: Chronic liver diseases, in particular chronic HBV and HCV infections, frequently progress to liver cirrhosis and HCC. The molecular events underlying hepatocarcinogenesis are not yet well defined. It appears likely, however, that HCCs result from a stepwise carcinogenesis: due to chronic liver disease there is liver cell necrosis, inflammation and regeneration with a high mitotic rate of liver cells. In this setting, chromosomal DNA rearrangements occur which may result in the activation of cellular oncogenes or inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. Viral genes or gene products as well as cofactors, such as alcohol or aflatoxins, may make a specific contribution to these molecular events. Apart from the molecular aspects of hepatocarcinogenesis, for clinical practice the implementation of measures to prevent or treat chronic liver diseases should reduce the incidence of HCCs, one the most frequent malignancies in some areas of the world.


Universally, every language has a lexicon that grouped into categories of verbs. However, this category could be classified into specific sub. Based on the semantics component, verbs in Old Javanese are classified into a state verb, process verb, and action verbs. Speech verb is one of the action verbs. Based on morphological typology, Old Javanese belongs to the agglutination type. Therefore, it is definitely that the Old Javanese has various morphemes in the forming the verb. Verbs belonging to the speech verbs in Old Javanese are various. Therefore, this topic is analyzed with the theory of natural semantic metalanguage (NSM). The theory is packed with a number of relevant concepts applied in discussing the topic. Based on the analysis of each speech verb lexicon of Old Javanese, then every lexicon reflects two important components of semantics, namely: dictum and illocutionary purposes which reveal subtle meaning features that have a field of similar meaning. By way of explication, each lexicon can be analyzed thoroughly without any bias. Therefore, the postulate in semantic i.e. one form-one meaning and one meaning to a form highly relevant.


Biotherapeutic-reactive antibodies in treatment-naïve subjects (i.e., pre-existing antibodies) have been commonly detected during clinical immunogenicity assessments; however information on pre-existing antibody prevalence, physiological effects, and impact on posttreatment anti-drug antibody (ADA) induction remains limited. In this analysis, pre-existing antibody prevalence and impact on posttreatment ADA induction were determined using ADA data from 12 biotherapeutics analyzed in 32 clinical studies. Approximately half (58%) of the biotherapeutics were associated with some level of pre-existing antibodies and 67% of those were associated with posttreatment ADA induction. Across all studies, 5.6% of study subjects demonstrated presence of pre-existing antibodies, among which, 17% of the individual subjects had posttreatment increases in their ADA titers while 16% had decreased titers and 67% had no change in titers. However, in studies conducted in the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) population, 14.8% of RA patients were associated with pre-existing antibodies and 30% of those had posttreatment titer increases. The results suggest that in most study subjects, pre-existing antibodies pose a low risk for posttreatment ADA induction. That said, the high risk of induction implicated for RA patients, primarily observed in treatments evaluating novel antibody-based constructs, indicates that further understanding of the contribution of product and disease-specific factors is needed. Cross-industry efforts to collect and analyze a larger data set would enhance understanding of the prevalence, nature, and physiological consequences of pre-existing antibodies, better inform the immunogenicity risk profiles of products associated with these antibodies and lead to better fit-for-purpose immunogenicity management and mitigation strategies.


In this thesis I will compare and contrast the two willow warbler subspecies (Phylloscopus trochilus trochilus and P. t. acredula) with differing migratory phenotypes (or "migratype") in the context of their migratory divide and hybrid zone in central Sweden. Their migratory programs differ in the direction and distance traveled during migration. The "northern" willow warblers migrate south-southeast through the Balkan Peninsula to winter in eastern Africa. The "southern" willow warbler migrates southwest through the Iberian Peninsula to winter in western Africa. In this thesis I will also explore the consequences of hybridization for these two very closely related subspecies where they meet in central Sweden. In the first paper I investigate the role of population abundance in determining the location of the hybrid zone. Specifically, is there a region of low abundance associated with the hybrid zone? Further, is the hybrid zone located on an environmental gradient which might suggest that breeding ground environmental conditions are responsible for the lower abundance? This lower abundance may reflect the unsuitability of habitats along the environmental gradient for either parental or hybrid offspring. In my second paper, I ask if there are population specific differences in their wintering moult ecology that can be elucidated from diet derived stable isotope patterns in their winter moulted primary flight feathers? The third paper addresses the important question, does assortative mating lead to reproductive isolation or do these very similar subspecies hybridize and produce offspring? In my fourth paper, I ask does local adaptation to environmental conditions, such as temperature extremes and the short growing season, in mountain populations of willow warblers explain the apparent distribution of the "northern-allele" for the AFLP derived genetic marker WW1? Finally, in the fifth paper, I conduct a detailed analysis of phenotypic traits at 50 sites across the hybrid zone, including 35 sites visited more than once. Here I ask, does lower abundances in the west of the hybrid zone predict the zone to be wider in the west than in the east? Further, using data from repeated visits to sites across the zone, we predict low repeatabilities for migratory associated traits that would suggest that high annual turn-over in migratypes occupying the zone. For future efforts to understand hybrid zone dynamics, it will be essential to develop genetic markers that allow one to separate each parental migratypes, hybrids, and back-crosses. Once genetic markers allow the identification of hybrid offspring, orientation experiments should be conducted to elucidate migratory directional preferences that would support our hypothesis that hybrids take an intermediate migratory direction to their parental migratypes. This intermediate direction could be a significant cost to hybrid fitness, as this route would require they cross the Mediterranean Sea and Sahara Desert at their widest points.


Radiation-induced soft errors in combinational logic is expected to become as important as directly induced errors on state elements. Consequently, it has become important to develop techniques to quickly and accurately predict soft-error rates (SERs) in combinational circuits. In this work, we present methodologies to model soft errors in both the device and logic levels. At the device level, a hierarchical methodology to model neutron-induced soft errors is proposed. This model is used to create a transient current library, which will be useful for circuit-level soft-error estimation. The library contains the transient current response to various different factors such as ion energies, operating voltage, substrate bias, angle, and location of impact. At the logic level, we propose a new approach to estimating the SER of logic circuits that attempts to capture electrical, logic, and latch window masking concurrently. The average error of the SER estimates using our approach, compared to the estimates obtained using circuit-level simulations, is 6.5 percent while providing an average speedup of 15,000. We have demonstrated the scalability of our approach using designs from the ISCAS-85 benchmarks.


translation The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific encourages the submission of translated summaries (abstracts) in languages that are relevant to the country where the research was done. Translated summaries are published unedited and unformatted, as a separate supplementary file. If your paper is accepted, we will offer you the opportunity to prepare a translation of the final edited summary. We do not require translated material at submission stage. Editorial Editorials are the voice of The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, and are written in-house by the journal's editorial-writing team and signed "The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific". Editorials (and other short opinion pieces such as Commentaries and Letters) written by in-house editors are critiqued and revised by the editorial team. They are not subject to external peer review. Commentaries • This section contains Commentaries that accompany papers published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, or to issues of wide-reaching concern in medical research and health policy. Most Commentaries are commissioned, but unsolicited Commentaries are also welcome. Commentaries may be peer reviewed • Commentaries should be no more than 750 words, 10 references, and one figure, panel, or small table • See Conflicts of Interest guidelines for comments Letters • Letters should be written in response to previous content published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific • Letters for publication must reach us within 4 weeks of publication of the original item and should be no longer than 250 words and 5 references • Letters of general interest, unlinked to items published in the journal, can be up to 400 words long • Letters are not usually peer reviewed, but we might invite replies from the authors of the original publication, or pass on letters to these authors • Only one table or figure is permitted, and there should be no more than five references and five authors MENDELEY data https://data.mendeley.com Research in context Evidence before this study This section should include a description of all the evidence that the authors considered before undertaking this study. Authors should briefly state: the sources (databases, journal or book reference lists, etc) searched; the criteria used to include or exclude studies (including the exact start and end dates of the search), which should not be limited to English language publications; the search terms used; the quality (risk of bias) of that evidence; and the pooled estimate derived from metaanalysis of the evidence, if appropriate. Added value of this study Authors should describe here how their findings add value to the existing evidence. Implications of all the available evidence Authors should state the implications for practice or policy and future research of their study combined with existing evidence. Research in context panels should not contain references; key studies mentioned here should be referenced in the main text. Information for Authors www.thelancet.com October 2021 • All accepted letters are edited. Proofs will be sent out to authors before publication Corrections • Any substantial error in any article published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific should be corrected as soon as possible. Blame is not apportioned; the important thing is to set the record straight. • The Lancet journals have a policy for types of errors that we do and do not correct. We will always correct any error affecting a non-proprietory drug name, dose, or unit, any numerical error in the results, or any factual error in the interpretation of results. Authorship format changes after publication to facilitate a different visualisation in MEDLINE/PubMed will not be done. Reviews Most reviews are commissioned, but unsolicited short outlines (300– 400 words) can be directed to the Editor. If you have already written the paper, please submit it for consideration via our online system • Reviews should be either a definitive overview of a major topic connected with regional health or an update of knowledge in a somewhat narrower field of current interest • Manuscripts will be assessed in-house and those judged suitable will be peer reviewed before an editorial decision is made • Reviews should be no more than 4500 words, with a maximum of 75 references • References selected for publication should be chosen for their importance, ease of access, and for the "further reading" opportunities they provide; citations to papers published in non-peer-reviewed supplements are discouraged. In addition to references, authors should consider supplying a short list of useful websites where readers can find further information on the subject • A 150-word unstructured summary should be included. Use of up to 5–6 illustrations is encouraged to aid the reader • Complete transparency about the choice of material included is important to any Review paper. Therefore, all Reviews should include a brief section entitled "Search strategy and selection criteria" stating the sources (including databases, MeSH and free text search terms and filters, and reference lists from journals or books) of the material covered, and the criteria used to include or exclude studies. Citations to papers published in non-peerreviewed supplements are discouraged. Since these papers should be comprehensive, we encourage citation of publications in non-English languages. An example is shown below: • Systematic reviews should be prepared according to the PRISMA guidelines Health Policies Health Policy papers should cover developments in regional health related to policy, guideline development, health systems, or economics. Manuscripts considered for this section are narrative reviews (not original research) and should follow the same guidelines as a Review. Please contact the Editor before submitting to ensure the proposed topic is suitable. Viewpoints Viewpoint papers encourage debate and allow opinions to be expressed on issues related to regional health. Please contact the Editor before submitting to ensure the proposed topic is suitable. General guidelines for a Viewpoint paper are 1500 words with 20 references (no abstract). Formatting guidelines Language • Manuscripts should be submitted in English. Authors writing in Chinese, Portuguese, or Spanish may wish to use the Webshop (http://webshop.elsevier.com/languageservices) to provide an English translation of their manuscript for submission. Title page • A brief title, author name(s), preferred degree (one only), affiliation(s), and full address(es) of the authors must be included. The name and address of the corresponding author should be separately and clearly indicated along with email and telephone details Formatting of text • Type a single space at the end of each sentence • Do not use bold face for emphasis within text • Do not worry about type of font or point size • We use a comma before the final "and" or "or" in a list of items • Type decimal points midline (ie, 23·4, not 23.4). To create a midline decimal on a PC: hold down ALT key and type 0183 on the number pad, or on a Mac: ALT shift 9 • Numbers one to ten are written out in words unless they are used as a unit of measurement, except in figures and tables • Use single hard-returns to separate paragraphs. Do not use tabs or indents to start a paragraph • Do not use the automated features of your software, such as hyphenation, endnotes, headers, or footers (especially for references). Please use page numbering References • If preprints are central to your work or cover crucial developments in the topic(s) covered in your paper, but are not yet formally published, these may be referenced. Preprints should be clearly marked as such, for example by including [preprint] before the reference, and specifically referred to as a preprint in the main text. Where a preprint has subsequently become available as a peer-reviewed article, the formal publication should be used as the reference. • Cite references in the text sequentially in the Vancouver numbering style, as a superscripted number after any punctuation mark. For example: For The Lancet journals' policy on corrections of errors see https://www.thelancet.


