Silicon photonics is emerging as a potential field to achieve optical interconnects towards the realization of ultra high bandwidth. The indirect band-gap property of silicon still remains as a big challenge to incorporate silicon photonic active device, for example, silicon-based laser. In the Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials at KTH, a monolithic integration platform based on nano-epitaxial lateral overgrowth (nano-ELOG) technique has been proposed to integrate III-V semiconductor materials with silicon for light source application. The integration process involves uneven surface morphology at different stages. The surfaces of the indium phosphide seed layer on silicon used for ELOG, the mask deposited on it (the silicon/silicon dioxide waveguide) and the ELOG indium phosphide layer grown on it prior to laser growth are often rough. In this thesis work, we have optimized chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) technique in order to achieve an even surface. The same procedure is also necessary to reach the optimal thickness of different layers to enable effective coupling of light from the laser source into the waveguide. CMP of indium phosphide to obtain an average surface roughness of < 1 nm has been optimized by a two-step polishing using different slurries; it results in a step height of ca 3 nm. Similarly the surface of silicon/silicon dioxide "waveguide" has also been optimized with the roughness of ~ 0.5 nm. In the latter case, a step height of 40 nm is retained and this increase with respect to InP is identified to be mainly due to limitations of the polishing machine which is different from that used for indium phosphide. The reduction in step heights with polishing time is analyzed and compared with an existing theoretical model. Our results are in good qualitative agreement with the model. The optimized surface morphology obtained in this work was tested for its suitability for integration. For this evaluation, InP was grown by ELOG in a hydride vapour phase epitaxy reactor with and without CMP of the involved surfaces. The surface after CMP yields layers of better surface morphology with fewer defects as revealed by atomic force microscopy, surface profilometer and cathodoluminescence analysis. The results indicate that the CMP process is useful for monolithic integration for silicon photonics.


This report provides an overview of the opportunity represented by the electrification of inland and coastal ferries in Latin America and the Caribbean. A review of electric ferry activity around the world and interviews with several project teams has been undertaken. In addition, a construction of an economic model the LATAM e-Ferry Model (LEFM) comparing the capital and operating costs of a typical mid-sized electric ferry to those of a conventional diesel-powered ferry was implemented. Finally, an assessment of five initial candidate routes for electrification and analysis of the electric ferry supply chain and identification of addressable market size in Latin America was determined.


Objective: To assess the prevalence of low bone mineral density in Chinese patients, and to determine the potential risk factor in development of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) among Chinese patients.
Materials and Methods: A total of 120 JIA who routinely undergoing Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scanning selected from Department of Pediatrics, Ren Ji Hospital, China between January 2014 to December 2016. Bone Mineral Density (BMD) was measured by DXA in all 120 patients. Lumbar Spine (LS) BMD of less than -1 and more than and equal to -2.5 score of BMD is defined as Osteopenia. Lumbar spine BMD of less than -2.5 score of BMD is defined as osteoporosis. Data on disease activity, QoL, BMI, age, gender, ethnicity, medication use, duration of medication use, clinical characteristics, and adolescence status were collected.
Result: Data of all 120 patients were analysed. In our study, 39% of subjects had osteopenia, whereas 21% subjects had osteoporosis. Of total, 20% of patients had low BMD. Our statistical analysis results showed a significant relationship between osteopenia and patients' age, diseases duration, treatment (corticosteroid) duration and dose of corticosteroid, were found to be highly correlated. Dose of corticosteroid (cumulative) dose and duration of diseases were found to be significantly related with LS osteopenia, whereas duration of disease positively related with LS osteoporosis.
Conclusion: Our results suggested that osteopenia and osteoporosis are common in Chinese patients with JIA. Dose of corticosteroid therapy and duration of diseases is mainly associated with JIA as it strongly linked with LS osteoporosis, LS osteopenia and low BMD.


difference in volume of distribution of the drug rather than solely from a true difference in hepatic microsomal function. It is stated that some expansion of the extracellular fluid volume remained in the oedematous patients despite three days' treatment with frusemide, and this is confirmed by the lower estimated mean plasma antipyrine concentration at time zero in this group (6-18 iimol/l compared with 6-44, 6-39, and 6-48 ,imol/l in groups 1-3 respectively). Thus it is possible that there was a spuriously prolonged half life in the presence of a normal hepatic antipyrine clearance in these patients, and we feel that this possibility deserves fuller consideration. Finally, we question the validity of administering to oedematous patients a dose of antipyrine calculated from the body weight.


The protection of civil structures, including their material contents and human occupants, is without doubt a world-wide priority of most serious current research. Such protection may range from reliable operation and comfort, on one hand, to serviceabilit y on the other. Examples of such structures which leap to one's mind include buildings, towers, and bridges. In like manner, events which cause the need for such protective measures are environmental like earthquakes and winds, or moving loads like cars and pedestrians in the case of bridges. The earthquake hazard is translated in severe vibrations for the structural systems. In order to handle this world wide problem auxiliary damping devices is added to absorb those vibrations. One of the early used damping devices is the Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) which is a passive system in that it absorbs the structural response without adding an external control signal. In this work a case study of three stories building model excited by a simulated earthquake hazard is investigated versus the response of the same building supplied by a TMD.


Introduction: Pap smear has been utilized since a long time in detecting cervical pre-cancers and cancers. Their potential in diagnosing pathogenic organisms however is underestimated. Reporting organisms morphologically consistent with Candida species, in cervicovaginal smears, is easier, but coexisting coccobacillary flora is often missed in the bargain. Such co-existing infections make the treatment difficult for clinicians, prolonging the distressing symptoms of patients. We evaluated modified silver staining technique using a microwave - JONES MARRES STAIN (JM) and tried comparing the results with conventional Pap smears to find any additional flora.
Aim: To identify co-existing organisms in addition to Candida in a Pap smear stained with Jones Marres stain.
Materials and methods: This retrospective prevalence study that included 82 consecutive conventional Pap smears routinely stained with Pap stain was then subjected to silver stain in a microwave.
Inclusion criteria: Pap smears reported as showing Candida group of organisms.
Results: In the 82 smears evaluated, JM stain helped in easier picking up of additional coccobacillary flora in 37(45%) of cases in comparison to 4(4.87%).These coexisting infections were missed in conventional Pap smear reporting.
Conclusion: Modified JM stain helped in diagnosing additional flora thus reducing the chances of missing out co-infections and hence is useful for providing effective treatment

Keywords: Microwave Silver stain, Co-infection, Pap smear, Coccobacillary flora.


Light brigde are small-scale structures observed in the solar photosphere which separate the umbra of a sunspot in two or more parts. On 6 August 2011, we observed at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope a large sunspot of the Active Region NOAA 11263 with a light bridge. We acquired full Stokes profiles over the Fe I line at 630.25 nm and spectroscopic data along the Fe I line profile at 557.6 nm for about an hour, from 09:53:32 UT to 10:48:43 UT. Data in the core of the Ca II H line at 396.8 nm were simultaneously acquired. The Active Region was also observed by SDO and SOT/HINODE to study the dynamics and the magnetic evolution of the light bridge. Thanks to these high-resolution observations the fine structure of this element and its properties are better studied to determine the physical processes behind its formation.


The p‐version FEM has proven to be very efficient for static problem. An analysis of the possibilities of this method on vibration problem is presented. The method is first explained and compared with the classic h‐version FEM. Then, convergence indicators are defined and a convergence analysis is performed. To follow the performance on diverse situations, three types of plates are used as test problems: a rectangular plate, an L plate, and a stiffened plate. It is shown that the p‐version outperforms the classic h‐version by an average factor of 5 (the number of converged eigenvalues, for the same number of DOF, is five times greater). [Work supported by NSERC and FCAR.]


Geometrical shape discrimination has been shown to play an important role in the spatial orientation of a wide variety of mammals and birds, while the study of this ability in particular and of cognitive processes in general has been rather neglected in reptiles. The present experiment aims to investigate the ability of wild Greek tortoises Testudo graeca from Topolog forest, Tulcea County, Romania, to discriminate between simple geometrical shapes. Forty-two adult tortoises were subjected to a task consisting of escaping from a square arena through one of the four available doors, each with a geometrical shape attached. Thirty-one individuals completed 10 consecutive trials, requiring significantly less time for the last trial than for the first. This trend suggests that Greek tortoises developed and used an escape strategy, most likely relying on the geometrical shapes provided as cues. This experiment is the first to explore the cognitive processes of this species and further work should expand on the ecological significance of this ability.


Background: Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) is a successful nosocomial pathogen. The current molecular method recommended in the Netherlands for VREfm typing is based on core genome Multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST), however, the rapid emergence of specific VREfm lineages challenges distinguishing outbreak isolates solely based on their core genome. Here, we explored if a detailed molecular characterisation of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and accessory genes could support and expand the current molecular typing of VREfm isolates sharing the same genetic background, enhancing the discriminatory power of the analysis. Materials/Methods: The genomes of 39 VREfm and three vancomycin-susceptible E. faecium (VSEfm) isolates belonging to ST117/CT24, as assessed by cgMLST, were retrospectively analysed. The isolates were collected from patients and environmental samples from 2011 to 2017, and their genomes were analysed using short-read sequencing. Pangenome analysis was performed on de novo assemblies, which were also screened for known predicted virulence factors, antimicrobial resistance genes, bacteriocins, and prophages. Two representative isolates were also sequenced using long-read sequencing, which allowed a detailed analysis of their plasmid content. Results: The cgMLST analysis showed that the isolates were closely related, with a minimal allelic difference of 10 between each cluster's closest related isolates. The vanB-carrying transposon Tn1549 was present in all VREfm isolates. However, in our data, we observed independent acquisitions of this transposon. The pangenome analysis revealed differences in the accessory genes related to prophages and bacteriocins content, whilst a similar profile was observed for known predicted virulence and resistance genes. Conclusion: In the case of closely related isolates sharing a similar genetic background, a detailed analysis of MGEs and the integration point of the vanB-carrying transposon allow to increase the discriminatory power compared to the use of cgMLST alone. Thus, enabling the identification of epidemiological links amongst hospitalised patients.


