Thesis (M.E.)--American University of Beirut, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2007.;"Advisor: Dr. Ayman Kayssi, Professor , Electrical and Computer Engineering--Member of Committee: Dr. Ali Chehab, Assistant Professor , Electrical and Comput


Introduction: Currently, transplant rejection is monitored by invasive allograft biopsies; hence, a less intrusive method to diagnose rejection is highly desirable. The aim of this study is to test if transplant rejection can be detected by monitoring for donor reactive T-cell clones (DRTCs) in post-transplant biopsies, and non-invasively in blood and urine pellets in renal transplant patients. Methods: We are conducting a single-center non-randomized study in 80 renal transplant subjects and this is an interim report in the first 30 subjects who have completed the 12 months study period. Pre-transplant (pre-tx) donor-specific MLRs were performed using recipient CFSE-labeled responder PBMC, the CFSE-diluted CD4 and CD8 recipient responder cells were flow-sorted, and the DRTCs were identified using the immunoSEQ® Assay (Adaptive Biotechnologies, Seattle, WA). During the post-transplant (post-tx) period, the presence of the pre-identified DRTCs were monitored again using the immunoSEQ Assay in renal protocol biopsies obtained at months 3 &12 as well as at for-cause, in peripheral blood and urine samples collected at months 3, 6, 12 and at any for-cause event. There were 12 patients in the for-cause group 5 of which had definitive rejection by Banff scoring and 18 in the stable group. Results and Discussion: Sufficient amount of DNA for the immunoSEQ analysis was obtained from all samples. DRTCs were identified by their enrichment in the sorted CD4 and CD8 fractions of the donor-specific MLR relative to the pre-tx PBMC samples (Figure 1). The pre-tx whole PBMC had both high frequency and rare clones. However, both the high frequency and rare DRTCs were identifiable in post-tx samples. At post-tx, many subjects both for-cause and stable groups had no DRTCs present. If we restrict the analysis to the presence of DRTCs, using a linear mixed model there was a significant association with rejection status (p=0.002) and a significant increase over time (p=0.0003) in renal biopsies (Figure 2). In the peripheral blood, the rejecters vs. the stable group had higher DRTC belonging to the CD8 fraction at 3-month (P=0.02). Similarly, the 6-month urine sample also had a high fraction of T cells identified as CD8 DRTCs in the rejecting group. Some of the confounding metrics, the significance of which is as yet unknown, included (i) low repertoire clonality and high T-cell fraction in the pre-transplant kidney biopsy was associated with rejection, and (ii) subjects treated with MMF/TAC therapy as opposed to triple immunotherapy had higher peripheral blood T-cell fraction early in the post-tx period (3-months) even though they had the least proportion of rejecting patients. Conclusion: These preliminary results indicated that our approach at monitoring DRTC shows promise in the ability to diagnosis rejection. Completion of the study also in the remaining 50 subjects may provide a more definitive conclusion. Department of Defense Grant Funding: W81XWH-17-1-0679.


Marine ecosystems are being continually impacted by human activities and, among these, fisheries have been one of the most damaging. Fisheries modify the structure and functioning of food-webs through biomass removal and physical damage to the seabed, leading to loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by the oceans. The ecosystem-based approach to fisheries is considered the most efficient way to achieve the goal of sustainable use of marine resources while allowing for biodiversity protection. The Strait of Sicily is a biologically important area of the central Mediterranean Sea characterized by high habitat complexity and rich biodiversity, however, due to the multispecific nature of local fisheries and weak implementation of the adopted management plans, this region is particularly vulnerable. We used fishery independent time series (1994–2016) to identify the main demersal assemblages and map their spatial distribution. The pressure of fishing effort on each of these defined assemblages was then quantified in order to evaluate the impact of bottom trawling on demersal communities. Our results showed four spatially distinct and temporally stable assemblages of the Strait of Sicily. These have a clear spatial distribution, different species composition and biodiversity values and are driven primarily by environmental gradients (i.e., mainly depth and, to a lesser extent, surface salinity). The demersal assemblages were subsequently grouped in homogeneous areas characterized by specific communities of commercial and non-commercial species and response to trawling impacts. These areas are proposed as Spatial Managements Units to evaluate and manage demersal mixed fisheries, while also considering biodiversity conservation in the central Mediterranean Sea.


Organic phosphorus (Po) exists in many chemical forms that differ in their susceptibility to hydrolysis and, therefore, bioavailability to plants and microorganisms. Identification and quantification of these forms may significantly contribute to effective agricultural P management. Phosphatases catalyze reactions that release orthophosphate (Pi) from Po compounds. Alkaline phosphatase in tris-HCl buffer (pH 9.0), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) phytase in potassium acetate buffer (pH 5.0), and nuclease P1 in potassium acetate buffer (pH 5.0) can be used to classify and quantify Po in animal manure. Background error associated with different pH and buffer systems is observed. In this study, we improved the enzymatic hydrolysis approach and tested its applicability for investigating Po in soils, recognizing that soil and manure differ in numerous physicochemical properties. We applied (i) acid phosphatase from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), (ii) acid phosphatases from both potato and wheat germ, and (iii) both enzymes plus nuclease P1 to identify and quantify simple labile monoester P, phytate (myo-inositol hexakis phosphate)-like P, and DNA-like P, respectively, in a single pH/buffer system (100 mM sodium acetate, pH 5.0). This hydrolysis procedure released Po in sequentially extracted H2O, NaHCO3, and NaOH fractions of swine (Sus scrofa) manure, and of three sandy loam soils. Further refinement of the approach may provide a universal tool for evaluating hydrolyzable Po from a wide range of sources.


The expression of gangliosides is developmentally regulated in the central nervous system. The expression of GM1 in the neural progenitor cells of the telencephalonic ventricular zone (VZ) has been reported in several studies. However, information on the spatial and temporal regulation of GM1 expression in the VZ is still lacking. In this study, we characterized the expression of GM1 in the developing mouse telencephalon. At E13, GM1 is expressed in neuronal cells as well as in the VZ. The initial expression of GM1 in the VZ is restricted to regions close to the medial pallium. Fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis and characterization of E14 GM1‐positive cells showed that they contain progenitor cells that proliferate in response to epidermal growth factor (EGF) and/or basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) stimulation. The results obtained from quantitative gene expression analysis of region‐specific genes (Emx1, Lhx2, Ngn1, Ngn2, Pax6, Dlx2, Gsh2, Mash1, and Nkx2.1), using real‐time polymerase chain reaction indicate that FACS of GM1‐expressing cells in the fetal forebrain enriches for the medial pallial neural progenitor cells. J. Comp. Neurol. 491:330–338, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Independent applications co-scheduled on the same hardware will interfere with one another. Predicting this interference is a key step in scheduling independent applications in large distributed systems. In this paper we study several state-of-the-art regression models for estimating application interference. We find that linear models produce low-accuracy prediction, while interaction (i.e., non-linear) models require so many input features that their usage becomes impractical. We therefore propose ESP, a hybrid regression model that uses linear techniques to select a smaller set of input features, and then uses non-linear techniques to estimate application interference from these features. The result is a highly accurate and practical regression model for application interference estimation. To demonstrate this practicality, we implement ESP and integrate it into a scheduler for both single and multi-node Linux/x86 systems and compare the scheduling performance to state-of-theart heuristics for scheduling to avoid interference. We find that ESP-based schedulers are 1.25-1.8× faster than these heuristics depending on the scheduling scenario. Additionally, we find that ESP's accurate interference predictions allow schedulers to avoid catastrophic decisions which heuristic approaches fundamentally cannot detect.


A novel modelling approach to predict the influence of road texture on the rolling resistance of car tyres is presented where the large static tyre deformations and the small texture induced tyre vibrations are treated separately. The energy dissipation due to the large continuous cyclic deformation of the tyre cross section for a treadless tyre subject to nominal load on a smooth road is determined in a non-linear steady-state rolling analysis on an FEM tyre model. The additional energy dissipation resulting from the con tact forces and tyre vibrations due to the combined effect of the tread profile and the road texture, are determined based on a modal representation of the deformed tyre. The predicted rolling resistance coefficients are compared to experimental data. Although an offset in the absolute rolling resistance levels can be observed, the model predicts the correct trend regarding the increase of rolling resistance with increasing texture depth.


This case study explored the development of a rural cradle-to-career network with a dual focus on the initial mobilization of network members and subsequent adaptations made to maintain mobilization, while meeting local needs. Data sources included interviews with network members, observations of meetings, and documentary evidence. Network-based social capital facilitated mobilization. Where networks were absent and where distrust and different values were evident, mobilization faltered. Three network adaptations were discovered: Special rural community organizing strategies, district-level action planning, and a theory of action focused on out-of-school factors. All three were attributable to the composition of mobilized stakeholders and this network's rural social geography. These findings illuminate the importance of social geography in the development and advancement of rural cradle-to-career networks.


The effective schools literature has shown that school-contextual aspects matter for students' academic and social outcomes. A potential link here may be the quality of the relationships between teachers and students, but few studies have investigated whether features of school effectiveness are in fact associated with students' perceptions of teacher caring, which is the main purpose of this study. Based on recently collected data from 150 senior-level school units in Stockholm, school effectiveness in terms of teacher-assessed 'school leadership', 'teacher cooperation and consensus', and 'school ethos' (n = 2073) was analyzed in relation to perceived teacher caring as reported by students (n = 8022). Two-level linear regression analyses showed that all three aspects of school effectiveness were predictive of higher levels of perceived teacher caring among students. The findings suggest that these features of school effectiveness constitute an important foundation for promoting the quality of teachers' relationships with their students.


