A NGN is a telecommunication network that differs from classical dedicated networks because of its capability to provide voice, video, data and cellular services on
the same infrastructure (Quadruple-Play). The ITU-T standardization body has defined the NGN architecture in three different and well-defined strata: the transport stratum which takes care of maintaining end-to-end connectivity, the service stratum that is responsible for enabling the creation and the delivery of services, and finally the application stratum where applications can be created and executed. The most important separation in this architecture is relative to transport and service stratum. The aim is to enable the flexibility to add, maintain and remove services without any impact on the transport layer; to enable the flexibility to add, maintain and remove transport technologies without any impact on the access to service, application, content and information; and finally the efficient cohesistence of multiple terminals, access
technologies and core transport technologies. The Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a paradigm often used in systems deployment and integration for organizing and utilizing distributed capabilities under the control of different ownership domains. In this thesis, the SOA technologies in network architetures are surveyed following the NGN functional architecture as defined by the ITU-T. Within each stratum, the main logical functions that
have been the subject of investigation according to a service-oriented approach have been highlighted. Moreover, a new definition of the NGN transport stratum functionalities according to the SOA paradigm is proposed; an implementation of the relevant services interfaces to analyze this approach with experimental results shows some insight on the potentialities of the proposed strategy.
Within NGN architectures research topic, especially in IP-based network architectures, Traffic Engineering (TE) is referred to as a set of policies and algorithms
aimed at balancing network traffic load so as to improve network resource utilization and guarantee the service specific end-to-end QoS. DS-TE technology extends TE
functionalities to a per-class basis implementation by introducing a higher level of traffic classification which associates to each class type (CT) a constraint on bandwidth
utilization. These constraints are set by defining and configuring a bandwidth constraint (BC) model whih drives resource utilization aiming to higher load balancing, higher QoS performance and lower call blocking rate. Default TE implementations relies on a centralized approach to bandwidth and routing management, that require external
management entities which periodically collect network status information and provide management actions. However, due to increasing network complexity, it is desiderable
that nodes automatically discover their environment, self-configure and update to adapt to changes. In this thesis the bandwidth management problem is approached adopting an autonomic and distributed approach. Each node has a self-management module, which monitors the unreserved bandwidth in adjacent nodes and adjusts the local bandwidth
constraints so as to reduce the differences in the unreserved bandwidth of neighbor nodes. With this distributed and autonomic algorithm, BC are dinamically modified to drive routing decision toward the traffic balancing respecting the QoS constraints for each
class-type traffic requests. Finally, Video on Demand (VoD) is a service that provides a video whenever the
customer requests it. Realizing a VoD system by means of the Internet network requires architectures tailored to video features such as guaranteed bandwidths and constrained
transmission delays: these are hard to be provided in the traditional Internet architecture that is not designed to provide an adequate quality of service (QoS) and quality of
experience (QoE) to the final user. Typical VoD solutions can be grouped in four categories: centralized, proxy-based, Content Delivery Network(CDN) and Hybrid
architectures. Hybrid architectures combine the employment of a centralized server with that of a Peer-to-peer (P2P) network. This approach can effectively reduce the server load and avoid network congestions close to the server site because the peers support the delivery of the video to other peers using a cache-and-relay strategy making use of their upload bandwidth. Anyway, in a peer-to-peer network each peer is free to join and leave the network without notice, bringing to the phenomena of peer churns. These dynamics are dangerous for VoD architectures, affecting the integrity and retainability of the service. In this thesis, a study aimed to evaluate the impact of the peer churn on the system performance is proposed. Starting from important relationships between system parameters such as playback buffer length, peer request rate, peer average lifetime and
server upload rate, four different analytic models are proposed.


A considerable body of research has documented the negative effects of job burnout on employees and their organizations, emphasizing the importance of the identification of early signs of the phenomenon for the purposes of prevention and intervention. However, such timely identification is difficult due to the time and cost of assessing the burnout levels of all employees in an organization using established scales. In this paper, we propose an innovative way to identify employees at risk of job burnout by analyzing their e-mail communication patterns. Building on the Job Demands–Resources model, we theorize about the relationship between e-mail communication patterns and levels of employee exhaustion and disengagement (two dimensions of burnout). We analyzed 52,190 e-mails exchanged between 57 employees of a medium sized R&D company over a five-month period. We then related these employees' communication patterns to their levels of burnout, collected using an established scale (the OLBI–Oldenburg Burnout Inventory). Our results provide support for the overall proposition of the paper, that e-mail communications can be used to identify individuals at risk of job burnout. Our models explain up to 34% of the variance of burnout and up to 37% and 19% respectively of the variance of exhaustion and disengagement. They also successfully distinguish between employees with a higher risk of burnout and those with lower levels of risk (F1 score of 84% with recall of 100% and 73% precision). We discuss the implications of our results and present suggestions for future research.