The use of the peritoneovenous shunt in patients with cirrhosis is associated with a significantly higher complication rate than in patients with malignant ascites. Since many patients subsequently died due to the complications of shunt placement and the efficacy has never been clearly established by a randomized trial, it is difficult to recommend a procedure which may shorten the already brief life expectancy of the patient. We conclude that for the patients with ascites due to cirrhosis, the peritoneovenous shunt should be reserved for a carefully selected group, such as those patients with pending rupture of a hernia. However, for the patient with malignant ascites, the relatively low complication rate of peritoneovenous shunt placement and the lack of an adverse effect on survival time indicates that use of this successful palliative technique seems warranted in selected patients.


Successful newly established companies are a significant factor for the prosperous development of a national economy. Young innovative companies play a key role in the quick market launch and distribution of new technologies and products. As founders only rarely have sufficient own funds, financing has a considerable influence on the success of a newly established company. In the course of the investment boom in the USA and the breathtaking speed at which American Venture Capital (VC) companies listed their newly established portfolio companies in the stock market, the general attitude seems to be that a strong VC sector makes a significant contribution to the establishment of new companies and to innovation. However, it remains to be seen what role banks play in financing young technology companies. The analysis conducted by DIW together with the KfW bank group concerning the financing pattern of credit institutions and private equity companies in the sector of young technology companies is an initial contribution towards closing the gap in regard to the German market.1 The result of the analysis2 is that private equity is very likely to flow into investments bearing a higher financial risk. However, such clear statements cannot be made in connection with the economic performance risk _ possibly expressed in terms of innovation contents and objectives of the project. Many indicators for the economic performance risk _ this includes the company's R&D-orientation as well as various characteristics of the executed innovation projects _ proved to be insignificant or do not show the expected trend. Only the variable 'regular research and development' increases the likelihood of receiving private equity financing. The next step in the course of the research cooperation between DIW Berlin and the KfW bank group will be the quest for the causes of these unexpected findings.


Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of a winter feeding strategy on the performance, lactation, reproduction, and feed costs of springcalving, lactating beef cows. In Exp. 1, Angus (n = 66) and Simmental (n = 70) cows were allotted to 1 of 4 treatments: 1) distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and free-choice corn residue bales; 2) corn bran and DDGS and freechoice corn residue bales; 3) corn bran and high-protein distillers dried grains and free-choice corn residue bales; or 4) free-choice alfalfa mixed hay. In Exp. 2, Angus (n = 72) and Simmental (n = 92) cows were allotted to 1 of 4 treatments: 1) free-choice corn residue bale and 6.5 kg DDGS; 2) 6.4 kg ground corn residue bale and 6.5 kg DDGS; 3) 4.5 kg ground corn residue bale and 7.5 kg DDGS; and 4) free-choice alfalfa mixed hay. In both experiments, cows with free-choice hay intake lost more BW than cows fed coproduct and corn residue bales, but there were no differences in milk production or calf ADG. Three-year average price data were used to calculate feed costs (corn residue, $55/ton; DDGS, $124.71/ ton; and hay, $131.67/ton). In Exp. 2, the hay diet was more expensive than the 3 DDGS and corn residue diets ($2.50 vs. $1.44/cow∙per day, respectively). Machinery costs were also considered for each diet with herd sizes from 50 to 300 cows. Herd size dictated which winter feeding strategy was the least expensive. Feeding corn coproducts with corn residue bales can result in acceptable performance and reduced feed costs compared with traditional hay diets.


Fungal diseases in wheat crops (Triticum aestivum) cause significant yield and quality grain losses worldwide. The increase in the crop production area under no-tillage and environmental changes has favored residue-borne fungal survival and, therefore, disease development. Field trials were carried out at the beginning of anthesis on wheat crops (state z61), in order to evaluate different spray nozzle performance. The test was arranged in a 4x2 factorial design with ten repetitions. Factors consisted in four nozzles: flat-fan (XR11002), air induction asymmetrical dual flat-fan (AI3070-02), air induction symmetrical dual flat-fan (GAT11002), hollow cone (TXA8002), and two artificial targets, one vertical and another horizontal related to head and flag leaf location, respectively. Water-sensitive cards and CIR 1.5® software were used to determine droplet density (DD), coverage, and deposition. The latter was contrasted using Brilliant Blue tracer. Data were subjected to anova and means were compared by Tukey test (p≤0,05). The use of fine droplets and multiple directions such as TXA8002 increases coverage and deposition in the vertical and horizontal target, under optimum environmental conditions. The methodologies used to evaluate spraying performance are complementary to completely characterize the application parameters.


Biomaterials with characteristics similar to extracellular matrix and with suitable bioprinting properties are essential for vascular tissue engineering. In search for suitable biomaterials, this study investigated the three hydrogels alginate/hyaluronic acid/gelatin (Alg/HA/Gel), pre-crosslinked alginate di-aldehyde with gelatin (ADA-GEL), and gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) with respect to their mechanical properties and to the survival, migration, and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In addition, the behavior of HUVECs was compared with their behavior in Matrigel. For this purpose, HUVECs were mixed with the inks both as single cells and as cell spheroids and printed using extrusion-based bioprinting. Good printability with shape fidelity was determined for all inks. The rheological measurements demonstrated the gelling consistency of the inks and shear-thinning behavior. Different Young's moduli of the hydrogels were determined. However, all measured values where within the range defined in the literature, leading to migration and sprouting, as well as reconciling migration with adhesion. Cell survival and proliferation in ADA-GEL and GelMA hydrogels were demonstrated for 14 days. In the Alg/HA/Gel bioink, cell death occurred within 7 days for single cells. Sprouting and migration of the HUVEC spheroids were observed in ADA-GEL and GelMA. Similar behavior of the spheroids was seen in Matrigel. In contrast, the spheroids in the Alg/HA/Gel ink died over the time studied. It has been shown that Alg/HA/Gel does not provide a good environment for long-term survival of HUVECs. In conclusion, ADA-GEL and GelMA are promising inks for vascular tissue engineering.


Field trials were conducted to assess the efficacy of biological agents on the control of root lesion nematodes in banana in comparison with the nematicide carbofuran. The bio-agents were Pseudomonas fluorescens, Trichoderma viride, Glomus fasciculatum, Bacillus subtilis and Paecilomyces lilacinus. Application of P. fluorescens at 20 g/plant gave the greatest bunch length (95 cm), bunch weight (24 kg), number of hands per bunch (10) and number of fingers per bunch (176). The increases in yield parameters ranged from 59 to 110%. Pseudomonas fluorescens was also the most effective to control nematodes until harvest as the populations of Radopholus similis, Pratylenchus coffeae and Helicotylenchus multicinctus were reduced by 48.7, 46.3 and 44.3%, respectively. Soil application of T. viride or carbofuran were the next best treatments followed by the application of G. fasciculatum, B. subtilis and P. lilacinus. The lowest bunch weight (15 kg) was obtained from the control plants. Carbofuran was the most effective to control nematodes until three months after planting, but its efficacy thereafter was reduced and remained at a level similar to that of P. fluorescens. Root colonization by P. fluorescens, T. viride, G. fasciculatum, and B. subtilis was 105 × 108cfu/g, 60 × 106 cfu/g, 44% and 58 × 108 cells/g of root.


