The Xiarihamu Ni-Co deposit, located in the East Kunlun orogenic belt, northern Tibet plateau, is the secondary largest Ni deposit in China and contains ~157 million metric tons (Mt) sulfide ores with average grades of 0.65 wt % Ni, 0.14 wt % Cu, and 0.013 wt % Co. The intrusion consists of gabbroic and ultramafic portions, the main orebody being hosted in the ultramafic portion. The zircons separated from the gabbronorite and websterite yield SHRIMP U-Pb ages of 405.5 ± 2.7 and 406.1 ± 2.7 Ma, indicating a genetic linkage with the Early Devonian regional magmatism (400–410 Ma). The main orebody includes two large ore pods comprising a pod of disseminated sulfides in the western portion grading into multiple ore sublayers to the east. The ore sublayers consist of net-textured and disseminated sulfides. The distribution and shape of the ore pods and sublayers of the orebody are conformable with the undulating roof and bottom of the ultramafic portion. The unusually high Ni/Cu ratios (~4–18) and extremely low tenors of platinum-group elements (PGE; <4 ppb Ir, <85 ppb Pt, and <115 ppb Pd) of the disseminated sulfides indicate a genetic relationship with low degrees of partial melting of a pyroxenite mantle source. The slightly higher Ir and Ru tenors suggest that the disseminated sulfides in the western portion of the main orebody were segregated from less evolved magma under higher mass ratios of silicate melt/sulfide liquid than the sulfides of the middle and eastern portions.


Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a water purification technology that uses a semi-permeable membrane to remove salt and other particles from drinking water. It is the dominant technology which has overtaken many conventional systems in recent years. Membrane biofouling is the main disadvantage of using RO technology which can result in reducing the system's efficiency. The rejected microorganisms on the surface of the membrane form a fouling layer (biofouling) which leads to a decline in permeate flux, increase of hydraulic resistance, increase in operating pressure, and shortening of the membrane life. Polysaccharides, produced by microorganisms, are the main substances responsible for membrane biofouling. In this study, two types of polysaccharides (alginate and pullulan) were used to investigate their individual fouling effects as well as their fouling effects coupled with sodium chloride and calcium chloride. 50 mM of ionic strength (27.5 g NaCl + 1.47 g CaCl2) and 0.2 g/L of polysaccharides were used in the fouling experiments conducted with a laboratory-scale reverse osmosis system.

It was found that alginate lead to more reduction in system's efficiency in comparison with pullulan. The effect of alginate on the efficiency of the system was much more severe in the presence of salt, namely sodium chloride and calcium chloride, compared to its individual effect in the absence of salt. The addition of salt led to an increase in membrane fouling and a decrease in system's efficiency. On the other hand, it was found that pullulan enhanced the system's efficiency when it is combined with salt.

To support the above findings, a Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) analysis, a Total Organic Carbon (TOC) test, and an estimation of the weight of produced fouling layers were performed. In general, analysing the results of the tests supported the findings.


The in vitro embryo production (IVP) technology has emerged as a potential biotechnological approach to multiply genetically high yielding dairy cows. Its commercial application is increasing in many developed and developing countries over the years. Bangladesh livestock Research Institute (BLRI) adopted in vitro embryo production protocol from bovine ovaries of slaughterhouse. However, the risks of transmission of contagious diseases like Brucella abortus with embryos are not evaluated so far. Considering these facts, the present experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficiency of in vitro embryo production protocol with slaughterhouse ovaries as well as risk of contamination of produced embryos with Brucella abortus. To identify sources of contamination of embryos with Brucella abortus (if any), the laboratory water, different media used in the IVP process, semen, and follicular fluids were evaluated for confirmation of the organisms. In addition, vaginal swabs were collected from 2 buffaloes aborted due to suspected Brucella abortus infection. Molecular test were used to detect Brucella abortus contamination. Brucella abortus specific PCR product was not detected on agarose gel electrophoresis. The efficiency of IVP measured by cleavage and blastocyst development rates were 75.5±2.7% and 16.6±3.9%, respectively. The present study inferred that the in vitro produce embryos are free from Brucella abortus infection.
Bang. J. Livs. Res. Vol. 27 (1&2), 2020: P. 105-112


idealistic perfection, our's of the practical care of children. Finally, a standard dosage regimen recommended for nitrofurantoin is 7 mg/kg/24 hours.' For a 2-year-old weighing approximately 12 kg 75 mg per day is not excessive. Not being blessed with foresight, we were not able to foresee the results firom Professor de Wardener's department that Dr. Bailey refers to,2 as these had not been published at the time we draf:ed our article, let alone at the time we were treating the child conoerned.-We are, etc., R. H. JACKSON ANDREw SMITH Children's Department, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne


In 1998, orthopaedic manufacturers started to introduce highly crosslinked ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) for total hip replacement bearings. Today's highly-crosslinked UHMWPEs materials are irradiation processed with a total dose ranging between 50 and 105 kGy, depending upon the manufacturer. Each manufacturer has adopted a different route for producing their highly crosslinked UHMWPE that includes a combination of three important processing steps: an irradiation step, an intra or post-irradiation thermal processing step, and a sterilization step. This paper reviews the choices available to an implant designer when developing a highly-crosslinked UHMWPE as an orthopaedic bearing material. We suggest that the application of annealing rather than re-melting in the thermal processing step allows the retention of important mechanical properties in the finished material. This approach will be illustrated with test data on Crossfire (Stryker Howmedica Osteonics, Mahwah, NJ), an annealed, highly-crosslinked UHMWPE developed specifically for total hip replacements. We compare the physical, mechanical, and wear properties of Crossfire with that of conventional (N2-Vac) UHMWPE and with materials produced using published melt irradiation technology. At the short term (2 and 3 years) the results demonstrated through clinical follow-up, clinical results for Crossfire, are encouraging. Longer follow-up is necessary to confirm the benefits to patients from reduction of debris released from the articulation.


The term 'regulatory capture' is frequently invoked to describe dysfunctional government institutions. In its casual use, it refers to a phenomenon in which regulations benefit regulated industries, rather than public interests. However, as an analytical concept, social scientists have struggled to empirically identify and define the processes in which capture emerges and sustains. In this article, I outline a cultural framework for regulatory capture by linking cultural sociology and the faces of power to existing capture theory. Through an ethnographic case study of digital trade provisions in international trade agreements, I show how capture occurs through the construction and manipulation of 'public interests'. I trace how capture (a) emerges when industry lobbyists extend existing schemas of a policy network into new frames and (b) is institutionalized into regulatory agencies when policymakers adopt and enact these frames into knowledge production and law. Thus, capture appears through a veneer of consensus, which suppresses alternative interests and policy outcomes.


Bridges formed of concrete deck slab over built-up steel-box girders are frequently used in bridge construction for their economic and structural advantages. Box girder bridges impose structural challenges to get the straining actions for the design of girders. The objective of this study is to determine the load distribution characteristics for continuous composite multiple–box girder bridges under CHBDC truck loading. An extensive parametric study was conducted using the three-dimensional finite element to evaluate the moment and shear distribution factors when bridges subjected to CHBDC truck loading. The parameters considered in this study are the span length, number of lanes and number of boxes. Then, simple empirical formula for the bending moment and shear force were developed for the structural design. Correlation of the developed expressions based on FEA results with available CHBDC and AASHTO-LRFD formula showed that the former allow engineers to design such bridges more economically and reliably.


In low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) packaging which offers a good performance to produce multilayer structures with electronic circuits and components, the via-hole fabrication of LTCC ceramic-PET double layer sheets (green sheets or green tapes) by micro-scale punching plays an important role in providing an electric path for the interconnection between layers. Although conventional punching has been used widely and many researchers have provided useful insights of the process, they are restricted to the punching of single layer material. This paper discusses the characteristic of micro via-hole punching of double layer sheets and the optimum process condition for via-holes of good quality. Workpiece (double layer sheet) used in the present investigation consists of LTCC ceramic composite material layer (ceramic layer) of 20~100*m in thickness and PET layer of 38 and 75*m in thickness by tape-casting. The diameter of via-holes ranges from 100~300*m.


More than a century-and-a-half ago, Elizabeth F. Ellet began the process that scholars continue today of recovering and recording the lives and contributions of women. One of the best-known writers of her day, Ellet published prolifically in a wide variety of genres. In part because she refused to follow expected roles for women, she became embroiled in public battles with prominent literary men, such as Edgar Allan Poe and Rufus W. Griswold. Consequently, despite her pioneering work as a precursor of feminist scholarship, Ellet has been cited by twentieth-century literary critics primarily in negative terms. However, Ellet was a major participant in the nineteenth-century literary scene and continues to be acknowledged by historians for her valuable early methodology in recovering women's history. Elizabeth Fries Lummis was born in Sodus Point, New York, in October 1818 to a well-to-do physician, William Nixon Lummis, and Sarah Maxwell Lummis. [1] Educated at a female seminary at Aurora, New York, Ellet began writing poetry in her early teens. Her first book, published when she was sixteen and entitled Poems, Translated and Original (1835), collected her own poems, many previously published, with some she had translated from French, Italian, German, and Spanish. The volume also included Ellet's tragedy in five acts, Teresa Contarini, which had a successful run in New York and some smaller cities. At the age of seventeen, Ellet married and moved to South Carolina where her husband, William H. Ellet, accepted academic appointments at Columbia College and South Carolina College. Even before her marriage, Ellet had contributed to a number of periodicals, includeing Knickerbocker, Ontario Repository, Lady's Book, and American Monthly. After moving to the South, she began publishing in regional publications such as Southern Literary Journal and Monthly Magazine and Southern Literary Messenger, but she continued her work for established national periodicals and contributed to prestigious new magazines and newspapers, most notably Democratic Review, New Yorker, Harper's, and Union Magazine. [2] Early contributions were primarily poetry and translations and criticism of Italian and German writers, making use of her early interest and fluency in languages. In the late twentieth century, as scholars recovered and revalued the contributions of earlier women, one great irony was that most references to Elizabeth Ellet were based primarily on the words of her male rivals, Edgar Allan Poe and Rufus Wilmot Griswold. Nearly all attention given Ellet depicts her as a villain in battles with these celebrated men, calling her a "trouble maker," "maligner," and "scandal maker" (Bayless); she was assumed to have taken action based on either "jealousy or a taste for scandal-mongering" (Moss). [3] The readiness with which these men's accounts have been accepted is surprising because Ellet had such highly respected companions in these conflicts-Margaret Fuller, Ann S. Stephens, and Anne C. Lynch (Botta). In addition, she had many longtime, highly esteemed friends, including Lydia Sigourney, Sarah Josepha Hale, and Jared Sparks, a noted historian whose advice she sought in writing The Women of the American Revolution. Ellet's battle with Poe began amidst gossip about the Poe-Osgood liaison. Edgar Allan Poe and Frances Osgood, both married to others, began an extended literary flirtation in the pages of the Broadway Journal, which Poe was editing at the time. [4] The couple also regularly attended events and social gatherings together. Ellet, professing concern for Osgood, claimed to have been shown incriminating letters from Osgood to Poe by Poe's wife Virginia. Her account was corroborated by the actions of Anne Lynch (Botta), author and hostess of New York's best known literary salon, and by Margaret Fuller, who, with Osgood's permission, visited the Poe household to retrieve the letters that might harm Osgood's reputation. …