We investigated the effect of sublethal concentrations of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) on intracellular thiol groups. Exposure of human umbilical vein endothelial cells to HOCl caused a decrease in cell viability, with concentrations of </=25 microM HOCl being sublethal. At these concentrations, we saw a loss of glutathione and total protein thiol groups. Of the thiol enzymes we investigated, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was particularly susceptible to inactivation, creatine kinase was moderately susceptible, and lactate dehydrogenase was unaffected by HOCl at the concentrations used. Similar results were obtained with HOCl generated over 30 min by myeloperoxidase. GAPDH activity could be regenerated on reincubation of cells in Hanks' balanced salt solution or reduction with dithiothreitol. In contrast, glutathione loss was not reversible, and further decreased with time. Cellular ATP levels decreased with sublethal HOCl concentrations and this appeared to be unrelated to the inactivation of GAPDH. Our results demonstrate that intracellular thiol groups differ in their reactivity with HOCl and suggest that HOCl may be able to regulate specific cellular functions.


: Anti-Influenza and interferonogenic activity of polysaccharides from the glucane class produced extracellularly by the yeast-like organism Aureobasidium pollulans was studied on albino mice. The polysaccharides differed from each other by the branching level and content of bonds beta-C1-C3 and alpha-C1-C between the monomers. At the moment of the drugs administration to the albino mice the level of the early interferon was in correlation with the following 2 factors: the level of the polysaccharide branching and the percentage of bonds beta-C1-C3, while the amount of interferon produced in 24 hours correlated only with the percentage of bonds beta-C1-C4. The anti-influenza activity of the polysaccharides depended on the level of interferon production induced by them in the mice. Preparations stimulating production of sufficient amounts of both early and later interferon had the maximum activity.


Abstract After situating Iris Murdoch's promotion of openness to love within a broadly Platonic ethic, I outline a familiar suspicion about such openness in the context of grief, where the finding of a new and intimate love may seem inappropriate. By drawing upon her treatment of spiritual crisis and grief as parallel instances of the void, I respond to this suspicion by arguing that love in the context of spiritual crisis offers a way to resist the dangers of the void and that similar considerations apply in the parallel case (grief). If we accept Murdoch's overall position we will then lack justification for rejecting love as a morally defensible pathway out of grief.


Using single crack solution and regular plane harmonic function, the Saint-Venant bending problem of a cracked cylinder with general cross section is formulated in terms of two sets of boundary-singular integral equations, which can be solved by using the methods for combination of boundary element and singular integral equation methods. The concept of bending center used in strength of materials is extended to this bending problem. Theoretical formulae to calculate the bending center and stress intensity factors in cracked cylinder are derived and expressed by the solutions of the integral equations. Based on these results, some numerical examples are given for different configurations of the cylinder cross section as well as the crack parameters.


Objective: Deficiency of vitamin K predisposes to bleeding and it can be divided into early, classical, or late vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) according to their onset. Late VKDB occurs after 7th day of life at neonatal period and is associated with intracranial bleeding, serious neurological sequels and death. This retrospective study reviewed the clinical presentations, demographic features and radiological findings of infants with intracranial haemorrhage due to late-onset VKDB. Materials and methods: We identified 26 cases of late VKDB admitted to our hospital from February 1992 to November 2006. Cranial computerised tomography was performed in all patients at diagnosis and at subsequent evaluation. Results: Sixteen of twenty-six patients with late VKDB (61.5%) had intracranial haemorrhage (ICH). The mean age of these 16 patients with ICH was 1.6±0.7 months. All of them were on breastfeeding. Eighteen of them received one mg of vitamin K intramuscularly (IM) shortly after birth. None of them received any other medication. The most common sign and symptom of patients with ICH was bulging fontanel (69%). The most common bleeding site was parenchymal (n=7, 43.7%). The mortality rate was 44% among patients with ICH. Conclusion: For neonates on strict breast-feeding, despite some with vitamin K prophylaxis, some patients still may suffer from intracranial and extracranial bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency. Therefore, additional IM dose of vitamin K may be needed. However, further evidence from larger prospective study is needed to verify this observation.