The microbial consortia from produced water at two different oil fields in Alaska (Kuparuk) and the North Sea (Ninian) were investigated for sulfate-reducing and methanogenic activity over a range of temperatures and for a variety of substrates. The consortia were sampled on site, and samples were either incubated on site at 60(deg)C with various substrates or frozen for later incubation and analyses. Temperature influenced the rates of sulfate reduction, hydrogen sulfide production, and substrate oxidation, as well as the cell morphology. The highest rates of sulfate reduction and substrate oxidation were found between 50 and 60(deg)C. Formate and n-butyrate were the most favorable electron donors at any tested temperature. Acetate was utilized at 35(deg)C but not at 50 or 70(deg)C and was produced at 60(deg)C. This indicates that the high levels of acetate found in produced water from souring oil formations are due mainly to an incomplete oxidation of volatile fatty acids to acetate. The cell size distribution of the microbial consortium indicated a nonuniform microbial composition in the original sample from the Kuparuk field. At different temperatures, different microbial morphologies and physiologies were observed. Methane-producing activity at thermophilic temperatures (60(deg)C) was found only for the Kuparuk consortium when hydrogen and carbon dioxide were present. No methane production from acetate was observed. Suppression of methanogenic activity in the presence of sulfate indicated a competition with sulfate-reducing bacteria for hydrogen.


Ameloblastoma is an odontogenic tumor that affects the bones of the jaw, often affecting posterior region of the mandible . It is a benign neoplasm and is frequently associated to an unerupted tooth. The purpose of this article is to report a case of failure in making an immediate full denture in a patient that had an ameloblastoma. A female patient aged 67 years complained of a hard swelling in the right mandible at the premolar region, that she noted after teeth extraction and confection of an immediate denture. Intraoral examination showed buccal and lingual cortical plate expansion and radiograph examination showed multilocular radiolucency with a well-defined margin. Fine needle aspiration was nonproductive and the provisional diagnosis was ameloblastoma. An incisional biopsy was performed and the histopathological report was conclusive of an acanthomatous ameloblastoma. The patient was sent for surgical excision of the lesion and after three years, the patient returned reporting that she was operated elsewhere in the past year and had an unsuccessful bone graft. She was sent to a prosthodontist to make a complete denture. In the present case the ameloblastoma was diagnosed only after the teeth extraction and immediate denture. Keywords Ameloblastoma; Diagnosis; Mandibular neoplasms; Odontogenic tumors.


Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers were employed to reveal genetic diversity and relatedness among 27 chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars in Ethiopia. Four di-nucleotide repeat primers amplified 24 clear and reproducible bands of which 22 were polymorphic (91.67%). The genetic variation among 27 chickpea cultivars including 12 kabuli and 15 desi verities is high; in which desi type exhibited a genetic diversity of 75% with Shannon index of 0.47, while the kabuli type chickpea had 91.67% genetic diversity and Shannon index of 0.50. Unweighted Pair Group of Arithmetic mean (UPGMA) dendrogram and NJ trees with Jaccard's similarity coefficient showed three major clusters. This was also recovered by 3D principal coordinates analysis, although some cultivars were intermixed. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) demonstrated highly significant (p < 0.001) genetic diversity within cultivars (97.71%) than among cultivars (2.29%). The distinct cultivars (Aererti, Tejie, Fetenech and Maryie) can serve as parents for future genetic resources conservation and Chickpea breeding program in Ethiopia.

 Key word: Chickpea cultivars, genetic diversity, ISSR markers, Ethiopia.


We study the stability of various kinds of graphene samples under soft x-ray irradiation. Our results show that in single-layer exfoliated graphene (a closer analog to two-dimensional material), the in-plane carbon-carbon bonds are unstable under x-ray irradiation, resulting in nanocrystalline structures. As the interaction along the third dimension increases by increasing the number of graphene layers or through the interaction with the substrate (epitaxial graphene), the effect of x-ray irradiation decreases and eventually becomes negligible for graphite and epitaxial graphene. Our results demonstrate the importance of the interaction along the third dimension in stabilizing the long range in-plane carbon-carbon bonding, and suggest the possibility of using x-ray to pattern graphene nanostructures in exfoliated graphene.


This study aimed to develop a scale to ethically evaluate the privacy of the body in gynecology and obstetrics. It was carried out in a university research and application hospital and in a private hospital in Turkey. A stratified sample was adopted with a total of 2,159 participants, including physicians, nurses, and midwives, OB/GYN patients, surgical patients, internal medicine patients, and healthy individuals. The Lawshe method was used. The results showed that physical space is important in protecting privacy; the participants perceived privacy as a right; women, married people, primary school graduates, older people and those closest to rural culture are more sensitive to privacy than others; Among healthcare providers, physicians are more privacy conscious than nurses and midwives; no participant had in-depth knowledge of patient rights and relevant legislation.
The body privacy scale in gynecology and obstetrics proved to be a valid and reliable scale. With it, the privacy of the body in obstetrics and gynecology can be evaluated in future research, as well as the perceptions of body privacy of those who receive and provide medical care. By applying this scale, the privacy of gynecological and obstetric patients can be protected and the results reflected in clinical practice. This scale can also be used in education and in improving ethical sensitivity in physicians.


Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have been research hotspots because of their significant advantages in high-energy density and low cost. However, the notorious shuttle effect results in poor electrochemical performance, which is a serious obstacle for their practical application. The delicate design of sulfur hosts is a very important strategy to suppress the shuttle effect. Herein, MXene nanoflakes confined within multichannel carbon nanofibers (MXene@MCNF) have been successfully synthesized as robust electrocatalysts for Li–S batteries based on a simple electrospun method followed by a carbonization process. This unique structure effectively prevents the restacking of MXene nanoflakes, which is conducive to improve the electrocatalytic activity of MXene for propelling the redox reaction of polysulfides owing to the abundant exposure of surface active sites. Moreover, the multichannel hollow structure can inhibit the outward dissolution of polysulfides via the physical confinement caused by their abundant pore structures and alleviate the huge volume change of sulfur cathode. Benefiting from these aforementioned advantages, MXene@MCNF-sulfur (MXene@MCNF-S) cathode delivers a high capacity of 1177 mA h/g at 0.2 C and excellent cycling stability after 200 cycles at 2.0 C.


Abstract Pica, or "depraved appetite", is defined as ingestion of non-nutritive substances. Many factors influencing pica in animals have been identified , but the etiology is controversial. This study was conducted to evaluate haematological and biochemical parameters, trace element concentrations, the total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidative status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) in beef cattle with and without pica. Ten beef cattle with pica (group I) and another ten healthy beef cattle (Group II) were used in the study. Serum TAS and TOS were measured by a colorimetric method. In group I, haemoglobin value and serum iron, copper and selenium concentrations were significantly lower than those of group II (p < .05). Cortisol level and the other biochemical parameters were not statistically different between the groups (p > .05). Compared to the healthy controls mean TAS values were significantly decreased in the group I (p < .05), whereas the TOS and OSI values did not differ statistically between the two groups (p > .05). Parasitological analysis revealed that Trichostrongylidae spp eggs were more common in group I. In conclusion, serum iron, copper and selenium deficiency with decreased antioxidant capacity may cause the symptoms of pica in beef cattle. Prophylactic use of trace mineral supplement containing iron, copper, selenium and antioxidants in beef cattle may be beneficial in preventing deviated appetite and in strengthening the antioxidant defence system.


The main dynamic loads on a tidal turbine are due to the tidal current variation, turbulence, wave-current interaction and wake from the tower and upstream turbines. The design of the turbine is highly dependent on the dynamic loads acting on the turbine's blades and its structure. Cyclic loading and unloading of any material over a period of time will lead to fatigue and structural damage. In this work dimensioning loads for NTNU's 1 MW reference tidal turbine are calculated due to the vertical no-slip current velocity profile, wave-current interaction, the horizontal and vertical velocity component due to the waves, turbulence and the tidal wave. Based on mathematical models the dimensioning loads for the turbine are calculated with a Matlab code written for this work. The influence of each of the components causing a dynamic load on the tidal turbine blades is evaluated and analyzed with the rainflow counting algorithm, which can be used for fatigue analysis. Results from Matlab calculations are compared to experimental results in order to validate the Matlab code. In the comparison the trends are the same for calculation and experimental results, oscillating curves with the same period. It is noticed that in large waves the Matlab code predicts very well the dynamic loads in terms of mean and peak-to-peak values. For the thrust force and the shaft torque the horizontal component of the velocity due to the waves has the largest influence on the peak-to-peak values and the turbulence induces a high number of cycles. For the pitch moment as well the horizontal component due to the waves has the largest influence on the peak-to-peak values, but also the vertical component has a certain influence. For the pitch moment the consistently main oscillations inducing cyclic loading are due to the vertical no-slip current velocity profile. This is also the case for the yaw moment, but here the vertical wave component has the largest influence on the peak-to-peak values. For calculation with the tidal wave it is noticed that higher velocities gives higher maximum values. The Matlab code is a reliable and fast tool. Despite the simplifications done in the calculations, it calculates the dimensioning loads for a tidal turbine with a good accuracy.


This article highlights and problemizes some challenges and dilemmas in international cooperation. The focus is on individual and collative processes of communication, interpreting, understanding and sensemaking - processes emerging as challenging when participants have different kind of frames and contexts of knowledge. These kinds of challenges are ever present, but become however more apparent when people from quite different cultural, social, economical and political conditions meet in international cooperation. In this article, experiences and challenges made within NQTNE are analysed and discussed in this perspective. One conclusion is that even if there are communicative and conceptual obstacles having to be overcome when cooperate internationally, cooperation and comparative perspectives is a powerful tool to become aware of assumptions that are taken for granted; to challenge one's own perspectives; raise new kind of questions and construct new perspectives and new ways to conceptualise, think, and act.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the changes in the perception towards orthodontics between the first and second decades over the 20-year period based on a collaborative hypertext dictionary site.