The transition to University is challenging, and requires change from a teacher-centred (pedagogic) to student-centred (andragogic) learning environments. Fundamental to an effective transition is the capability for learners to be self-regulated. 'Self-Regulated Learning' requires coordinated academic skills and attributes that need to develop over time. A common perception across the HE sector is that students entering University lack ability as self-regulated learners. This study aims to evaluate the extent to which university students are self-regulated, and what factors promote or inhibit self-regulation. This study uses a qualitative methodology, to investigate the experiences of first year students. 24 first year undergraduate students, from science and humanities disciplines, were interviewed three times each, over the course of their first academic year. Interview data were analysed using Constructivist Grounded Theory and Situational Analysis. Findings suggest that the participants in the study had already developed extensive 'Personal Learning Strategies' before they arrived at University. Participants displayed clear characteristics of self-regulated learners, however their personal learning strategies needed to be adapted to align with the academic expectations of Higher Education. Development of effective self-regulation involved extensive interactions with a supportive 'Personal Learning Network' of other people. Transition to university also required the learner to learn the conventions of the social and academic communities in which they were embedded. Interactions with others and the discipline impacted upon the development of agentic identity. This study suggests that students need to be supported to adapt during the transition process, but do not require remedial support. The extent to which participants were agentic mediators of a range of different factors and social interactions suggests that self-regulation may be too restrictive a concept, and that 'Student-Mediated Learning' might be more appropriate. Implications for learning and teaching practice, and the support of new students, are discussed.


There have been a number of recent attempts to
develop methodologies that do not require sequence
alignment for deriving species phylogeny based on
overall similarities of the complete genomes. The
mitochondrial genomes have provided much information on the evolution of this organelle and have been used for phylogenetic reconstruction by various methods with or without sequence alignment.
In this paper we introduce three fast algorithms, namely, dynamical language model with correlation distance, Fourier transform with Kullback-Leibler divergence distance, log-correlation distance, for deriving vertebrate phylogeny based on mitochondrial genomes. The distance-based analyses show that the mitochondrial genomes are separated into three major clusters corresponding to mammals, fish, and
Archosauria (including birds and reptiles)respectively. The interrelationships among the mitochondrial genomes are roughly in agreement with the current understanding on the phylogeny of vertebrates revealed by the traditional approaches.


Dimensionality reduction algorithms are standard tools in a researcher's toolbox. Dimensionality reduction algorithms are frequently used to augment downstream tasks such as machine learning, data science, and also are exploratory methods for understanding complex phenomena. For instance, dimensionality reduction is commonly used in Biology as well as Neuroscience to understand data collected from biological subjects. However, dimensionality reduction techniques are limited by the von-Neumann architectures that they execute on. Specifically, data intensive algorithms such as dimensionality reduction techniques often require fast, high capacity, persistent memory which historically hardware has been unable to provide at the same time. In this paper, we present a re-implementation of an existing dimensionality reduction technique called Geometric Multi-Scale Resolution Analysis (GMRA) which has been accelerated via novel persistent memory technology called Memory Centric Active Storage (MCAS). Our implementation uses a specialized version of MCAS called PyMM that provides native support for Python datatypes including NumPy arrays and PyTorch tensors. We compare our PyMM implementation against a DRAM implementation, and show that when data fits in DRAM, PyMM offers competitive runtimes. When data does not fit in DRAM, our PyMM implementation is still able to process the data.


Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of water stress applied at different growth stages, on the growth, yield components, and grain yield of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars. The effects of water stress on growth and yield were smaller and recovery better when the stress was applied in the early vegetative phase than when applied in the late vegetative and post-anthesis stages. Water stress occurring in the early vegetative phase decreased tiller production, but this was compensated by production of late tillers after rewatering. A water stress occurring during growth stages 32-65 days decreased spikelet fertility and the number of grains per ear which was the greatest contributor to the reduction in yield. Other components, however, such as number of ears per unit area also contributed to the reduction in yield. There were highly significant genotypic differences in absolute grain yield and yield stability under water stress and awns appeared to be crucial in this respect. Overall, water stress had a greater effect on yield when it occurred during the reproductive stage and it is suggested that screening for water stress tolerant genotypes in cereals should be done at the reproductive stage.


The aim of this paper is to investigate the productivity impact of business visits, relative to traditional drivers of productivity enhancement, namely capital formation and R&D. To carry out the analysis, we combine unique and novel data on business visits sourced from the U.S. National Business Travel Association with OECD data on R&D and capital formation. The resulting unbalanced panel covers on average 16 sectors per year in 10 countries during the period 1998-2011 (2,262 observations). Our results suggest that mobility through business visits is an effective mechanism to improve productivity. The estimated effect is about half as large as investing in R&D, supporting viewing business visits as a form of long-term investment rather than pure consumption expenditure. In a nutshell, our outcomes support the need to recognise the private and social value of business mobility.


This paper discusses ergonomics research using remotely situated video cameras in spacecraft. Two prototype studies of crewmembers working in the micro-G environments aboard the first two flights of Spacelab are described. Various aspects of crew restraint, stabilization, manipulation of controls, and mobilization were observed, operationally defined, and quantified by observing videotaped scenes of Spacelab crewmembers. In the first study, four performance behaviors were quantified to provide estimates of their frequency of occurrence and variation over the course of each of the flights. The behaviors and their mean percent of observed times were: Hand-Hold 32.2%, Foot Restraint 35.3%, Translation 9.4%, and Struggle 3.7%. Because we observed that nearly a third of a crewmember's time was spent inefficiently holding on with one hand while trying to work with the other, a second study was conducted exploring the use of foot restraints and hand stabilization. During 18 episodes of single-foot restraint, for example, there were 52 instances of hand stabilization and 135 instances of stabilization attempts with the other foot. The paper concludes with some defining characteristics of adequate foot restraints, and a proposal for extending this research model to future spacecraft studies.


Variations in the major, minor and trace element concentrations in two streams within a coniferous forest are described and are related to hydrological and hydrogeochemical factors. The rainfall chemistry reflects a maritime influence although there are occasional pollutant inputs (pH 4–5). Streamwater chemistry variations are strongly dependent upon flow. Baseflow chemistry, determined by reactions in the inorganic soils and bedrock, is of a Mg-Ca-HCO3 type (pH 6–7.5); mineralization yields up to a four-fold increase in Ca, HCO3, Zn and SO4 concentrations (pH ~ 0.5 units higher). Stormflow chemistry reflects hydrogeochemical processes in the organic soil horizons; the stormflow waters are acidic (pH ~ 4.5) and are enriched, by an order of magnitude, in H+, AI, Y, Co and Mn. Mineral equilibrium calculations have been applied to aluminium hydroxides, crystalline and amorphous aluminosilicates and hydroxy aluminium sulphates to determine the degrees of mineral saturation in the streamwaters. Ion exchange reactions have been evaluated to describe the consequences of natural variations in atmospheric salt loadings and evapotranspiration on the stream water chemistry and to explain low Na/Cl ratios in storm waters.


Since skin forms the interface between the human body and the environment, its mechanical properties are important in health and disease. Bioengineering of the Skin: Skin Biomechanics gives a thoro ...


This article describes the development of a procedure for the bulk separation and determination of rare earth elements in soils by combining alkaline fusion, cloud point extraction, and inorganic mass spectrometry. The proposed cloud point extraction method uses a diglycolamide derivative as the chelating agent, which has a well-established affinity for rare earth elements. The method integrates bromine shielding to achieve efficient phase separation at highly acidic pH values. The methodology led to very low detection limits (0.2 to 30 ng L−1), quantitative extraction (>97%) for soils, and a high preconcentration factor (up to 140). Decontamination factors were assessed for the most abundant elements, including trivalent ions such as Al3+ and Fe3+. A reduction in concentration of up to 180-fold was measured for some elements. Quantitative recoveries for most rare earth elements in highly acidic conditions were achieved and validated using sediment reference material (NIST-2709a). There was excellent agreement between the expected and measured concentrations for all 16 rare earth elements evaluated. The superior analytical figures of merit enabled rare earth elements determination at ultra-trace levels in environmental samples.