A new approach to the experimental investigation of the steady-state stability of controlled rectifiers based on the measurement of the angle between sequential ignitions of the valves is discussed. The statistical treatment of the experimental data shows a special dependence on the deviation of the firing impulses and the amplifier gain factor. Such dependence provides a physical definition for the rectifier stability and its boundaries. The experimental investigation of the increasing of the impulse deviation with an increase of the gain factor has shown that the physical reason for such deviation change and rectifier instability is an increase of a varying component in the control voltage of the firing system input. Analyzing the data about the well-known forms of the rectifier's instability-harmonic, ripple, and low-frequency-it can be concluded that the physical reason for the stability loss is the same: increase of alternating component in the firing control voltage. In conclusion, a new classification of rectifier instability forms is discussed.


The vibrational fingerprints of hydrogen-bonding associated with the adenine-thymine (A-T) Watson-Crick (WC) base pair have been identified in an infrared study of the A-T mimics 4-aminopyrimidine-1-methylthymine (4APM-1MT) and 4-aminopyrimidine-6-methyl-4-pyrimidinone (4APM-M4PMN) in the gas-phase. The IR vibrational spectra were measured via a double resonance scheme utilizing femtosecond multiphoton ionization. The changes in the molecular structure, anharmonic vibrational parameters, and the assignment of the observed vibrational spectra in the NH/CH stretch region were investigated by carrying out high-level theoretical calculations of the anharmonic spectra. The experimental observations and theoretical calculations indicate that the hydrogen bonds associated with WC base-pairing are relatively stronger than those associated with reverse WC (rWC) base pairing. This is manifested in a more pronounced red-shift of the H-bonded vibrational modes associated with the WC as compared with the rWC base-pairing. An analysis of the factors contributing to the anharmonicity of the vibrational modes associated with H-bonding reveals that the magnitude of the off-diagonal anharmonic coupling of the H-bonded -NH2 stretch and the -NH2 bend is much smaller in WC base-pairing than in the corresponding rWC base-pairing. The chemical and biological implications of these results, especially in the context of using vibrational spectroscopy as a tool for identifying the signatures of nucleotide base vibrations is addressed.


The migratory pathways of neural crest-derived pigment cells were examined in two anurans, Xenopus laevis and Discoglossus pictus, and correlated with the distribution of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of these pathways. In Xenopus, melanophores in the trunk reach the dermis by initially migrating ventrally, between the neural tube and somites, and then by migrating through the somites to reach the subectodermal space. In Discoglossus, melanophores, iridophores, and xanthophores migrate laterally over the dorsal margin of the somites to reach the dermis. GAG was identified in the light microscope using alcian blue staining and in the electron microscope using ruthenium red staining. The ECM at the dorsal entrance to the lateral pathway in Xenopus and in young Discoglossus (at a stage prior to invasion by pigment cells) is filled with 25-50 nm chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan aggregates. When this ECM in Xenopus is digested in vivo with chondroitinase ABC, melanophores enter the lateral pathway. In older Discoglossus embryos, the migration of pigment cells into the lateral pathway is correlated with increases in the space between the ectoderm and somites and in the number of hyaluronate microfibrils. These observations suggest that chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan in the subectodermal ECM restricts the migration of pigment cells into the lateral pathway by limiting the amount of space for migration and possibly by acting as a less adhesive migratory substratum than the ventral pathway, and that in Discoglossus hyaluronate opens spaces permitting the migration of pigment cells directly over the dorsal margin of the somites.


It is difficult to determine straightening stroke precisely for automatic straightening machines. The existing calculation method of straightening stroke is based on straightening curvature equation. Because the initial curvature is obtained by curve fitting method, the method is inconvenient to use and its accuracy is not well. In this paper, a method to calculate straightening stroke based on straightening process model is put forward. So the mathematic load-deflection model of straightening process must be established at first. The straightening process model for shafts is developed according to the elastic-plastic mechanics theory. By using the model, the straightening stroke can be calculated directly according to the initial deflection of the bent part. It is advantageous to use and to decrease errors. Comparing with FEM results and experimental results, the calculation results by the model are exact and the errors are small. So the validity and the accuracy of the method are verified. It will be helpful to the development of automatic straightening machines.


For many time-constrained communication applications, such as packetized voice, a critical performance measure is the percentage of messages which are transmitted within a given amount of time after their arrival at a sending station. We examine the use of a group random access protocol based on time windows for achieving time-constrained communication in a multiple access environment. First, we formulate a policy for controlling protocol operation in order to minimize the percentage of messages with waiting times greater than some given bound. A semi-Markov decision model is then developed for protocol operation and three of the four optimal control elements of this policy are then determined.
 Although the semi-Markov decision model can also be used to obtain performance results, the procedure is too computationally expensive to be of practical use. Thus, an alternate performance model based on a centralized queueing system with impatient customers is developed. Protocol performance under the optimal elements of the control policy shows significant improvements over cases in which the protocol is not controlled in this manner. Simulation results are also presented to corroborate the analytic results.


We report the operational characteristics of ultrashort SONOS memories down to /spl sim/30-nm effective gate length. Good sub-threshold swing, good drain-induced barrier lowering (/spl sim/120 mV/decade), and /spl sim/2.4 V of memory window down to the smallest dimensions demonstrate the improvements that result from a thin tunneling oxide and a large trapping center density. The use of distributed defects and thin tunneling oxide is reflected in a memory window that is stable up to at least 10/sup 5/ cycles for the smallest devices. The smallest structures tested employ /spl sim/75 electrons for memory storage, which allows for device to device reproducibility. The capture and emission processes asymmetries point to the differences in the energy parameters of the two processes. The smallest structures, however, do show loss of retention time compared to the larger structures, for the same oxide-nitride-oxide stack thickness, and this is believed to arise from higher leakage due to higher defects distribution in the gate insulators from process-induced damage. All tested devices, down to /spl sim/30-nm effective gate length, show very good endurance characteristics.


Events that happened in the past are important for understanding the ongoing processes, predicting future developments, and making informed decisions. Significant and/or interesting events tend to attract many people. Some people leave traces of their attendance in the form of computer-processable data, such as records in the databases of mobile phone operators or photos on photo sharing web sites. We developed a suite of visual analytics methods for reconstructing past events from these activity traces. Our tools combine geocomputations, interactive geovisualizations and statistical methods to enable integrated analysis of the spatial, temporal, and thematic components of the data, including numeric attributes and texts. We demonstrate the utility of our approach on two large real data sets, mobile phone calls in Milano during 9 days and flickr photos made on British Isles during 5 years.


It is considered that climate change has been increasing the global air temperature and rising sea level. Thus, the monitoring of sea level is necessary to mitigate the hazard risk. For estimating sea level change from various altimetric missions, attention must be taken to determine the bias of measurements between altimetric different missions. The aim of this study is to merge both of Jason series and Envisat satellite altimeters for estimating sea level variability around the Indonesian Seas. To create sea level time series, two adjustment methods are employed: tandem mission data and sea level anomaly differences at crossovers. The adjustment using tandem mission between Jason-1 and Jason-2 obtained a relative difference of 32.8 ± 5.4 mm. The adjustment method at crossovers is applied for combining Envisat and Jason series which is already intercalibrated. The mean crossovers differences between Envisat and reference missions are less than 2.5 cm. By using merged datasets from all missions, it is discovered that the trend in the Indonesian seas for a period of 10 years is 11.9 mm years−1. The map of sea level trends from all satellites data for that period is performed in 1° × 1° regular grids.


Zr-4 alloy is the material of nuclear fuel shell in nuclear power plant's PWR. This paper presents this material's general mechanical property and fatigue behavior that are tested in accordance with ASTM in room temperature and 380°C condition. The test results show that there is no cyclic hardening or cyclic softening phenomena for Zr-4 alloy applied by cyclic loading in room temperature condition. The fatigue design curve is obtained by processing fatigue test results with adopting ASME Sec.Ⅲ based on the test results of strain fatigue property. The research result shows the fatigue design data at different temperature may be corrected by elastic modulus with room temperature curve. This paper's result may be used in PWR component design.


PURPOSE
The study compared characteristics and outcomes in patients with staghorn or nonstaghorn stones who were treated with percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) within the Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society (CROES) PCNL Global Study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Data over a 1-year period from consecutively treated patients from 96 centers worldwide were collated. The following variables in patients with staghorn or nonstaghorn stones were compared: National prevalence, patient characteristics, access method, puncture frequency and outcomes, including bleeding rates, operative time, and duration of hospital stay.

RESULTS
Data from 5335 eligible patients were collated; 1466 (27.5%) with staghorn and 3869 (72.5%) with nonstaghorn stones. Staghorn stone presentation varied between centers from 67% in Thailand to 13% in Argentina. The frequencies of previous procedures were similar between groups, but shockwave lithotripsy was less frequent in patients with staghorn stones compared with nonstaghorn (16.8% vs 22.6%) and positive preoperative urine cultures were more frequent in patients with staghorn than nonstaghorn stones (23.4% vs 13.1%). Patients with staghorn stones underwent multiple punctures more frequently than those with nonstaghorn stones (16.9% vs 5.0%). Postoperative fever, bleeding, and the need for blood transfusion were more frequent, the median operative time and duration of hospital stay were longer, while the proportion of patients remaining stone free was lower (56.9% vs 82.5%) in patients with staghorn than nonstaghorn stones.

CONCLUSIONS
The proportion of patients with staghorn stones varies widely between centers. Stone-free rates were lower, complications more frequent, and operative time and hospital stay were longer in patients with staghorn stones.