The frequent use of chemotherapy to combat a range of malignancies can elicit severe cognitive dysfunction often referred to as "chemobrain," a condition that can persist long after the cessation of treatment in as many as 75% of survivors. Although cognitive health is a critical determinant of therapeutic outcome, chemobrain remains anunmetmedical need that adversely affects quality of life in pediatric and adult cancer survivors.Using a rodentmodel of chemobrain, we showed that chronic cyclophosphamide treatment induced significant performance-based decrements on behavioral tasks designed to interrogate hippocampal and cortical function. Intrahippocampal transplantationof humanneural stem cells resolved all cognitive impairments when animals were tested 1 month after the cessation of chemotherapy. In transplanted animals, grafted cells survived (8%) and differentiated along neuronal and astroglial lineages, where improved cognition was associated with reduced neuroinflammation and enhanced host dendritic arborization. Stem cell transplantation significantly reduced the number of activated microglia after cyclophosphamide treatment in the brain. Granule and pyramidal cell neurons within the dentate gyrus and CA1 subfields of the hippocampus exhibited significant reductions in dendritic complexity, spine density, and immature and mature spine types following chemotherapy, adverse effects that were eradicated by stem cell transplantation. Our findings provide the first evidence that cranial transplantation of stem cells can reverse the deleterious effects of chemobrain, through a trophic support mechanism involving the attenuation of neuroinflammation and the preservation host neuronal architecture. Cancer Res; 75(4); 676–86. 2015 AACR.


In coral reefs, sediments play a crucial role in element cycling by contributing to primary production and the remineralization of organic matter. We studied how future ocean acidification (OA) will affect biotic and abiotic processes in sediments from two coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. This was investigated in the laboratory under conditions where water-sediment exchange was dominated by molecular diffusion (Magnetic Island) or by porewater advection (Davies Reef). OA conditions (+ΔpCO2: 170–900 µatm, -ΔpH: 0.1–0.4) did not affect photosynthesis, aerobic and anaerobic organic matter remineralization and growth of microphytobenthos. However, microsensor measurements showed that OA conditions reduced the porewater pH. Under diffusive conditions these changes were limited to the upper sediment layers. In contrast, advective conditions caused a deeper penetration of low pH water into the sediment resulting in an earlier pH buffering by dissolution of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). This increased the dissolution of Davis Reef sediments turning them from net precipitating (-0.8 g CaCO3 m-2 d-1) under ambient to net dissolving (1 g CaCO3 m-2 d-1) under OA conditions. Comparisons with in-situ studies on other reef sediments show that our dissolution rates are reasonable estimates for field settings. We estimate that enhanced dissolution due to OA will only have a minor effect on net ecosystem calcification of the Davies Reef flat (< 4%). However, it could decrease recent sediment accumulation rates in the lagoon by up to 31% (by 0.2–0.4 mm year-1), reducing valuable reef space. Furthermore, our results indicate that high-magnesium calcite is predominantly dissolving in the studied sediments and a drastic reduction in this mineral can be expected on Davis Reef lagoon in the near future, leaving sediments of an altered mineral composition. This study demonstrates that biotic sediment processes will likely not directly be affected by OA. Ensuing indirect effects of OA-induced sediment dissolution on biotic processes are discussed.


How does an actor learn to: * Call up emotion? * Develop a character? * Strengthen awareness? These are essential techniques for every actor, and Michael Chekhov's classic work To the Actor explains, clearly and concisely, how to develop them. Chekhov's simple and practical method - successfully used by professional actors all over the world - trains the actor's imagination and body to fulfil its potential. This handbook for actors (and directors) has been revised and expanded by Mala Powers. It includes: a previously unpublished chapter on 'Psychological Gesture', translated into English by the celebrated director Andrei Malaev - Babel; a new biographical overview by Mala Powers; and a foreword by Simon Callow.


Among current treatment options for chronic hepatitis B, nucleoside/nucleotide analog therapy has better tolerability and most patients respond to the therapy, while interferon (IFN) therapy has rather severe side‐effects and a lower response rate. However, nucleoside/nucleotide analog therapies have problems of the emergence of drug resistance and poor sustainability of response after discontinuation. After the first nucleoside/nucleotide analog lamivudine, adefovir and entecavir are now utilized in many countries. Adefovir has efficacy for lamivudine resistant patients and current data suggests that adding adefovir to ongoing lamivudine is better than switching to adefovir in terms of viral suppression and the occurrence of resistance. Entecavir can be the first choice for naïve patients, although cross‐resistance has been known for lamivudine resistant patients and mutational screening should take place before using entecavir with such patients. Many other new nucleoside/nucleotide analogs are being developed such as telbivudine, clevudine and tenofovir; the details of each drug will be disclosed in near future.


In this paper we develop the concept of a living optical phantom that uses engineered tissue as a phantom for calibration and optimization of biomedical optics instrumentation. With this method, the effects of biological processes on measured signals can be studied in a well controlled manner. To demonstrate this concept, the effects of cellular remodeling of a collagen matrix on the optical scattering properties were investigated using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Living optical phantoms of the vascular system were created by seeding smooth muscle cells in a collagen matrix. The optical scattering properties (scattering coefficient μs and effective anisotropy factor geff) were extracted from OCT images through mathematical processing. We found that the scattering coefficient of a remodeled matrix was generally higher than that of an unmodified matrix. The results indicate that OCT may provide meaningful information on how cellular remodeling of an extracellular collagen matrix changes its scattering properties. More broadly, we believe that making such optical measurements on living optical phantoms can help define the potential of biomedical optics technologies for studying biological systems.