Abstract The occurrence of clubroot on canola (Brassica napus), caused by the soilborne protozoan Plasmodiophora brassicae, in western Canada is currently centred in a region of slightly acidic soils near Edmonton, AB. Warm temperatures and slightly acidic conditions are known to favour the development of clubroot. The current study was conducted as part of a larger project to assess the risk that P. brassicae will spread to other areas in the prairie region, e.g., where soil pH is neutral or alkaline. The interaction of temperature (10, 15, 20, 25, 30 °C) and pH (5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 7.5, 8.0) on root hair infection (RHI) and clubroot symptom development in canola roots was studied under optimum moisture conditions and moderate (1–5 × 106 resting spores per seedling) inoculum levels under controlled conditions. The highest levels of RHI (max = 61%) and clubroot incidence and severity (max. = 100%) developed at pH 5.0–6.5 × 20–25 °C. Clubroot levels were intermediate at pH 7.0–8.0 × 20–25 °C, and very low at 10 and 15 °C, regardless of pH. Surveys of clubroot-infested canola fields in Alberta demonstrated that there was only a weak correlation between soil pH and clubroot level (r = −0.30 for incidence and r = −0.33 for severity, based on 267 fields). The absence of a strong correlation supports the results of the controlled environment study. We conclude that moderate levels of clubroot can develop at pH levels well above its pH optimum when temperature and moisture are suitable. This may be the underlying cause of failures in clubroot control that occasionally occur in infested vegetable fields treated with lime. This study indicates that there is a substantial risk that moderate levels of clubroot will develop in regions where soils are neutral or slightly alkaline if other conditions (temperature, moisture, inoculum load) are favourable for disease development.


Purpose: To present a DICOM screen dumper that captures 3D image registration results of MVCT vs. KVCT on Tomotherapy delivery console and sends them to R&V system to make remote image reviewing feasible. Method and Materials: Helical Tomotherapy is a true IGRT modality. Its on‐line imaging feature allows us to produce patient's position accurately by means of 3D image registration of MVCT vs. KVCT prior to treatment so that inter‐fraction motion is compensated. Unfortunately, this system lacks the feature to communicate with R&V systems due to its unique design. The image registration results are either approved by radiation oncologists at the console or on the printouts. To smooth the workflow, a software utility, ScreenBee, was developed for Tomotherapy system. Instead of acquiring entire 3D registration results and plan parameters that currently are not supported by any R&V system, it takes snapshots of either entire screen or a specific region, i.e., the graphical representations of 3D image registration and plan, encodes them in DICOM RT format and transfers them to R&V system. Results: It has been extensively tested and evaluated for about 8 months in our clinic. More than 2,000 images have been successfully sent to IMPAC. It also works on any computer with Microsoft Windows NT/2000/XP wherever the screen is desired to be seen and reviewed remotely in a timely fashion. So the treatment prescription and QA results can also be sent to R&V system if it is installed on the Tomotherapy planning workstation. Conclusion: The technical limitation on DICOM RT implementation of Tomotherapy system can be remedied by dedicated software without extra hardware capital investment. It helps radiation therapy clinics with cutting edge technologies move towards digital solutions so that the clinic workflows become more efficient and smooth with permanent records.


A particular initial state for the construction of the perturbative expansion of QCD is investigated. It is formed as a coherent superposition of zero momentum gluon pairs and shows Lorentz as well as global SU(3) symmetries. It follows that the gluon and ghost propagators determined by it, coincides with the ones used in an alternative of the usual perturbation theory proposed in a previous work. Therefore, the ability of such a procedure of producing a finite gluon condensation parameter already in the first orders of perturbation theory is naturally explained. It also follows that this state satisfies the physicality condition of the BRST procedure in its Kugo and Ojima formulation. The BRST quantization is done for the value alpha=1 of the gauge parameter where the procedure is greatly simplified. Therefore, after assuming that the adiabatic connection of the interaction does not take out the state from the interacting physical space, the predictions of the perturbation expansion, at the value alpha=1, for the physical quantities should have meaning. The validity of this conclusion solves the gauge dependence indeterminacy remained in the proposed perturbation expansion.


The first edition of the First Book for five voices of Giovanni Maria Nanino has been lost, and with it its dedication. A close reading of several of the texts in the book offers clues to the date of that first edition and the circle or circles of patronage that may have nourished the book's origin. This study is concerned principally with the final group of four "occasional" texts in the book—texts apparently referring to particular persons or occasions—and the much-set amorous lyric in the center of the book. I propose that these five madrigals are connected to a circle of patronage in the late 1560s in Florence and Rome, and that the patrons are Isabella de' Medici, her husband, Paolo Giordano Orsini, and his distant relative Cardinal Flavio Orsini. In addition to Nanino I discuss the composers Stefano Rossetti, Filippo di Monte, and Maddalena Casulana.


Bloggers devote significant time not only producing content for others to read, watch or listen to, but also paying attention to and engaging in interactions with other bloggers. We hope to throw light not only on the factors that gain bloggers significant readership and lively interactions with their audience, but also on the rules that govern their relations with others. We relate bloggers' activity with the size and structure of their network of fellow bloggers. A blogger's readership increases with his activity, while bloggers who read back proportionally fewer of their readers tend also to be more active. We find evidence that those bloggers who read back proportionally fewer of their readers have less readers than bloggers who reciprocate more, but tend to receive more comments per posts.


The General Co-Chairs welcome you to Shanghai and the joint IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC) and the Chinese Control Conference (CCC). It is the 48-th consecutive CDC and the 28-th CCC. Since 1986, the annual CDC has been held outside the United States with increasing frequency, and this year it is being held in the western Pacific for the third time. It is fitting that the flagship conference of our field is being held in one of the world's most dynamic urban settings. Shanghai is China's largest city and it is one of four Chinese municipalities reporting directly to the central Chinese Government in Beijing-instead of to a provincial government. With Beijing, Chongching, and Tianjin, the other three directly-governed municipalities, Shanghai thus has political stature on a par with any of China's 23 provinces. It is an important city, but it is at the same time an accessible and charming city, and we hope that you will be able to take advantage of the things it has to offer.


When stenosis of a large artery reaches about 75% of its lumen blood flow distal to obstruction abruptly falls and ceases to play decisive role for the region it supplies. This region survives due to opening of collaterals. This allows to cross-clamp coronary artery for 20-30 minutes and to create distal anastomosis during aorto-coronary venous or mammary coronary artery bypass grafting without artificial circulation. Another example is mitral stenosis. There exists a critical value of an orifice area (1 cm2 or 25% of the lumen) when abrupt decompensation develops. Similar cut off values of inflow (nourishing) vessel stenoses can be demonstrated in other regions of cardiovascular system. Thus conception of a 'critical stenosis' is universal for the arterial part of circulation and finds wide application in clinical practice.


Purpose of review Correct identification of malignancy in cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules is a diagnostic challenge, leading to potentially unnecessary surgery in patients for whom final histology is benign. Similarly, many patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) undergo aggressive surgical management of tumors, which may ultimately have low-risk histologic features. Use of molecular testing strategies can aid in both the diagnosis of indeterminate thyroid nodules and preoperative risk stratification of DTC. Recent findings Validation studies of both the Afirma Gene Expression Classifier and Thyroseq Next-Generation Sequencing panel are ongoing. Both tests can be used to help rule out malignancy in indeterminate thyroid nodules. Recent additions to available molecular testing for indeterminate thyroid nodules include the Rosetta microRNA classifier and the augmentation of the ThyGenX gene panel with a microRNA reflex test (ThyraMIR). Mutational analysis of DTC shows that mutation in TERT alone, and in combination with other mutations, portends advanced disease. Summary Currently available molecular testing modalities are useful for ruling out malignancy in indeterminate thyroid nodules; however, longer-term follow-up studies are needed to confirm that test-negative nodules are truly benign. Analysis of specific gene mutations helps identify aggressive disease to guide prognostication and management, but further study is needed.


An experience with the operative treatment of 12 patients with injured vena cava is analyzed. Traumas of the vena cava are a comparatively rare pathology characterized by catastrophic deterioration of the clinical course with the underlying massive internal hemorrhage. Injuries of the vena cava are difficult not only for preoperative but also for suboperative diagnosis. They are characterized by difficulty of surgical procedures and high percent of unfavorable outcomes due to special severity of blood loss and shock.


Within the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) field, many applications of a diverse nature are considered and thus their communication requirements differ significantly. This makes it difficult for one wireless carrier to support all or most of these applications. Therefore, we have complied a list of communication requirements for future ITS applications and used it to analyze different ITS applications as well as different wireless carriers. Accordingly, the applications can be grouped into different requirements profiles with recommended wireless carriers assigned to each profile. The concept of profiling can also be used to classify the applications according to their non-technical requirements and hence accelerate their future deployment by encouraging involved stakeholders to make the most common requirements available. It can also be useful when developing a roadmap for deployment of future ITS applications defining which application will most likely be implemented first.


The authors present the results of study of chemical monosaccharide composition and the ultrastructure of purified lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of the I and the II phases and the R-form of Sh. sonnei. The amount of lipids in LPS preparations increased with the change from S- into R-form. Galactose content in LPS of the II phase was less than in LPS of the I phase, and it was absent entirely in LPS of R-form. It was demonstrated by negative contrasting that LPS dissociation increased with S leads to R dissociation. A marked similarity was found between macromolecular aggregates of LPS of the II phase and of R-form.


: Using the ++clinico-psychopathological method and experimental psychological techniques the mechanisms of psychological defence were studied in 46 patients with chronic renal failure. The adaptation character of the mechanisms of psychological defence was shown in terms of the dynamics of their types depending on the stage and treatment of the disease. The role of the sex, premorbid personality type of the patient, the type of the disease course, nature of mental traumas in the formation of psychological defence is validated. The relationship between the development of mental disorders and the mechanisms of psychological defence is analyzed.


Combined therapy with antiaggregants and anticoagulants is a routine practice in the management of acute coronary syndrome without ST segment elevation (AC-ST) in patients with iron deficiency anemia. But some of these patients are at high risk of hemorrhagic complications. This work is aimed at choosing the therapeutic strategy for such patients. The retrospective analysis of medical cards of 2473 patients referred to the Department of Cardiac Animation with diagnosis of AC-ST included the estimation of the efficacy and safety of anticoagulant dalteparin sodium introduced in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in terms of the frequency of thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications and prognosis of the outcome compared with the patients given no anticoagulants. The prospective study included 83 patients. The antithrombotic treatment should be prescribed to such patients taking account of the risk of thrombotic complications. High frequency of iron deficiency anemia in patients with CS-ST necessitates elucidation and assessment of hemorrhage risk factors (CRUSADE scale) the results of which determine the choice of modalities for further treatment.