METHODS
The orthodontics-related entries were searched on the EksiSozluk website (http://www.eksisozluk.com). The keyword was determined as "diş teli" ("brace") and a total of 1,028 entries that were contributed between 2001 and 2021 were analyzed. Entries were divided into five general categories based on their content: definition, asking for advice, humor, advertising, and transfer of experience. The transfer of experience category was further divided into four subcategories: procedure, motivation, advice, and complaint. For each entry, the attitude of the contributor was also noted. Entries were compared between the two decades with regard to content and attitude towards orthodontics.

RESULTS
The average number of entries contributed per year was 13.40 ± 10.58 in the first decade and was 89.40 ± 44.67 in the second decade, the increase was statistically significant (P < .05). A significant difference was observed between the two decades in terms of content (P < .05). There was a proportional decrease in the definition and an increase in the transfer of experience. Moreover, the rate of entries containing a complaint decreased and motivation increased in the second decade (P < .05). On the other hand, there was also a significant change between the two decades with regard to the distribution of attitudes, whereby the rate of positive entries increased in the second decade (P < .05).

CONCLUSION
The contributors' attitudes towards orthodontics shifted from negative in the first decade to positive in the second decade.


SUMMARY Physical data, such as radioactivity measurements on a Geiger counter or well-log values, can be mapped to audible sounds using various transformations. This process, sometimes called sonification or audification, can provide a sequence of sounds that have an interpretable or even musical quality. We use well logs from the Blackfoot oilfield of southern Alberta and the White Rose oilfield of offshore Newfoundland, in an audification process, to create somewhat musical pieces. The audible realization of well logs may provide an alternative realm for petrophysical interpretation which could enable more immediate recognition of various lithologic conditions. This procedure may also prove useful for disabled log analysts as well as in general education and entertainment.


DOCUMENT RESUME CE 080 829 Mundry, Susan; Britton, Edward; Raizen, Senta; Loucks-Horsley, Susan Designing Successful Professional Meetings and Conferences in Education: Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation. National Inst. for Science Education, Madison, WI. National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA. ISBN-0-7619-7633-7 2000-07-00 103p. RED-9452971 Corwin Press, 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218, Tel: 805-499-9734, Fax: 800-41-SCHOOL, E-mail: email@example.com, Web site: http://www.corwinpress.com (ISBN: 0-7619-7632-9 (library edition) $49.95; ISBN: 0-7619-7633-7 (paper) $21.95). Books (010) -Guides Non-Classroom (055) MF01/PC05 Plus Postage. Adult Education; *Adult Learning; Agenda Setting; Audience Analysis; Audience Awareness; Communication Skills; Conference Proceedings; *Conferences; Data Collection; Delivery Systems; Evaluation Utilization; Guidelines; Information Dissemination; Information Utilization; *Meetings; Postsecondary Education; *Professional Development; Program Development; Program Evaluation; Program Implementation; Questionnaires; Systems Approach; *Teacher Education; Teacher Improvement This book outlines the principles of planning, implementing, and evaluating successful professional meetings and conferences in education. The following are among the topics discussed: (1) the knowledge base of effective meetings and conferences (nine principles held by effective meeting designers; characteristics of effective meetings and conferences; principles of effective adult learning); (2) early planning (identification of target audiences, conference budgets, identification of cosponsors or partners; selection of locations and dates; delegation of responsibility for conference design and planning); (3) design issues (selecting activities and approaches; identifying the view of participants assumed in the design; using the authentic task approach; choosing and supporting speakers; communicating with leaders, facilitators, and presenters; marketing conferences; preparing preconference participant mailings; managing conferences); (4) evaluating a conference or meeting (focusing the evaluation; identifying the evaluation's audience; choosing data collection methods; evaluating the meeting design and process; selecting evaluation methods; using evaluation information to make improvements; and conducting regular evaluations of small meetings and working sessions; and (5) producing conference proceedings (purposes of proceedings and ways to capture the meeting and add analysis to reporting). The following items are appended: examples of topics addressed by professional meeting planners; sample agendas; and sample evaluations. The bibliography lists 23 references. (MN) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.


Increased demand for improved water management with greatly improved price/performance characteristics is a driving need for water quality monitoring systems. Typical analysis methods are very costly and time consuming, therefore simple, rapid, accurate, cost-effective field-deployable sensors incorporating wireless communication capabilities need to be developed. The main requirements of these sensors such as reproducibility, low cost as well as selectivity and sensitivity must be met for scale-up and mass fabrication allowing for real-time monitoring as well as widespread field deployment.
The first use of a wireless paired emitter detector diode (PEDD) as an optical sensor for water quality monitoring in a lab-on-a-disc device will be presented (Figure 1a). The microfluidic platform is based on a pH dye/ionogel sensing area (Figure 1b), combined with a low-cost, wireless optical sensor, PEDD, for monitoring the pH and the degree of turbidity of water samples in real time. So far, environmental water quality analysis has been provided by standard lab-on-a-chip systems, but not by centrifugal disc (CDs) platforms, which offer many advantages.
Sensors development is highly related to the generation and control of liquid flow within the micro-channels. Adaptive multifunctional materials are materials whose characteristics can be altered using an external stimulus without physical contact and therefore, can be used for fluid control. Photoswitchable materials posses the obvious advantage that arises from the use of non-contact, non invasive stimuli, such as light. The fabrication, characterisation and performance of novel ionic liquid polymer gels (ionogels) as photo-actuated microvalves incorporated into micro-fluidic manifolds will be presented (Figure 2). The valves are actuated by simply applying localised white light irradiation, meaning that no physical contact between the actuation impulse (light) and the valve structure is required.


Abstract The influence of environmental factors on the infection susceptibility of four different marine diatom host species to chytrid infection was tested under laboratory conditions, using host and parasite isolates obtained from diverse coastal areas in north-west Iceland in 2015. Specifically, a total of 120 monoclonal marine diatom host cultures of Navicula, Nitzschia, Rhizosolenia and Chaetoceros were exposed to their chytrid parasites Chytridium type I and Rhizophydium type I and II in Hellendahl glass staining jars which were subdivided in two compartments by nylon filters (mesh size 5 μm). Infection densities were assessed at different temperatures (5, 15, 20°C), salinities (0, 5, 10, 20, 40), photon fluence rates (PFR; 10, 50, 100, 200 μmol photons m−2 s−1) and photoperiods (24 h dark, 8:16 h, 16:8 h light:dark and 24 h light) after 168 h exposure, using the one-factor-at-a-time method. In addition, growth rates and proline concentrations of the non-infected monoclonal host cultures were determined. In most cases, decreasing growth rates during the acclimatisation process to abiotic stressors were directly related to increases of proline in the host cells. Significant positive associations of infection densities to cell based proline concentrations were predominantly observed in the high-PFR assays and 24-h daylight treatments. At least for half of the tested host-parasite pairs, positive correlations of proline and parasite prevalence were found. In addition, chytrid abundance was also positively correlated with host densities of Navicula sp., Rhizosolenia sp. and Chaetoceros sp. Only in Nitzschia sp., was parasite density negatively associated with proline and showed no significant relationship to host densities, suggesting that other physiological/biochemical factors related to stress might have an impact on the susceptibility of this peculiar host diatom species.


A study was undertaken for two consecutive years to assess the possibility of optimizing rhizome yield of Acorus calamus L. (sweet flag) by shifting the time of planting (i.e., growing in rainy and autumn seasons), maintaining different spacings, and harvesting in different months. Significantly higher yields of A. calamus were recorded when seeded in autumn (13150 kg ha−1) than rainy (6570 kg ha−1) season. Harvesting of crop after 12 months gave maximum rhizome yields of 16470 kg ha−1 and 9370 kg ha−1 respectively during autumn and rainy seasons. A similar trend was also noticed in various yield components (i.e., length, width and weight of rhizome). Closer planting ( cm, cm) gave significantly higher rhizome yield (8620 kg ha−1, 8120 kg ha−1) than wider spacing cm (7030 kg ha−1). This study illustrated the possibility of optimizing rhizome yield of A. calamus by manipulation in the time of planting and harvesting as well as maintaining proper plant spacing.


The defined–benefit pension system may not survive into the future absent changes in the current regulatory environment. A risk–based and anticipatory approach to evaluating pension trusts is proposed as a way to diminish the probability that large and insolvent companies will transfer their pension trusts to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Because current difficulties are concentrated in a few industries, there will be severe problems in the future if the healthiest companies reduce their exposure to defined–benefit pensions.


Schistosomiasis is endemic in Rwanda and control programs have been implemented with a special focus on school-aged children (SAC) ignoring pre-school aged children (pre-SAC) for which the actual prevalence of the disease is not well established. This study consisted of a cross-sectional quantitative mapping of the distribution of schistosomiasis and identification of associated risk factors among pre-SAC throughout the country. The study covered all the 17 Districts of Rwanda endemic for schistosomiasis with a total sample of 4675 children enrolled from 80 purposively selected villages. The Parasitological assessment of childrens urine and stool samples was conducted using CCA and Kato Katz methods respectively for infection detection. A standard questionnaire was used to collect data on the risk factors and geospatial assessment was performed using tablets and GPS to record geographic coordinates for plotting locations on maps using ArcGIS software. The overall prevalence of S mansoni infection across the surveyed areas was 24% and 0.8 by CCA and Kato-Katz, respectively. Infection was significantly associated with bathing children in open water bodies. Furthermore, pre-SAC looked after by siblings (sisters) were twice as much likely to be infected compared to those looked after by mothers. Schistosomiasis control interventions are needed for pre-SAC to limit their exposure to open water bodies with expectations of adapted chemotherapy to be availed. Community based deworming campaigns may be the best way to ensure good treatment coverage of pre-SAC in Rwanda.