HgCdTe photodiodes of relatively large area (O = 0.5 mm) for mid-wave infrared region (MWIR) were fabricated on the base of liquid phase epitaxial layers. Characteristics of these photodiodes were estimated to be applicable as those working in background limited performance (BLIP) mode. It was shown that in spectral range of atmospheric transparency λ = 3 to 5 µm obtained dynamical resistance of HgCdTe photodiodes allow to realize their detectivity D* that are restricted by fluctuations of background radiation with specific power of photon fluxes Weff ≈ 3.3·10-4 - 4.4·10-5 W/cm2


Background HF is a leading cause of hospitalization for adults, with highest readmission rates occurring 30 days post-discharge. Hospitals are instituting evidence-based strategies to improve patient transitions from hospital to home and reduce 30-day all-cause readmissions. Impacting 90-day readmissions poses a greater challenge. Incorporating community partners into care transitions is critical for successful outcomes, particularly considering new bundled payment models. Patients discharging to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) or with home health agency (HHA) services are often more vulnerable and at heightened risk. Objectives Create a collaborative partnership between one medical center and local SNFs and home health agencies (HHA) to improve sustained HF patient outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions. Methods Monthly multidisciplinary meetings were held with local SNF and HHA participants. Collaborative goals included identifying gaps in patient transitions between care settings and creating an evidence-based community standard for HF patient care. Corollary aims were to align quality care practices, share outcomes data and create solutions for identified barriers to optimal care transitions. Results Comparing baseline data (476 HF discharges) to a year post-implementation of our intervention bundle (412 discharges), overall 30-day readmissions reduced from 19% to 9% while 90-day readmissions improved from 31% to 19%. 30-day rehospitalizations for SNF patients declined from and were decreased for patients who discharged with home health services by 26%. Conclusions Building relationships fostering communication and collaboration among community partners is a key strategy to reduce avoidable rehospitalizations and sustain improved patient outcomes. Figure 1 Primary Diagnosis HF Patient Readmissions by Index Disposition (pre/post interventions).


Online professional development programs for teachers are much discussed. Teachers are obliged to continuously renew their skills in teaching methodology to keep pace with changing demands in society. Providing flexibility in time and space and opportunities for interaction, online courses are expected to facilitate teachers' professional development in general. Informed by a single-case study design,we explore in-service teachers' perceptions of a professional development program organized as a small private online course (SPOC), the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in Mathematics Education. We compared teachers who joined the course individually from their schools with teachers collectively participating from their own schools. We conclude that the teachers who participated as a group from distinct schools appear to be more actively involved in offline activities that enhance professional development than their individually participating counterparts. Finally, we provide some implications for further research.


The Cenozoic volcanic activity of the Harrat Ash Sham volcanic field in south of Syria is a part of the extensive magmatism that took place in the auxiliary extension faults along the Dead Sea Fault Zone from upper Eocene to Holocene. Pliocene volcanic rocks form an important part of igneous succession in Syrian Part of Harrat as Sham. These rocks vary from basalts flows to scoria. Pliocene basalts are divided into three primary petrographic groups: olivine basalt, olivine-pyroxene basalt and basanite. The three petro-types are alkaline and have similar compositional ranges of major and trace elements. Variations in the contents of major and minor elements in the Pliocene basaltic rocks are very slight. Such homogeneity in the chemical composition indicates to the operation of petrological processes that reinforced each other during the genesis of these rocks. The geochemical characteristics of the Pliocene basalt rocks reflect crystallization from primitive basic magmas that have experienced limited crystal fractionation process subsequent to their derivation by partial melting of the upper mantle.


We have developed a robust and scalable multi-GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) version of the cellular-automaton-based MAGFLOW lava simulator. The cellular automaton is partitioned into strips that are assigned to different GPUs, with minimal overlapping. For each GPU, a host thread is launched to manage allocation, deallocation, data transfer and kernel launches; the main host thread coordinates all of the GPUs, to ensure temporal coherence and data integrity. The overlapping borders and maximum temporal step need to be exchanged among the GPUs at the beginning of every evolution of the cellular automaton; data transfers are asynchronous with respect to the computations, to cover the introduced overhead. It is not required to have GPUs of the same speed or capacity; the system runs flawlessly on homogeneous and heterogeneous hardware. The speed-up factor differs from that which is ideal (#GPUs×) only for a constant overhead loss of about 4E−2 · T · #GPUs, with T as the total simulation time.