Ireland is a multilingual country, home to at least 212 languages, as well as English, the Irish language - the oldest language in Europe still spoken as a vernacular - and our native Irish Sign Language, whose users' rights have only recently been signed into law.  This paper will consider the main issues in language education in Ireland today from primary to third level, together with the economic, geopolitical and cultural forces which influence the ways in which we engage in communication both at home and abroad. Following a brief examination of the history which has led us to this point, it will review a number of European policies which continue to shape the manner in which both Irish and Modern Foreign Languages are learned and taught in present-day Ireland. Finally, it will assess recent policies/strategies and initiatives published by Government, the  strengths and weaknesses of language education here today, and propose some measures which could boost our national languages capacity in a world which, despite some impressions to the contrary, continues to be decidedly multilingual.


Plaintiff that feels disadvantage because the rights impinged in the rule of procedure of civil law he or she can file a main claim by accompanied with addition claim. One of addition claim which can be asked plaintiff is to be sued punished to pray force money (dwangsom) every day to the negligence fulfilling justice decision. Rule of dwangsom there is in section 606 RV which in practice jurisdiction still applying where dwangsom is pressure tool which psychologically the side of sued to be defeated soon will fulfill main punishment in content of judge decision having the character of condemnatory which is not punishment of payment of money but in the form or real execution or realization as soon as possible. In decision of Mahkamah Agung No 1429 K/Pdt/2006 Plaintiff bringing a lawsuit to the court on the basis of property to land mastered by opponent is againts the law which the main claim is she or he expressed as valid owner to dispute object and express deed is sued has done deed to fight against law that is mastering disputed site without legal right and surrender claim of land with a width of 744 m2 any unconditional and force money (dwangswom) equal to 100.000, per day since decision obtains permanent legal force. Initially in first level of court (P.N. MALANG) Plaintiff claim is refused, then plaintiff submits effort of appeal law to P.T. Surabaya. On the basis of the matter is plaintiff applies cassation to Mahkamah Agung and granted because subordinate court has wrong applies law. Key word: dwangsom, final punishment, mahkamah agung


The aim of this study was to develop a national database on the prevalence, severity of
malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs among Yemeni adolescents. Other
variables included were geographical zones, gender and urban-rural locations.
A multi-stage stratified random sample of 2400 subjects from 60 schools with equal
proportion of male and female were selected from nine governorates covering the whole
topography of Yemen (coastal, plateau, mountains, desert and islands). Measuring
instruments were the conventional FDI/WHO method of occlusal traits (Baume et al.,
1973; Berzoukov et al., 1979) and the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Needs (IOTN),
(Brooke and Shaw, 1989; Richmond et al., 1995). Other occlusal traits included based
on clinical oral examination were canine relationship and bimaxillary protrusion. Data
collection was carried out by one examiner assisted by a recorder, using mouth mirror
and the orthodontic ruler, with patient seating on a portable dental chair or classroom
chair and natural light. Prior to the oral examination, the examiner was calibrated
against a gold standard on children of the same age in Malaysia. A pilot study was again
conducted on Yemeni children in Thamar a week before data collection began. All
information gathered was checked for completeness and data was transferred into a
laptop using the SPSS software data entry program. Analysis was carried out using the
SPSS version 15 program.
Measurement of occlusal traits based on FDI/WHO objective method showed that
dental discrepancies was observed in 14.6% (impacted 5.7%, congenitally absent 2.2%,
retained deciduous 3.2%, missing due to extraction or trauma 2.8% and supernumerary
0.7%) of the sample examined. Crowding was observed in 53.3% of the sample, of
whom 27.8% had crowding of ≥ 2 mm. Spacing was observed in 2.9% of the sample,
mostly in the maxilla. Midline diastema was also found to occur in 5.4% of the sample
iii
examined. Asymmetrical molar relationship was only observed in 11.3% of the sample,
mostly of Class I/Class II relationship (9.4%). Overjet was observed in 9.1% of the
sample. Only a small proportion (2%) had anterior crossbite, deepbite (10.3%), anterior
openbite (4.5%), posterior openbite (2.9%), posterior crossbite (5.2%) and 2.7% scissor
bite. Other occlusal traits measured clinically were partially erupted teeth (6.5%), Class
II canine relationship (right 17.4%, left 18.4%), Class III canine relationship (right
1.8%, left 1.7%) and bimaxillary protrusion (9.3%).
Normative orthodontic treatment needs as assessed using the Dental Health Component
criteria of (IOTN) showed that slightly less than half (44.3%) of the adolescents needed
some form of orthodontic treatment (Grades 3,4 and 5). Of this a quarter (26.8%)
'definitely' needed treatment. Assessment of whether examiner or subject perceived
orthodontic treatment need was made using the Aesthetic Component of IOTN.
Findings showed that examiner perceived at least 28.9% of the adolescents in this study
needed orthodontic treatment (18.8% 'borderline' and 10.1% 'definite' need); on the
contrary subjects themselves perceived a much lower proportion (13.4%). Further
analysis was carried out to compare the findings according to gender, urban-rural areas
and country's topography.
In conclusion, findings showed the prevalence of malocclusion was 74.4% when
measured using the conventional WHO/FDI criteria. But when measured with Index of
IOTN, the prevalence of malocclusion observed was 68.2%. Although both examiner
measurements of normative and aesthetic perceived need indicated a relatively high,
subjects self-perceived needs was however low. These findings suggest a need for a
more conservative treatment approach in dealing with malocclusion problems among
Yemeni adolescents.


Identifying the dynamics of individual molecules along their reactive pathways remains a major goal of modern chemistry. For simple chemical reactions, the transition state position is thought to be highly localized. Conversely, in the case of more complex reactions involving proteins, the potential energy surfaces become rougher, resulting in heterogeneous reaction pathways with multiple transition state structures. Force-clamp spectroscopy experimentally probes the individual reaction pathways sampled by a single protein under the effect of a constant stretching force. Herein, we examine the distribution of conformations that populate the transition state of two different reactions; the unfolding of a single protein and the reduction of a single disulfide bond, both occurring within the same single protein. By applying the recently developed static disorder theory, we quantify the variance of the barrier heights, σ(2), governing each distinct reaction. We demonstrate that the unfolding of the I27 protein follows a nonexponential kinetics, consistent with a high value of σ(2) ∼ 18 (pN nm)(2). Interestingly, shortening of the protein upon introduction of a rigid disulfide bond significantly modulates the disorder degree, spanning from σ(2) ∼ 8 to ∼21 (pN nm)(2). These results are in sharp contrast with the exponential distribution of times measured for an S(N)2 chemical reaction, implying the absence of static disorder σ(2) ∼ 0 (pN nm)(2). Our results demonstrate the high sensitivity of the force-clamp technique to capture the signatures of disorder in the individual pathways that define two distinct force-induced reactions, occurring within the core of a single protein.


The aim of the thesis is to investigate the alloying effect on the mechanical properties of random alloys using the all-electron exact muffin-tin orbitals methodin combination with the coherent-potential approximation. The second-order elastic constants describe the mechanical properties of materials in the small deformation region, where the stress-strain relations arelinear. Beyond the small elastic region, the mechanical properties of dislocation-free solids are described by the ideal strength.The elastic constants and ideal tensile strengths have been investigated as a function of Cr and Ti for the body centered cubic V-based random solidsolution. Alloys along the equi-composition region are found to exhibit the largest shear and Young's modulus as a result of the opposite alloying effectsobtained for the two cubic shear elastic constants C' and C44.Classical solid-solution hardening (SSH) model predicts larger hardening effect in V-Ti thanin V-Cr alloy. By considering a phenomenological expression for the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) in terms of Peierls stress and SSH, itis shown that the present theoretical results can account for the variations of DBTT with composition. Under uniaxial [001] tensile loading, the ideal tensilestrength of V is 12.4 GPa and the lattice fails by shear. Assuming isotropic Poisson contraction, the ideal tensile strength are 36.4 and 52.0 GPa for V inthe [111] and [110] directions, respectively. For the V-based alloys, Cr increases and Ti decreases the ideal tensile strength in all principal directions. Addingthe same concentration of Cr and Ti to V leads to ternary alloys with similar ideal tensile strength values as that of pure V. The alloying effects on the idealtensile strength are explained using the electronic band structure.The ideal tensile strengths of bcc ferromagnetic Fe-based random alloys have been calculated as a function of compositions. The ideal tensile strength of Fe in the [001] direction is calculated to be 12. 6GPa,in agreement with the available data. For the Fe-based alloys, we predict that V, Cr, and Co increase the ideal tensile strength, while Al and Ni decrease it. Manganese yields a weak non-monotonous alloying behavior. We show that the limited use of the previouslyestablished ideal tensile strengths model based on structural energy differences in the case of Fe-bases alloys is attributed to the effect of magnetism. We find that upon tension all the investigated solutes strongly alter the magneticresponse of the Fe host from the unsaturated towards a stronger ferromagnetic behavior.


