible regions in the decision space. Simulated annealing is proposed as a general solution method for obtaining near-optimal results. The problem formulation and numerical solution by simulated annealing are illustrated for a positioning system with five degrees of freedom. These results are compared with results obtained by conventional nonlinear programming techniques customized for the particular example system.<<ETX>>


Financing Agreement (Sustainable Land Management Project) between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the International Development Association (with schedules, appendix and International Development Association General Conditions for Credits and Grants, dated 1 July 2005, as amended through 15 October 2006). Addis Ababa, 13 June 2008


The encapsulation of noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) into SiO2 has been widely demonstrated to be a good strategy to prevent NPs from sintering at high temperature. However, in most cases, the protective dense, thick SiO2 shell may retard the diffusion of reactant and product molecules, thus inhibiting the catalytic activity. And the size of encapsulated noble metal NPs is always big (>1 nm). Most importantly, their integration with active metal oxides (e.g. CeO2) and the creation of porous/hollow structure surrounded by SiO2 are still rarely reported at present. Herein, we propose an efficient way to acquire thermally stable and highly active Pt/CeO2@SiO2 catalysts with a porous/hollow structure. The synthetic procedure starts with co-encapsulation of Pt NPs and Ce–Cu bimetal oxide into SiO2 using a microemulsion method, followed by selective etching of CuO with dilute acid. Thanks to the ultra-small size of Pt NPs (<1 nm), the synergistic effect between Pt and CeO2, the beneficial porous/hollow structure for reactant and product molecule diffusion, and the effective protection by the SiO2 shell, the catalyst exhibits high catalytic activity and remarkable durability toward CO oxidation.


The same man could not have been the author of "Bedside Medicine-The Oslerian Reliquary'',' who warned us of "the obvious danger of social medicine soft opinions-Mickey Mouse courses, dilution of effort, superficial understanding ...". Epidemiology is not an end in itself, but a tool for those prepared to tangle with the broad social and medical issues of our time. Very often it is an imprecise tool, but against the magnitude of some of the problems (or the compelling logic) this may be of little consequence. The statistical method enables us to confirm or reject hypotheses, but rarely contributes to the formulation of new Ideas. The desire to demonstrate with mathematical certainty the marginal or objective benefits of one form of therapy over another should not be permitted to run away with our judgement in other health and social fields.


Is it possible a value-free social research and without an ethical/political involvement of the researcher? If so, is it desirable? After a brief excursus on the origins of the sociological debate to be sought in anthropology emancipated from colonial discipline, the engaged/detached dichotomy will be recalled, along with some research programs that presuppose (even if in different ways) the involvement of the researcher. In the second part of the article, the attention will be focused on the specific sector of social movements studies, in which these issues assume central importance. Finally, we will take into account some empirical researches, to make the previously issues tangible. The reference will be to the relationship with the social actors and the issues they refer to, as emerged in three case studies: on the No-Expo Network, on the animal rights movement and on the relationship between movement activists and the European Union.


In late-eighteenth-century Dublin, options were limited for an expanding reading public who wished to consult quality printed works. During this period of the Anglican Ascendancy, membership to institutional libraries or participation in associational activities was largely limited to elites and those from the Established Church. The Dublin Library Society provided a public reference library service without restrictions of confession, connection, elections, or status"with admission based only on ability to pay the initial two-guinea charge (and one thereafter). Using hitherto neglected primary sources, particularly contemporary newspapers, this thesis will examine the origins of the Dublin Library, public reaction towards it, and its position promoting cultural patriotism and inclusivity in public library service provision in late-eighteenth-century Dublin. Also, a detailed prosopographical analysis of the librarys founding subscribers, specifically for their occupational backgrounds and associational activities, will show that the library represented a cross-section of Dublins reading public and help identify the social and cultural milieu in the capital. Through a combination of historical and prosopographical research on the library and its members, this study aims to contribute to both library history and the wider fields of social, cultural, and urban history of Dublin. The library was founded amidst a backdrop of Irish patriotism evidenced by the achievement of legislative independence from Britain. Dubliners expressed their patriotism through participation in clubs and societies that promoted Irish cultural, commercial, political, and social improvement and self-sufficiency. Further Enlightenment ideals of toleration and intellectual cultivation were embodied in these associations. By the end of this examination, the Dublin Library Society will be regarded not only as significant in the expansion of Dublins literary public sphere, but also a noteworthy location of the Irish Enlightenment in the capital.