Nowadays, with the rapid development of distributed generation, it has an increasing rate of permeation, the islanding phenomenon in grid-connected run mode brings hazards to network, electrical equipment and life safety. So, it is necessary to effectively detect the islanding condition and swiftly stop the run mode of grid-connect. In this paper, three-phase inverter and network systems was taken as an example, several existing methods were introduced and the advantages and disadvantages were compared of several existing methods by using MATLAB simulation software for the realization of the simulation, the proposed combination of a variety of detection methods for the detection program.


Objective: To study the distribution of the branches of the splenic artery and relate it to the radiological study of its intraparenchymal distribution, aiming to use this knowledge in partial splenectomy. Methods: In the macroscopic study, we used 60 human spleens which the splenic artery dissected from its origin to observe the division and the terminal branches directed to the spleen. We measured the distance between the visceral surface of the spleen and the terminal division of the splenic artery and the emergence of the polar branches. In the radiological study, we used 30 human spleens in which contrast was injected in the splenic artery to perform an arteriography and study the terminal division and polar branches. Results: 93.34% of the spleens showed bifurcation and terminal pattern of division and 6.66% trifurcation. We identified secondary and tertiary side branches, having a relative frequency of 10% for type I, 17% for type II and 8.33% for both. The distance between the visceral surface of the spleen and terminal division was on average 2.89 cm and the emergence of type I polar artery was 4.85 cm and 2.39 cm for type II. In the 30 arteriographies we assessed the terminal division and bifurcation was observed in 90% of spleens and trifurcation in 10%, and the presence of polar arteries in 16% type I and type II in 20%. Conclusion: The splenic artery deisplays a bifurcation-type terminal division that can be viewed arteriographically. We highlight the existence of independent arterial segmentation in almost all cases (98%), similar in visceral and diaphragmatic surfaces of the spleen. Partial splenectomy is anatomical and the use of radiological methods becomes feasible in conservative treatment of splenic injuries.


Crown-of-thorns seastar (COTS) outbreaks are a major threat to coral reefs. Although the herbivorous juveniles and their switch to corallivory are key to seeding outbreaks, they remain a black box in our understanding of COTS. We investigated the impact of a delay in diet transition due to coral scarcity in cohorts reared on crustose coralline algae for 10 months and 6.5 years before being offered coral. Both cohorts achieved an asymptotic size (16–18 mm diameter) on algae and had similar exponential growth on coral. After 6.5 years of herbivory, COTS were competent coral predators. This trophic and growth plasticity results in a marked age–size disconnect adding unappreciated complexity to COTS boom–bust dynamics. The potential that herbivorous juveniles accumulate in the reef infrastructure to seed outbreaks when favourable conditions arise has implications for management of COTS populations.


Purpose:  To determine the frequency of computer vision syndrome and its associated risk factors among under graduate medical students.
Study Design:  Descriptive Cross–sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study:  Gujranwala Medical College and Rawalpindi Medical University, Pakistan from 5th August to 28th August, 2020.
Methods:  A validated self-designed questionnaire was used for this study. The survey instrument was tailored from a published questionnaire which comprised of questions on demographics, frequency of symptoms of computer vision syndrome, pattern of computer usage and ergonomic practices.
Results:  Final analysis was run on 326 under graduate medical students. Females were 228 (69%) and 98 (30%) were males. Age of the participants ranged between 17 to 25 years. Overall frequency of CVS was found to be 98.7%. Twenty nine percent students experienced extra ocular complaints and 71% had ocular symptoms. Symptoms of CVS were more commonly observed among those using desktop/laptop at less than forearm length (p = 0.001). Distance of < 12 inches from mobile phone was found to be associated with eye irritation and neck shoulder pain (p = 0.001). Frequency of break of more than 60 minutes was found to be significantly associated with eye irritation (p = 0.002) and excessive blinking and light sensitivity (p = 0.001). The students not using ergonomically comfortable chair were found to suffer more with  symptoms of CVS as compared to those using ergonomically designed chair (p = 0.049).
Conclusion:  Health issues related to excessive use of digital devices has become alarmingly high during COVID-19 pandemic. Symptoms of CVS are significantly associated with distance from digital device and less frequent break intervals.
Key Words:  COVID-19, Computer Vision Syndrome, Digital eye syndrome, ergonomics, visual display terminals.


This document reviews and applies recently developed techniques for Bayesian estimation and model selection in the context of Time Series modeling for Stochastic Volatility. After the literature review on Generalized Conditional Autoregressive models, Stochastic Volatility models, and the relevant results on Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods (MCMC), an example applying such techniques is shown. The methodology is used with a series of Weekly Colombian-USA Exchange Rate on seven different models. The GARCH model, which uses Type-IV Pearson distribution, is favored for the selecting technique, Reversible Jump MCMC, over other models, including Stochastic Volatility Models with a Student-t distribution.


Present research is based on the documentation of the medicinal plants used in indigenous systems in Indo-Burma Hotspots Region of Mizoram, North East India. A total of 207 ethno-medicinal plants, 36 ethno-veterinary plants and 29 other usage plants were recorded from different regions of Mizoram. A detailed list of recorded plants with their effective usage and mode of administration has been provided.


Computed tomography (CT) grading systems are often used clinically to forecast the need for interventions after abdominal trauma with solid organ injuries. We compared spleen and liver CT grading methods to determine their utility in predicting the need for operative intervention or angiographic embolization. Abdominal CT scans of 300 patients with spleen injuries, liver injuries, or both were evaluated by five trauma faculty members blinded to clinical outcomes. Studies were graded by American Association for the Surgery of Trauma criteria, a novel splenic injury CT grading system, and a novel liver injury grading system. The sensitivity and specificity of each methodology in predicting the need for intervention were calculated. The kappa statistic was used to determine interrater variability. Twenty-one per cent (39/189) of patients with splenic injuries visible on CT scans required interventions, whereas 14 per cent (21/154) of patients with liver injuries visible on CT required interventions. The overall sensitivity of all grading systems in predicting the need for surgery or angioembolization of the spleen or liver was poor; the specificity seemed to be fairly good. When evaluators were compared, the strength of agreement for the various scoring systems was only moderate. Anatomic CT grading systems are ineffective screening tools for excluding the need for operation or embolization after splenic or hepatic trauma. Although insensitive, CT is a good predictor (highly specific) of the need for intervention if certain definitive abnormalities are identified. Considerable inconsistency exists in interpretation of abdominal CT scans after trauma, even among experienced clinicians.


Recent studies have demonstrated that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol), the most biologically active metabolite of vitamin D, is a potent inhibitor of both lectin- and antigen-driven human T lymphocyte proliferation. To better characterize this effect, we performed cell cycle analysis of both untreated and calcitriol-treated peripheral blood mononuclear cells after PHA stimulation. By using the metachromatic dye acridine orange and flow cytometry, we found that calcitriol blocks the transition from the early, low RNA compartment of G1 (G1A) to the late, higher RNA compartment of G1 (G1B). Consistent with this observation was the inability of exogenous IL 1 or phorbol myristic acetate to overcome calcitriol's suppression of DNA synthesis. Indomethacin slightly reversed calcitriol's inhibition of transition from early to late G1, suggesting a minor, prostaglandin-dependent component to calcitriol's antiproliferative activity. Finally, by using the monoclonal antibodies anti-Tac and OKT9, we found that calcitriol had no effect on IL 2 receptor expression, an early G1 event, but markedly inhibited transferrin receptor expression, an IL 2-dependent, late G1 event. Thus, analysis of calcitriol's effects on the expression of these T cell activation antigens provides further evidence of the cell cycle specificity of calcitriol's action in regulating human T lymphocyte proliferation.


Objective. To analyze the effect and mechanisms of therapeutic compression in stroke. Material and methods. Clinical efficacy of normoxic therapeutic compression (NTC) was studied for two hyperbaric therapeutic regimes in patients with ischemic stroke of moderate severity. Results and conclusion. The therapeutic effect of the method was caused by the effect of excessive pressure on the energy metabolism, but not by the hyper oxygenation, with the elevation to normal pC02 and CO2 content in the exhaled air. The effect is stable only in the range 1.05-1.1 ATA and increased from session to session. In this range, there were the activation of energy metabolism and the recovery of cerebral microcirculation with the normalization of the acid-base state (ABS) and lipid peroxidation (LPO). The more excessive pressure in the pressure chamber (1.15-1.2 ATA ) resulted in less treatment effect, decreased pC02, increased blood plasma viscosity, worse AAE parameters and LPO activation. The degree of blood plasma oxygenation proved to be the main feature of hyperbaric therapeutic regimes studied.


We study the non-linear conductance $\mathcal{G}\sim\partial^2I/\partial V^2|_{V=0}$ in coherent quasi-1D weakly disordered metallic wires. The analysis is based on the calculation of two fundamental correlators (correlations of conductance's functional derivatives and correlations of injectivities), which are obtained explicitly by using diagrammatic techniques. In a coherent wire of length $L$, we obtain $\mathcal{G}\sim0.006\,E_\mathrm{Th}^{-1}$ (and $\langle\mathcal{G}\rangle=0$), where $E_\mathrm{Th}=D/L^2$ is the Thouless energy and $D$ the diffusion constant; the small dimensionless factor results from screening, i.e. cannot be obtained within a simple theory for non-interacting electrons. Electronic interactions are also responsible for an asymmetry under magnetic field reversal: the antisymmetric part of the non-linear conductance (at high magnetic field) being much smaller than the symmetric one, $\mathcal{G}_a\sim0.001\,(gE_\mathrm{Th})^{-1}$, where $g\gg1$ is the dimensionless (linear) conductance of the wire. Weakly coherent regimes are also studied: for $L_\varphi\ll L$, where $L_\varphi$ is the phase coherence length, we get $\mathcal{G}\sim(L_\varphi/L)^{7/2}E_\mathrm{Th}^{-1}$, and $\mathcal{G}_a\sim(L_\varphi/L)^{11/2}(gE_\mathrm{Th})^{-1}\ll\mathcal{G}$ (at high magnetic field). When thermal fluctuations are important, $L_T\ll L_\varphi\ll L$ where $L_T=\sqrt{D/T}$, we obtain $\mathcal{G}\sim(L_T/L)(L_\varphi/L)^{7/2}E_\mathrm{Th}^{-1}$ (the result is dominated by the effect of screening) and $\mathcal{G}_a\sim(L_T/L)^2(L_\varphi/L)^{7/2}(gE_\mathrm{Th})^{-1}$. All the precise dimensionless prefactors are obtained. Crossovers towards the zero magnetic field regime are also analysed.