A macroscopic view of Internet -based distributed computer systems reveals the complexity of the organization and management of the resources and services they provide. The complexity arises from the system size (e.g. number of systems, number of users) and heterogeneity in applications (e.g. online transaction processing, e-commerce, multimedia, decision support, intelligent information search) and resources (CPU, memory, I/O bandwidth, network bandwidth and buffers, etc.) In a large distributed system, the set of systems, users and applications is continuously changing. In this paper we address some of the management issues of providing Quality of Service (QoS), pricing, and efficient allocation of resources (computational resources) in networks and systems facilitated through economic mechanism design.


Abstract : Notice: Only Military Offices may request from ASTI. Others request approval of Ar old Engineering Development Center, Arnold Air Force Station, Tenn. E CRIPTORS: (*Turbojet engines, High alti tude, Temperature control, Control systems, Supersonics, Operation, Tests, Flight testing.) Identifiers: J85 engines.A test program for the YJ85 and J85-GE-5 turbojet engines at imula d altitude and Mach number flight conditions was conducted to evluate the overall engine performance and control system operating characteristics. The engine performance g nerally met or exceeded the manufacturer's estimated minimum steady-state performance in the range of flight conditions from sea-level static to 6 ,000-ft altitude and Mach nu bers up to and including Mach 1.5 at standard, hot, and cold osph ric con itions. Engine transient performanc was not completely satisfactory when operating at the low Mach number boun ary of the engin fligh envelope above an al itude of 25,000 ft. Engine windmill starts were acco plished at all points on the manufacturer's guaranteed start envelope. (Author)


Wireless networking, sensing, computing, and control advances have changed the way in which society interacts with the physical world. The computational processes are deeply embedded in the physical world, creating a highly coupled system that has the potential to enhance human safety, mission objectives, and system efficiency. In the context of cyber-physical systems (CPSs), mechatronic systems, which are becoming highly multidisciplinary, require an ever-increasing combination of mechanical, electrical/electronic, control, and information disciplines. This further offers ample prospects for the integration of various mechatronic components/subsystems, toward enhanced system safety, performance, energy, and intelligence. The objective of this focused Section is to compile recent research and development efforts contributing to advances in mechatronics in the CPS, including the state-of-the-art in associated developments and methodologies, and the perspectives on future developments and applications of mechatronics in the CPS.


ABSTRACT The double-stranded (ds) RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) is a key mediator of antiviral effects of interferon (IFN) and an active player in apoptosis induced by different stimuli. The translation initiation factor eIF-2α (α subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2) and IκBα, the inhibitor of the transcription factor NF-κB, have been proposed as downstream mediators of PKR effects. To evaluate the involvement of NF-κB and eIF-2α in the induction of apoptosis by PKR, we have used vaccinia virus (VV) recombinants that inducibly express PKR concomitantly with a dominant negative mutant of eIF-2α or a repressor form of IκBα. We found that while expression of PKR by a VV vector resulted in extensive inhibition of protein synthesis and induction of apoptosis, coexpression of PKR with a dominant negative mutant of eIF-2α (Ser-51→Ala) reversed both the PKR-mediated translational block and PKR-induced apoptosis. Coexpression of PKR with a repressor form of IκBα (Ser-32,36-Ala) also leads to the inhibition of apoptosis by abolishing NF-κB induction, while translation remains blocked. Treating cells with two different proteasome inhibitors which block IκBα degradation, prevented PKR-induced apoptosis, supporting results from coexpression studies. Biochemical analysis and transient assays revealed that PKR expression by a VV vector induced NF-κB binding and transactivation. In addition, upregulation of Fas mRNA transcription occurred during PKR activation. Our findings provide direct evidence for the involvement of eIF-2α and NF-κB in the induction of apoptosis by PKR.


Construction education is context-laden, navigating and reflecting the byzantine influences of period, place and person. Despite considerable rhetoric, in UK higher education and construction studies in particular the importance of contextualized teaching is being devalued. Over the past decade a growing number of new teaching staff to university lecturing has limited or no industrial experience of the construction sector. This paper explores the rise of the career academic in construction education and implications for teaching standards and student learning. Whilst career academics exhibit research skills and afford funding possibilities that universities find appealing, pedagogical studies suggest that experience-led, contextualized teaching offer students enhanced educational value. Policy-making and pedagogical strategies that continue to value research at the expense of teaching excellence coupled with recruitment of career academics as opposed to industry professionals present new challenges for construction education, teaching and student learning.


abstract:  Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were found in 92 (9.9%) of 929 feral raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Japan with the use of the latex agglutination test (LAT, 1∶64 or higher). Seropositivity varied by geographic location, season, and weight of raccoons trapped. Seroprevalences in the northern, central, and western areas of Japan were found to be 7.9% (39/492), 16.5% (47/285), and 3.9% (6/152), respectively. The seroprevalence by season varied from 8.5% (13/153) in spring to 18.9% (14/74) in winter, which was significantly higher than those in other seasons (P < 0.05). Seroprevalence of T. gondii was elevated in accordance with the increase in body weight of raccoons (rs  =  0.9), suggesting that the animals acquired the infection postnatally. The results suggest that the raccoon may serve as a useful indicator for the distribution of T. gondii in peridomestic environments in Japan.