A number of studies have examined the impact of school accountability policies, including No Child Left Behind (NCLB), on student achievement. However, there is relatively little evidence on how school accountability reforms and NCLB, in particular, have influenced education policies and practices. This study examines the effects of NCLB on multiple district, school, and teacher traits using district-year financial data and pooled cross sections of teacher and principal surveys. Our results indicate that NCLB increased per-pupil spending by nearly $600, which was funded primarily through increased state and local revenue. We find that NCLB increased teacher compensation and the share of elementary school teachers with advanced degrees but had no effects on class size. We also find that NCLB did not influence overall instructional time in core academic subjects but did lead schools to reallocate time away from science and social studies and toward the tested subject of reading.


We study the effect of financial shocks in labor market dynamics. We build a model with two types of labor, two types of capital and both search and financial frictions. We find that financial shocks, modeled as exogenous disturbances to the borrowing constraint of firms, can generate realistic movements in aggregate employment and reproduce the volatile and countercyclical ratio of skilled to unskilled employment observed in the data. Tighter financial conditions impact employment through three channels: i) a fall in the marginal product of labor as a result of a reduction in aggregate capital, ii) an increase in the shadow cost of labor in terms of external financing and iii) an endogenous wage rigidity caused by a short-lived increase in households' consumption and in their marginal value of time. This endogenous wage rigidity together with the model's calibration implying a higher re-hiring probability and lower recruitment costs for unskilled workers, explains the volatility of relative employment.


We show how an algorithm for the problem of inverting a permutation may be used to design one for the problem of unordered search (with a unique solution). Since there is a straightforward reduction in the reverse direction, the problems are essentially equivalent.
The reduction we present helps us bypass the hybrid argument due to Bennett, Bernstein, Brassard, and Vazirani (1997) and the quantum adversary method due to Ambainis (2002) that were earlier used to derive lower bounds on the quantum query complexity of the problem of inverting permutations. It directly implies that the quantum query complexity of the problem is asymptotically the same as that for unordered search, namely in Theta(sqrt(n)).


We present a case of a 67-year-old man with T4aN3bM0 gastric adenocarcinoma who developed refractory hypotension 24 hours post-inferior vena cave filter (IVCF) insertion for a new finding of pulmonary embolism (PE) and ongoing melena stool. After 18 hours of aggressive 20 L intravenous fluid resuscitation in the ICU followed by vasopressors and intravenous antibiotics, a point-of-care echocardiography did not reveal right ventricular strain and a non-contrast CT scan of the abdominal and pelvis was reported as not remarkable. But his lower limbs became progressively edematous and swollen while his upper limb maintained its normal circumference. At 24 hours post-ICU admission, his lower limbs had worsened with severe pain and pallor. The compartmental pressure measurements were in the high normal ranges. At morning rounds, the complete occlusion of the IVCF causing severe hypovolemic shock was considered and re-review of the non-contrast CT abdomen and pelvis showed complete collapsed IVC above the IVCF. The IVC below the IVCF was distended, as were the common and external iliac veins bilaterally concerning for extensive venous thrombosis and early phlegmasia cerulea dolens (PCD). The patient was treated with local catheter-directed thrombolysis with thrombus maceration and aspiration followed by localized direct tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) infusion and systemic heparin infusion. The patient's refractory hypotension resolved quickly and had surgery to remove his gastric tumor 8 days post-IVCF insertion. The placement of IVCF in a patient with known malignancy can greatly increase the risk for additional thrombus formation. But in our patient the speed is unprecedented, in which complete vena cava thrombosis (VCT) occurred at the site of the IVCF and below and its mechanism of causing refractory hypotension is rare. The consideration of PCD in a patient with refractory hypovolemic shock post-IVCF insertion followed by aggressive fluid resuscitation and worsening lower limb pain and discoloration remains a rare but important differential diagnosis. J Med Cases. 2015;6(8):353-357 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc2204w


Background and objectives. Several cognitive event-related potential (ERP) components such as mismatch negativity, P300, N400, and the late positive component (LPC) have been studied in aphasia. The aim of this study was to determine whether a modified semantic incongruity paradigm can serve as a more graded differentiation of ERP changes in patients with mild versus severe comprehension deficits. Methods. A total of 20 aphasic patients with minor and severe comprehension deficits and 20 young and elder healthy controls were examined while reading 4-word sentences ending in a semantically congruent or noncongruent word. Results. In contrast to young controls and to patients with mild comprehension deficits, aphasic patients with severe comprehension deficits exhibit an early positivity in the time window from 200 to 400 milliseconds and no N400 after the presentation of nonrecurrent semantically incongruent words. Patients with mild comprehension deficits were found to have an N400 with prolonged latency in comparison with the controls. An age effect in the control groups was detected as well. Discussion. Semantic access and integration are performed differently in aphasic subjects with severe comprehension deficits. These differences in lexical—semantic processing must be taken into account in rehabilitation approaches that aim to improve comprehension deficits. Moreover, the findings may contribute to the design of therapy studies by employing a physiological measure that can discriminate among patients at baseline and at the end of an intervention.