Non-thermal plasma technology is one of those techniques that suffer relatively little from diffusion limits, slow kinetics and complex geometries compared to more traditional liquid-based chemical surface modification techniques. Combined with a lack of solvents, preservation of the bulk properties and fast treatment times, it is a well-liked technique for the treatment of materials for biomedical applications. In this book chapter, a review will be given on what the scientific community determined to be essential to obtain appropriate scaffolds for tissue engineering and how plasma scientists have used non-thermal plasma technology to accomplish this. A distinction will be made depending on the scaffold fabrication technique, as each technique has its own set of specific problems that need to be tackled. Fabrication techniques will include traditional fabrication methods, rapid prototyping and electrospinning. As for the different plasma techniques, both plasma activation, grafting and polymerization will be included in the review and linked to the in-vitro/in-vivo response to these treatments. The literature review itself is preceded by a more general overview on cell communication, giving useful insights on how surface modification strategies should be developed.


Accurate attenuation correction of emission data is mandatory for quantitative analysis of PET images. One of the main concerns in CT-based attenuation correction(CTAC) of PET data in multimodality PET/CT imaging is misalignment between PET and CT images. The aim of this study, is to proposed a hybrid method which is simple, fast and accurate, for registration of PET and CT data which affected from respiratory motion in order to improve the quality of CTAC. The algorithm is composed of three methods: First, using B-spline Free Form Deformation to describe both images and deformation field. Then applying a pre-filtering on both PET and CT images before segmentation of structures in order to reduce the respiratory related attenuation correction artifacts of PET emission data. In this approach, B-spline using FFD provide more accurate adaptive transformation to align the images, and structure constraints obtained from prefiltering applied to guide the algorithm to be more fast and accurate. Also it helps to reduce the radiation dose in PET/CT by avoiding repetition of CT imaging. These advances increase the potential of the method for routine clinical application.


. The normatives of performance documentation through writing, photography, audio, and video have not changed since the very beginning of performance art (Griniuk, 2019). The states of relaxation or attention of the performer during live action are not easily captured through photo, video, or sound documentation. Tech-nological developments that have made EEG available on a consumer level within the reflexive research in this paper provide very intimate yet abstract information for the viewer regarding the bodily and mental states of the performance artist during live events. This data can be saved. Documentation provides a detailed record of text- and narrative-based performance art events. This paper presents three cases within the reflexive research on the documentation of performance through photography, video, sound recording, and the live brain activity of a performing body recorded and visualised by an EEG device via a program in processing. The aim of the research is to investigate the process of documentation via recording visual images and sounds of the performance art event setup, along with the recording of the performer's live brain activity. I also explore how this data can be reconstructed after the performance. The reconstruction of data related to a performer's brain activity for each case-performance is synchronised with the sound and the video footage. The results of this reflexive research can be useful for performance artists who wish to self-document their performances. performer during these moments of spon-taneity. In the first two cases, I succeeded in saving the attention and meditation data of the EEG device of the entire sessions. In case three, the documentation of the performance session is fragmented. During data analysis and data processing, it was possible to remediate the collected visual, sound, and EEG data into the video works, which contained images, sounds, and visualised and sonified EEG data.


We present the algorithmic details of the dynamical cluster approximation (DCA), with a quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method used to solve the effective cluster problem. The DCA is a fully causal approach which systematically restores nonlocal correlations to the dynamical mean field approximation (DMFA) while preserving the lattice symmetries. The DCA becomes exact for an infinite cluster size, while reducing to the DMFA for a cluster size of unity. We present a generalization of the Hirsch-Fye QMC algorithm for the solution of the embedded cluster problem. We use the two-dimensional Hubbard model to illustrate the performance of the DCA technique. At half filling, we show that the DCA drives the spurious finite-temperature antiferromagnetic transition found in the DMFA slowly towards zero temperature as the cluster size increases, in conformity with the Mermin-Wagner theorem. Moreover, we find that there is a finite-temperature metal to insulator transition which persists into the weak-coupling regime. This suggests that the magnetism of the model is Heisenberg-like for all nonzero interactions. Away from half filling, we find that the sign problem that arises in QMC simulations is significantly less severe in the context of DCA. Hence, we were able to obtain good statistics for small clusters. For these clusters, the DCA results show evidence of non-Fermi-liquid behavior and superconductivity near half filling.


Simplified, mathematics is the study of numbers, patterns, space and change; but this is merely the tip of the spaceship - or the helicopter, the layout of the soccer field for next Saturday's game, the architecture of a new building, or new experiments.. The mathematical study of change.


To understand better impulses and conflicts that are characterizing the Catholic Church under pope Francis, it could be helpful to look back at the dialectical relation between Catholicism and Modernity in the context of the European constitutional history. The legislative activity of pope Francis concerning the Vatican City State has in fact a profound constitutional nature, intending to modernize State institutions of the Holy See. Pope Francis' constitutionalism goes together with an unprecedented endorsement and appreciation of the European Union as a supra-national institution and political body. Drawing on these two key issues, and looking at the modern European constitutional history, the article tries to outline some main aspects of a Catholic politics to come within the European context.


Background and objectives: The health system in Cameroon has to deal with several health problems which increasingly affect the economically active population (e.g. AIDS, Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, increasing rate of diabetes, nephrology, cardiovascular and other chronic diseases). It is globally recognized that care processes of these health problems can be efficiently and effectively managed in care facilities with electronic patient records. In addition, the work of research organizations and strategic institutions such as the Ministry of Health and research or international institutions reply partly on the quality of data and the reports of locally operating facilities. Experience gathered on AIDS and tuberculosis in other developing countries has proven that innovative locally appropriate implementation of cost-effective electronic patient records (EPR) can lead to considerable improvement. For this reason, we implemented and evaluated an already validated innovative eHealth-based solution with EPR in two rural district hospitals and one urban university hospital of Cameroon, in order to contribute to the improvement of the situation presented here, compare and evaluate implementation challenges (difference between rural and urban facilities), measure the impact on the local care process, and identify success and sustainability factors for future projects. Methods: A review of the relevant research literature and project report has been performed. A Stakeholder analysis was conducted using qualitative methods. Process and infrastructure analysis were performed and key requirements identified. Based on these, an implementation plan and evaluation indicators were formulated. Agile methods (SCRUM and KANBAN) and quality management based on continuous improvement processes were applied for the project management (including software development and change management). Result and discussion: The 22 indicators evaluated indicated that 5 activities were realized within the planed timeslot, 14 activities have been partially realized with an average delay of about 7 months, and some activities were postponed for the second phase of the project. The qualitative evaluation conducted at the end of the first phase of this research project showed a clear satisfaction of the stakeholders with the achieved results and specially the methods approach. This enhanced the local ownership which is a key requirement for the project sustainability. The agile methods and the availability for volunteer experts however led often to an extension of the activities deadlines.


Menthol is effective at stimulating thermosensitive neurons that evoke pleasant cooling sensations. Internal application of menthol can be ergogenic for athletes, and hence, addition of menthol to sports nutrition products may be beneficial for athletes. The aim of this study was to develop a menthol energy gel for consumption during exercise and to determine acceptability and preferences for gels with different menthol concentrations. With a randomized, crossover, and double-blind placebo-controlled design, 40 endurance athletes (20 females) ingested an energy gel with a menthol additive at a high (0.5%; HIGH) or low concentration (0.1%; LOW), or a mint-flavored placebo (CON), on separate occasions during outdoor endurance training sessions. The athletes rated the gels for cooling sensation, mint flavor intensity, sweetness, and overall experience and provided feedback. Results are reported as median (interquartile range). Both menthol gels successfully delivered a cooling sensation, with a significantly greater response for HIGH (5.0 [4.0-5.0]) compared with LOW (3.5 [3.0-4.0]; p = .022) and CON (1.0 [1.0-2.0]; p < .0005), and LOW compared with CON (p < .0005). Ratings of mint flavor intensity followed the same trend as cooling sensation, while ratings of overall experience were significantly worse for HIGH (2.0 [1.0-3.0]) compared with LOW (4.0 [2.0-4.0]; p = .001) and CON (4.0 [3.0-4.0]; p < .0005). An energy gel with the addition of menthol at 0.1-0.5% provides a cooling sensation for athletes with a dose-response when ingested during exercise. The 0.1% concentration is recommended to maximize the overall experience of the gel.


Building Bayesian Networks automatically serves to reduce time and effort by defining variables and the quantitative relation between variables. However, the quantitative part is the most complicated to solve because of it is statistical information.This research proposes a method to construct the quantitative part of a Bayesian Network based on text mining and ontologies for Intelligent Tutoring Systems. The network structure is built based on the variables and relations of an ontology. Conditional Probability Tables (CPT) are created from Wikipedia information.The constructed CPT reach a correlation of 0.895 against the experts' opinion. This correlation is good due to the subjectivity in the evaluations. We conclude that using the text mining in Wikipedia and ontologies, it is possible to construct CPT that adequately represents knowledge in an educative environment.


A fiber-distributed multistatic ultra-wideband (UWB) radar is proposed and demonstrated. The proposed radar includes a central office (CO), two transmitters and a receiver which are connected by optical fibers. The UWB pulses generated by the two transmitters are designed to have opposite polarities using the complementary transmission and reflection responses of an FBG, so that it is easy to identify in the CO which transmitter the echo pulse is from. An experiment is carried out. 2-D localization of a target is realized using the proposed radar. The localization accuracy is of centimeter level.