Objectives: To determine whether a Bcl-xS adenoviral vector has therapeutic potential in an ascites model of human breast cancerin nude mice. Methods: Advanced ascites were developed by injecting mice intraperitoneally (IP) with MDA-MB-231 human breast carcinoma cells. Mice received sequential IP injections of the Bcl-xS virus or a control lac-Z adenovirus. A third group of mice received no virus. Tumor burden and survival were monitored. Histopathology and necropsies were performed on mice. Results: A single injection of the Bcl-xS adenovirus produced no systemic or local toxicity and no abnormal histopathology in normal mice. However, abdominal organs within these mice were transduced with the Bcl-xS vector. Adenoviral gene transduction efficiency in MDA-MB-231 ascites was 36 ± 6.40% (n = 3). Percent weight change differences revealed that ascites bearing mice injected three times with the Bcl-xS vector. Adenoviral gene transduction efficiency in MDA-MB-231 ascites was 36 ± 6.40% (n = 3). Percent weight change differences revealed that ascites bearing mice injected three times with Bcl-xS vector showed a statistically significant decrease in tumor burden compared with lac-Z-injected mice (n = 7; P = .012 on days 10-15 after the virst injection). Mice injected with the Bcl-xS vector had significantly greater survival relative to lac-Z-injected mice (n = 7; P = .0004). Bcl-xS protein expression was detected in aspirates of mice injected with the Bcl-xS vector but not the lac-Z vector. Necropsies revealed that ascites bearing mice injected with Bcl-xS vector lacked carcinoma in the peritoneal cavity compared with control mice. Conclusion: The Bcl-xS adenovirus can reduce tumor burden and increase survival in an ascites model of advanced stage breast cancer.


Previous work has shown that amplitude and direction are two independently controlled parameters of aimed arm movements, and performance, therefore, suffers when they must be decomposed into Cartesian coordinates. We now compare decomposition into different coordinate systems. Subjects pointed at visual targets in 2-D with a cursor, using a two-axis joystick or two single-axis joysticks. In the latter case, joystick axes were aligned with the subjects' body axes, were rotated by -45 degrees , or were oblique (i.e., one axis was in an egocentric frame and the other was rotated by -45 degrees ). Cursor direction always corresponded to joystick direction. We found that compared with the two-axis joystick, responses with single-axis joysticks were slower and less accurate when the axes were oriented egocentrically; the deficit was even more pronounced when the axes were rotated and was most pronounced when they were oblique. This confirms that decomposition of motor commands is computationally demanding and documents that this demand is lowest for egocentric, higher for rotated, and highest for oblique coordinates. We conclude that most current vehicles use computationally demanding man-machine interfaces.


THE VIRTUOUS DRONE PILOT By Captain Joseph O. Chapa, US Air Force Advised by Professor Ken Himes, OFM This thesis responds to two distinct claims about drone (or remotely piloted aircraft) pilots. The first is the general claim that the martial virtues function as a kind of role morality for soldiers; the second, that drone pilots, based on the absence of personal risk and their distance from the battlefield, are unable to meet the demands of such a role morality. Chapter One explains what is meant by role morality, and determines whether the martial virtues do in fact function in a role morality capacity. The second chapter applies this general conception of a role morality for soldiers to military drone pilots in particular. This investigation finds that, insofar as "soldier" is in fact a role that generates a role morality, military drone pilots are as capable of meeting the demands of such a role morality as other military members. The second half of the thesis challenges the premise that drone pilots do not face personal risk. Chapter Three identifies psychological risk among drone pilots and seeks to determine how this kind of non-physical risk may affect the cultivation of the martial virtues. The fourth chapter argues that by placing military drone pilots within domestic territory, drone-capable militaries (such as the US military) have redrawn the battlespace such that it includes the drone operators, wherever they may be, and that as a result, drone pilots do in fact face some physical risk. Finally, in closing, this thesis presents a positive account of the martial virtues that enables military ethicists and strategists to bring centuries of philosophical investigation to bear on contemporary military issues.


The metabolism of 13C- and 15N-labeled milacemide, 2-(pentylamino)-acetamide, has been studied in rat liver and brain slices using solid-state NMR. This analysis is fast and efficient and can be used to monitor both major and minor metabolic pathways in mammalian tissue culture. The NMR work reported herein involves both conventional cross-polarization magic-angle spinning 13C and 15N NMR spectra and rotational-echo double resonance 13C-15N experiments. The latter measure quantitatively the breaking of isotopically labeled carbon-nitrogen chemical bonds. Our results, which are consistent with suggestions from previous metabolic studies, show that the first step in the breakdown of milacemide is the breaking of the pentylamine nitrogen bond to yield pentanoic acid and glycinamide. Total incorporation of 15N label from the resulting glycinamide fragment is comparable in rat liver and brain. In both tissues, considerably more of the 15N label from glycinamide is incorporated than the corresponding 13C label. Differences between the liver and brain tissue are also observed, with more synthesis incorporating the 13C labels taking place in the liver.


This paper on the topic "A Comparative study on portrayal of Marvi in Shah Jo Risalo and Cordelia in King Lear; as a female character" is a textual analysis in this research. Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, a famous poet of Sindh and William Shakespeare very much famous in English Literature; female characters have been taken from both poets' poetry. This research paper covers the feminist aspect or portrayal and image of woman in the poetry of both poets; it's a comparative study of both poets about woman and their depiction of female character; especially Marvi a female folk character of Sindh from Shah Jo Risalo of Shah Latif and Cordelia from King Lear Play of William Shakespeare. The portrayal of woman is depicted in the poetry of both poets especially these both characters are symbol of courage, love, straightforwardness, unselfishness, patriotism. The image of woman shown in the poetry especially in these two characters is based on sufferings and pains which leads towards reward, loyalty, honesty and truthfulness. These are victim of male dominant and patriarchal society also that why Cordelia suffers because of patriarchy an Marvi because of male dominance but both never withdraw from their cause and words; keeps striving and struggle together.


AIMS
To seek clues in the Vietnam study of 30 years ago that might shed light on which previous users of heroin are at special risk of relapsing and, among relapsers, to identify those likely to begin or return to injecting heroin.

DESIGN
To analyse information in military records and in two interviews given in the first 3 years after return from Vietnam to find predictors of post-Vietnam injection by soldiers who had used heroin while in Vietnam in 1970-71.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 374 Vietnam veterans who had used heroin while in Vietnam and had been interviewed twice since their return from Vietnam.

MEASUREMENTS
Post-Vietnam heroin injection was determined in either of two post-Vietnam interviews. Possible predictors came from interviews and military records and describe pre-Service and in-Vietnam status and behavior. Included are region of residence, race, antisocial behavior, type and level of drug use and association with illicit drug users. Possible post-Vietnam correlates of heroin injection were no job or school enrollment, alcohol problems, depression, absent or transient marriage, association with illicit drug users and other Vietnam veterans.

FINDINGS
Only a minority of those who used heroin in Vietnam had ever injected it there. Most smoked or snorted it. After their return, most of the men who had used heroin in Vietnam used it very occasionally or not at all. Among those who did use heroin more than five times after their return, most had tried injecting it. Significant predictors of post-Vietnam injection included living on the east or west coast, deviant behavior both before and in Vietnam, opiate use before Vietnam, serious involvement with heroin in Vietnam, use of non-opiate drugs before and in Vietnam, and associating with drug users before Service. The variables that increased significantly the probability of injection among men who relapsed to heroin use after return to the United States were living on the east or west coast and having a history of using non-opiate illegal drugs before they entered Service. Blacks who returned to heroin use after return were less likely to inject than were non-blacks.

CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that a high-risk group for intervention to prevent future injection would consist of people with a history of past heroin use who are currently either in remission or using without injection and who reside on either coast, have a history of antisocial behavior and have used a variety of illicit drugs other than heroin.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Height is an essential measurement in clinical medicine. It allows the calculation of body mass index, ideal body weight, basic energy requirements and tidal volumes. In many patient groups, such as the critically ill, height cannot be measured easily and surrogate anthropometric measures are used. Regression equations estimating height are specific to ethnicity. We aimed to develop the regression equation for Vietnamese men and women to predict height from ulna length and so improve prescription of life-saving treatment in the intensive care units.

METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN
A cross-sectional survey of patients and relatives at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases was undertaken. Ulna length, standing height and weight were measured. The first two thirds of participants' data, stratified by sex and age, were allocated to a model training group, the subsequent participants entered the validation group. Linear regression equations were calculated for the model group by sex, then applied to the validation group and assessed for precision. Other international equations were also compared.

RESULTS
498 males and 496 females were recruited. There was good correlation between ulna length and height in those aged 21-64, r=0.66, p<0.001 in males and females. The regression equations were: male: height = 85.61 + (3.16 x ulna length), female: height = 85.80 + (2.97 x ulna length). Equations from other populations were less accurate.

CONCLUSIONS
The regression equations calculated for men and women aged 21-64 showed good correlation and can be used to predict height in those where direct measurement is impossible.


The growing importance of information technology (IT) as a strategic factor for organisations in achieving their objectives, have raised the concern of organisations in establishing and implementing effective IT governance. The phenomenon is not only happened in private sectors but also in public sectors. This study attempts to examine empirically the individual IT governance mechanisms that influence the overall effectiveness of IT governance in public sectors. Obtaining the sample data by using web based survey from 54 members of ISACA (Information Systems and Audit Control Association) currently working in Australian public sector organizations; this study examined the influences of four proposed IT governance mechanisms on the overall effectiveness of IT governance. Using Factor analysis and multiple regression techniques, this study found significant positive relationships between the overall level of effective IT governance and the following two IT governance mechanisms: the existence of an IT strategy committee and corporate (organization) communication systems.


Neutron beams for therapy always contain some gamma ray contamination that varies with depth and with distance from the beam axis. The problem therefore arises how the varying gamma ray contribution should be accounted for in dose specification. Not infrequently a "total effective dose" DE is quoted that is equal to the neutron dose plus the gamma ray dose divided by a constant weight factor tau. On general biophysical considerations this appears to be not a valid approach since it must be assumed that tau decreases with increasing dose. The nature and the magnitude of this dose dependence is derived in the present article. Application of the results to actual doses per fraction and to factual gamma ray to neutron ratios demonstrates that the dose dependence of tau has, in fact, very minor influence on the numerical values of DE. Utilization of a constant value tau is therefore satisfactory in practice.