What is the difference between people outside, or within, organizations that look at a problem with a lot of limits and see unusual and new possibilities, and those who look at a problem with a lot of limits and see no way out? How would an organization intentionally transform its worldview and its problemsolving practices to creatively reconsider its own structures, policies, and assumptions when solutions to key needs and complex problems are limited or prevented by institutional or resource constraints? Education, government, and business leaders agree that creativity and innovation are essential for future organizational success and even survival, yet leaders are often blinded by past policies, organizational goals, or assumptions about resources and systems relationships when faced with complex and changing problems. However, research suggests that there are qualitative differences between individuals, teams, and organizations that become cleverly, resourcefully innovative in the face of complex problems under constraints, and those who do not. The culture and practices that activate shrewd, transdisciplinary, and unconventional problem-solving in the face of resource limits and other constraints are associated with a familiar, but largely unexamined, concept called ingenuity. Most frequently, ingenuity has been used to describe innovative solutions that are surprisingly smart, unconventionally resourceful, and contextually superior, often completely changing an institution or social-technical culture. In this messy intersection where creative, innovative problem-solving is at once demanded and prevented, ingenuity is the human factor necessary to hack the hairball, to pursue the impossible by being willing to seek unconventional connections arising from diverse knowledge, skills, and perspectives; dialogue at the margins; resilience; imagination; creative and resourceful improvisation; and systems thinking. The culture and practices of organizational ingenuity integrate systems thinking into a framework designed to provoke the unconventional approaches to complex problems that produce exponentially better solutions for sustainable business and a sustainable world. As organizations develop broad-based cultures and capacities for ongoing innovation, there is a need to distinguish the concept and value of an innovation culture that integrates systems thinking and the resilient, empathetic, value-driven, collaborative, improvisational, diverse, counter-intuitive, paradoxical capacities of ingenuity.


This Bureau of Mines report analyzes diverse observations of the rates and mechanisms for the pyrolysis and devolatilization of coal and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). New data are presented for PMMA, together with new morphological evidence for the microscopic structure of the pyrolysis and devolatilization wave front in coals. It is concluded that there is no substantive evidence to support the traditional viewpoint that the pyrolysis and devolatilization rate process occurs isothermally, under chemical rate control; or is described realistically by a classical, unimolecular Arrhenius function of temperature. Instead, the reaction process occurs as a highly nonisothermal, heat-flux-driven, pyrolysis and devolatilization wave front, whose speed of propagation is predictable by internal heat transport constraints. Except for the complication of its char-layer residue, whose increasing thickness insulates the pyrolysis wave front from the heat source flux that drives it, both coal and PMMA behave similiary during pyrolysis and devolatilization. For PMMA, decomposition occurs at a temperature of 350/sup 0/ to 550/sup 0/C; for coal it occurs at 450/sup 0/ to 600/sup 0/C. There is no evidence that the reactant temperature ever exceeds those values regardless of the source temperature to which the samples are exposed.


Summary form only given. In recent years, power systems have become larger and more complicated. Deregulation of electric power industries has begun in some countries and power system operations have become more difficult. However, the stability of the power supply is the most important consideration for customers. Therefore, power system operators should consider not only economic load dispatch but also on-line stability aspects. In this paper, we pay attention to one of the most important transients stability indices, critical clearing time (CCT), and propose a new transient stability preventive control method using linear relationships between CCTs and generator rotor angles. At first, CCT calculations, as contingency screenings are carried out to find contingencies that have smaller CCTs than predefined target values. The target values are taken as larger values than the actual circuit breaker operating times in the power system. A preventive control to achieve a more stable power system operating point is carried out by generator output rescheduling and generator terminal voltage control, which are determined using the relationships between CCTs and generator rotor angles. This proposed method is demonstrated using a Japanese standard power system, called the IEEJ EAST 10 machine system.


We present frequency tunable metamaterials at terahertz frequencies using broadside-coupled split ring resonators (BC-SRRs). Frequency tuning, arising from changes in near field coupling, is obtained by in-plane displacement between the SRR layers. For electrical excitation, the resonance frequency continuously redshifts as a function of displacement. A maximum frequency shift occurs for displacement of half a unit cell resulting in a shift of 663 GHz (51% of f0). We discuss the difference in the BC-SRR response for electrical excitation in comparison to magnetic excitation in terms of hybridization arising from inductive and capacitive coupling.


The current study aims at investigating the effect of morning exercise on social adjustment of high school female students in Chaharmahal Va Bakhtyiari province. The research design is quasi-experimental. The statistical population included all students who had no physical activity on a regular basis in 2013. The sample study consisted of 60 students in a multistage random cluster sampling of all high school female students in the province who were divided into two groups of experimental and control. The experimental group participated in a training morning exercise including warm up, stretching and recreation, for thirteen weeks, while the control group continued their routine daily activities during this time. The questionnaire used in the current study was Standard California Social Adjustment Questionnaire which elicited the necessary information of the two groups before and after exercise program. In order to analyze the data, descriptive and inferential statistics, independent ttest, for comparing the two groups, and also analysis of covariance to analyze the effect of the independent variable were used. Furthermore a significant level was considered in this study (P<0.05). The results of the study showed that the performance of morning exercise has had a significant effect on social adjustment of high school female students in Chaharmahal Va Bakhtyiari province. (P=0.001, F=6.11).


Ergocalciferol is one important form of vitamin D that is needed for proper functioning of the human metabolic system. The study formulates monodisperse food grade ergocalciferol loaded oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions by microchannel emulsification (MCE). The primary characterization was performed with grooved MCE, while the storage stability and encapsulating efficiency (EE) were investigated with straight-through MCE. The grooved microchannel (MC) array plate has 5 × 18 μm MCs, while the asymmetric straight-through MC array plate consists of numerous 10 × 80 μm microslots each connected to a 10 μm diameter circular MC. Ergocalciferol at a concentration of 0.2–1.0% (w/w) was added to various oils and served as the dispersed phase, while the continuous phase constituted either of 1% (w/w) Tween 20, decaglycerol monolaurate (Sunsoft A-12) or β-lactoglobulin. The primary characterization indicated successful emulsification in the presence of 1% (w/w) Tween 20 or Sunsoft A-12. The average droplet diameter increased slowly with the increasing concentration of ergocalciferol and ranged from 28.3 to 30.0 μm with a coefficient of variation below 6.0%. Straight-through MCE was conducted with 0.5% (w/w) ergocalciferol in soybean oil together with 1% (w/w) Tween 20 in Milli-Q water as the optimum dispersed and continuous phases. Monodisperse O/W emulsions with a Sauter mean diameter (d3,2) of 34 μm with a relative span factor of less than 0.2 were successfully obtained from straight-through MCE. The resultant oil droplets were physically stable for 15 days (d) at 4 °C without any significant increase in d3,2. The monodisperse O/W emulsions exhibited an ergocalciferol EE of more than 75% during the storage period.


INTRODUCTION
With the introduction of stem cell engineering in dentistry, regenerative endodontics has emerged as a potential alternative to mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) apexification in the management of necrotic immature permanent teeth. However, the utility of this modality in terms of cost-effectiveness has not yet been established. Therefore, we performed cost-effectiveness analysis to determine the dominant treatment modality that would influence decision making from the private payer perspective.

METHODS
A Markov model was constructed with a necrotic immature permanent tooth in a 7-y-old patient, followed over the lifetime using TreeAge Pro Healthcare 2022. Transition probabilities were estimated based on the existing literature. Costs were estimated based on United States health care, and cost-effectiveness was determined using Monte Carlo microsimulations. The model was validated internally by sensitivity analyses, and face validation was performed by an experienced endodontist and health economist.

RESULTS
In the base-case scenario, regenerative endodontics did not turn out to be a dominant treatment option as it was associated with an additional cost of USD$1,012 and fewer retained tooth-years (15.48 y). Likewise, in the probabilistic sensitivity analysis, regenerative endodontics was again dominated by apexification against different willingness-to-pay values.

CONCLUSION
Based on current evidence, regenerative endodontic treatment was not cost-effective compared with apexification in the management of necrotic immature permanent teeth over an individual's lifetime.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT
The study provides valuable insight regarding the cost valuation and cost-efficacy of regenerative endodontic treatment versus apexification in the management of necrotic immature permanent teeth, as this would aid in effective clinical decision making, allowing for the functional allocation of resources.