Purpose: A propensity for hematogenous spread with resulting contamination of autologous cell products complicates cellular therapies for Ewing's sarcoma. We used a new approach to purge artificially contaminated cellular specimens of Ewing's sarcoma and show the capacity for real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to quantify the contamination level of Ewing's sarcoma in such specimens. Patients and Methods: Binding of monoclonal antibody (MoAb) 8H9 to Ewing's sarcoma cell lines and normal hematopoietic cells was studied using flow cytometry. Using real-time PCR‐based amplification of t(11;22), levels of Ewing's contamination of experimental and clinical cellular products were monitored. Purging was accomplished using immunomagnetic-based depletion. Monitoring of the function of residual hematopoietic progenitors and T cells was performed using functional assays. Results: MoAb 8H9 shows binding to Ewing's sarcoma but spares normal hematopoietic tissues. Nested real-time PCR is capable of detecting contaminating Ewing's sarcoma cells with a sensitivity of one cell in 10 6 normal cells. After 8H9-based purging, a 2- to 3-log reduction in contaminating Ewing's sarcoma was shown by real-time PCR, with purging to PCR negativity at levels of contamination of 1:10 6 . Levels of contamination in clinical samples ranged from 1:10 5 to 10 6 . Therefore, 8H9-based purging of clinical samples is predicted to reduce tumor cell contamination to a level below the limit of detection of PCR. Conclusion: These results demonstrate a new approach for purging contaminated cellular products of Ewing's sarcoma and demonstrate the capacity of realtime PCR to provide accurate quantitative estimates of circulating tumor burden in this disease. J Clin Oncol 19:3649-3659. © 2001 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.


Abstract Background: Statins are the most widely prescribed and most effective cholesterol-lowering drugs used in the United States. Statins are a logical candidate for cancer chemoprevention in that they have multiple cellular effects other than lowering cholesterol, including: inhibition of rho GTPases, induction of apoptosis, and decreasing markers of chronic inflammation. A chemopreventive effect of statins on breast cancer has been suggested, however there is significant variation in inter-individual response to statins, and underlying genetic differences may modify the effect of statins on cancer risk. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate whether there is an interaction between genes modifying statin metabolism and statin use in relationship with breast cancer risk in a case-control study nested within the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study (OS). Methods: Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) data on 30,380 SNPS were available for 1,683 breast cancer cases and 1,683 one-to-one matched controls from the WHI and were included in Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility (CGEMS). Matching criteria were: age at screening, enrollment date, race/ethnicity (all were White), hysterectomy status at baseline and history of breast cancer at baseline. Statin use, sociodemographic information and potentially confounding variables were evaluated at baseline and breast cancer diagnoses were centrally adjudicated. We examined interactions between baseline statin use (yes or no) and 22 SNPs in or near 9 candidate lipid metabolism genes using a conditional logistic model adjusted for features at baseline associated with case/control status. We also examined interactions between statin use and all available SNPs from the GWAS after adjustment for significant features. Results: There were two SNPs out of the 22 SNPs in or near the lipid genes of interest that were nominally significant; rs1529711 in the CARM1 gene [near candidate gene SMARC4, minor allele frequency (MAF) 15%], Pint=0.04, and rs9282564 in the ABCB1 gene (MAF 10%), Pint=0.01. When all GWAS SNPs were examined for interactions with statin use, 34 SNPs achieved statistical significance using a 5% false discovery rate. The GWAS SNP with the greatest evidence for interaction with statin use on breast cancer risk was rs2875218 (Pint=0.0000076). Conclusion: Two SNPs (rs1529711 and rs9282564) near candidate genes (SMARC4 and ABCB1, respectively) showed trends as effect modifiers of statins on breast cancer risk. SMARC4 is a SWI/SNF related, matrix associated, actin dependent regulator of chromatin, and was identified as a candidate effect modifier in a genome-wide study of statin induced myopathy (Link et al., NEJM, 2008). ABCB1 encodes a large transmembrane protein integral to the blood-brain barrier and functions as a drug-transport pump between brain and blood which attenuated LDL-C reduction in a study by Newman and Hulley (JAMA 1996). From the genome-wide analyses, a SNP (rs2875218) located between PRDX3P3 and FREM2 on chromosome 13 was strongly implicated as interacting with statin use on breast cancer risk. Future analyses will examine tagSNPs covering genomic regions of interest including candidate genes and loci identified through this genome-wide examination of SNP x Statin interactions. We will also explore the associations by statin subtype (lipophilic, hydrophilic). Genetic associations such as these, if confirmed, may have implications in terms of personalized medicine, given that statin efficacy in relation to breast cancer risk may be increased or decreased in individuals dependent on inherited genetic polymorphisms. Citation Format: Allison M. Jay, Cathryn H. Bock, Gregory Dyson, Jennifer L. Beebe-Dimmer, Lifang Hou, Barbara V. Howard, Ross Prentice, Michael S. Simon. The effect of genetic variants on the relationship between statins and breast cancer in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Post-GWAS Horizons in Molecular Epidemiology: Digging Deeper into the Environment; 2012 Nov 11-14; Hollywood, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2012;21(11 Suppl):Abstract nr 07.


Our keynote speech on mixed methods research of classroom discourse aims at beginning and experienced researchers who want to learn more about combining various methodologies in one educational research. We will describe in detail our intervention study on implementation of dialogic teaching realized in last your years. We will show why we decided to do an intervention study, how we designed a teacher development programme, and how we trained teachers in using dialogic approach. We used a quasi-experimental design of intervention study to monitor and measure the change and qualitative research to solve the mysteries of quantitative research. Our lecture has the following aims for participants: (1) to understand the logic of combining methodologies in educational research, (2) to be able to apply some of our methodological discoveries to their own research.


We previously demonstrated that both casein kinase II (CKII) and protein kinase C (PKC) positively modulate the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) RNA replication but not the assembly of the empty hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg) particle. In this study, we investigated whether phosphorylation of HDAg by these two kinases plays a role in assembly of the HDV virion. As demonstrated by in vivo labeling and kinase inhibitor experiments, the phosphorylation level of large HDAg but not small HDAg in HDAg-expressing HuH-7 cells was diminished by CKII inhibitor (DRB), whereas no effect was observed for the phosphorylation level of two HDAgs when treated with protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor (HA1004) or PKC inhibitor (H7). Cotransfection experiment also demonstrated that packaging of HDV genomic RNA was not affected by the kinase inhibitor DRB or H7 and mutation at the putative CKII phosphorylation sites (serine-2, serine-123, or both), and the putative PKC site (serine-210) of HDAg did not elicit any significant effect on the HDV virion assembly. Therefore, based on the previous work and the present study, it seems that the status and biological significance of phosphorylation of HDAg vary depending on the HDV life cycle. Although in the HDV RNA replication cycle, phosphorylation of small HDAg by CKII or PKC plays important role in HDV replication, phosphorylation of the same HDAg by these two kinases does not occur during the HDV RNA virion assembly, and phosphorylation of the large HDAg by CKII does not confer any regulatory role in the assembly of HDV virion and empty viral particles. Our study also showed that the large HDAg without the small HDAg could efficiently assemble both monomeric and dimeric HDV genomic RNAs into secreted HBV-enveloped virus-like particles. Increasing the transfected small HDAg-expressing plasmid led to an enhancement of the packaging efficiency for the monomeric HDV genomic RNA with little effect on the packaging of dimeric HDV RNA. Similarly, HDAgs could package the trimeric HDV genomic RNA, albeit less efficiently. CsCl density gradient centrifugation confirmed that HDAgs and the monomeric and multimeric (dimer and trimer) HDV genomic RNAs formed an HBV-enveloped virus-like particle at a density of 1.23-1.25 g/ml. Thus, the assembly of the HDV virion seems to not impose much restriction on the size of HDV RNA for packaging.


We report our investigation on chromium oxide thin film coatings that show a negligible ion release during electrochemical corrosion testing in saline solution. The chemical constituents of the films prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering were identified to be predominantly Cr2O3 based on Raman spectroscopy anti-symmetric stretching vibration modes for CrIII–O and other peaks and an FTIR spectroscopy Eu vibrational mode at 409 cm−1. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, multiplet fitting for 2P3/2 and 2P1/2 states also confirmed the predominantly Cr2O3 stoichiometry in the films. The prepared chromium oxide coatings showed superior pitting corrosion resistance compared to the native chromium oxide films on bare uncoated stainless steel when tested under open circuit potential, potentiodynamic polarisation and cyclic voltammetry in saline solution. The chromium ion released into solution during the corrosion testing of stainless steel substrates coated with chromium oxide coatings was found to be negligibly small based on atomic absorption spectroscopy measurements. Our Mott–Schottky analysis investigation showed that the negligibly small ion release from the chromium oxide coated steel substrates is most likely due to a much lower defect density on the surface of the deposited coatings compared to the native oxide layer on the uncoated steel substrates. This opens up the opportunity for using chromium oxide surface coatings in hip, knee and other orthopaedic implants where possible metal ion release in vivo still poses a great challenge.