The large-scale integration of renewable energy sources is advancing rapidly in numerous power systems. However, utilizing renewable resources at a bulk scale is hindered by the fact that these resources are neither controllable nor accurately predictable. Our analysis focuses on the cost of balancing power system operations in the presence of renewable resources and on the amount of operating reserves that is necessary for ensuring the reliable operation of the system. We also explore the extent to which demand-side flexibility can mitigate these impacts. We present a contract that couples the operations of renewable energy resources with deferrable loads that can shift a fixed amount of energy demand over a given time window. Various flexible energy consumption tasks can be characterized in this way, including electric vehicle charging or agricultural pumping.We use a two-stage stochastic unit commitment model for our analysis. The use of this model is justified by the fact that it is capable of quantifying the operating costs of the system and the amount of required capacity in order to face the increased uncertainty of daily operations. We present a dual decomposition algorithm for solving the model and various scenario selection algorithms for representing uncertainty. We present results for a reduced network of the California power system that consists of 124 generators, 225 buses and 375 lines. We fist validate the stochastic unit commitment policy that we derive from the stochastic optimization model by demonstrating that it outperforms deterministic unit commitment rules commonly used in practice. We demonstrate this superior performance for both a transmission-constrained as well as an unconstrained system for various types of uncertainty including network element failures as well as two levels of wind integration that roughly correspond to the 2012 and 2020 renewable energy integration targets of California. We then use the stochastic unit commitment model to quantify the impacts of coupling renewable energy supply with deferrable demand on operating costs and reserve requirements. We also demonstrate the superiority of coupling contracts to demand-side bidding in the day-ahead market which is due to the fact that demand bids fail to account for the inter-temporal dependency of deferrable demand.


During construction of highways and bridges, it is common for temporary concrete barriers to be installed near the edge of a roadway or bridge deck during construction. Free-standing temporary barriers placed close to the bridge deck edge pose a major safety hazard to errant vehicles as there is a significant risk for the barrier segments to be propelled off of the bridge. Previous testing of temporary barriers has shown deflections of more than one meter. These large dynamic deflections, in combination with a narrow gap located behind the barriers, would prove sufficient to push the barriers as well as the impacting vehicle off of the bridge deck. In 1998, researchers at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln were approached to develop a tie-down system for this type of installation. This report details the development and testing of an NCHRP Report 350 compliant tie-down system for use with F-shape temporary concrete barriers. Development of the tie-down system began with the creation and evaluation of several design concepts. Following the researchers' evaluation of the design prototypes, the steel strap tie-down concept was selected for further study. This concept consisted of a steel strap that connected to the barrier joints and then bolted to the concrete bridge deck. The steel strap tie-down was analyzed and redesigned using LS-DYNA finite element computer simulation modeling. The strap tie-down is comprised of a 76-mm x 6.4-mm x 914-mm piece of ASTM A36 steel bent into a trapezoidal shape. Holes are punched in the plate to allow the connecting pin at the barrier joints to pass through the strap as well as allow the strap to be anchored to the bridge deck at each end. Anchoring of the strap to the bridge deck is done using two of 19-mm diameter drop-in anchors for each strap. The steel strap tie-down was bogie tested to evaluate its performance. One full-scale vehicle crash test, test no. ITD-1, was conducted according to Test Level 3 (TL-3) test no. 3-11 found in the NCHRP Report No. 350. The test consisted of a 2,012-kg pickup truck impacting the temporary barrier system at a speed of 97.6 km/h and at an angle of 24.3 deg. The impact occurred 1.2 meters upstream of the barrier joint. Results from the crash test showed that the system safely redirected the impacting pickup truck, and the test was judged to be successful according to the NCHRP Report No. 350 safety performance criteria. Based on the results of the NCHRP Report No. 350 compliance test, it is recommended that this design be approved for use on Federal-aid highways. Recommendations for proper application of the new design are also given.


The orientation dependence of characteristic x-ray emissions have been used to determine specific site occupations of Rare Earth additions in epitaxially grown films of Y 1.7 Sm 0.6 Lu 0.7 Fe 12 .A.theoretical formulation based on the assumption of highly localiszed inner shell excitations was used not only to oredict specific site sensitive orientations, but also to refine experimentally observed data employing a constrained least squares analysis to give probabilities for the occupation of the RE additions in the different crystallographic sites. Thus, it has been shown that in this compound the preference for the RE additions is a predominantly octahedral occupation with a probability ≳95%. Some of theassumptions and limitations of the technique have also been discussed.