Behavior of Earth's ice sheets is intensely monitored via surface and remote sensing techniques to improve predictions of sea level evolution. Radio echo sounding along with drilling ice cores are currently used to monitor the Earth's ice sheets behaviour not only from the surface but in the 3rd dimension. Particularly the ice material properties can only be accessed via ice drilling. These properties control the deformation in general, and particularly strain localization such as observed in ice streams, which supply the major discharges into the oceans.
Currently the first ice core on an active ice stream, the North-East Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) is being drilled. EastGRIP (East Greenland Ice-Core Project, http://eastgrip.org) drilling started in 2016 and will be ongoing until 2019. This is the first chance to study ice microstructure from a dynamically active region (www.awi.de/en/focus/eisschilde/eis-ist-ein-heisses-material.html), with a deformation regime differing from the usual locations of previous long ice cores. Those were usually placed on domes or on ice divides due to straightforward kinematics and deformation rates which is advantageous for paleo-climate reconstruction from ice core records.
We present CPO (c-axes fabric) and the grain size measurements of the uppermost 350m, the depth to which the ice core has been processed for analysis so far (275 thin sections discontinuous with 10m depth resolution). The CPO patterns found in the upper 350m at EastGRIP show (1) a more rapid evolution of c-axes anisotropy with depth compared to other ice cores and (2) partly novel characteristics in the caxes
distributions. (Remark: This is an invited poster.)


Solutions of dual-pump fibre-optical parametric amplifiers (DP-FOPAs) with dispersion fluctuations are derived by using a matrix operator. Based on these solutions and a hybrid genetic algorithm, we have optimized three-section DP-FOPAs to increase the signal band and improve the gain uniformity. The optimizations demonstrate that when dispersion fluctuations are taken into account, the 44-nm signal band with the 0.37-dB ripple and over 14.8-dB gain can be obtained from the three-section DP-FOPA, instead of the lowest gain of ~13 dB with the ripple of more than 15 dB from the single-section DP-FOPA.


Sex allocation theory predicts that females should bias their reproductive investment towards the sex generating the greatest fitness returns. The fitness of male offspring is often more dependent upon maternal investment, and therefore, high-quality mothers should invest in sons. However, the local resource competition hypothesis postulates that when offspring quality is determined by maternal quality or when nest site and maternal quality are related, high-quality females should invest in the philopatric sex. Waterfowl – showing male-biased size dimorphism but female-biased philopatry – are ideal for differentiating between these alternatives. We utilized molecular sexing methods and high-resolution maternity tests to study the occurrence and fitness consequences of facultative sex allocation in Barrow's goldeneyes (Bucephala islandica). We determined how female structural size, body condition, nest-site safety and timing of reproduction affected sex allocation and offspring survival. We found that the overall sex ratio was unbiased, but in line with the local resource competition hypothesis, larger females produced femalebiased broods and their broods survived better than those of smaller females. This bias occurred despite male offspring being larger and tending to have lower post-hatching survival. The species shows strong female breeding territoriality, so the benefit of inheriting maternal quality by philopatric daughters may exceed the potential mating benefit for sons of high-quality females.


Despite the significant medical and technological advances made in managing diabetes, discrimination in employment and licensure against people with diabetes still occurs. This discrimination is often based on apprehension that the person with diabetes may present a safety risk to the employer or the public—a fear sometimes based on misinformation or lack of up-to-date knowledge about diabetes. Perhaps the greatest concern is that hypoglycemia will cause sudden unexpected incapacitation. Hypoglycemia (i.e., insulin reaction) occurs from a relative excess of insulin in the blood and results in excessively low blood glucose levels. The level of glucose that produces symptoms of hypoglycemia varies from person to person and for the same person under different circumstances. Hypoglycemia usually occurs gradually and is generally associated with typical warning signs, which may include rapid heartbeat, perspiration, shakiness, anxiety, and hunger. When symptoms occur, preventive action can be taken by eating carbohydrates. A hypoglycemic reaction is not ordinarily associated with a loss of consciousness or a seizure. However, if warning signs are absent or ignored and the blood glucose level continues to fall, more severe hypoglycemia may lead to an alteration of mental function that proceeds to confusion, stupor, and finally to unconsciousness. Most individuals with diabetes never suffer such severe hypoglycemia. The few who


Fermented bamboo vinegar liquid (FBVL) was prepared through liquid fermentation of bamboo vinegar with multispecies probiotics, and its effect on growing pigs was investigated. A 42-day feeding trial with 84 growing pigs (28.0 ± 0.08 kg) was conducted to evaluate the effects of FBVL on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, faecal Escherichia coli concentration and faecal ammonia emissions. Pigs were randomly distributed to one of four dietary treatments, namely control, CTC (0.003% chlortetracycline), FBVL 0.2%, and FBVL 0.4%. Overall, the final weight and daily weight gain of the pigs in the CTC group were higher than that of pigs in the control group. Dietary supplementation with 0.4% FBVL reduced the feed intake of growing pigs, whereas the feed conversion ratio (FCR) was lower in the CTC supplemented group. The dry matter digestibility was higher in pigs fed CTC and 0.2% FBVL diets, and crude protein digestibility was improved in all treatment groups compared with control. The faecal E. coli numbers were reduced in response to CTC and 0.4% FBVL supplementation. Faecal ammonia emissions were reduced by dietary supplementation with CTC and FBVL at weeks 1, 2 and 3. In conclusion, dietary FBVL supplementation increased nutrient digestibility and reduced faecal E. coli population and ammonia emissions without negative effects on growth performance. Keywords : Chlortetracycline, digestibility, fermentation, probiotics, swine


BACKGROUND
 Colorectal cancer screening by fecal occult blood testing has been an important public health test and shown to reduce colorectal cancer–related mortality. However, the low participation rate in colorectal cancer screening by the general public remains a problematic public health issue. This fact could be attributed to the complex and unpleasant operation of the screening tool.

 OBJECTIVE
 This study aimed to validate a novel toilet paper–based point-of-care test (ie, JustWipe) as a public health instrument to detect fecal occult blood and provide detailed results from the evaluation of the analytic characteristics in the clinical validation.

 METHODS
 The mechanism of fecal specimen collection by the toilet-paper device was verified with repeatability and reproducibility tests. We also evaluated the analytical characteristics of the test reagents. For clinical validation, we conducted comparisons between JustWipe and other fecal occult blood tests. The first comparison was between JustWipe and typical fecal occult blood testing in a central laboratory setting with 70 fecal specimens from the hospital. For the second comparison, a total of 58 volunteers were recruited, and JustWipe was compared with the commercially available Hemoccult SENSA in a point-of-care setting.

 RESULTS
 Adequate amounts of fecal specimens were collected using the toilet-paper device with small day-to-day and person-to-person variations. The limit of detection of the test reagent was evaluated to be 3.75 µg of hemoglobin per milliliter of reagent. Moreover, the test reagent also showed high repeatability (100%) on different days and high reproducibility (>96%) among different users. The overall agreement between JustWipe and a typical fecal occult blood test in a central laboratory setting was 82.9%. In the setting of point-of-care tests, the overall agreement between JustWipe and Hemoccult SENSA was 89.7%. Moreover, the usability questionnaire showed that the novel test tool had high scores in operation friendliness (87.3/100), ease of reading results (97.4/100), and information usefulness (96.1/100).

 CONCLUSIONS
 We developed and validated a toilet paper–based fecal occult blood test for use as a point-of-care test for the rapid (in 60 seconds) and easy testing of fecal occult blood. These favorable characteristics render it a promising tool for colorectal cancer screening as a public health instrument.


TiO2 thin films were deposited from Ti2¬O3, TiO2 and Ti3O5 source materials by e-beam. The refractive index and extinction coefficient of the films in the visible and near infrared(IR) region were measured. The structural and chemical properties of the films were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XRD measurements revealed that all the deposited films were amorphous. XPS analysis showed the films were stoichiometric TiO2. The AFM investigation confirmed that the surface roughness of the films was dependent on the deposition conditions.


Lung cancer is a leading cause of premature death. Early diagnosis is associated with improved outcomes. While chest X-ray remains the first line investigation, individual studies have indicated that a proportion of lung cancers are not identified (false negatives); this is one cause of delayed diagnoses.To estimate the proportion of patients with lung cancer who have had a chest X-ray in the year prior to diagnosis which was not interpreted as having features suspicious for lung cancer.A broad search strategy was devised including several synonyms for chest X-ray and lung cancer. Screening and paediatric data, studies from before 1999 and studies based on retrospective interpretation of radiology were excluded. A 20% random sample screened by a second reviewer to ensure consistency.Analysis is almost complete: 8362 studies were identified. Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis, however the combined population was 1557 patients of whom 954 (61.27%) had a positive chest X-ray. In four studies with a lower risk of bias, comprising 1052 patients, sensitivity ranged from 73.5% to 79.3% (mean 76.19%).This review suggests that chest X-ray does not identify approximately 25% of cases, although the findings may be affected by publication bias. This finding needs replicating in a high-quality study that could also demonstrate the potential consequences on diagnostic intervals and stage at diagnosis. The findings also suggest that studies to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of other modalities (e.g. low-dose CT scan) are needed.


Background: Granulomatous Polyangiitis (GPA) is a rare form of small vessel vasculitis characterized by the demonstration of necrotizing granulomatous inflammation histologically. Case: We report the case of a 62-years-old woman with symptoms of cough and significant loss of weight with radiological findings to support a left lower lobe lung mass. The patient was initially suspected to have metastatic lung malignancy until biopsy results suggested necrotizing granulomatous inflammation. A diagnosis of limited GPA was made when the cytoplasmic antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, (c-ANCA) and antiproteinase-3 antibodies (anti-PR3) was elevated. The patient was treated with combination therapy of prenisolone (1 mg/kg) and methotrexate which induced clinical remission within weeks and radiological complete remission within 3 months. However, as prednisolone was tapered down, there were suggestions of a relapse. Conclusion: The presentation of GPA can be highly variable and pose a diagnostic challenge to clinicians. In cases at risk for relapse, treatment should be continued for at least 18-24 months.