The computation of two Bayesian predictive distributions which are discrete mixtures of incomplete beta functions is considered. The number of iterations can easily become large for these distributions and thus, the accuracy of the result can be questionable. Therefore, existing algorithms for that class of mixtures are improved by introducing round-off error calculation into the stopping rule. A further simple modification is proposed to deal with possible underflows that may prevent recurrence to work properly.


Microsoft Office is one of the most widely used applications for office documents. For documents of prime importance, such as contracts and invoices, the content can be signed to guarantee authenticity and integrity. Since 2019, security researchers have uncovered attacks against the integrity protection in other office standards like PDF and ODF. Since Microsoft Office documents rely on different specifications and processing rules, the existing attacks are not applicable. We are the first to provide an in-depth analysis of Office Open XML (OOXML) Signatures, the Ecma/ISO standard that all Microsoft Office applications use. Our analysis reveals major discrepancies between the structure of office documents and the way digital signatures are verified. These discrepancies lead to serious security flaws in the specification and in the implementation. As a result, we discovered five new attack classes. Each attack allows attackers to modify the content in signed documents, while the signatures are still displayed as valid. We tested the attacks against different Microsoft Office versions on Windows and macOS, as well as against OnlyOffice Desktop on Windows, macOS and Linux. All tested Office versions are vulnerable. On macOS, we could reveal a surprising result: although Microsoft Office indicates that the document is protected by a signature, the signature is not validated. The attacks' impact is alarming: attackers can arbitrarily manipulate the displayed content of a signed document, and victims are unable to detect the tampering. Even worse, we present a universal signature forgery attack that allows the attacker to create an arbitrary document and apply a signature extracted from a different source, such as an ODF document or a SAML token. For the victim, the document is displayed as validly signed by a trusted entity. We propose countermeasures to prevent such issues in the future. During a coordinated disclosure, Microsoft acknowledged and awarded our research with a bug bounty.


Finding vulnerabilities in software is a difficult task, typically undertaken by experts. Developers have little of the required knowledge to find complex vulnerabilities in their software products before release. Automation of vulnerability discovery and proof of concept exploit generation is key to enable developers to check and fix software vulnerabilities in the development process. Research in this field is currently directed at automatically generating exploits for software developed for general purpose computers. Embedded systems occupy a significant portion of the market and lack typical security features found on general purpose computers. In this report, we implement automatic exploit generation for embedded systems firmwares, by extending an existing dynamic analysis framework called Avatar. We discuss several techniques to discover vulnerabilities and generate exploits, and evaluate our solution by generating exploits for three vulnerable firmwares written for a popular ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller.


Previous research has suggested three primary categories of meaning which designers should consider during their design processes, i.e. function, ritual and myth, which cover a spectrum from the purely instrumental to the purely symbolic. The research hypothesis of the current study was that the previously identified three primary categories of meaning would be commonly encountered in practice, and that statistically significant differences would occur between designers and consumers. A semi-structured questionnaire was deployed with ten designers and with ten consumers using a set of twenty photographs of designed artefacts. The results suggested that all three categories of meaning could occur individually or could be co-present to some degree. The results further suggested that statistically significant differences occurred between the group of designers and the group of consumers in the indicated category of meaning and in the adjectives used to describe the artefacts. The findings suggest that some meaning divergences may be occurring between designers and consumers, and would appear to highlight the need for carefully executed ethnographic and user testing activities.


Epithelial splicing regulatory protein 1 (ESRP1) is an epithelial cell-specific RNA binding protein that controls several key cellular processes, like alternative splicing and translation. Previous studies have demonstrated a tumor suppressor role for this protein. Recently, however, a pro-metastatic function of ESRP1 has been reported. We thus aimed at clarifying the role of ESRP1 in Colorectal Cancer (CRC) by performing lossand gain-of-function studies, and evaluating tumorigenesis and malignancy with in vitro and in vivo approaches. We found that ESRP1 plays a role in anchorage-independent growth of CRC cells. ESRP1-overexpressing cells grown in suspension showed enhanced fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR1/2) signalling, Akt activation, and Snail upregulation. Moreover, ESRP1 promoted the ability of CRC cells to generate macrometastases in mice livers. High ESRP1 expression may thus stimulate growth of cancer epithelial cells and promote colorectal cancer progression. Our findings provide mechanistic insights into a previously unreported, pro-oncogenic role for ESRP1 in CRC, and suggest that fine-tuning the level of this RNA-binding protein could be relevant in modulating tumor growth in a subset of CRC patients.


Abstract. We assessed the influence of the marine diazotrophic cyanobacterium
Trichodesmium on the bio-optical properties of western tropical South
Pacific (WTSP)
waters (18–22∘ S, 160∘ E–160∘ W) during
the February–March 2015 OUTPACE cruise. We performed measurements of
backscattering and absorption coefficients, irradiance, and radiance in the
euphotic zone with a Satlantic MicroPro free-fall profiler and took
Underwater Vision Profiler 5 (UPV5) pictures for counting the largest
Trichodesmium spp. colonies. Pigment concentrations were determined
by fluorimetry and high-performance liquid chromatography and picoplankton
abundance by flow cytometry. Trichome concentration was estimated from
pigment algorithms and validated by surface visual counts. The abundance of
large colonies counted by the UVP5 (maximum 7093 colonies m−3) was
well correlated to the trichome concentrations (maximum
2093 trichomes L−1) with an aggregation factor of 600. In the
Melanesian archipelago, a maximum of 4715 trichomes L−1 was enumerated
in pump samples (3.2 m) at 20∘ S, 167 30∘ E. High
Trichodesmium abundance was always associated with
absorption peaks of
mycosporine-like amino acids (330, 360 nm) and high particulate
backscattering, but not with high Chl a fluorescence or blue particulate
absorption (440 nm). Along the west-to-east transect, Trichodesmium
together with Prochlorococcus represented the major part of total
chlorophyll concentration; the contribution of other groups were relatively
small or negligible. The Trichodesmium contribution to total
chlorophyll concentration was the highest in the Melanesian archipelago
around New Caledonia and Vanuatu (60 %), progressively decreased to the
vicinity of the islands of Fiji (30 %), and reached a minimum in the
South Pacific Gyre where Prochlorococcus dominated chlorophyll
concentration. The contribution of Trichodesmium to zeaxanthin was
respectively 50, 40 and 20 % for these regions. During the OUTPACE
cruise, the relationship between normalized water-leaving radiance
(nLw) in the ultraviolet and visible and chlorophyll
concentration was similar to that found during the BIOSOPE cruise in the
eastern tropical Pacific. Principal component analysis (PCA) of OUTPACE data
showed that nLw at 305, 325, 340, 380, 412 and 440 nm was
strongly correlated to chlorophyll and zeaxanthin, while nLw at
490 and 565 nm exhibited lower correlations. These results, as well as
differences in the PCA of BIOSOPE data, indicated that nLw
variability in the greenish blue and yellowish green during OUTPACE was
influenced by other variables associated with Trichodesmium
presence, such as backscattering coefficient, phycoerythrin fluorescence
and/or zeaxanthin absorption, suggesting that Trichodesmium
detection should involve examination of nLw in this spectral
domain.


Vacuum Distillation is a process of separation of two kompenen a very high boiling point, motede used is by lowering the surface pressure is lower than 1 atm in order to, avoid the occurrence of oxidation reactions of components will be separated for the double bond in the compound is not broken.
Turmeric is a spice commonly used in cooking in the countries of Asia. Composition and the chemical content of Turmeric contains medicinal compounds, called curcuminoid
The working principle vacuum destilation of this tool is based on the phenomenon of vacuum under 1 atm for lower boiling point solvent that contained curcumin oil components are not damaged and the time required for distilled curcumin oil faster. Solvents used were water. Water use is based on reason is more economical. The function of the solvent dissolves the oil component is contained ginger then evaporate along with water. After that the mixture between oil and water are separated using a separator funnel.
From the results analysis that Turmeric oil has a good quality is reduce chohobation destilation. It is seen from volume oil (5,3ml), the refractive index (1.4698), Sucrose (0.14%) ginger oil, and the density (0.885g/ml), in the range of EOA (Essential Oil Association).
Keyword : vacuum distillation, Turmeric, Turmeric oil


This paper examines the early history of agricultural entomology in the Russian empire in the decades before Russian universities and learned societies occupied centre stage in the intellectual life of the country. It aims to contribute to the ongoing discussions of historically contingent relations between 'amateurs' and 'professionals' in scientific research. It explores the social identities of those people who took part in the production and circulation of scientific knowledge, and argues that in this period Russian officialdom played a major role in these processes. The state officials' engagement with natural history originated out of a broader information gathering agenda, which was characteristic of the early- to mid-19th century. At the same time, the paper highlights the importance of provincial observers who were indispensable for providing field data for bureaucratic 'inventorying' of imperial resources. This dependency on local observers had far reaching implications, including the dissemination of the language and practices of natural history among wider audiences.