The study was concerned with the effect of carcinogens and anticarcinogens on the rate of cell loss in the large bowel epithelium of mice. Intestinal carcinogens such as N-methyl-N-nitrosourea and 1.2-dimethylhydrazine were shown to cause a long-lasting decrease in enterocyte loss. Conversely, retinol acetate and indomethacin treatment enhanced cell loss both under normal conditions and in the presence of the carcinogens. The protective effect against N-methyl-N-nitrosourea was more apparent than against 1.2-dimethylhydrazine. The effect was more pronounced in Balb/c mice compared to AKR/J. A close correlation between the protective and the anticarcinogenic effects of the drugs was established. The data obtained suggest that retinol acetate and indomethacin cause reversion of specific early reaction of the large bowel epithelium to carcinogens and are most effective in application in the promotion phase of carcinogens.


Our previous study has shown that depolymerized holothurian glycosaminoglycan (DHG) has two different inhibitory activities in the blood coagulation cascade: heparin cofactor II-dependent thrombin inhibition; and antithrombin III- and heparin cofactor II-independent inhibition of the intrinsic factor Xase complex [Nagase et al. (1995) Blood 85, 1527-1534]. In the present study, the effect of DHG on the activation of factor VIII and factor V by thrombin was examined with purified human components. DHG inhibited the activation of factor VIII by thrombin at concentrations exceeding 80 nM, but not the activation of factor V by thrombin at concentrations of up to 8 mu M. On Western blot analysis, DHG inhibited the cleavage of factor VIII light chain at concentrations exceeding 0.8 mu M. The interaction between DHG and factors VIII and V and thrombin was examined with a DHG-cellulofine column. DHG had strong affinity for factor V and thrombin, but slight affinity for factor VIII. The interaction of DHG with thrombin was analyzed, using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled DHG. One mole of DHG bound 2 mol of thrombin, with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 3.04 x 10(-6) M. These results suggest that DHG interferes with the interaction between thrombin and factor VIII, probably by making a binary complex through the anionic binding exosite II of thrombin.


Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are today the de-facto standard for extracting compact and discriminative face representations (templates) from images in automatic face recognition systems. Due to the characteristics of CNN models, the generated representations typically encode a multitude of information ranging from identity to soft-biometric attributes, such as age, gender or ethnicity. However, since these representations were computed for the purpose of identity recognition only, the soft-biometric information contained in the templates represents a serious privacy risk. To mitigate this problem, we present in this paper a privacy-enhancing approach capable of suppressing potentially sensitive soft-biometric information in face representations without significantly compromising identity information. Specifically, we introduce a Privacy-Enhancing Face-Representation learning Network (PFRNet) that disentangles identity from attribute information in face representations and consequently allows to efficiently suppress soft-biometrics in face templates. We demonstrate the feasibility of PFRNet on the problem of gender suppression and show through rigorous experiments on the CelebA, Labeled Faces in the Wild (LFW) and Adience datasets that the proposed disentanglement-based approach is highly effective and improves significantly on the existing state-of-the-art.


The real-time operations of electric power networks are subject to two sets of forces. The first, including deregulation movements and growing environmental concerns, is acting to increase the complexity of operations. The second, including new computer technologies and emerging knowledge-based agents, provides some means for handling additional complexity. This paper argues that organizational changes will have to be made before the second set of forces can be applied to effectively counter the first. To make this argument, the paper presents a framework for discussing organizational structures. Then it reviews the structures of the two generations of computer-based, multi-agent systems that have been developed for operations. It points out that these structures are well-suited to the algorithmic tasks involved in operations but not to the knowledge-based tasks. The paper concludes with some suggestions for research into alternative structures.


Abstract This research concentrated on the structural stability of γ-alumina (γ-Al2O3) was investigated by a combination of differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffractometry and surface-area measurements. The γ –to– θ and then α phase transitions were observed as an exothermic peak at 1000°C–1400°C in the DTA curves. The role of barium oxide as a modifier to stabilize γ-Al2O3 structure has been investigated. XRD measurements show that after calcination at 1000°C for 2 h, a significant fraction of the pure γ-Al2O3 (BaO-free) transformed to θ-Al2O3 while that the transition phase in alumina samples modified by BaO have been reduced significantly. Barium oxide, eliminate pentacoordinated aluminum ions through coordinative saturation and alter these ions into octahedral cations and effectively suppressed the γ –to– α phase transition in Al2O3, which concluded as improving the thermal stability and porous properties of the experimental samples.