Sharapunkha (Tephrosia purpurea) is one of the important drugs in Ayurvedic system of medicine. The present study was undertaken to find out the action of Sharapunkha (Tephrosia purpurea) on Gastrointestinal System. During the passage of drug through oral route, it is probable that the active principle present in Sharapunkha, might act on gastrointestinal System. Albino rats were used in this study and divided into control and drug treated group. Drug treated group rats were feed with intragastric drug decoction, along with their normal water and food. Water intake, diet intake, weight of rats, gastrointestinal motility and serum bilirubin level were compared. Healthy human volunteers were selected, and prepared drug decoction was given for 7 days. Observations were done based on self-assessment of the volunteers about any significant physiological variation specially related to the G.I. System. After study, it was found that Sharapunkha enhances intestinal motility, decreases serum bilirubin in albino rats. Human volunteers had feeling of increase appetite, easy bowel motion and increase urge for micturition. These facts suggest that some ingredients of Sharapunkha are acting on the smooth muscles of the bowel and urinary bladder. So, it may be presumed that Sharapunkha influences the feeding and satiety center located in hypothalamus. Sharapunkha decoction preparation does influence the activity of the autonomic nervous system with consequent alterations in the functions of gastrointestinal tract and possibly the urinary system.


Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare condition that is often underdiagnosed given limitations of conventional cineangiography. In addition to the diagnostic challenge, the condition poses a major therapeutic dilemma given paucity of literature to guide management. We report the case of a 55-year-old woman, who presented with acute coronary syndrome. Coronary angiography at the time of the index hospitalization revealed type 2 SCAD. She was managed conservatively. Repeat coronary angiography three months later showed complete resolution of the previously noted dissection. Because of the high association between SCAD and fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), a cross-sectional imaging was performed in this case, which ruled out underlying FMD. The patient has been followed longitudinally since her index event and has had no reported recurrences.


Electric arc steel making in India initially started with dual purpose of making essential steel castings and to produce pencil ingots for making merchant sections for building industry. The furnaces adopted double slag process. The productivity and the production were never critical at that time. Heat treated steel castings were very scarce in the country and the casting makers could ask for fabulus price for the product. Casting makers never felt any problem of charge because the yield of steel castings was never more than 55% and therefore 45% scrap was available to them from their own returns. The gap between selling cost and production cost being high they could manage the inputs at preferential prices. To quote an example in the present days steel castings are selling anywhere from Rs. 40 to Rs. 60 per kg. cast with ordinary methods. The same becomes Rs. 250/- to Rs. 450/- per kg. if they arc precision cast. The bulk of castings manufacture even till date is around 0.25 million tonnes an year. Picture for the steel ingots required for forging is noway different. Forging ingots have strigent requirement of quality. Forging process requires quality ingots with gases like H. 0, N below prescribed limits with inclusions at minimum. Forging requires a careful reheating cycle before the ingot is sent for forging. The ingots higher than ST weight are essentialy given vacum treatment to bring down gases and inclusions within prescribed limits. In reheating prolonged anti flaking cycle is given. The final heat treatments are also cumbersome. All these make forgings scrace and difficult. The selling price being in the range of Rs. 60/- to Rs. 125/ - per kg. the impact on charge materials can be absorbed.


In this paper, I develop a hierarchical MDP structure for completing the task of vertical rocket landing. I start by covering the background of this problem, and formally defining its constraints. In order to reduce mistakes while formulating different MDPs, I define and develop the criteria for a standardized MDP definition format. I then decompose the problem into several sub-problems of vertical landing, namely velocity control and vertical stability control. By exploiting MDP coupling and symmetrical properties, I am able to significantly reduce the size of the state space compared to a unified MDP formulation. This paper contains two major contributions: 1) the development of a standardized MDP definition framework and 2) a hierarchical MDP structure that is able to successfully land the rocket within the goal bounds more than 95% of the time. I validate this approach by comparing its performance to a baseline RRT search, underlining the advantages of rapid-decision making compared to online planning.


Consequent upon rapid development in Abu Dhabi, there has been a rise in chronic disease, the susceptibilities to which are influenced by events occurring in early life. Hence, maternal and infant health are key areas in public health policy. Following a study of maternal and infant health in a cohort of mothers in Abu Dhabi between 2002 and 2004, seven key informant interviews were undertaken to elucidate the study findings through the impressions of Emirati women in positions within the healthcare area—including ministries, hospitals, and universities in Abu Dhabi. Semi-structured interviews were based on five key questions that covered the cultural responsiveness of the maternal health services—breastfeeding, health education, and physical and recreational activity. The responses were analysed using a thematic content technique and indicated that the status of women, cultural beliefs and practices, limited health knowledge, and language differences between the local population, healthcare providers, and health promoting materials were important themes. The study highlighted areas for future research and policy, including the communication gaps between healthcare professionals and women, the influences of advertising and the media on health issues, heath education, and ways to increase women's participation in physical exercise. It is vital to consider non-medical determinants of health alongside biomedical determinants, to help develop culturally appropriate health strategies for this population.


Sport is long-year educational-training process, building many qualities in those practicing it, such as will, tenacity, persistency, responsibility, self-confidence, discipline. It helps maintaining good health and discharges the psychic tension. School and universities are the places for attractive contacts, forming of knowledge and skills and preparation of the persons under education for future realization at the labour market. In the world of modern technologies and social nets, there is no other area in life except sport activity giving exclusive possibility for close, tet a tet association, for building of social contacts and forming up of social groups. In this article we consider the possibilities the sport really grants to the contestants from the UNWE team, for improvement of their social status and role in the society. The role of sport as a means for leading a healthy way of life, especially in the universities should be directed in another direction – creating of wide circle of contacts, building of motivation and responsibility for achievement of the tasks set, focusing on the achievements. Higher education is a possibility for young people to associate together and develop in a homogeneous environment, of similar interests, to create contacts, allowing them to realize on the labour market in future. 60% of the inquired persons deem that futsal practicing in UNWE has helped for improvement of their social status, manifested in the bigger number of social contacts, better health condition and increased self-confidence, leader's role in the society and financial prosperity.


Contemporary systems of mobility are undergoing a transition towards automation. In the UK, this transition is being led by (often new) partnerships between incumbent manufacturers and new entrants, in collaboration with national governments, local/regional councils, and research institutions. This paper first offers a framework for analyzing the governance of the transition, adapting ideas from the Transition Management (TM) perspective, and then applies the framework to ongoing automated vehicle transition dynamics in the UK. The empirical analysis suggests that the UK has adopted a reasonably comprehensive approach to the governing of automated vehicle innovation but that this approach cannot be characterized as sufficiently inclusive, democratic, diverse and open. The lack of inclusivity, democracy, diversity and openness is symptomatic of the post-political character of how the UK's automated mobility transition is being governed. The paper ends with a call for a reconfiguration of the automated vehicle transition in the UK and beyond, so that much more space is created for dissent and for reflexive and comprehensive big picture thinking on (automated) mobility futures.


Rock physics has evolved to become a key tool of reservoir geophysics and an integral part of quantitative seismic interpretation. Rock-physics models adapted to site-specific deposition and compaction help extrapolate rock properties away from existing wells and, by so doing, facilitate early exploration and appraisal. Many rock-physics models are available, each having benefits and limitations. During early exploration or in frontier areas, direct use of empirical site-specific models may not help because such models have been created for areas with possibly different geologic settings. At the same time, more advanced physics-based models can be too uncertain because of poor constraints on the input parameters without well or laboratory data to adjust these parameters. A hybrid modeling approach has been applied to siliciclastic unconsolidated to moderately consolidated sediments. Specifically in sandstones, a physical-contact theory (such as the Hertz-Mindlin model) combined with theoretical elastic bounds (such as the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds) mimics the elastic signatures of porosity reduction associated with depositional sorting and diagenesis, including mechanical and chemical compaction. For soft shales, the seismic properties are quantified as a function of pore shape and occurrence of cracklike porosity with low aspect ratios. A work flow for upscaling interbedded sands and shales using Backus averaging follows the hybrid modeling of individual homogenous sand and shale layers. Different models can be included in site-specific rock-physics templates and used for quantitative interpretation of lithology, porosity, and pore fluids from well-log and seismic data.


Although most papillary thyroid carcinomas behave as low-grade neoplasms and are generally associated with a good prognosis, some subgroups of these neoplasms represent more aggressive variants. In order to determine if differences in the behavior of these papillary carcinomas were related to expression of growth factors or cell-cycle proteins, we analyzed a series of papillary carcinomas including the conventional or usual type (n = 27), tall cell (n = 27), diffuse sclerosing (n = 5), and columnar cell (n = 2) variants for expression of transforming growth factor beta (TGB), TGB receptors (TGB-RI and II, the proliferation marker Ki-67, and for the cell-cycle inhibitory protein p27(Kip)1 (p27). All groups of thyroid tumors expressed TGFB and TGFB-RI and RlI by immunohistochemical staining. There was a marked increase in the Ki-67 labeling index after staining with antibody MIB-1 in the columnar cell tumors compared to the other groups, but this difference was not significant because of the small number of tumors in this group. The cell-cycle inhibitory protein p27 was expressed in all groups and was not significantly different between groups. Normal thyroid cells had a higher labeling index for p27 compared to papillary carcinomas. These results indicate that TGFB and TGFB receptors I and II are commonly expressed in the usual and in variant forms of papillary thyroid carcinomas, and that there is decreased expression of p27 protein in all of these neoplasms compared to normal thyroid. The biological basis for the more aggressive behavior of these variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma remains uncertain.