ABSTRACT Close to half of the 878 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains recovered between 1992 and 1997 from the pediatric hospital in Lisbon were bacteria in which antibiotic resistance was limited to β-lactam antibiotics. The other half were multidrug resistant. The coexistence of MRSA with such unequal antibiotic resistance profiles prompted us to use molecular typing techniques for the characterization of the MRSA strains. Fifty-three strains chosen randomly were typed by a combination of genotypic methods. Over 90% of the MRSA strains belonged to two clones: the most frequent one, designated the "pediatric clone," was reminiscent of historically "early" MRSA: most isolates of this clone were only resistant to β-lactam antimicrobials and remained susceptible to macrolides, quinolones, clindamycin, spectinomycin, and tetracycline. They showed heterogeneous and low-level resistance to methicillin (MIC, 1.5 to 6 μg/ml), carried the ClaI-mecApolymorph II, were free of the transposon Tn554, and showed macrorestriction pattern D (clonal type II::NH::D). The second major clone was the internationally spread and multiresistant "Iberian" MRSA with homogeneous and high-level resistance to methicillin (MIC, >200 μg/ml) and clonal type I::E::A. Surprisingly, the multidrug-resistant and highly epidemic Iberian MRSA did not replace the much less resistant pediatric clone during the 6 years of surveillance. The pediatric clone was also identified among contemporary MRSA isolates from Poland, Argentina, The United States, and Colombia, and the overwhelming majority of these were also associated with pediatric settings. We propose that the pediatric MRSA strain represents a formerly widely spread archaic clone which survived in some epidemiological settings with relatively limited antimicrobial pressure.


ABSTRACT The impact of violent video gaming on the mental health of adolescents has been of extreme importance to health care professionals and policy makers for many years. Lebanon is gripped by political and economic events that contribute to the increased prevalence of mental disorders especially among children and adolescents. This study sought to examine the association between violent video gaming and mental health problems including aggression, depression, anxiety, and insomnia among male teenagers in Lebanon. This is a cross-sectional survey study that enrolled a sample of 388 male students from grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 (13–17 years of age). The students were drawn from five Lebanese schools between October and December 2019. The Video Game Questionnaire was used to assess the games use frequencies, the degree of violent content (blood), and the degree of violent images, the Buss and Perry Scale for aggression, the Normative Beliefs about Aggression for the perceptions and beliefs about behaving aggressively, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression, the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale for anxiety and the Lebanese Insomnia Scale for insomnia. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was carried out after adjusting for age and household crowding index. The results showed that higher video gaming total score was significantly associated with higher anxiety (Beta = 0.039), insomnia (Beta = 0.042), total aggression (Beta = 0.141) and approval of aggression (Beta = 0.061), but not depression (Beta = 0.009). Our findings reveal the association between higher violent VGs exposure and higher approval of aggression, aggression, anxiety and insomnia among male teenagers in Lebanon. Such data can be relied on as a framework for parents, health care providers and teachers to increase awareness and protect our teenagers from the possible negative effect of violent video gaming.


Marking the fifteenth anniversary of the entry into force of Regulation 1/2003, 2019 offers a vantage point from which to analyse the rise of commitment decisions as the primary enforcement mechanism for non-cartel competition law investigations at EU level. Commitment decisions, the closure of competition cases with a package of remedial obligations in response to Commission concerns, have an undeniable administrative appeal. They afford the Commission the absolute discretion to counteract any form of market conduct, whether beyond the pre-existing scope of the law deduced by the EU Courts from Articles 101 and 102 TFEU, or below exacting thresholds for prohibition of legally controversial business practices. Furthermore, the Commission can secure any remedial outcome, even if disproportionate or seemingly disconnected from its competitive concerns, to thereby redraw markets according to its idealized vision. In this regard, commitment decisions allow the Commission to achieve its policy goals with utmost effectiveness. Nevertheless, this article argues that such a method of market intervention represents a significant divergence from realizing the ideal of the formal rule of law in EU competition enforcement: normative certainty for businesses, facilitated by the equal application of generalized legal norms, which are subject to close oversight by courts. This offers an aspirational legal form of considerable political and economic value. Using commitment decisions to enforce EU competition policy via ad hoc, subject-specific decision making, conditional upon unforeseeable remedial obligations, is of systemic detriment to the legal comprehensibility of not just future Commission decision making, but the entire edifice of norms deduced from the Treaties by the EU Courts in this field. A rather relaxed approach to judicially reviewing the remedial proportionality of commitment decisions has partly contributed to this issue. However it is suggested that the EU Courts are largely unable to remedy the problems of novel theories of harm or subject-specific determinations, delivering upon their important residual role envisaged by the rule of law ideal, because of a factor mostly beyond their control: the lack of commitment decisions brought before them for review. To that end, the article concludes by recommending the automatic review of commitment decisions by the Courts. This would hopefully foster a more balanced reconciliation of effective policy achievement by the Commission and realization of the formal rule of law ideal in contemporary EU competition enforcement.


Sinusitis is a common disorder in both children and adults. It is responsible for significant absenteeism from school and work. Up to 10% of upper respiratory infections in children are complicated by acute sinusitis. Since antibacterial therapy is most often empirically chosen to treat the disorder, knowledge of the typical etiologic agents as well as awareness of the antibacterial susceptibility profiles in a given community are of paramount importance. The need for consistently bactericidal antibacterials, the recognition of the importance of nontypable Hemophilus influenzae unresponsive to first-generation cephalosporins, tetracyline-resistant Gram-positive cocci, and the increasing emergence of beta-lactamase-positive respiratory pathogens such as H. influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis, now mandate the use of newer therapeutic agents for acute and chronic sinusitis.


Two features of citizen response to Congress can be taken as grounds for concern. First, Americans know relatively little about Congress, and especially about congressional procedures and policy output. Second, Congress typically emerges as the least respected political institution. Although these matters are troubling when viewed individually, more disturbing is the dilemma posed when knowledge and attitudes toward Congress are viewed in tandem. It appears that citizens who know Congress the best like Congress the least. Consequently, a sophisticated polity and a well-respected legislature seem fundamentally incompatible. This article seeks to resolve this dilemma, contending that there is nothing about knowledge per se that leads citizens to view Congress unfavorably. Rather, differences in knowledge levels alter the considerations citizens bring to bear when evaluating Congress, with the best-informed individuals constructing judgments on the basis of the most relevant Congress-specific criteria while less knowledgeable citizens employ readily available but more peripheral criteria.


The use of peri-urban fenlands for agriculture usmg urban waste as manorial treatments is increasingly common worldwide, particularly in developing countries. The risk to human health from the use of these contaminated materials for crop production has been studied using two historically contaminated fenlands in NW England. The GBASE survey carried out by the British Geological Survey identified two areas of metal contaminated fenland; west of Manchester (Chat Moss) and north of Liverpool (Halsall Moss). The two areas are used for arable agriculture, and current demand for locally sourced food is increasing pressure on farmers to move to vegetable horticulture. The effect of the metal contamination on the soils and crops is of key importance to monitor any risk to the food chain.
Historical research identified the two mossland areas as contaminated with urban wastes, Halsall Moss contaminated with urban organic wastes such as manure and Chat Moss contaminated with urban organic and mineral wastes. Waste disposal on Chat Moss was carried out by the Manchester Corporation to dispose of city waste and generate farmland from the peat. During the drainage up to 1.92 Mt of waste was incorporated into the soil, representing 38% of the topsoil today.
Profiles of contaminated and control sites on Chat Moss and a contaminated site on Halsall Moss were collected, with pH, organic matter content and trace metal content measured. Trace metal content was elevated over subsoil levels in the topsoil of all sites, for example arsenic showed topsoil concentrations of 45 mg kg-I in the most contaminated site (CM-3) compared to 3 mg kg-I in the subsoil. The elevation of trace metals in the historically uncontaminated sites indicated possible atmospheric deposition of metals at the control site. Contamination levels were found to be less than originally identified in the GBASE survey, possibly due to differing sample preparation methods and survey size. The GBASE survey measured an average lead concentration in contaminated sites of 1985 mg kg-I compared to 378 mg kg-I measured by the current study. Arsenic and cadmium concentrations exceeded Soil Guideline Values in the most contaminated site, 43 mg kg-I and 1.8 mg kg-I respectively, but all other metals were within guideline limits. Halsall Moss was found to be less contaminated than Chat Moss, due to the mainly organic nature of the waste disposed at Halsall Moss.
The mobility and fractionation of the contamination at the most contaminated site on Chat Moss were studied to understand the behaviour of the metals and assess potential risk to ecological or human health. Using sequential extractions, most metals were identified as hosted by organic, Fe/Mn oxide or residual phases. There was no difference observed in fractionation between control and contaminated sites, indicating that soil properties such as organic matter and Fe/Mn oxide content were more important in controlling fractionation than the source of metals. A comparison of Chat Moss with three soils of known contamination history also identified soil properties as key in controlling fractionation.
Lability of Pb in the contaminated Chat Moss soil was assessed using 204Pb stable isotope dilution, it was found that 65% of lead was labile. This was the highest out of the four soils studied, and again most likely controlled by soil properties such as organic matter content and pH. The impact of flooding events on the Chat Moss soils was assessed, and it was found that under redox conditions of -200 mY, large quantities of arsenic, lead, molybdenum and manganese were released to soil solution, and drinking water limits for these metals were violated, for example As solution concentration reached 308 J.1g L-1 and the drinking water limit is 10 Ilg L-1. Environmental quality standards for freshwater were also violated by arsenic, copper, lead and zinc showing potential ecological hazard under these reducing conditions, with lead concentrations reaching 137 J.1g L-1 in contrast to the environmental quality standard of 4 - 20 J.1g L-1.
The effect of soil contamination on vegetables grown on Chat Moss was also investigated, EU limits for Cd were exceeded by lettuce and onion, and EU limits for Pb were exceeded by parsley, carrot, radish and onion. Hazard Quotients used to assess the impact of plant contamination in the context of human intake showed that only cadmium and molybdenum were potentially hazardous. Thus it is not recommended to grow lettuce (high Cd), parsley, cabbage, radish and onion (all high molybdenum) at contaminated sites on Chat Moss. To minimise risk, conducting liming to raise the pH and immobilise the metals could be used, and careful selection of cultivars that do not accumulate metals is recommended.