The authors describe a parallel processing architecture for real-time digital signal processing that has demonstrated virtually 100% data processing efficiency in a number of areas. The Teamed-Architecture Signal Processor (T-ASP) is a field-proven, commercially available optimal system solution to the extremely high computational and I/O rates encountered in modern digital-signal-processing environments. The design of T-ASP involves the consideration and implementation of many architectural concepts used to enhance the performance of a computer, including programmability, parallel processing, vector processing and pipelining, memory interleaving, double cache memories, multiple high-speed I/O interfaces, and segmentation of the processors for elimination of both CPU and data-handling overhead. The authors discuss hardware architecture design and implementation; hardware management; and software architecture design and implementation.<<ETX>>


The ability to use Food Layered Manufacturing (FLM) to fabricate attractive food presentations and incorporate additives that can alter texture, nutrition, color, and flavor have made it widely investigated for combatting various issues in the food industry. For a food item to be FLM compatible, it must possess suitable rheological properties to allow for its extrusion and to keep its 3D printed structure. Here, we present a rheological analysis of two commercially available breakfast spreads, Vegemite and Marmite, and show their compatibility with FLM in producing 3D structures onto bread substrates. Furthermore, we demonstrated that these materials can be used to fabricate attractive food designs that can be used for educational activities. The inherent conductivity of the breakfast spreads was used to print edible circuits onto a "breadboard." © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


Trapped-mode frequencies are computed for submerged horizontal circular cylinders in a two-layer fluid consisting of a finite layer bounded above by a free surface and below by an infinite layer of greater density. Two separate cases are examined. First we consider waves which propagate along the top of a single cylinder at frequencies below the cut-off for wave propagation away from the cylinder, and find modes where the motion is concentrated around the interface, modes which are concentrated around the free surface, and modes which involve significant motion of both the interface and the free surface. Secondly, we compute modes above the cut-off for a pair of submerged cylinders in the lower fluid.


Ultra-High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) is a high performance cementitious material with enhanced strength in tension and compression and significantly high energy absorption in the post crack region. Its mix composition is not much dissimilar from that of normal strength concrete. The main difference is that only fine aggregates are used in order to enhance the homogeneity of the mix, while microsilica is used to improve the density of the mix thereby reducing voids and defects. A high percentage of steel fibres is used to increase the tensile strength and at the same time to provide ductility.UHPFRC has been recently introduced in applications such as bridge decks, thin slabs and for the strengthening of existing elements. Even if there are various published studies on the compressive, tensile and flexural characteristics of UHPFRC, the punching shear performance of UHPFRC without additional steel bars has not been sufficiently studied. In this paper an extensive experimental work has been conducted on UHPFRC tiles with various thicknesses and various percentages of steel fibres and tests have been conducted under a concentrated load. Using the experimental results, the punching shear characteristics of the various UHPFRC mixes have been evaluated and shear resistance values have been proposed.


The Arab Revolutions that began in 2011 reignited interest in the question of theory and practice, imbuing it with a burning political urgency. In Revolution and Disenchantment Fadi A. Bardawil redescribes for our present how an earlier generation of revolutionaries, the 1960s Arab New Left, addressed this question. Bardawil excavates the long-lost archive of the Marxist organization Socialist Lebanon and its main theorist, Waddah Charara, who articulated answers in their political practice to fundamental issues confronting revolutionaries worldwide: intellectuals as vectors of revolutionary theory; political organizations as mediators of theory and praxis; and nonemancipatory attachments as impediments to revolutionary practice. Drawing on historical and ethnographic methods and moving beyond familiar reception narratives of Marxist thought in the postcolony, Bardawil engages in "fieldwork in theory" that analyzes how theory seduces intellectuals, cultivates sensibilities, and authorizes political practice. Throughout, Bardawil underscores the resonances and tensions between Arab intellectual traditions and Western critical theory and postcolonial theory, deftly placing intellectuals from those traditions into a much-needed conversation.


A new regulation affecting the public health services (OGDG) in North Rhine Westphalia has been in effect since 1 st January 1998. The present authors - members of a ministerial work-group responsible for guidelines and recommendations for the implementation of the new regulation - have made an attempt to formulate the substantial and formal essentials of 13 ODGD (dental health in children and the young) and its future perspectives in light of the reorientation of the national health service and, in particular, of dental services.


Fifteen-hundred hospital blood cultures were made in duplicate, with and without 0.05% sodium polyanethol sulfonate in the broth medium. A significantly higher rate and speed of recovery of both gram-positive cocci and gram-negative bacilli was accomplished in sodium polyanethol sulfonate broth. The effect was independent of the content of 0.1% agar in the growth medium. In the cases of Neisseria meningitidis septicemia examined, however, a detrimental result on recoveries was observed. The addition of sodium polyanethol sulfonate also resulted in an increased frequency of recoveries of contaminating organisms.


The representation and discovery of transcription factor (TF) sequence binding specificities is critical for understanding gene regulatory networks and interpreting the impact of disease-associated non-coding genetic variants. We present a novel TF binding motif representation, the K-mer Set Memory (KSM), which consists of a set of aligned k-mers that are over-represented at TF binding sites, and a new method called KMAC for de novo discovery of KSMs. We find that KSMs more accurately predict in vivo binding sites than position weight matrix models (PWMs) and other more complex motif models across a large set of ChIP-seq experiments. KMAC also identifies correct motifs in more experiments than four state-of-the-art motif discovery methods. In addition, KSM derived features outperform both PWM and deep learning model derived sequence features in predicting differential regulatory activities of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) alleles. Finally, we have applied KMAC to 1488 ENCODE TF ChIP-seq datasets and created a public resource of KSM and PWM motifs. We expect that the KSM representation and KMAC method will be valuable in characterizing TF binding specificities and in interpreting the effects of non-coding genetic variations.


Women of South Asian (SA) descent are at 3-fold greater risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) than those of white European (WE) descent, and are more likely to develop type-2 diabetes (T2D) following a GDM diagnosis. Despite this, SA-specific determinants of GDM are poorly understood, so require greater attention. This study aims to identify serum metabolites and metabolic patterns in early pregnancy that associate with future GDM within 2688 WE and 2671 SA women in the Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort. A panel of 146 serum metabolites, comprised of lipoproteins, fatty acids, cholesterol and amino acids, were analysed in blood samples collected prior to maternal GDM assessment. Partial least squares discriminatory analysis (PLSDA) and sparse PLSDA models (accounting for age, BMI, parity, multiple pregnancy and smoking status) were used to identify common and ethnic-specific candidate metabolites and metabolite patterns that are predictive of GDM. Seven glycolytic, fatty acid, and cholesterol metabolites associated with future GDM diagnosis in both ethnicities (Variable Importance in Projection (VIP) ≥1); 6 metabolites (i.e., alanine, glutamine, total serum cholesterol, total PUFAs, omega-6 and citrate) associated with GDM solely in WE women. No SA-specific metabolites were found. Overall, fatty acids were consistently stronger predictors of GDM within WEs compared to SAs. After adjusting for BMI, age, parity, smoking status, and non-singleton pregnancies, 60% of the variance in GDM case/non-case status was explained in WE women, while only 35% of the variance was explained in SA women. However, a metabolite profile was uncovered for lean SA women (BMI ≤23 kg/m2) that was predictive of subsequent GDM development that was distinct from other SA and WE women metabolic profiles. Despite a common underlying metabolic profile of GDM risk within our diverse cohort, distinct profiles of metabolites were identified that were predictive of GDM only in WE women or lean SA women. These profiles confirm metabolites previously associated with dysglycemia, insulin sensitivity, inflammation, and modulators of fatty acid metabolism (i.e., alanine, glutamine, PUFAs, and citrate); but go a step further and present ethnic-specific metabolic drivers of GDM. Targeted exploration of these metabolites and their association with GDM offer promising direction for unravelling the aetiology of GDM development and the elevated risk observed in SA women


PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to assess whether primary care practices certified as medical homes differ in having the practice systems required for that designation and in attaining favorable outcomes for their patients with diabetes, and whether those systems are associated with better diabetes outcomes. METHODS We undertook a cross-sectional observational study, Understanding Infrastructure Transformation Effects on Diabetes (UNITED), of 586 Minnesota adult primary care practices, comparing those that were certified vs uncertified as medical homes in 2017, with analyses supplemented by previously published studies of these practices. We collected survey information about the presence of medical home practice systems for diabetes care and obtained 6 standardized measures of diabetes care collected yearly from all Minnesota practices. RESULTS Of 416 practices completing questionnaires (71% of all practices, 92% of participating practices), 394 had data on diabetes care measures. Uncertified practices (39%) were more likely than certified practices to be rural, but their patient populations were similar. Certified practices had more medical home practice systems (79.2% vs 74.9%, P =.01) and were more likely to meet a composite measure of optimal diabetes care (46.8% vs 43.2%, P <.001). A 1-SD increase in presence of practice systems was associated with a 1.4% higher probability of meeting that measure (P <.001). CONCLUSIONS Practices certified as medical homes have more practice systems and higher performance on diabetes care than uncertified practices, but there is extensive overlap, and any differences may reflect self-selection for certification.


In order to realize the complex product rapid configuration design in the environment of mass configuration (MC), the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NGSA) for product rapid configuration design is proposed in this paper. The model of multi-objective product configuration optimization is established, and hierarchical analysis is made for configuration design. By comparing the similarity and integrity of requirement and instance, the sequence of retrieval instances is given according to the reuse degree, and multi-objective optimization configuration based on NGSA is realized. Finally, the validity and practicability of the method is verified by an instance which is applied in rapid configuration design of the drive module of tuyere puncher.


The evaluation process was developed for a specific, unique purpose. The subsequent success of the network and the performance of its HMOs in satisfying member and employer requirements lend support to the assertion that this was an effective approach. That success has also allowed the HMOs to benefit from national network affiliation through increased membership and revenue. The network offers its affiliates the prospect of making a transition from local HMOs to a national health care delivery system over the coming years.