Objective: Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) is the gold-standard method to estimate aortic stiffness, and has been clearly associated with cardiovascular risk in different clinical subsets. Still, its use in clinical practice is still limited in some specific groups, particularly in pediatrics, due to the absence of reference values for this population. This subanalysis of the PORT-VASPh Cohort aimed to propose preliminary reference values in Portuguese children and adolescents, based on a statistical definition that considers the fundamental physiological role of aging in arterial stiffness. Design and method: The PORT-VASPh cohort has 402 children and adolescents enrolled so far, age ranging from 5 to 17 years. The overall health profile for each participant was defined based on three clinical evaluations, in which blood pressure (BP) was measured under standard conditions over the brachial artery with a clinically validated automatic sphygmomanometer (OMRON 705IT) and an appropriately sized cuff. Gender-specific percentiles were used for the definition of the individual BP phenotype. For the proposal of reference values for PWV, data were collected from 295 healthy and normotensive participants included in the cohort, 59.3% males and 40.7% females, with a mean age of 11.84 ± 2.86 years (ranging from 5 to 17 years) and a body mass index (BMI) of 18.75 ± 3.07 kg/m2. Carotid-femoral PWV was measured to all participants with the Complior SP device, complying with the methodological recommendations. All participants were evaluated by the same clinician. Results: Gender-specific percentile tables, accounting for age, were obtained, as depicted in Figure 1. Mean PWV was 6.14 ± 0.99 m/s, and was higher in boys as compared with girls (6.29 ± 1.00 m/s versus 5.92 ± 0.93 m/s, respectively; p = 0.002). A significant correlation of PWV with age, BMI, systolic and diastolic BP and family history of hypertension was identified Figure 1. Gender-specific percentiles for carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity. Figure. No caption available. Conclusions: The availability of reference tables for PWV in children and adolescents is necessary, as it would allow the incorporation of the arterial stiffness concept into pediatric clinical decision, thus contributing for a better definition of the adequate preventive strategies for these particular populations.


ABSTRACT Background: It has been demonstrated that reference to the past is difficult for individuals with agrammatic aphasia, leading to the formulation of the PAst DIscourse LInking Hypothesis (PADILIH). Many of the previous studies have focused on Indo-European languages, in which time reference is expressed through verb inflection. The current study examined the PADILIH in Thai, a language that does not use verb inflection but instead uses aspectual markers to refer to time. Aims: We aimed to evaluate the pattern of impairment of time reference in Thai speakers with agrammatic aphasia, by investigating how grammatical reference to past, present, and future was processed. Methods and Procedures: A total of 15 Thai agrammatic speakers and 18 Thai non-brain-damaged (NBD) speakers participated in a sentence production task and an auditory sentence-to-picture matching comprehension task, both of which probed past, present, and future time reference. Outcomes and Results: While the NBD participants performed close to ceiling in both production and comprehension, the agrammatic speakers showed significantly more difficulty in conditions requiring reference to the future in both modalities. In production, however, the agrammatic speakers replaced the target future time reference construction with negation (a construction that can be used as an alternative means for future reference). When responses using negation were counted as correct, the individuals with agrammatic aphasia showed equal impairment across conditions. Conclusions: The results of this study were inconsistent with the PADILIH predictions: Thai agrammatic speakers experienced more vulnerability in reference to the future than the present and the past. This suggested that impairments of time reference may differ depending on the structure of the language. We hypothesized that the problems with producing future time reference in Thai may be influenced by the grammatical status of the future marker. In addition, the use of negation in place of the target word might have been because this negative construction reduces the processing load for Thai agrammatic speakers.


How can an exhibition designer engage the visitor to a world's fair who has already spent hours walking around the grounds, visiting other attractions and countless national pavilions? This question drove many theoretical and practical considerations of exhibition design during the interwar period and preoccupied many designers and artists. As a very active participant in world's fairs at this time, Czechoslovakia established an intricate system of presenting its material production and cultural prowess which included careful design of the exterior of its pavilion as well as its interior. Using the Czechoslovak pavilion at the International Exhibition of Art and Technology in Modern Life in Paris, 1937, as a case study, this article examines how Czech designers developed their own original ideas about exhibition design informed by other disciplines. It offers a reading of exhibition design in parallel with stage design and claims that the two shared many techniques, aimed at attracting audiences. It stresses, on the one hand, the affiliation between the two design areas and on the other, the original contribution of designers from Czechoslovakia to the development of exhibition design as a self-sufficient field in the interwar period.


Nowadays global competition has become more and more rigorous when entrepreneur operates a company in e-commerce industry. Companies, which don't acknowledge the effective ways to respond to global competition, fail to gain more market share and there is also a risk of losing their occupied market share. It is important for companies to respond to competition effectively. By using Porter's five forces model, we can analyze how companies respond to competition more comprehensive. The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate some of competition that companies face and analyze how companies respond to competition when operating in e-commerce industry. In this thesis, we use a case study to analyze two companies' competition strategies so as to develop an understanding of the e-commerce competitive environment and realize the importance of responding to various competitions in e-commerce market. In order to gather the important information, we interview respondents of two Chinese B2C companies. Two B2C companies are: JD Company and Amazon China. JD Company is a domestic company and Amazon China is a multinational company. This study demonstrates that the companies need to improve their competitiveness to respond to competition such as improving the quality of product, the logistic system, and the after-sale service. In addition, it is better for companies to make the strategies such as low-price strategy and differentiation strategy to respond to competition.


In this work necessary and sufficient conditions are derived for multirate systems to guarantee a ripple-free response to step reference signals. These conditions correspond to constraints on the coefficients of a finite impulse response pre-filter. The analysis is facilitated by the use of the lifting technique, the modified ℒ-transform, and up and down sampling operators. Several examples of feasible filters are provided to show the existence of multiple solutions to the considered problem.


Mature Vitis vinifera `Tokay9 grapevines were sprayed with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) or 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) butyric acid (2,4-DB) at concentrations from 0.01 to 10 ppm in the spring, or from 10 to 50 ppm in the summer. The spring-sprayed shoots were analyzed for residues 0, 3, 7, and 14 days after treatment. Whole shoots 14 days after application had residues of 2,4-D or 2,4-DB with all treatments of 1 ppm or more. Sprays of less than 0.1 ppm produced no leaf symptoms or detectable residues. By 1 day after the spring treatment, the 3- and 10-ppm spray applications of both 2,4-D and 2,4-DB had resulted in epinastic response. By 2 weeks, 2,4-D at 10 ppm had caused the death of shoot tips, whereas 2,4-D at 3 ppm and 2,4-DB at 3 and 10 ppm stopped growth but did not produce typical leaf symptoms. All summer treatments killed the shoot tips, but none caused 2,4-D-type leaf symptoms until the following spring, after the shoots were 2 to 3 feet long. Droplet tests in mid-April with 2,4-D resulted in cleared-vein symptoms in discrete areas of leaves 9 days after treatment, provided the leaves were less than one-fourth full size at treatment. Symptoms were evident on all such leaves treated with 0.0001 to 0.001 µg 2,4-D. There was no indication of translocation out of the leaf. Droplets of 2,4-D at 0.01 µg applied in May caused similar discrete leaf symptoms. Also, 2,4-D at 0.1 µg or more translocated to the shoot tips, where all new leaves had typical 2,4-D symptoms.


This paper studies the empirical links among factor endowments, trade, and personal income distribution. The motivation is that many developing countries have implemented radical trade reforms in recent years. These reforms have changed relative prices, induced a reallocation of resources, and may have led to the introduction of new production techniques. These changes are quite complex and their final effect on income distribution is theoretically unclear. The author`s aim is to present the stylized empirical facts on the relations between income distribution, factor endowments, and trade.


The inner gatherings of the music manuscript Modena, Biblioteca Estense, MS. α.M.5.24 (Mod A II-IV ) contain a tangle of politically-charged songs, mostly in French, referring to the tumultuous Great Schism of the Western Church (1378–1417) and the prowess of several princes of ascendant Italian states during the same period. Some scholars have connected the repertoire of Mod A II-IV with Petros Filargos, sometime Archbishop of Milan and then the short-lived conciliar pope Alexander V. Yet art-historical evidence now strongly suggests that Mod A II-IV was completed during the pontificate of Alexander's successor, John XXIII, between September 1410 and March 1411 in Bologna. During the first two years of John's pontificate the influential and wealthy prince of France, Louis II of Anjou, prosecuted his claim for title of the Kingdom of Naples in Italy, simultaneously supporting John XXIII's military campaign to reclaim Rome. This article explores a new hypothesis that part of the repertoire of Mod A II-IV —and possibly the manuscript's very structure—reflects the presence of the Angevin prince at the court of John XXIII in Bologna in the second half of 1410. It considers how other political threads running through this manuscript render it an unlikely candidate for a source connected with the pro-Visconti Alexander V.


We investigated the interface modes in a heterostructure consisting of a semi-infinite metallic layer and a semi-infinite Fibonacci quasiperiodic structure. Various properties of the interface modes, such as their spatial localizations, self-similarities, and multifractal properties, are studied. The interface modes decay exponentially in different ways, and the highest localized mode is found to be a mode in the lower stable gap with the largest gap width. A localization index is introduced to understand the localization properties of the interface modes. We found that the localization index of the interface modes in some of the stable gaps will converge to two slightly different constants related to the parity of the Fibonacci generation. In addition, the localization-delocalization transition is also found in the interface modes of the transient gaps.


Our purpose was to assess the structural and physicochemical determinants of the binding of tocainide and several of its homologs to the class I antiarrhythmic drug receptor associated with rat cardiac sodium channels. The homologs were chosen to assess the contributions of substituents of the aryl ring and the arylamine link on drug binding. Drug affinity was measured with a radioligand binding assay using [3H]Batrachotoxin A 20 alpha-Benzoate and freshly isolated cardiac myocytes. The affinities of the homologs were compared to determine the relationship between the affinity for the receptor and the physicochemical and structural properties of the parent drug. The contributions to the free energy of binding were determined with the Gibb's equation delta G = -RT In (1/Ki). Hydrophobic interactions are important at most sites. Meta substituents on the aryl ring and substituents on the link each interact hydrophobically with the receptor and contribute about 0.3 kcal/mol of carbon. The hydrophobic pocket near the link binding site accommodates at least six carbons. A para methoxy substituent reduces the free energy of tocainide binding by 43%. This profound reduction in the free energy of binding might be due to anomolously high aqueous solubility of alkyl aryl ethers. Longer alkoxy chains contribute 1.09 kcal/mol of carbon to the binding energy. Ortho substituents contribute little to binding specificity. These findings support a notion of a complex drug receptor with hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains that recognize specific moieties on class I antiarrhythmic drugs.