BACKGROUND
Despite advances in the treatment of primary limb osteosarcoma, the outcome of patients with primary metastatic and axial skeletal disease remains poor. The European Osteosarcoma Intergroup have assessed a combination chemotherapy regimen consisting of ifosfamide (IFOS) 3 g/m2/dl-2, doxorubicin (DOX) 25 mg/m2/dl-3 i.v. bolus and cisplatin (CDDP) 100 mg/m2/dl.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
One hundred nine previously untreated patients with primary osteosarcoma were registered. Eligibility was confirmed in 103. At presentation, 45 eligible patients had metastatic disease, 15 axial skeletal primary tumours and 43 non-metastatic limb tumours.

RESULTS
The major toxicities were myelosuppression (90%, grade 3 or 4) and nausea and vomiting (74%, grade 3 or 4). Overall mean relative dose intensity (RDI) was 80% (88% CDDP, 75% IFOS, 81% DOX). Clinical response as measured by reduction in tumour volume occurred in 36% (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 27%-47%) of primary tumours. Response of pulmonary metastases to chemotherapy was seen in 33% (95% CI: 19%-49%). Good histological response (> or = 90% necrosis of the tumour) occurred in 33% (95% CI: 22%-45%) of resected tumours. Five-year survival was 62% in limb-non-metastatic, 41% in axial skeletal and 16% in limb metastatic patients.

CONCLUSIONS
This regimen is active in osteosarcoma but does not appear to be more active than the two-drug CDDP-DOX regimen currently recommended by EOI.


Monitoring activities in Alpine rivers is normally focused on water discharge measurements; sediment transport measurements have recently gained interest for several reasons, such as flood protection, research purposes, sediment budget and continuity. A new monitoring station has been designed and deployed in the Sulden/Solda river (South Tyrol, Italy) to address these needs. The watershed is characterized by large glacier areas and steep slopes feeding the river with sediments. The station is equipped with a 4m-rack of geophone plates and an acoustic pipe-hydrophone. Bedload is measured along with suspended load, water stage, water conductivity and temperature. This work presents the installation and the results collected during a high flood event and compares them to values derived from bedload equations obtained by other authors.


A range of surfaces coated with spherical silica particles, covering the size range from nanometer to micrometer, have been produced using Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) deposition. The particles were characterized both in suspension and in the Langmuir trough to optimize the surface preparation procedure. By limiting the particle aggregation and surface layer failures during the preparation steps, well-defined monolayers with a close-packed structure have been obtained for all particle sizes. Thus, this procedure led to structured surfaces with a characteristic variation in the amplitude and spatial roughness parameters. In order to obtain robust surfaces, a sintering protocol and an AFM-based wear test to determine the stability of the deposited surface layer were employed. Hydrophobization of the LB films followed by water contact angle measurements showed, for all tested particle sizes, the same increase in contact angle compared to the contact angle of a flat hydrophobic surface. This indicates nearly hexagonal packing and gives evidence for nearly complete surface wetting of the surface features.


: Children and adults with diabetes mellitus have an elevated risk of manifesting mild cognitive deficits. Taking a lifespan approach, this review posits that diabetes-related biomedical and psychosocial risk factors interact with age to produce somewhat different patterns of neuropsychological dysfunction. In children and adolescents with diabetes, neuropsychological dysfunction is a consequence of two very different types of risk factors: mild to moderate hypoglycemic episodes that affect the developing nervous system, and psychosocial and psychoeducational disruption that interferes with the acquisition of knowledge about the world. In adults with IDDM, cognitive impairments may be associated independently with chronic hyperglycemia-as indexed by glycosylated hemoglobin levels or by the presence of biomedical complications, or with repeated episodes of moderately severe hypoglycemia. In older adults with NIDDM, the critical risk factor is chronic hyperglycemia, but it is associated with the development of a broader range of cognititve impairments than has been reported for younger adults with IDDM.


We determined the taxonomic position of 17 strains of bacteria that were previously classified as "Klebsiella-like" strains, corresponding to group K of Gavini et al. [Ann. Microbiol. (Paris) 128B:45–59, 1977]. These strains were isolated from sewage, surface waters, drinking waters, and unpolluted soils. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-DNA hybridizations and a numerical analysis of electrophoretic protein patterns were used in this study. At least 82% of the group K strains investigated formed a tight protein electrophoretic cluster. The DNA homology values for all of the selected group K strains were higher than 73% and indicated the genetic homogeneity of this group. Two strains, CUETM 77–177 and CUETM 78–134, which were classified as group L strains by Gavini et al., were identified as true members of group K by the above-mentioned methods. The protein gel electrophoretic technique permitted distinction of group K strains from other species of the genus Klebsiella. DNA-DNA hybridization experiments revealed relatedness values of 40 to 71% between the reference strain of group K and the species Klebsiella mobilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Klebsiella terrigena. Phenotypic characteristics, protein electrophoretic patterns, and the results of DNA-DNA hybridizations supported the individuality of group K, and we propose the name Klebsiella trevisanii sp. nov. for the strains of this group. These strains were positive in the Voges-Proskauer, urease, and β-galactosidase tests, grew at 4 and 41°, utilized histamine as a carbon source, did not ferment melezitose, and did not use m-hydroxybenzoate; indole was produced by 42% of the isolates. Strain CIP 81–36 (= CUETM 78–120) was designated the type strain of this species.


Sixty-six patients surviving over 5 years after resection of primary liver cancer (PLC) were investigated. Of them, subclinical stage amounted to 56.1% (37/66), moderate stage 43.9% (29/66). There were 35 cases with small PLC(less than or equal to 5 cm). Radical resection was performed in 98.5% (65/66). Reoperation for subclinical recurrence and solitary pulmonary metastasis was done in 14 patients, and delayed resection of huge tumor was done in 3 patients. All patients were followed up from 60 to 319 months (mean, 115 months) up to the end of June 1988. Disease free survival was 80.3% (53/66) and death from recurrence was 19.7% (13/66). Authors discussed some aspects of improving Long-term survival of the patients.


Ensembles of distributed, heterogeneous resources, or Computational Grids, have emerged as popular platforms for deploying large-scale and resource-intensive applications. Large collaborative efforts are currently underway to provide the necessary software infrastructure. Grid computing raises challenging issues in many areas of computer science, bioinformatics, high energy physics and especially in the area of distributed computing, as Computational Grids cover increasingly large data, networks and span many organizations. In this paper we briefly motivate Grid computing and introduce its basic concepts. We then highlight a number of distributed computing research questions, and discuss both the relevance and the short-comings of research results when applied to Grid computing. We choose to focus on issues concerning the dissemination and retrieval of information from distributed networks and data integration on Computational Grid platforms. We feel that these issues are particularly critical at this time, and as we can point to preliminary ideas, work, and results in the Grid community and the distributed computing community. This paper is of interest to distributing computing researchers because Grid computing provides new challenges that need to be addressed, as well as actual platforms for experimentation and research.


Axial compressors have inherently unsteady flow fields because of relative motion between rotor and statnr airfnils. This relative motion leads to viscous and inviscid (potential) interactions between blade rows. As the number of stages increases in a turbomachine, the buildup of convected wakes can lead in progressively more complex wake/wake and wake/airfnil interactions. Variations in the relative circumferential positions of stators or rotors can change these interactions, leading to different unsteady forcing functions on airfoils and different compressor efficiencies. The current study uses an unsteady, two-dimensional thin-layer Navier-Stokes zonal approach to investigate the unsteady aerodynamics of stator clocking in a low-speed 2 ½-stage compressor. Relative motion between rotors and stators is made possible by the use of systems of patched and overlaid grids. Results include surface pressures instantaneous forces and efficiencies for a 2 ½-stage compressor configuration.Copyright © 1997 by ASME


Benign pigmented lesions can be effectively treated with multiple modalities including lasers. The treatment of pigmented lesions in phototype IV skin is more complicated and challenging given the risk of pigmentation changes and scarring. We present the novel use of the long-pulsed Alexandrite 755 nm laser for the treatment of solar lentigines in sun-reactive phototype IV skin of patients of Japanese decent. Our Japanese patients cleared with one treatment with no pigmentary changes or scarring. No recurrences were noted to date. The long-pulsed Alexandrite 755-nm laser is a novel, safe, and effective treatment of solar lentigines in Japanese patients.


The polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based and pitch-based carbon fiber-reinforced nanoparticle filled polyimide based multiscale hybrid composites have been fabricated using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VaRTM) and autoclave curing. The carbon fibers used in this study were high tensile strength PAN-based (T1000GB) and high modulus pitch-based (K13D) carbon fibers. Fiber orientations of the T1000GB/K13D hybrid composites were set to [0(T1000GB)/0(K13D)]2S (T1000GB and K13D unidirectional layers were alternately and symmetrically laminated). The fiber volume fraction was 50 vol% (T1000GB: 24.9 vol%, K13D: 25.1 vol%). Polyimide used in this study was a commercially available polyimide precursor solution (Skybond 703). Four different types of nanoparticle (25nm-C, 20-30nm-β-SiC, 130nm-β-SiC and 80nm-SiO2) and particle volume fraction was 5.0 vol% used for the inclusion. The tensile properties and fracture behavior of T1000GB/K13D nanoparticle filled and unfilled hybrid composites have been investigated. For 25nm-C, 20-30nm-β-SiC and 80nm-SiO2 nanoparticle filled and unfilled hybrid composites, the tensile stress-strain curves show a complicated shape. By the high modulus pitch-based carbon fiber, the hybrid composites show the high modulus in the initial stage of loading. Subsequently, when the high modulus carbon fiber begin to fail, the high strength fiber would hold the load (strength) and the material continues to endure high load without instantaneous failure.