This study investigated the dynamic adjustment of the attention focusing in function of some physical characteristics of an exogenous visual cue. The first experiment investigated the effect of the area delimitated by a visual cue presented by different intervals between stimuli. The second experiment investigated the availability of attentional resources in the horizontal and vertical meridian of the visual field and the effect of flanking letters presented in and out of the attention focusing. The results of the first experiment suggest that the attention focusing may be kept stable for a period longer than 500 milliseconds and that the time through which the attention resources can remain stable is inversely proportional to their area. These results also corroborated an inverse relation between the size of the area to be fulfilled and the information processing efficiency. The results of the second experiment corroborated the effect caused by flanking letters observed by other authors (B. Ericksen & Ericksen, 1974; Miller, 1991) with an increase on the reaction time in the presence of the flanking letter incompatible with the target. Flanking letters have a significant smaller effect when presented out of the area delimitated by the visual cue. This result indicates an inhibitory attentional action out of the focusing area. Moreover, a possible asymmetry in the distribution of these inhibitory resources between the horizontal and vertical meridian of the visual field was also observed.


Detergent micelles are commonly used as solubilization agents in biophysical and biochemical studies of membrane proteins, but they do not ideally reproduce the membrane environment and often fail to support the native protein conformation. Bicelles, which are a mixture of short- and long-chain lipids, have long been suggested as a more native-like solubilizing agent for the study of membrane proteins. We tested the use of isotropic bicelles as a system for solution NMR studies of membrane proteins on a small multidrug-resistance protein (Smr), a protein that has so far resisted unambiguous structural characterization by X-ray crystallography. We show that the protein can be reconstituted in its functional form and native oligomerization state in bicelles. With an NMR assignment strategy that makes use of sequential NOE information obtained from a NOESY−TROSY and amino-acid specific information from a TROSY-HNCA experiment, 55% of backbone HN, N, and Cα resonances could be assigned, showing that isotropic...


Children have always been particularly susceptible to violations of human rights. It is a sad and chilling reality that children today remain the victims of some of the most devastating examples of state-sanctioned and private exploitation, violence and torture. While the maltreatment of children cannot be regarded as a new phenomenon, increasingly children are attempting to remove themselves from the debilitating environment that circumstances have placed them in. Significant numbers of children are travelling thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of miles — often accompanied by family, sometimes not — in search of protection.This chapter considers how international refugee law and international law on the rights of the child might be creatively aligned to respond to the reality that a child seeking international protection is both a child and a refugee. The focus of the thesis is on the capacity of the two international legal regimes to respond to the distinct needs of a refugee child in the context of the refugee status determination process.The chapter examines three contexts — defined as 'modes of interaction' — where the Convention on the Rights of the Child ('CRC') might be engaged to assist in determining the status of a refugee child. First, the CRC may provide procedural guarantees not otherwise provided under international refugee law. Secondly, the CRC may be invoked as an interpretative aid to inform the interpretation of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and in particular the Article 1 definition. Thirdly, the CRC may give rise to an independent source of status outside the international refugee protection regime. These three modes of interaction provide a 'child rights framework' for assessing the status of a refugee child.


A total of 21 aquatic plant species were collected from Bantimurung waterfall areas, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, in October 2017. These plant materials were subjected to both species and phytochemicals identification. The aims of this study were to determine the species or taxonomic rank of Indonesian aquatic plants collected from Bantimurung waterfall, South Sulawesi, Indonesia and to identify their chemical compounds (phytochemicals) as a candidate for new herbal medicine. Plant genetic materials used in this study were collected from Bantimurung Bulusaraung waterfall and were then identified based on standard botanical techniques for species identification in the Herbarium Bogoriense, Research center for Biology Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI), Cibinong, West Java. The samples were subjected to the phytochemistry screening such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, glycosides, terpenoids and anthraquinone followed the procedures of Indonesian Materia Medika and Harborne.  Results showed that all collected aquatic plant samples were able to be identified, including their species names. Phytochemical screening of each sample revealed the presence of glycoside in all of the tested species. However, no alkaloids, anthraquinones, and terpenoids were observed in those tested plant samples. Of the total 21 aquatic plants, 14 species contained flavonoids, 8 species contained phenol compound, and 10 species contained saponins. Among these species Donnax canniformis possessed good antioxidant activity, which correlated to its total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Our results would be beneficial for any future effort in the development of new herbal drugs derived from aquatic plants.


Objectives To investigate associations of job demands and resources with patient-related burnout among physicians. Design Multicentre observational study. Setting Fifty medical departments at 14 (academic and non-academic) hospitals in the Netherlands. Participants Four hundred sixty-five physicians (71.6% response rate), comprising 385 (82.8%) medical specialists and 80 (17.2%) residents. Main outcome measures Job demands (workload and bureaucratic demands), job resources (participation in decision making, development opportunities, leader's inspiration, relationships with colleagues and patients)—measured with the validated Questionnaire of Experience and Evaluation of Work and Physician Worklife Survey—and patient-related burnout, measured using the validated Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Results Patient-related burnout was positively associated with workload (b=0.36; 95% CI, 0.25 to 0.48; p<0.001) and negatively associated with development opportunities (b=–0.18; 95% CI, –0.27 to –0.08; p<0.001) and relationships with patients (b=–0.12; 95% CI, –0.22 to –0.03; p=0.01). Relationships with patients moderated the association between bureaucratic demands and patient-related burnout (b=–0.15; 95% CI, –0.27 to –0.04; p=0.01). Conclusions Physicians with high workloads and few development opportunities reported higher levels of patient-related burnout. Those with positive patient relationships were less likely to experience patient-related burnout, even in the presence of excessive bureaucracy. Therefore, positive physician–patient relationships may be supported to reduce the likelihood of physicians' patient-related burnout. However, the specific support needed to effectively reduce patient-related burnout may vary per healthcare context and thus requires intensified research across healthcare systems and settings.


The silica deficiency hypothesis holds that increases of still waters caused by hydraulic alterations and high nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) discharges enhance the growth of freshwater diatoms, which take up the dissolved silicate (DSi) supplied by natural weathering. The consequent decrease in the DSi supply to the sea is advantageous to flagellates (nonsiliceous and potentially harmful) but not to diatoms (siliceous and mostly benign) in coastal marine ecosystems. Verification of this hypothesis has been hampered by lack of relevant data, particularly in Asia. We investigated the aquatic continuum composed of Lake Biwa, the Yodo River, and the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, where the natural conditions make the silica deficiency less likely to emerge due to the inherently rich supply of DSi. The results showed that the silica was retained both in the lake and nearby the estuary. The relative dominance of diatom and flagellates could not be explained solely by the stoichiometric arguments but by the supportive discussion on the difference of their behavioral characteristics and the process nearby the estuary, where direct inputs of N and P and effluent Si enhanced diatom bloom, even though the Si/N ratio was lowered in the upstream reservoir. Thus the retention of DSi occurred in two places: in the lake and nearby the estuary, where the other N and P are loaded directly. The rate of DSi retention correlated with socio-economic changes, such as rapid economic growth in the 1960s and mitigations implemented after the 1980s. Sensitivity of this continuum to the Si processes suggests the global significance of this hypothesis.


Two sections of this extended presentation of the interrelationships between parent and child which affect healthy-and unhealthy-develop. ment are excellent. Chapters VII and VIII contain suggestions for helping children in their understanding of sexual matters, and Chapter XV deals with the reactions of children to the death of a loved one. The other chapters are less outstanding. The underlying theme is "don't do this," for fear "this" may harm a child permanently. Parents, as the author suggests, ought not to be preoccupied with their own problems to the extent that these interfere with their role as parents. Clinical experience suggests that .those parents who try desperately to "do right" often suffer from conflicts and underlying tensions which block their capacity to follow professional advice, whether it be verbal or written. Pediatricians know that it is just these parents who tend to seek help from books. The discussion of learning problems leads to conclusions quite contrary to clinical experience. Sometimes indeed, as the author suggests, hyperactivity, poor impulse control, and visual motor difficulties do respond to amphetamines, but this is uncommon. For, whether organic factors are pres· ent or not, fear and anxiety also interfere with effective learning. These are not "either-or" situations. Where serious intrafamily tensions play the dominant causative role, the children need psy· chiatric help; amphetamines will not solve their problems. As a whole, this book can not be of much help \ to parents. Nevertheless, because of its wide pro· motion, pediatricians should be able to discuss its ideas with parents who may desire to do SO.MORRIS A. WESSEL, M.D., New Haven, Conn.


In recent years, much attention has been devoted to developing appropriate analytical methods to model criminal careers. Largely ignored in this methodological debate is the study of how the criminal behavior patterns of active offenders are related to individual characteristics. This article presents an analysis of the postrelease offending patterns of two cohorts of male youth released by the California Youth Authority in 1981 to 1982 and 1986 to 1987. The focus of the analysis is the frequency of arrest during the first three years following release. Negative binomial models are used to examine the relationship between a variety of factors that have been linked theoretically and empirically to the frequency of offending. Results suggest that measures of individual and geographic characteristics can be used to predict the average arrest frequencies and their variation among paroled youthful offenders. These findings suggest that there may be useful distinctions to be made among offending populations.