Ion-exchange of ZSM-5-type zeolites with copper ion was carried out by three different methods to obtain information on the states and roles of the effective sites for NO decomposition and N2 adsorption activity of copper-ion-exchanged ZSM-5-type zeolites (CuZSM-5). The first method of preparation is chemical vapour deposition (CVD) using bis(1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetonato)copper(II), [Cu(hfac)2], as a volatile complex, and the second one is to utilize CuCl as a vaporizing source. These were compared with the third method, that is, the ordinary ion exchange method using an aqueous solution of CuCl2. It is apparent that in the first method the Cu2+ species deposited on ZSM-5 as [Cu(hfac)2]
(i.e., via the hydrogen bonding between a Bronsted acid site and a pseudo-aromatic ring of ligands) is reduced to the monovalent species (Cu+) by evacuation at 573 K, and also that the reducibility of Cu2+ is superior to that in the sample prepared by the conventional ion-exchange in an aqueous solution. As for the sample prepared by using CuCl, Cu+ deposited as CuCl was exchanged with H+ on a Bronsted acid site in the HZSM-5 sample through treatment at temperatures above 573 K with a release of HCl. The CuZSM-5 sample prepared by the CVD method gave a single IR band at 2159 cm−1 due to the adsorbed CO species, while the sample prepared by evaporation of CuCl at 573 K and also the sample ion-exchanged in an aqueous solution gave a broad band at around 2155 cm−1
(composed of two bands at 2159 and 2151 cm−1) for the adsorbed CO species, indicating the existence of at least two dominant types of exchangeable sites in these CuZSM-5 samples. Each sample reveals different features for NO decomposition reactivity and N2 adsorption, and such behaviours are explained by the difference in ratio of the respective sites occupied by copper ions. As a result, it was clearly demonstrated that the simultaneous existence of two types of sites lying close together has important implications for the catalytic activity for NO decomposition by CuZSM-5, and that the site giving the 2151 cm−1 band is the effective site for N2 adsorption.


For decades, social scientists have observed that people greatly desire a partner who is similar to themselves. Less is known, however, about whether particular similarity domains (e.g., music preferences) may uniquely influence relationship formation. We address this gap by examining people's preferences for 18 similarity domains in three types of relationships: friendships, casual/short-term, and long-term. The most important similarity domains, across the three relationship types, were political views, career goals, food preferences, travel desires, and music preferences. General similarity was most important in long-term rather than in friendships and casual/short-term relationships, with the latter two relationship types not differing from one another. This pattern emerged for all similarity domains with four exceptions: preferences for books, video games, computer brands, and cell phone brands. No sex differences emerged in similarity domains except in preferences in video games and brands of cell phones and computers. Men rated these domains to be more important than did women. All three of these differences were of relatively small effect size. We tie this work into the larger body of research on similarity and preferences for partner traits.


Temozolomide, a methylating imidazotetrazinone, has antitumor activity against gliomas, malignant melanoma, and mycosis fungoides and is presently administered as a 5-day oral schedule every 4 weeks. This Phase I study aimed to determine the maximum tolerated dose of temozolomide administered as a single oral daily dose for a continuous 6- or 7-week period, evaluate the plasma pharmacokinetics on this schedule, and compare total plasma exposure over 7 weeks with the conventional 5-day regimen. Twenty-four patients with varying tumor types (17 of 24 gliomas) received temozolomide. All had clinically evaluable, refractory disease; normal renal, hepatic, and bone marrow function; and WHO performance status < or = 2. Temozolomide was administered at 50 mg/m2/day, increasing by 25 mg/m2/day/cohort until at 100 mg/m2/day grade 4 myelotoxicity forced dose reductions to 85 mg/m2/day, then 75 mg/m2/day. At 75 mg/m2/day the regimen was extended to 7 weeks, allowing the future potential combination with irradiation for primary gliomas. Patient responses (standard Union International Contre Cancer criteria; for gliomas objective response) and toxicity were assessed. Temozolomide plasma pharmacokinetics were determined on day 1 and at the beginning of the final week of administration (n = 5). The most frequent toxicities were myelosuppression and grades 1 and 2 nausea and vomiting. Grade 4 leucopenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in one of four patients receiving 100 mg/m2/day temozolomide and in one of seven patients receiving 85 mg/m2/day. These hematological toxicities did not exceed grade 2 in 10 patients receiving 75 mg/m2/day temozolomide. One of 4 malignant melanoma patients and 7 of 17 glioma patients (41%) demonstrated tumor responses. The overall response rate for this prolonged schedule was 33% (objective response, 7 of 24 patients; partial response, 1 of 24 patients); also, 6 of 17 glioma patients maintained SD. Peak plasma temozolomide concentrations were obtained 30-90 min after oral administration. Elimination in plasma was best described by a monoexponential equation with an elimination half-life of 96 +/- 16 min. No plasma accumulation of temozolomide occurred. Toxicity was greatest in higher dose cohorts, with a resultant maximum tolerated dose of 85 mg/m2/day, whereas lower dose cohorts tolerated the schedule well. The area under the temozolomide plasma versus time curve was noncumulative between the first and last week of the schedule. Temozolomide administration of 75 mg/m2/day over a 7-week period permits a 2.1-fold greater drug exposure/4 weeks in comparison with the 5-day schedule of 200 mg/m2/day repeated every 28 days. The overall response rate was 33% (glioma patients, 41% and a further 25% SD). Temozolomide (75 mg/m2/day) for 7 weeks is the recommended starting dose for further assessment of this schedule.


In order to obtain a precise mathematical model of underwater robots, model identification based on extended kalman filter is proposed in this paper. Parameter estimation is carried out with experiment data of zigzag motion in ocean experiments, and the hydrodynamic derivatives of underwater robots are identified by using extended kalman filter, and the nonlinear dynamic model of an underwater robot is established. The simulation system based on the model is established to verify the validity. The results show the model is credible, which is very useful for the research of maneuverability and adaptive control of underwater robots.


The role of myeloid cells in supporting cancer growth is well established. Most work has focused on myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) that accumulate in tumor-bearing animals, but tumor-associated neutrophils (TAN) are also known to be capable of augmenting tumor growth. However, little is known about their evolution, phenotype, and relationship to naïve neutrophils (NN) and to the granulocytic fraction of MDSC (G-MDSC). In the current study, a transcriptomics approach was used in mice to compare these cell types. Our data show that the three populations of neutrophils are significantly different in their mRNA profiles with NN and G-MDSC being more closely related to each other than to TAN. Structural genes and genes related to cell-cytotoxicity (i.e. respiratory burst) were significantly down-regulated in TAN. In contrast, many immune-related genes and pathways, including genes related to the antigen presenting complex (e.g. all six MHC-II complex genes), and cytokines (e.g. TNF-α, IL-1-α/β), were up-regulated in G-MDSC, and further up-regulated in TAN. Thirteen of the 25 chemokines tested were markedly up-regulated in TAN compared to NN, including striking up-regulation of chemoattractants for T/B-cells, neutrophils and macrophages. This study characterizes different populations of neutrophils related to cancer, pointing out the major differences between TAN and the other neutrophil populations.


however, there is a difference between sitting in a decompression chamber and in climbing mountains. In addition, the protective effect of chronic hypoxia against renal hypertension is described in the rat, and solar irradiation is invoked to explain the relative sterility of the air at great heights. The third session is more concerned with human studies such as those of Kellog on work performance during acclimatisation, Dejours' demonstration of a continuing hypoxic ventilatory drive and Pugh and West's demonstration that exercise at altitude produces a degree of hypoxia which would cause unconsciousness in unacclimatised men. In the final session there is an important paper by Severinghaus on the C.S.F. changes in acclimatisation. In conclusion this work does provide, in one volume a wide spectrum of facts concerning altitude and acclimatisation. There is little attempt to answer the important questions of adaption to chronic hypoxia at cellular level. There is little that is relevant to medical practice, except in the prevalence of chronic tissue hypoxia in respiratory and cardiac failure. The book is delayed so that the research worker will have found much of the material in print already. It is also expensive, and has numerous misprints. It will interest physiologists and compilers of text books, but could appeal to only a few clinicians.


The potential of sodium alginate (AL)/ chitosan (CS)/ carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) beads as an adsorbent for removing the divalent metal ions such as Cu (II) and Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution was assessed in the current work using a batch adsorption technique. FT-IR and XRD measurements were used to investigate the formation of the ternary beads. The percentage removal of metal ions was investigated in batch mode as a function of metal ion solution pH, initial metal ion concentration, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. The observed outcome shows that the best pH for removing both metal ions was reported to be 5.0. The incorporation of experimental data in theoretical modelling exhibits that the adsorption would be multilayer through pseudo-second order ( R 2 > 0.9) kinetics. The removal efficiency of ternary beads reveals that copper ions (C max = 203.69 mg/g) were removed better than nickel ions (C max = 194.05 mg/g).