"Every recreationist -- whether hiker, biker, horse packer, or poesy sniffer -- should not begin by asking, 'What's best for ME?' but rather 'What's best for the bears?'" Tom Butler. "Will we keep some parts of the American landscape natural and wild and free -- or must every acre be easily accessible to people and their toys? … Mountain bikes' impacts on the land are large and getting worse. … The aggressive push of mountain bike organizations to build ever-growing webs of trails poses serious problems of habitat fragmentation, increased erosion, and wildlife conflicts. As interest in extreme riding continues to grow, as trail networks burgeon, and as new technology makes it possible for ever-more mountain bicyclists to participate, even the most remote wild landscapes may become trammeled -- and trampled -- by knobby tires. … The destruction of wilderness and the fragmentation of habitats and ecosystems is death by a thousand cuts. Will introduction of mountain bikes -- and their penetration farther into wilderness -- promote additional fragmentation and human conflicts with the natural world? Yes." Brian O'Donnell and Michael Carroll". Some things are obvious: mountain bikes do more damage to the land than hikers. To think otherwise ignores the story told by the ground. Although I have never ridden a mountain bike, I am very familiar with their impacts. For the last seven years I have regularly run three to six miles several times a week on a network of trails in the Sandia Mountain foothills two blocks from my home. … These trails receive use from walkers, runners, and mountain bikers; they are closed to motorized vehicles. Because I'm clumsy, I keep my eyes on the trail in front of me. I run or walk in all seasons, in all kinds of weather. I have watched the growing erosion on these trails from mountain bike use. The basic difference between feet and tires is that tire tracks are continuous and foot tracks are discontinuous. Water finds that narrow, continuous tire tracks are a rill in which to flow. Also, because many mountain bikers are after thrills and speed, their tires cut into the ground. Slamming on the brakes after zooming downhill, sliding around sharp corners, and digging in to go uphill: I see the results of this behavior weekly. I regularly see mountain bikers cutting off cross-country, even on steep slopes, for more of a challenge. They seem blind and deaf to the damage they cause. Admittedly, backpackers and horse packers can cause damage to wilderness trails. But this is a poor argument to suggest that we add another source of damage to those trails." Dave Foreman. "Studies show that bike impacts are similar to those of other non-motorized trail users." Jim Hasenauer (professor of rhetoric and member of the board of directors of the International Mountain Bicyclists Association)


SUMMARY Gossypium barbadense is widely cultivated because of its extra‐long staple cotton with superior luster, silkiness and high yield. These economically important traits were selected during initial domestication of an agronomically inferior wild ancestor, followed by millennia of human‐mediated selection. To reveal the effects of this history on the cotton fiber transcriptome, we conducted comparative expression profiling on mechanically isolated fiber cells at three different stages encompassing early, mid, and late fiber elongation in wild (K101) and domesticated (Pima S‐7) accessions, using a microarray platform that interrogates 42,429 unigenes. The distribution of differentially expressed genes across developmental stages was different in the two accessions, with a shift toward greater change earlier in cultivated than in wild G. barbadense. Approximately 4200 genes were differentially expressed between wild and domesticated accessions at one or more of the stages studied. Domestication appears to have led to enhanced modulation of cellular redox levels and the avoidance or delay of stress‐like processes. Prolonged fiber growth in cultivated relative to wild G. barbadense is associated with upregulation of signal transduction and hormone signaling genes and down‐regulation of cell wall maturation genes. Clues are provided into the processes and genes that may unwittingly have been selected by humans during domestication and development of modern elite lines. Several of the transcriptomic differences between wild and domesticated G. barbadense described here appear to have parallels in a second domesticated cotton species, Gossypium hirsutum, suggesting that replicated domestication of two different species has resulted in overlapping, parallel, metabolic transformations.


Minority women in the United States experience a disproportionately high burden of the more than 2 million yearly cases of squamous intraepithelial lesions of the cervix. Risk factors for squamous intraepithelial lesions of the cervix are infection with the sexually acquired human papillomavirus (HPV), an early age at first intercourse, history of multiple sexual partners, oral contraceptive use, high parity, lower socioeconomic status, poor diet, immunosuppression, and promiscuous male sexual partners. Although Hispanics are the largest growing minority population in the United States, few HPV risk factor studies have either included or focused on Hispanics in the United States. To determine risk factors for HPV infection among Mexican-American women, we conducted a cross-sectional study from 1992-1995. Nine hundred and seventy-one women, 18-47 years of age, with cytology results were included in this analysis. Overall, 13.2% of participants were HPV positive by the Hybrid Capture tube method for high-risk types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 45, 51, 52, or 56. Age [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.3 for ages >36 years compared with ages 18-20] and duration of oral contraceptive use (AOR = 0.4 for > or =4 years relative to nonusers) were inversely associated with these high-risk types of HPV infection. Marital status (AOR = 1.9 among single women compared with married) and lifetime number of sexual partners (AOR = 2.3 for women > or =5 partners relative to monogamous women) were positively associated with an increased risk. Participants born in Mexico were significantly (P < 0.05) older, had fewer sex partners, and older age at first intercourse. Despite this lower behavioral risk profile, women born in Mexico were significantly more likely (AOR = 1.9; CI = 1.2-3.2) to have an HPV infection compared with United States-born, Mexican-American women after adjustment for potential confounders. Collectively, these results suggest that an unmeasured factor, such as the sexual behavior of the male partner, may be influencing HPV risk. Further research is needed to define this factor and to assess cultural norms of sexual behavior.


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OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of the S-CORE
registry was to assess the safety and efficacy of the Supralimus-Core? sirolimus-eluting stent deployment for the treatment of coronary artery disease
and event-free survival of patients
treated with this coronary stent. METHODS: S-CORE Registry is an observational,
single-arm, non-randomized, post-marketing surveillance multicenter registry in which 562 patients undergoing single or multi-vessel
percutaneous coronary intervention were enrolled. The pre-specified primary
outcome was the rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as the
composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), target lesion
revascularisation (TLR) and target vessel revascularisation (TVR) at 12-month
post-procedure. Stent thrombosis (ST) served as the safety endpoint. RESULTS: A
total of 640 lesions were treated in 562 enrolled patients (mean age 57.4 ± 10.7
years) with average stent length of 25.0 ± 9.0 mm. Stent delivery was successful
in 99% cases. A total of 554 (98.6%) patients have been followed up to 12 months. The incidence of MACE
at 30 days and 6 months was 7 (1.2%) and 12
(2.1%) respectively. The composite rate of MACE at a 12-month clinical follow-up
was 19 (3.4%), consisting of 12 (2.1%) cardiac deaths, 0 (0%) MI, 6 (1.1%) TLR
and 1 (0.2%) TVR. The long-term follow-up of this
registry is going on to confirm safety and efficacy profiles. CONCLUSIONS: This
multicenter registry demonstrated satisfactory safety and efficacy profiles, as
evidenced by low rates of major adverse cardiac events up to 12 months, for the cobalt-chromium biodegradable
polymer-based sirolimus-eluting Supralimus-Core? stent in a
"real-world" setting.


Density of nanoparticle (NP) arrays affects the hot spots distribution and strength in NP-metal film (NP-MF) geometry. In-depth understanding of the variation of electromagnetic (EM) field enhancement with NPs density is essential for wide applications of the NP-MF geometry such as surface-enhanced spectroscopies and enhanced efficiency of optoelectronic devices. Here, we show that the field distribution in the NP array on the metal film is greatly enhanced and confined at the NP-NP junctions for very small horizontal gap (g) between neighboring NPs, whereas the fields at the NP-MF junction are extremely small. When gradually increasing g, the field enhancement at the NP-NP junction decreases, along with the gradually enhanced fields at the NP-MF junction. We show that there is an optimal value of horizontal gap (∼75 nm for 80 nm Au NP array on Ag film with 532 nm normal incidence), indicating that the average field enhancement in NP-MF geometry can be optimized by adjusting the horizontal gap. More importantly, it is found that the EM field enhancement is greatly decreased when g fulfills the requirement to couple the 532 nm incident light into SPPs, because of the interference between the LSPR and the SPPs, which leads to a Fano dip at the incident wavelength of 532 nm.


Estrogens can have two roles in the induction of cancer: stimulating proliferation of cells by receptor-mediated processes, and generating electrophilic species that can covalently bind to DNA. The latter role is thought to proceed through catechol estrogen metabolites, which can be oxidized to o-quinones that bind to DNA. Four estrogen-deoxyribonucleoside adducts were synthesized by reaction of estrone 3,4-quinone (E1-3,4-Q), 17 beta-estradiol 3,4-quinone (E2-3,4-Q), or estrone 2,3-quinone (E1-2,3-Q) with deoxyguanosine (dG) or deoxyadenosine (dA) in CH3CO2H/H2O (1:1). Reaction of E1-3,4-Q or E2-3,4-Q with dG produced specifically 7-[4-hydroxyestron-1(alpha, beta)-yl]guanine (4-OHE1-1(alpha, beta)-N7Gua) or 7-[4-hydroxyestradiol-1(alpha, beta)-yl]-guanine (4-OHE2-1(alpha, beta)-N7Gua), respectively, in 40% yield, with loss of deoxyribose. These two quinones did not react with dA, deoxycytidine, or thymidine. When E1-2,3-Q was reacted with dG or dA, N2-(2-hydroxyestron-6-yl)deoxyguanosine (2-OHE1-6-N2dG, 10% yield) and N6-(2-hydroxyestron-6-yl)deoxyadenosine (2-OHE1-6-N6dA, 80% yield), respectively, were formed. These adducts provide insight into the type of DNA damage that can be caused by o-quinones of the catechol estrogens. The estrogen 3,4-quinones are expected to produce depurinating guanine adducts that are lost from DNA, generating apurinic sites, whereas the 2,3-quinones would form stable adducts that remain in DNA, unless repaired. The adducts reported here will be used as references in studies to elucidate the structure of estrogen adducts in biological systems.