Nicaragua was among the last countries in Latin America to become democratic, and among the first to regress to authoritarian practices. It has thus been a fertile testing ground for theories of democratic development, addressing hypotheses about whether leftist revolutions can produce democracy, the difficulties inherent in wartime transitions to democracy, and the roles that foreign actors play in constraining and fostering democratic governance. After achieving independence from Spain in 1823, Nicaragua fell under the hegemony of the expansionist United States and endured a lengthy US occupation. The US-supported Somoza dictatorship was overthrown in 1979 by a revolution that brought to power the socialist Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). The FSLN initially implemented a progressive authoritarian regime under an appointed junta, while fostering widespread political participation channeled through mass organizations associated with the party. Policies that centered on improving equality for the majority at the expense of traditional elites and the private sector drew US hostility. For a decade, US-sponsored counterrevolutionary forces made war on Nicaragua in an attempt to unseat the Sandinista government, and a US trade and financial embargo deeply damaged the economy. During that time, Nicaragua put in place a presidential system, permitted the development of opposition political parties, held partially competitive elections in 1984, and in 1987 inaugurated a constitution that mixed socialist and liberal principles. The 1984 elections were boycotted by right-wing opponents but shifted the basis of legitimate governance from winning the revolution to winning at the ballot box.
 In 1990, Nicaragua held competitive and internationally observed elections convened as one element of a regionwide Central American peace process. The FSLN lost in an upset that yielded an alteration in power signaling the advent of democracy. After negotiating to depoliticize the armed forces, President Violeta Chamorro took office and signed peace agreements with the counterrevolutionaries. For a decade, democracy prevailed and was deepened via a constitutional reform that transferred budgetary power to the legislature, shortened the presidential term, and prohibited immediate re-election to the presidency. In opposition, the FSLN employed both social mobilization tactics and parliamentary procedure to defend their constituents. Liberal remnants from the Somoza era regrouped and won the presidency in 1996. Democratic consolidation proved elusive, however, and instead the caudillo leaders of the FSLN and liberal parties, former President Daniel Ortega and then-President Arnoldo Alemán, reached a pact through which they radically reduced the political space available to smaller parties and assumed exclusive joint control of state institutions. The liberals again won election in 2001, but after their party split in 2006, Ortega was re-elected to the presidency. The new FSLN government introduced progressive policies that reduced poverty, but the quality of elections declined, and presidential term limits were abolished, introducing a competitive authoritarian regime. The FSLN then eliminated rival parties from serious contention and used legal reforms to consolidate a one-party-dominant system lacking horizontal and vertical accountability and marked by old political patterns of caudillo rule, elite pacts, and personalist rule centered on a single family.


Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), a disease that mainly affects people over 50 years old, may have a dramatic presentation with pain, difficulty in walking, changes in urinary functions in addition to root symptoms, such as numbness, burning, and feeling of heaviness in the legs. The treatment is very varied with several non-surgical and surgical possibilities. With an aging population, this disease becomes increasingly preoccupant for their uncertain evolution and without a well-defined correlation with imaging tests, treatment, and outcome may be troublesome. Moreover, LSS frequent‐ ly affects patients who have associated comorbidity that can hinder the treatment.


The need for network processors capable of forwarding IP packets at OC-192 and higher data rates has been well established. At the same time, there is a growing need for complex tasks, like packet classification and differentiated services, to be performed by network processors. At OC-768 data rate, a network processor has 9 nanoseconds to process a minimum-size IP packet. Such ultra high-speed processing, involving complex memory-intensive tasks, can only be achieved by multi-CPU distributed memory systems, using very high performance on-chip communication architectures. In this paper, we propose a novel communication network architecture for 8-CPU distributed-memory systems that has the potential to deliver the throughput required in next generation routers. We then show that our communication architecture can easily scale to accommodate a much greater number of network nodes. Our network architecture yields higher performance than the traditional bus and crossbar yet has low implementation cost. It is quite flexible and can be implemented in either packet or circuit switched mode. We compare and contrast our proposed architecture with busses and crossbars using metrics such as throughput and physical layout cost.


We propose an algorithm of extracting Schrodinger theories under all viable physical time from the Einstein-Hilbert path integral, formulated as the timeless transition amplitudes $\hat{\mathbb{P}}:\mathbb{K} \to \mathbb{K}^*$ between the boundary states in a kinematic Hilbert space $\mathbb{K}$. Each of these Schrodinger theories refers to a certain set of quantum degrees of freedom in $\mathbb{K}$ as a background, with their given values specifying moments of the physical time. Restricted to these specified background values, the relevant elements of $\hat{\mathbb{P}}$ are transformed by the algorithm into the unitary propagator of a corresponding reduced phase space Schrodinger theory. The algorithm embodies the fundamental principle of quantum Cauchy surfaces, such that all the derived Schrodinger theories emerge from one timeless canonical theory defined by $\hat{\mathbb{P}}$ as a rigging map, via the relational Dirac observables referring to the corresponding backgrounds. We demonstrate its application to a FRW loop quantum cosmological model with a massless Klein-Gordon scalar field. Recovering the famous singularity-free quantum gravitational dynamics with the background of the scalar field, we also obtain in another reference frame a modified Klein-Gordon field quantum dynamics with the background of the spatial (quantum) geometry.


Feldspars in Louisiana Miocene sandstones, at depths of 2,400 to 6,000 m (80 to 150 degrees C), show progresssive reaction with increasing burial. Plagioclase undergoes both dissolution and replacement by albite, whereas K-feldspar undergoes only dissolution. Reactions do not reach completion by 6,000 m (150 degrees C), where a small amount of oligoclase and K-feldspar remain within an assemblage of nearly pure authigenic albite. Dissolution of plagioclase gradually becomes volumetrically important near 3,600 m (100 degrees C) and for the most part ends by 5,000 m (130 degrees C). Albite replacement of plagioclase also occurs primarily between 3,600 and 5,000 m (100 to 130 degrees C) but continues to the limit of sample control at 6,000 m (150 degrees C). K-feldspar dissolution is negligible until 4,800 to 5,600 m (125 to 140 degrees C). Below 5,600 m, K-feldspar is nearly absent in the rocks. Discontinuous zones of blocky to tabular extinction characterize grains of partially albitized plagioclase. Backscattered electron images of these grains, coupled with electron microprobe analyses, indicate that these zones represent domains of unreacted calcic plagioclase (An (sub 10-30) ) interspersed with domains of nearly pure authigenic albite (An (sub 0-2) ). SEM images show that some albite domains form from precipitation of small albite overgrowths on nucleation sites within secondary intragranular megascopic pores. In thin section, the overgrowths are optically clear. Other highly vacuolized albite domains may develop from direct replacement of calcic domains by dissolution-reprecipitation in submicroscopic pores without the formation of megascopic pores. Here, pore fluid may have been trapped between large numbers of subcrystals that grew together with imperfect boundaries. Operating on both megascopic and submicroscopic scales, albite replacement of plagioclase grains can be completed.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Chronic knee joint pain is one of the most frequent complaints which is seen in the outpatient clinic in our medical institute. In previous studies we have reported the benefits of low level laser therapy (LLLT) for chronic pain in the shoulder joints, elbow, hand, finger and the lower back. The present study is a report on the effects of LLLT for chronic knee joint pain.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Over the past 5 years, 35 subjects visited the outpatient clinic with complaints of chronic knee joint pain caused by the knee osteoarthritis-induced degenerative meniscal tear. They received low level laser therapy. A 1000 mW semi-conductor laser device was used to deliver 20.1 J/cm(2) per point in continuous wave at 830nm, and four points were irradiated per session (1 treatment) twice a week for 4 weeks.

RESULTS
A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to determine the effects of LLLT for the chronic pain and after the end of the treatment regimen a significant improvement was observed (p<0.001). After treatment, no significant differences were observed in the knee joint range of motion. Discussions with the patients revealed that it was important for them to learn how to avoid postures that would cause them knee pain in everyday life in order to have continuous benefits from the treatment.

CONCLUSION
The present study demonstrated that 830 nm LLLT was an effective form of treatment for chronic knee pain caused by knee osteoarthritis. Patients were advised to undertake training involving gentle flexion and extension of the knee.


Dynamic analysis tools, such as those that detect data-races, verify memory safety, and identify information flow, have become a vital part of testing and debugging complex software systems. While these tools are powerful, their slow speed often limits how effectively they can be deployed in practice. Hybrid analysis speeds up these tools by using static analysis to decrease the work performed during dynamic analysis. In this paper we argue that current hybrid analysis is needlessly hampered by an incorrect assumption that preserving the soundness of dynamic analysis requires an underlying sound static analysis. We observe that, even with unsound static analysis, it is possible to achieve sound dynamic analysis for the executions which fall within the set of states statically considered. This leads us to a new approach, called optimistic hybrid analysis. We first profile a small set of executions and generate a set of likely invariants that hold true during most, but not necessarily all, executions. Next, we apply a much more precise, but unsound, static analysis that assumes these invariants hold true. Finally, we run the resulting dynamic analysis speculatively while verifying whether the assumed invariants hold true during that particular execution; if not, the program is reexecuted with a traditional hybrid analysis. Optimistic hybrid analysis is as precise and sound as traditional dynamic analysis, but is typically much faster because (1) unsound static analysis can speed up dynamic analysis much more than sound static analysis can and (2) verifications rarely fail. We apply optimistic hybrid analysis to race detection and program slicing and achieve 1.8x over a state-of-the-art race detector (FastTrack) optimized with traditional hybrid analysis and 8.3x over a hybrid backward slicer (Giri).


Capturing countries' commitments for measuring and monitoring progress towards certain goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), remains underexplored. The Agrobiodiversity Index bridges this gap by using text mining techniques to quantify countries' commitments towards safeguarding and using agrobiodiversity for healthy diets, sustainable agriculture, and effective genetic resource management. The Index extracts potentially relevant sections of official documents, followed by manual sifting and scoring to identify agrobiodiversity-related commitments and assign scores. Our aim is to present the text mining methodology used in the Agrobiodiversity Index and the calculated commitments scores for nine countries while identifying methodological improvements to strengthen it. Our results reveal that levels of commitment towards using and protecting agrobiodiversity vary between countries, with most showing the strongest commitments to enhancing agrobiodiversity for genetic resource management followed by healthy diets. No commitments were found in any country related to some specific themes including varietal diversity, seed diversity, and functional diversity. The revised text mining methodology can be used for benchmarking, learning, and improving policies to enable conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity. This low-cost, rapid, remotely applicable approach to capture and analyse policy commitments can be readily applied for tracking progress towards meeting other sustainability objectives.