The present study was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial activity of aqueous extract and essential oil obtained from Eucalyptus globulus leaves. The aqueous extract was obtained by decoction in volume of distilled and essential oil by hydrodistillation method. The antibacterial effect was studied in vitro in five strains: Klebseilla pneumoniae ATCC10031 and four multi-resistant strains of Klebseilla pneumoniae isolated from hospitalized patients. Minimum inhibitory concentration (CMI) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was determined by agar dilution method. The essential oil has demonstrated a good antibacterial activity against all strains tested with best inhibition zone equal to 18,5±2,12mm for 5E¥l and 32,50±0,70mm for 10E¥l. Studied aqueous extract showed a considerable antibacterial effect less than essential oil of the some plant, when the best inhibition zone was 10,0±1,41mm for 5E¥l and 13,5±0,70mm for10E¥l. The MIC and MBC of essential oil was ranging respectively from 100 to 400E¥g/ml and 200E¥g/ml to 500E¥g/ml, and for aqueous extract from 300 to 400E¥g/ml and 400 to 500E¥g/ml. The results obtained indicated that Eucalyptus globulus essential oil could be used as a potential source of naturel antibiotic for raising problems of infectious diseases caused by multi-resistant Klebseilla pneumoniae after testing the toxic effects on human.


REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY
Stem cells derived from umbilical cord tissue (UCT) and umbilical cord blood (UCB) in human subjects and horses can be obtained in a minimally invasive fashion with successful propagation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Currently there are no detailed protocols documenting a procedure to harvest UCB and UCT safely for equine stem cell propagation.

HYPOTHESIS
UCB and UCT could be collected without harm to mare or foal.

OBJECTIVES
To develop a standard and safe method for UCB and UCT collection, and prospectively to compare foal and mare health between groups of animals where tissue was and was not collected.

METHODS
This study was conducted at a Thoroughbred breeding facility in central California in 2008. UCB and UCT were collected from 40 mare and foal pairs. Clinical parameters including time for foal to stand and nurse, time for mare to pass the placenta, and foal haematology data at age 24 h were documented and compared to a control group, consisting of the succeeding 40 mare and foal pairs.

RESULTS
UCB was obtained successfully from 36 of 40 (90%) mares and UCT from 38 of 40 (95%) mares. Bacterial contamination was documented in 6 out of 36 (16.6%) UCB samples. There were no significant differences in time to stand or nurse for foals or time to pass the placenta for mares, between the experimental and control groups. There were no clinically relevant differences identified in haematological data obtained from foals with and without UCB collection.

CONCLUSIONS
UCB and UCT can be harvested safely without harm to mares or foals.

POTENTIAL RELEVANCE
UCB and UCT samples collected in an inherently contaminated environment can be successfully disinfected and transported with minimal bacterial overgrowth for use in cell culture to isolate MSCs.


The Boyongan and Bayugo porphyry Cu-Au mineral deposits, discovered under postmineralization cover during the previous decade, are part of an emerging belt of intrusion-centered Au-rich Cu mineral deposits and prospects in the Surigao district of northeast Mindanao, Philippines. Since their formation in the early Pleistocene, exhumation and weathering of these deposits have led to the development of a 600-m-thick oxidation profile at Boyongan and a modest (30–70 m) oxidation profile at Bayugo. Debris flows, volcanic material, and fluviolacustrine sediments accumulating in the actively extending Mainit graben subsequently covered the weathered deposits, preserving their supergene profiles. The mineral deposits formed in association with a composite diorite complex containing at least 12 discrete intrusive stages. Three premineralization diorite porphyry stocks and a silt-sand matrix breccia complex represent early stages of magmatism and brecciation. Significant Cu and Au introduction followed these events and occurred in association with small early-mineralization diorite porphyry stocks at Boyongan and Bayugo. Within the diorite complex, the two mineral deposits are spatially distinct, separated by approximately 1 km of premineralization diorites. Inter- and late-mineralization intrusions were emplaced as the magmatic-hydrothermal system waned. A characteristic progression of vein and K silicate alteration styles affected each of the synmineralization intrusions. Rare comb quartz unidirectional solidification textures (stage 0) mark the transition from magmatic to hydrothermal conditions. Quartz-poor wispy magnetite-biotite-K-feldspar veinlets characterize stage 1. Stage 2 veins consist of quartz with selvage and/or disseminated magnetite or biotite and K-feldspar halos. Stage 3 quartz veins have K-feldspar halos but generally lack magnetite and biotite. Stage 4 veins consist of massive bornite-chalcopyrite and chalcopyrite-pyrite with K-feldspar halos. Stage 3 quartz veins and stage 4 sulfide veins host Cu-Au mineralization of the greatest volumetric significance, reflecting the general paucity of sulfide in the earlier vein stages. Despite the simplicity of this sequence, detailed paragenetic reconstructions reveal that this characteristic progression of veining and K silicate alteration was repeated with the emplacement of each synmineralization intrusive event, revealing multiple magmatic-hydrothermal cycles of alteration and mineralization. At Boyongan and Bayugo, intense and pervasive illite alteration, in association with pyrite, chalcopyrite, and tetrahedrite-tennantite, developed in narrow structures crosscutting quartz-K-feldspar veins. Debris flows in the burial sequence above and adjacent to the Boyongan/Bayugo complex also contain abundant clasts with intense, pervasive illite and alunite-pyrophyllite-dickite-kaolinite alteration assemblages that have overprinted K silicate-style quartz veins. In both mineral deposits, Cu and Au are associated with intense quartz-vein stockworks composed primarily of K silicate stage 3 veins. Despite this association, not all of these quartz-vein stockworks contain Cu and Au to the same tenor. Quartz-vein stockworks in the eastern high grade of Boyongan have been intersected over a vertical interval of 800 m, having affected much of the early-mineralization stock. However, hypogene Cu grades exceed 0.5% by weight only in the upper 300 m of the stockwork (in the cupola of the early-mineralization stock). Superior grade development in high-grade zones at Boyongan, locally exceeding 2% Cu and 3 g/t Au, developed where fertile vein stages from two or more magmatic-hydrothermal cycles affected the same wall rock. The documented paragenetic relationships demonstrate multiple discrete cycles of K silicate-stage veining and alteration associated with each synmineralization intrusive event. All such events predate formation of feldspar-destructive illite-smectite-chlorite, illite-pyrite, and quartz-alunite-clay assemblages. Existing geochronological constraints on the timing of magmatism and hydrothermal activity demonstrate that these repeated cycles supporting superior grade development transpired extremely rapidly, in a period of less than 200,000 years (2.3–2.1 Ma). Geologic and geochronological constraints on the life cycle of Boyongan and Bayugo describe an extremely dynamic history of emplacement, exhumation, weathering, and burial over a period of 2.3 m.y. The study illustrates the spectrum of metallogenic processes operative over a geologically brief period and highlights some of the key elements responsible for formation of superior grades and for deposit preservation in an extensional setting.


This study aimed to evaluate and compare the development of hospitalized children before and after art therapy interventions. Qualitative case studies were undertaken in this descriptive-exploratory research, based on the developmental evaluation of the children. The study participants were five children between seven and ten years old, in the Hospital of Tropical Illnesses (HDT) in the city of Goiânia, state of Goias, Brazil, in 2006. Results showed that art therapy interventions efficiently promoted children's development. Art therapy is a resource for positively channeling the variables of hospitalized children's development and for neutralizing affective factors that naturally appear, as well as for exposing the child's healthier potentials, which sometimes receive little stimulus in the context of hospitalization.


We investigated the stomach contents of finless porpoises collected in the Yellow Sea. Prey organisms in the stomachs of 109 finless porpoises were identified as 11 species of fish, 8 species of shrimp and 4 species of cephalopod. Index of Relative Importance analysis revealed that the porpoises fed mainly on the Japanese sand shrimp (Crangon affinis). The energy density of the prey was estimated to be 5.46 kJ. The daily energy requirement was estimated to be 18,051 kJ/day for a porpoise with an average weight of 32.49 kg. The estimated annual consumption by finless porpoises in the Yellow Sea was 25,454 tons. The average commercial catch in the Yellow Sea by Korean fisheries was 135,913 tons from 2005 to 2009. Assuming that the abundance of finless porpoises is stable, porpoises ate approximately 18.7% of the commercial catch. The fishery catch may be influenced by the consumption by finless porpoises, while fishery bycatch is a cause of porpoise mortality in the Yellow Sea.


Stone moroko ( Pseudorasbora parva ) is considered to be one of the most invasive fishes, dispersing rapidly all over Europe and also in the freshwaters of the Baltic Sea basin. A recent survey carried out in the catchment of the lower part of the Odra River (Poland) in 2015 and 2016 revealed a large new population of stone moroko, which had colonized the creek Wardynka. The sample of 518 fish caught was dominated by age groups 1+ (341 specimens) and 2+ (99 specimens); however, older fish were also present, which means that at the moment of analysis the species had been in the Wardynka for at least 5 years. The diet was composed of copepods, amphipods, ostracods, and cladocerans, with Daphnia sp. being most frequent, which also showed the highest index of relative importance and percentage by weight in the food. The parasitic fauna composition of stone moroko in the new location involves local parasites only. Trichodinella subtilis, Diplozoon paradoxum, Apatemon gracilis , and Caryophyllaeus laticeps were found for the first time ever. The lack of parasitic species that normally occur in fish of this species was probably caused by the lack of intermediate hosts, which are necessary to complete their life cycles.


Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (MRS) is a rare, non-caseating chronic granulamatous neurocutaneous disease. MRS is frequently seen at the second or third decades of life. Classic triad was comprised of the recurrent facial nerve paralysis, orofacial edema and fissured dorsal tongue (lingua plicata). It is seen in 8-25% of the cases. The most important differential diagnosis of MRS is angioedema. Here we present two cases with MRS from our clinic. The first one is an example for the classic triad and the histopathological appearance is consistent with granulomatous cheilitis. The second case has an nonspesific histopathologic examination and was diagnosed clinically. J Med Cases. 2014;5(11):579-582 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc1543w