The study explored the incidence of clinical feminisation and the sex hormone levels of 18 Nigerian patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) alone and 18 patients with LC and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The incidence (11%) of clinical feminisation in Nigerian patients was lower than values reported from other countries and there was no association between feminising signs and the sex hormone levels of the patients. Plasma oestradiol and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels were significantly higher and testosterone lower in patients with liver diseases than in 18 age-matched normal controls. Serum concentrations of oestradiol were also found to be significantly higher in patients with LC alone than in those with LC and HCC. A possible promotive role for oestrogens in the development of HCC from the cirrhotic liver is discussed.


Abstract Aims To review the characteristics and effectiveness of psychosocial interventions on quality of life of adult people with cancer and their family caregivers. Design A systematic review using PRISMA guidelines. Methods Seven databases were searched from 2009–2019 using key terms. Included studies were assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Results 1909 studies were retrieved with 12 studies included, involving 3,390 patients/caregivers. Interventions aimed to improve communication, behaviour change and setting short‐term goals. Duration of interventions varied from 4–17 weeks. Highest benefit was gained from telephone interventions. Interventions based on interpersonal counselling appeared more effective than other approaches. Studies predominantly focused on psychological, physical and social domains of quality of life. Spiritual well‐being received relatively little attention. A paradigm shift is needed to develop psychosocial interventions that incorporate spiritual well‐being. More research is needed in developing countries.


In the ovarian follicle, granulosa cells adjacent to the oocyte extend processes through the zona pellucida matrix, and these projections establish gap junctions both with the oocyte and with neighboring transzonal projections. The identity of connexins contributing to gap junctions between transzonal projections has not been extensively studied. Here, we examined the expression pattern of Cx37 and Cx43 in mouse zona pellucida using multiple connexin-specific antibodies. Immunofluorescence staining revealed abundant Cx37 and Cx43 puncta within the zona pellucida of both preantral and antral follicles. Cx37 persisted in the zona pellucida of mature follicles up to 5 h after an ovulatory stimulus whereas Cx43 was reduced in the zona pellucida by 3 h after an ovulatory stimulus. We suggest that in addition to its role in oocyte-granulosa cell communication, Cx37 could enable a distinct communication pathway between those granulosa cells that are in direct contact with the oocyte.


Introduction: Nasopharyngeal (NP) colonization by Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) precedes the development of respiratory tract infection. Colonization by antimicrobial-resistant pneumococci, especially in infants, is a major public health concern. We longitudinally investigated antimicrobial-resistance amongst pneumococci colonizing the nasopharynx of South African infants immunized with the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). Methods: NP swabs were collected every second week from birth through the first year of life from 137 infants. Pneumococci were identified and serotyped using conventional microbiological techniques, and their antibiotic susceptibility profiles determined by disk diffusion and E-test. Results: All infants were immunized with 3 doses of PCV13. 1520 pneumococci (760 non-repeat) isolates were recovered from 137 infants; including non-typeable (n = 99), PCV13 (n = 133) and non-PCV13 serotypes (n = 528). The prevalence of penicillin, erythromycin, and cotrimoxazole non-susceptibility was 19% (95% CI 17–22%) (3% fully resistant), 18% (95% CI 15–21%) (14% fully resistant), and 45% (95% CI 42–49%) (36% fully resistant), respectively. The predominant penicillin-non-susceptible serotypes included 19A, 19F, 15B/15C, 15A, and 21, while susceptible serotypes included 23A, 34, and 17A. Multidrug-resistance (MDR) was observed in 9% (95% CI 7–11%) of the isolates. PCV13 serotypes were more likely to be non-susceptible, compared to non-PCV13 serotypes, to penicillin (26% vs. 16%, p = 0.007), erythromycin (23% vs. 15%, p = 0.027) and cotrimoxazole (62% vs. 41%, p < 0.001). Non-susceptibility to penicillin, erythromycin, and cotrimoxazole remained relatively constant through the first year of life (X2 test for trend: p = 0.184, p = 0.171, and p = 0.572, respectively). Overall, penicillin or erythromycin-non-susceptible pneumococci were carried for a shorter duration than susceptible pneumococci [penicillin (mean days, 18 vs. 21, p = 0.013) and erythromycin (mean days, 18 vs. 21, p = 0.035)]. Within individual infants carrying the same serotype longitudinally, changes in antibiotic susceptibility were observed over time in 45% (61/137) of infants and these changes were predominantly for penicillin (76%, 79/104). Conclusion: Prevalence of NP carriage with antibiotic-non-susceptible pneumococci was relatively constant throughout the first year of life. PCV13 serotypes were more commonly non-susceptible to penicillin, erythromycin, and cotrimoxazole. Penicillin or erythromycin-non-susceptible pneumococci were carried for a shorter duration than penicillin or erythromycin-susceptible pneumococci.


The ambitious of researchers to reach the maximum capacity of data network lead them to network coding. The simplicity of applying network coding and the improvement to achieve the maximum possible information flow in a network lead to apply network coding in many applications. Network coding was implemented first in wired medium, and then moved to the wireless one. Due to the special characteristics of the wireless medium and the less reliability compared with the wired one, this created wide research area of network coding applications for wireless systems. In this work, the main focus will be on practical implementation problem when network coding is applied in a two way relay networks. A new proposed method of performing network coding will be presented. Our proposed method can achieve better network performance than conventional network coding. We will also provide our own method to generate the coded message. The main feature of the proposed method is to multiply the received packets together inside the relay node. The packets multiplication is at the symbol level in the complex domain. The resulted packet will be broadcasted to both receivers. The receivers will be able to recover the other node packet by dividing the broadcasted packet with their own packets. Analytical and experimental analysis show that the proposed method has better performance and more robust for channel asymmetry than conventional network coding.


An inhibitor of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 demonstrates proof-of-concept clinical efficacy in dogs with osteoarthritis. Paws on pain Canines experience osteoarthritis similar to humans, and studies testing therapeutics in companion animals can provide valuable support for clinical trials. Robertson-Plouch and colleagues evaluated efficacy of inhibitors of the prostaglandin E (PGE) pathway in reducing pain in dogs with spontaneously occurring osteoarthritis. A microsomal PGE synthase-1 inhibitor showed promising results for reducing pain scores compared to a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory targeting cyclooxygenase-2 and a downstream antagonist of the E-type prostanoid receptor 4, although consistent superiority compared to placebo did not reach the study's predetermined threshold. Results from this proof-of-concept study support further investigation of microsomal PGE synthase-1 inhibition for analgesia. Canine studies of spontaneous osteoarthritis (OA) pain add valuable data supporting drug treatment mechanisms that may translate to humans. A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled study was conducted in client-owned dogs with moderate OA pain to evaluate efficacy of LYA, an inhibitor of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES1), an EP4 antagonist (LYB), and carprofen, versus placebo. Of 255 dogs screened, 163 were randomized (placebo/LYA/LYB/carprofen: n = 43/39/42/39) and 158 completed treatment. Efficacy versus placebo was assessed using Bayesian mixed-effect model for repeated measure analyses of the Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) pain interference score (PIS; primary endpoint), pain severity score, and overall impression, as well as the Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD) mobility score. The posterior probability that the difference to placebo was <0 at week 2 was 80% for LYA and 54% for LYB for CBPI PIS (both <95% predefined threshold). For secondary endpoints, the posterior probability that the difference to placebo was <0 at week 2 ranged from 89 to 96% for LYA and from 56 to 89% for LYB. The posterior probabilities comparing carprofen to placebo groups were ≥90% for all efficacy endpoints. The proportion of dogs with one or more adverse event was not significantly different from placebo (32.6%) for LYA (35.9%) or carprofen (25.6%), but the rate for LYB (59.5%) was higher versus placebo (P = 0.017). LYA treatment demonstrated consistent improvement in all efficacy measures, suggesting that inhibition of mPGES1 may be an effective treatment for chronic pain associated with OA.


The effects of Cr and Al on high temperature oxidation resistance of Nb-Si system intermetallics have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and weight gain method. The results showed that the high temperature oxidation resistance can be substantially improved by proper Cr or Al addition. The further analysis revealed that Cr promotes the formation of CrNbO4 in scale and improve the adherence between the oxide scale and the substrate. It also found that Al improves the surface morphology of oxide scale and changes oxidation products by promoting the AlNbO4 formation.


A noninvasive, cell-autonomous reporter system was developed to monitor the generation and distribution of physiologically active pools of abscisic acid (ABA). ABA response (abi1-1) and biosynthesis (aba2-1) mutants of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) were used to validate the system in the presence and absence of water stress. In the absence of water stress, low levels of ABA-dependent reporter activation were observed in the columella cells and quiescent center of the root as well as in the vascular tissues and stomata of cotyledons, suggesting a nonstress-related role for ABA in these cell types. Exposure of seedlings to exogenous ABA resulted in a uniform pattern of reporter expression. In marked contrast, reporter expression in response to drought stress was predominantly confined to the vasculature and stomata. Surprisingly, water stress applied to the root system resulted in the generation of ABA pools in the shoot but not in the root. The analysis of the response dynamics revealed a spread of physiologically active ABA from the vascular tissue into the areoles of the cotyledons. Later, ABA preferentially activated gene expression in guard cells. The primary sites of ABA action identified by in planta imaging corresponded to the sites of ABA biosynthesis, i.e. guard cells and cells associated with vascular veins. Hence, water stress recognized by the root system predominantly results in shoot-localized ABA action that culminates in a focused response in guard cells.


Disability classifications is given a minor role in the Swedish national policy on special needs in schools. In the present study questionnaires are used to investigate the actual importance of medical diagnosis in obtaining special support as well as attitudes towards such practices. The study involves different levels of the educational system as well as different occupational groups within compulsory schooling and preschool. The results show that: 1) disability-based categories are seen as less needed in practice by chief education officers than by principals; 2) disability-based classifications have stronger support among school staff than in the guiding documents and among principals and chief education officers; 3) a disability-based approach has stronger support at the compulsory school level than at the preschool level; 4) the group most in favour of disability-based classifications is teachers and those most against are chief education officers, principals and SENCOs.