Emotional disorders were explored in patients with hysteric and psychoasthenic psychopathies and in those with hysteric pathocharacterologic development (a total of 154 patients) are present. Clinical and neurophysiologic research methods were employed. The results obtained suggest that an elevation in emotivity of both group patients represents the leading characteristic of pathocharacterologic disturbances playing the major role in the desadaptation of patients. The evidence also shows a general regularity in the organization of their higher nervous activity in the form of the tension of the adrenergic cerebral mechanism of adaptive reactions regulation which leads to a higher affectiveness.


Objectives Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids found in seafood are essential for optimal neurodevelopment of the fetus. However, concerns about mercury contamination of seafood and its potential harm to the developing fetus have created uncertainty about seafood consumption for pregnant women. We compared fish and shellfish consumption patterns, as well as their predictors, among pregnant and non-pregnant women of childbearing age in the US. Methods Data from 1,260 pregnant and 5,848 non-pregnant women aged 16–49 years from the 1999 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were analyzed. Frequency and type of seafood consumed and adjusted associations of multiple characteristics with seafood consumption were estimated for pregnant and non-pregnant women, separately. Time trends were also examined. Results There were no significant differences in the prevalence of fish or shellfish consumption, separately or combined, between pregnant and non-pregnant women using either the 30-day questionnaire or the Day 1, 24-h recall. Seafood consumption was associated with higher age, income, and education among pregnant and non-pregnant women, and among fish consumers these groups were more likely to consume ≥3 servings in the past 30 days. Tuna and shrimp were the most frequently reported fish and shellfish, respectively, among both pregnant and non-pregnant women. We observed no significant time trends. Conclusion There were no differences in seafood consumption between pregnant and non-pregnant women, and the factors related to seafood consumption were similar for both groups. Our data suggest that many women consume less than the recommended two servings of seafood a week.


Life in contemporary society is increasingly stressful, and the body is unconsciously exposed to various stressors involving physical, biological, chemical, and social/psychological factors. Exposure to these stressors causes definite biological responses in the body, termed 'general adaptation syndrome'. Rapid endocrine responses are among the most important reactions following exposure to stressors. These include glucocorticoid and catecholamine secretion into the bloodstream, and are initial biological responses to the stressors. These responses are necessary for the 'fight-or-flight' response and must often occur rapidly for the organism to survive. Most biological events, including rapid endocrine responses, also exert effects on circadian rhythms. Indeed, disruption of biological circadian events contributes to numerous diseases, including psychological disorders, immunopathy, serious disorders of the eye, and increases in the incidence of metabolic syndrome components such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dyslipidemia. There is increasing evidence that exposure to stressors can affect the amplitude and/ or cycle of biological circadian rhythms, and consequently aggravate and/or provoke adverse diseases. In this review, we provide an overview of the relationship between stressors and the stress response, based mainly on results from animal studies. The effects of environmental and social stressors on circadian rhythm are also discussed.


During a medical emergency in the USA, critical medical supplies such as medications, vaccines, gloves, masks and ventilators, are delivered to one location within each state. The state and local governments are responsible for delivering the supplies from this location, called the receiving, staging and storage (RSS) site to the points of dispense (PODs). The supplies can be sent from the RSS to PODs directly or via regional distribution nodes (RDNs). We develop two mixed-integer programming models for this emergency logistics network (ELN) problem. These two models are simplified to obtain equivalent models that lead to the same results, but with fewer constraints. The equivalent models are much less complex and have lower computational memory and time requirements. We optimise the required number and locations of RSSs and RDNs needed to satisfy the demands at the PODs within the required time windows. Experiments are conducted to illustrate how the proposed models can be applied to a real life problem. [Received 27 October 2011; Revised 24 February 2012; Revised 20 September 2012; Accepted 18 February 2013]


Introduction Enhanced characterization of sleep architecture, compared with routine polysomnographic metrics such as stage percentages and sleep efficiency, may improve the predictive phenotyping of fragmented sleep. One approach involves using stage transition analysis to characterize sleep continuity. Methods and Principal Findings We analyzed hypnograms from Sleep Heart Health Study (SHHS) participants using the following stage designations: wake after sleep onset (WASO), non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and REM sleep. We show that individual patient hypnograms contain insufficient number of bouts to adequately describe the transition kinetics, necessitating pooling of data. We compared a control group of individuals free of medications, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), medical co-morbidities, or sleepiness (n = 374) with mild (n = 496) or severe OSA (n = 338). WASO, REM sleep, and NREM sleep bout durations exhibited multi-exponential temporal dynamics. The presence of OSA accelerated the "decay" rate of NREM and REM sleep bouts, resulting in instability manifesting as shorter bouts and increased number of stage transitions. For WASO bouts, previously attributed to a power law process, a multi-exponential decay described the data well. Simulations demonstrated that a multi-exponential process can mimic a power law distribution. Conclusion and Significance OSA alters sleep architecture dynamics by decreasing the temporal stability of NREM and REM sleep bouts. Multi-exponential fitting is superior to routine mono-exponential fitting, and may thus provide improved predictive metrics of sleep continuity. However, because a single night of sleep contains insufficient transitions to characterize these dynamics, extended monitoring of sleep, probably at home, would be necessary for individualized clinical application.


Abstract The partial energy function is applied to assess the transient stability for a power system subjected to a large disturbance. Following this assessment, an energy‐based analytical sensitivity method for fast transient control to prevent loss of synchronism of generators is presented. The sensitivity of the partial energy margin at any instant to the change of generation level has been analytically derived in a closed form. The proposed sensitivity technique offers a systematic calculation for quantitative estimation of generation that must be adjusted to maintain system stability. Furthermore, this paper proposes two local control strategies using the energy‐based sensitivity method with the superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) unit as an adaptive transient controller to enhance the power system transient performance. The accuracy test of the partial energy function and the effectiveness of both control schemes are illustrated with the Taipower system. The results are found to be encour...


Tropical forests account for approximately half of above-ground carbon stored in global vegetation. However, uncertainties in tropical forest carbon stocks remain high because it is costly and laborious to quantify standing carbon stocks. Carbon stocks of tropical forests are determined using allometric relations between tree stem diameter and height and biomass. Previous work has shown that the inclusion of height in biomass allometries, compared to the sole use of diameter, significantly improves biomass estimation accuracy. Here, we evaluate the effect of height measurement error on biomass estimation and we evaluate the accuracy of recently published diameter–height allometries at four areas within the Brazilian Amazon. As no destructive sample of biomass was available at these sites, reference biomass values were based on allometries. We found that the precision of individual tree height measurements ranged from 3 to 20% of total height. This imprecision resulted in a 5–6% uncertainty in biomass when scaled to 1 ha transects. Individual height measurement may be replaced with existing regional and global height allometries. However, we recommend caution when applying these relations. At Tapajos National Forest in the Brazilian state of Para, using the pantropical and regional allometric relations for height resulted in site biomass 21% and 25% less than reference values. At the other three study sites, the pantropical equation resulted in errors of less that 2%, and the regional allometry produced errors of less than 12%. As an alternative to measuring all tree heights or to using regional and pantropical relations, we recommend measuring height for a well-distributed sample of about 100 trees per site. Following this methodology, 95% confidence intervals of transect biomass were constrained to within 4.5% on average when compared to reference values.


Mitochondria are the key source of ATP that fuels cellular functions, and they are also central in cellular signaling, cell division and apoptosis. Dysfunction of mitochondria has been implicated in a wide range of diseases, including neurodegenerative and cardiac diseases, and various types of cancer. One of the key proteins that regulate mitochondrial function is the voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1), the most abundant protein on the outer membrane of mitochondria. VDAC1 is the gatekeeper for the passages of metabolites, nucleotides, and ions; it plays a crucial role in regulating apoptosis due to its interaction with apoptotic and anti-apoptotic proteins, namely members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins and hexokinase. Therefore, regulation of VDAC1 is crucial not only for metabolic functions of mitochondria, but also for cell survival. In fact, multiple lines of evidence have confirmed the involvement of VDAC1 in several diseases. Consequently, modulation or dysregulation of VDAC1 function can potentially attenuate or exacerbate pathophysiological conditions. Understanding the role of VDAC1 in health and disease could lead to selective protection of cells in different tissues and diverse diseases. The purpose of this review is to discuss the role of VDAC1 in the pathogenesis of diseases and as a potentially effective target for therapeutic management of various pathologies.


We study the circumstellar interaction around SN 1993J by its intermediate-band light curves obtained by the 60/90 cm Schmidt telescope at Xinglong station. The optical emission showed a slow decay of 0.05±0.02 mag/100 d in the period from 1995 to 2003, invoking a main energy contribution from SN-circumstellar interaction at late times. The relatively flat power law SN density model fits better with the observations. In particular, the line ratio of [O III]λλ4959, 5007 and Na I D relative to Hα are well reproduced by the model. Moreover, the Hα light curve displayed obvious bump structures at some epochs, which is probably attributed to the density fluctuations in the ambient material that surrounds the reverse shockwave.


By making use of the principle of differential subordination, the authors investigate several inclusion relationships and other interesting properties of certain subclasses of meromor-phically multivalent functions which are defined here by means of a linear operator. They also indicate relevant connections of the various results presented in this paper with those obtained in earlier works.


The aim of this work is to study the flow instabilities occurring during hot forging of titanium alloy blades. In this view, the viscoplastic deformation behaviour of Ti-6Al-4V alloy is investigated by means of torsion tests under isothermal hot working conditions at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1020 °C and strain rates of 0.01, 0.1 and 1s−1. The thermomechanical processing is performed up to a true strain of 10. The flow stress data are analysed in terms of strain rate and temperature sensitivities. A constitutive equation that relates not only the dependence of the flow stress on strain, strain rate and temperature, but also for the fraction of each phase α and β is proposed. Two mechanical models are compared : the uniform strain rate model (Taylor) and the uniform plastic energy model (IsoW). The usual strain rate sensitivity and activation energy values of Ti-6Al-4V alloy are obtained by fitting the experimental data. Furthermore, specific values of strain rate sensitivities and activation energies are calculated for the α and β phases providing thus a constitutive law based on the physics of the α / β phase diagram. The flow stress is then related to strain by an empirical equation taking into account the flow softening observed after a true strain of 0.5 and the steady state flow reached after a true strain of 4. Comparison of the calculated and measured flow stresses shows that the constitutive equation predicts the experimental results with a reasonable accuracy. The above constitutive equation is then used for simulating forging processes by the finite element method. The calculations exhibit the localisation of deformation produced by shearing effects in the form of the classical X shape.


Two-dimensional photonic crystals have been fabricated by x-ray lithography and reactive ion etching on an air/GaAs/AlGaAs asymmetric waveguide. The shape of the lattice unit cell has been varied by exploiting x-ray diffraction effects and nonlinear response of resists during the development process. Rings with or without a central pillar have been fabricated with a resolution down to 50 nm. Lithographic details are described to show the accuracy of this fabrication technique. Optical characterization has been performed showing the presence of a well defined photonic band structure as well as band anti-crossing. The results are discussed and compared with theoretical calculations of the photonic band dispersion. Structures with high dielectric fraction are shown to yield photonic modes with small line widths and low propagation losses. The reliability and the precise control of the fabricated sample structures make this lithographic method useful for a full investigation of optical properties on the dependence of the lattice unit cell shape.


The first modern studies of seismicity in Italy date back to the late 60's and early 70's. Although with a sparse seismic network available and only a few telemetered short-period stations, significant studies were carried out that outlined the main features of Italian seismicity (see, e.g., Boschi et al., 1969). Among these studies, one of the most important achievements was the reconnaissance of a Wadati-Benioff zone in Southern Tyrrhenian, described for the first time in detail in the papers of Caputo et al.(1970, 1973). Today, after three decades of more and more detailed seismological monitoring of the Italian region and tens of thousands earthquakes located since then, the knowledge of the earthquake generation processes in our country is much improved, although some of the conclusions reached in these early papers still hold. These improvements were made possible by the efforts of many institutions and seismologists who have been working hard to bring seismological research in Italy to standards of absolute quality, under the pivoting role of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica (ING). From the relocation of about 30000 crustal earthquakes and detailed studies on intermediate and deep shocks carried out in the last few years, we show that seismic release in peninsular Italy is only weakly related to the Africa-Eurasia convergence, but rather is best explained by the existence of two separate subduction/collision arcs (Northern Apennines and Southern Apennines-Calabria-Sicily). The width of the deforming belt running along peninsular Italy is 30 to 60 km, it is broader in the north than in the south, and the two arcs are separated by a region of more distributed deformation and stress rotations in the Central Apennines. Along the belt, the reconnaissance of regions of continuous and weak release of seismic energy, adjacent to fault areas which are currently «locked» (and therefore are the best candidates for future earthquakes) is another recent important achievement of the prolonged detailed seismic monitoring of our territory, which will provide in the future more and more precise indications of where earthquakes will strike. In addition, the accurate location of hundreds of intermediate and deep earthquakes beneath the two arcs has recently provided (together with seismic tomography results) new hints on the tectonic setting of Italy and its evolution over time, on the relations between deep processes and crustal stress, and ultimately on the mechanisms of earthquake generation in our country.


By comparing airplanes of known strength that have resisted all the usual and even extreme air loads with those that under like conditions were found to be insufficiently strong, the researchers, aided by scientific investigations, developed standards which are satisfactory for the calculation of airplane structures. Given here are standards applicable to loads on wing trusses, load factors for use in stress analysis, load factors required in sand testing, loads on control surfaces, loads on wing ribs, loads on landing gear, and rigidity of materials.


Advertising is one of the important types of communication in today's world and it has become an indispensable for both the consumer and the producer of it. Advertising plays an important role in the integrated marketing communication. In today's information age it is necessary for an organization or institution make the public aware of their goods and services and advertising acts as tool to serve this purpose. There are various types of advertising such as Out-door Advertising, In-door advertising, Non-product advertising, Radio advertising, Television advertising, National advertising, International advertising, Retail advertising, classified advertising and local advertising to name a few. Outdoor advertising is less touched subject within the field of advertising. Though there have been some research on the creative execution, improving attention to the billboards there is not much attention given to examine the effectiveness of billboard advertising. Billboards as a medium of advertising have been used by the advertisers in various parts of India. It is normally situated along the traffic prone roads, main streets, commercial centres, on flyovers and on highways. The purpose of it is to make people (pedestrians, drivers, and passengers) aware of the products and services which are available in the market and which intern leads to the buying and selling between consumer and manufacturer. In today's world the outdoor advertising, especially billboard advertisements are used extensively by the Real-estate and Automobile advertisers. It is important to know are people noticing these billboard advertisements and how it is influencing the people in their purchase decision making process of these Goods being advertised. It is also important to know why do Real-estate and Automobile advertisers prefer advertising on billboards rather than other media such as television, Radio and Print.


Abstract. The recent increase in frequency and severity of flooding in the UK has led to a shift in the perception of risk associated with flood hazards. This has extended to the conservation community, and the risks posed to historic structures that suffer from flooding are particularly concerning for those charged with preserving and maintaining such buildings. In order to fully appraise the risks in a manner appropriate to the complex issue of preservation, a new methodology is presented here that studies the nature of the vulnerability of such structures, and places it in the context of risk assessment, accounting for the vulnerable object and the subsequent exposure of that object to flood hazards. The testing of the methodology is carried out using three urban case studies and the results of the survey analysis provide guidance on the development of fragility curves for historic structures exposed to flooding. This occurs through appraisal of vulnerability indicators related to building form, structural and fabric integrity, and preservation of architectural and archaeological values. Key findings of the work include determining the applicability of these indicators to fragility analysis, and the determination of the relative vulnerability of the three case study sites.


INTRODUCTIONImmunocytochemistry (ICC) is widely exploited in studying mammalian systems, but is underutilized among Xenopus developmental biologists. This stems, in part, from the relatively small number of Xenopus antibodies available for use in research. Common misconceptions about ICC in Xenopus embryos also prevail, discouraging researchers from trying the procedure. However, ICC with Xenopus is simple and effective. This article describes methods for whole-mount ICC in Xenopus embryos. Also included are simple procedures to quench autofluorescence of Xenopus and to remove surface pigment from embryos which may interfere with fluorescence imaging. The methods described here are useful for detecting tissue-specific probes (e.g., 12/101 to detect somites). They are also effective for imaging the cytoskeleton (e.g., α-tubulin to detect microtubules) or localizing specific proteins at the subcellular level (e.g., ZO-1 to detect tight junctions). In addition, combining ICC with in situ hybridization is simple and highly effective.


Background
The use of antibiotic stewardship programmes (ASPs) is increasing in Asia, but their effectiveness in reducing antibiotic consumption and their impact on clinical outcomes is not known.

Objectives
To determine the impact of ASPs conducted in Asia on the consumption of antibiotics and on patients' clinical outcomes.

Methods
We systematically searched the Embase and Medline (PubMed) databases for studies that compared antibiotic consumption or clinical outcomes of patients in an Asian hospital or clinic with an ASP (intervention) with those in a similar setting without an ASP (control). Meta-analyses of all-cause mortality and hospital-acquired infection (HAI) were performed using random-effects models.

Results
The search identified 77 studies of which 22 and 19 reported antibiotic usage and cost, respectively. Among these, 20 (91%) studies reported reduced antibiotic usage and 19 (100%) reported cost savings in the intervention group. Duration of antibiotic therapy was reduced in six of seven studies in association with an ASP. Rates of all-cause mortality and HAI were not significantly different between the intervention and control groups. However, mortality rates were significantly improved by ASPs using drug monitoring, while HAI rates were also improved by ASPs that included infection control or hand hygiene programmes.

Conclusions
In Asia, ASPs reduce antibiotic consumption in hospital and clinic settings and do not worsen clinical outcomes. The findings strongly support the broad implementation of antimicrobial stewardship interventions in hospital and clinic settings in Asia.


Optimal modeling approaches of steel braces are evaluated in this paper in a parametric study through the influence of the transversal discretization, the number of sub-elements, geometrical imperfections at the mid-span, gusset plate models, integration points, fatigue and strain hardening of the material. Pushover and nonlinear time-history analyses were performed using OpenSees software. Pushover analyses were carried out in order to study the axial capacity of the brace element under a monotonically increasing compression load. The hysteretic response was evaluated by nonlinear dynamic analysis of a frame designed by capacity. Based on the results, recommendations were established in order to obtain consistent results between the analytical model and the typical response of brace elements. The influence of the slenderness ratio in the response of the models is also discussed. In addition, a factor is proposed for a more realistic assessment of the material overstrength for the specific conditions of the Mexican market. The factor depends on the structural cross-section and type of steel, and it was developed through a statistical study of 1,756 certified laboratory coupon tests of steel samples. Keywords: Steel brace; model; pushover curves; hysteresis curve; overstrength


Today adjustments on the pricing of internal transactions between multinational enterprises can lead to economic double taxation for the involved companies. This circumstance will result in an obstacle for private enterprising on the international market. Rules regarding corresponding adjustments and the mutual agreement procedure, that is used to eliminate economic double taxation, are today not sufficient tools to achieve this purpose. Consequently, changes regarding these rules should be implemented.The main reason for why economic double taxation is not put right is the competent authorities' inability to reach a suitable solution for the dispute. This is essentially because the lack of time limit for the procedure and the lack of obligation for the authorities to reach a solution on the issue. These weaknesses should be attended to, if the procedure shall have a larger effect in the future.Since it is not appropriate to introduce cogent rules for the competent authorities to solve the dispute between themselves other alternatives should be considered, as international arbitration procedure and an international tax court. Although an international tax court probably would be the most effective alternative in order to eliminate economic double taxation, the situation in the area of international taxation requires that the alternative concerning an international arbitration procedure initially should be considered.


We present new approximation methods for computing game-theoretic strategies for sequential games of imperfect information. At a high level, we contribute two new ideas. First, we introduce a new state-space abstraction algorithm. In each round of the game, there is a limit to the number of strategically different situations that an equilibrium-finding algorithm can handle. Given this constraint, we use clustering to discover similar positions, and we compute the abstraction via an integer program that minimizes the expected error at each stage of the game. Second, we present a method for computing the leaf payoffs for a truncated version of the game by simulating the actions in the remaining portion of the game. This allows the equilibrium-finding algorithm to take into account the entire game tree while having to explicitly solve only a truncated version. Experiments show that each of our two new techniques improves performance dramatically in Texas Hold'em poker. The techniques lead to a drastic improvement over prior approaches for automatically generating agents, and our agent plays competitively even against the best agents overall.


Valiev's suggestion of excitation of the vibrational modes of the octahedron is considered as a spin relaxation mechanism for 59Co spins in some symmetric, bidentate CoIII complexes. His theory is extended to the spin 7/2 system; the efficiency of the mechanism is very sensitive to the molecular size with larger complexes having much shorter T1 values. Experimental evidence in support of the mechanism is provided by the contradictory values of quadrupole coupling constants calculated experimentally by assuming rotational reorientation to be the dominant time process and by measurements on a variety of CoIII complexes. Rotational correlation times were measured from 13C T1 values of protonated carbons in the complex. An X-ray structure determination of tris(tropolonato)-cobalt(III) is reported in support of the suggested relaxation mechanism. The differences between T1 and T2 in some CoN6 complexes are shown to arise from unresolved 59Co-14N scalar coupling.


Chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix restrict plasticity in the adult central nervous system and their digestion with chondroitinase reactivates plasticity. However the structures in the extracellular matrix that restrict plasticity are unknown. There are many changes in the extracellular matrix as critical periods for plasticity close, including changes in chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan core protein levels, changes in glycosaminoglycan sulphation and the appearance of dense chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan-containing perineuronal nets around many neurons. We show that formation of perineuronal nets is triggered by neuronal production of cartilage link protein Crtl1 (Hapln1), which is up-regulated in the visual cortex as perineuronal nets form during development and after dark rearing. Mice lacking Crtl1 have attenuated perineuronal nets, but the overall levels of chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans and their pattern of glycan sulphation are unchanged. Crtl1 knockout animals retain juvenile levels of ocular dominance plasticity and their visual acuity remains sensitive to visual deprivation. In the sensory pathway, axons in knockout animals but not controls sprout into the party denervated cuneate nucleus. The organization of chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan into perineuronal nets is therefore the key event in the control of central nervous system plasticity by the extracellular matrix.


In this paper, the combustion of methane hydrate over a powder layer is experimentally studied using thermal imaging and Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) methods. The experiments are carried out at different velocities of the external laminar air-flow from zero to 0.6 m/s. Usually, simulation of methane hydrate combustion is carried out without taking into account free convection. A standard laminar boundary layer is often considered for simplification, and the temperature measurements are carried out only on the axis of the powder tank. Measurements of the powder temperature field have shown that there is a highly uneven temperature field on the layer surface, and inside the layer the transverse temperature profiles are nonlinear. The maximum temperature always corresponds to the powder near the side-walls, which is more than 10 °C higher than the average volumetric temperature in the layer. Thermal imager measurements have shown the inhomogeneous nature of combustion over the powder surface and the highly variable velocity of methane above the surface layer. The novelty of the research follows from the measurement of the velocity field using the PTV method and the measurement of methane velocity, which show that the nature of velocity at combustion is determined by the gas buoyancy rather than by the forced convection. The maximum gas velocity in the combustion region exceeds 3 m/s, and the excess of the oxidizer over the fuel leads to more than tenfold violation of the stoichiometric ratio. Despite that, the velocity profile in the combustion region is formed mainly due to free convection, it is also necessary to take into account the external flow of the forced gas U0. Even at low velocities U0, the velocity direction lines significantly deviate under the forced air-flow.


Microendoscopic techniques for surgical intervention find wide application in both in-patient and out-patient settings. High efficiency of low-invasive surgical methods make them applicable to treat paranasal cavity pathology, septal deformities, and cystic-polypous processes, etc. The authors consider peculiarities of operations under endoscopic control with the use of microsurgical instruments, discuss their efficiency under conditions of a day hospital, and illustrate the possibility to avoid prolonged hospitalization of a patient based on this approach.


In the present study 42 polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) were investigated for their estrogenic potential using the VM7Luc4E2 transactivation assay. Relative potencies were determined for mass‐balance analysis. In addition, compounds were tested in combination with the estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist ICI182,780 (ICI) and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor antagonist/CYP1A1 inhibitor α‐naphthoflavone. Luciferase induction and CYP1A1‐dependent ethoxyresorufin‐O‐deethylase (EROD) activity were measured to assess whether the estrogenic activity was elicited by the compound itself and/or by its metabolites. Relative potencies ranged between 10−7 and 10−4. The ability of ICI to decrease luciferase activity stimulated by all compounds indicated that the induction responses were ER‐dependent. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor antagonist/CYP1A1 inhibitor α‐naphthoflavone decreased luciferase induction and EROD activity by several compounds, including the methylated chrysenes, suggesting that metabolites of these chemicals contributed to ER activation. Several PACs, such as acridine and its derivatives, appear to directly activate the ER. Furthermore, extracts of soils from industrial areas were examined using this bioassay, and estrogenic activity was detected in all soil samples. Mass‐balance analysis using a combination of relative potencies and chemical analysis of the samples suggested that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkylated PAHs, such as 1‐ and 3‐methylchrysene, are important contributors to the overall estrogenic activity. However, these results revealed that a considerable proportion of the estrogenic activity in the soil remained unexplained, indicating the presence of other significant estrogenic compounds. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:385–397. © 2017 SETAC


Isolated fundic varices in liver cirrhosis is a rare clinical manifestation. There is much controversy over their bleeding risk, therapy and outcome. We studied two subtypes of isolated fundic varices and assessed their relative risks of variceal bleeding, degree of bleeding and 42-day mortality. From 1992 to 1995, 26 patients presenting with isolated fundic varices (16 primary and 10 secondary) with liver cirrhosis as the underlying disease were included. Patients with segmental portal hypertension were excluded from this study. The endoscopic features and grades of cirrhosis at first presentation were recorded. During follow-up, endoscopic examinations were performed at the time of upper gastrointestinal bleeding to ascertain fundic variceal bleeding. No differences in the clinical characteristics were noted between these two groups of patients. The relative risk for isolated fundic variceal bleeding for the primary group was 0.246, while that for the secondary group was 0.224. Total amounts of blood transfused were 6.3 units per patient for the primary group and 15.0 units for the secondary group. Forty-two day mortalities were 33.3% and 75.0% respectively. Only Child B and C cirrhotic patients with F2 or F3 varices had bleeding. No correlation was found between the bleeding risk and endoscopic red color sign in these two groups. Although the relative risk for isolated fundic variceal bleeding appeared similar in both groups, patients with secondary isolated fundic varices tended to have more severe bleeding and thus a poorer prognosis. In our study, variceal bleeding only occurred in patients with Child B or C cirrhosis and F2 or F3 varices, and endoscopic red color sign had no signiflcant role in isolated fundic varices bleeding.


Developing an automated lung disease diagnosis framework is still remains one of the most challenging and demanding tasks in recent days. Most of the medical experts highly preferring the Computed Tomography (CT) lung images for an accurate disease detection. For this purpose, various segmentation, optimization, and classification techniques are developed in the conventional works for lung pulmonary disease detection. However, the existing techniques have the major problems of over segmentation, inaccurate ROI extraction, reduced accuracy, computational complexity, and high false positives. Thus, this research work intends to a simple and efficient segmentation based classification framework for an accurate lung nodules detection and pulmonary disease classification. Here, the tanh normalization technique is applied for preprocessing the input lung CT image with reduced noise and increased quality. After that, the perceptual U-Net segmentation algorithm is employed to accurately segment the lung nodules from the preprocessed CT images with simple computational operations. Moreover, the Decked Dragonfly Optimization (DDO) technique is used for choosing the relevant features based on the best optimal solution, which supports to obtain an increased detection accuracy and reduced classification error rate. Finally, the Speculative Deceptive Network (SDN) based classification algorithm is deployed to exactly detect the pulmonary lung cancer according to the optimal features. During evaluation, the performance of the proposed segmentation based DDO-SDN mechanism is validated and compared by using various evaluation parameters.