An influential strain in recent Christian thought (Schneider 2002a) has stressed that material prosperity is a quality for human life sought by God for all people. Clearly, this objective has not been achieved. One of the reasons why the all-enveloping prosperity objective has not been reached is that its pursuit has been undertaken by down-playing God's equally-important objective of mitigating material poverty. Incompatible with God's aims, poverty persists. Via Biblical exegetes' interpretation of Jesus' sayings, this paper shows that Jesus usually speaks of the necessity to share possessions with the poor when He teaches on wealth. If assistance to the materially poor is as important as achieving prosperity in the Christian framework, implications arise for today. Final sections consider how the poor in First World countries might be identified (using the United States as the example), and how they might be helped to greater prosperity.


: The method of parallel and isolated artificial circulation in the liver is described on the basis of 97 experimental operations on dogs of various weights. The paper gives a brief description of the apparatus for the regional perfusion of the liver and portable oxygenator. The composition of the perfusate and main criteria of the liver perfusion adequacy are considered, including the hemodynamic shifts and disorders in the hepatic functions under the artificial circulation in the liver. The perfusion is estimated in different temperature regimens, the advantages of the hyperthermal perfusion over normal and hypothermal ones being also shown. The method of artificial circulation is recommended in vast resections of the liver, in transplantation and in the treatment of hepatic malignancies.


The electronic structure of the interface between tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3) and cobalt was investigated by means of photoelectron spectroscopy. As demonstrated recently, this interface is characterized by efficient spin injection in organic spintronic devices. A strong interface dipole that reduces the effective work function of cobalt by about 1.5 eV was observed. This leads to a large barrier for hole injection into the highest occupied molecular-orbital (HOMO) level of 2.1 eV, in agreement with a previously proposed model based on electron transport in Co-Alq3 -La0.7 Sr0.3 MnO3 spin valves. Further experimental results indicate that chemical interaction occurs between the Alq3 molecules and the cobalt atoms, while the latter penetrate the Alq3 layer upon vapor deposition of Co atoms. The data presented lead to significant progress in understanding the electronic structure of the Co-on- Alq3 interface and represent a significant step toward the definition of the interface parameters for the efficient spin injection in Alq3 based spin valves. © 2008 The American Physical Society.


Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud solutions continue to experience growth, but many enterprises and organizations are of the opinion that cloud adoption has decreased security in several aspects. This thesis addresses protection of IaaS-environment non- volatile data. A risk analysis is conducted, using the CORAS method, to identify and evaluate risks, and to propose treatments to those risks considered non-acceptable. The complex and distributed nature of an IaaS deployment is investigated to identify di↵erent approaches to data protection using encryption in combination with Trusted Computing principles. Additionally, the outcome of the risk analysis is used to decide the advantages and/or drawbacks of the di↵erent approaches; encryption on the storage host, on the compute host or inside the virtual machine. As a result of this thesis, encryption on the compute host is decided to be most beneficial due to minimal needs for trust, minimal data exposure and key management aspects. At the same time, a high grade of automation can be obtained, retaining usability for cloud consumers without any specific security knowledge. A revisited risk analysis shows that both non- acceptable and acceptable risks are mitigated and partly eliminated, but leaves virtual machine security as an important topic for further research. Along with the risk analysis and treatment proposal, this thesis provides a proof-of-concept implementation using encryption and Trusted Computing on the compute host to protect block storage data in an OpenStack environment. The implementation directly follows the Domain-Based Storage Protection (DBSP) protocol, invented by Ericsson Research and SICS, for key management and attestation of involved hosts.


In a multilayer insulator made of two or more materials with different dielectric constants and conductivities, internal space charge accumulates at their interfaces. If the local field is increased by the accumulated charge, the electric durability of the insulator should be decreased. In this paper, we describe the space charge accumulation measured when using oil-impregnated PPLP (polypropylene laminated paper)-which consists triple layers; kraft paper, polypropylene (PP), kraft paper-was subjected to a strong dc electric field. The experimental results suggest that internal space charge accumulates at both surfaces of a PP layer and that the electric field in the kraft paper layers disappears.


Objective: To analyze nasal colonization by Staphylococcus sp. its resistance to methicillin, and associated factors in inpatients. Methods: Nasal sample collection, antimicrobial susceptibility tests, and analysis of medical records of inpatients (n=71) were performed, and a questionnaire was applied. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using the chi-square, Student's t, and Mann-Whitney tests (α=5%). Results: Nearly half (44.4%) of the patients who were significantly associated with prolonged antibiotic treatment (p=0.02) was infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus sp.. A significant association was observed between patients with sensitive strains and absence of antibiotic treatment prior to sample collection (p=0.02) or absence of wounds (p=0.003). Conclusion: Strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus sp. were found, and there was no significant difference between the S. aureus species and the coagulase-negative Staphylococci groups, which indicates the degree of spread of methicillin resistance among different species of Staphylococcus. Descritores Servico hospitalar de enfermagem, Pesquisa em enfermagem clinica; Cuidados de enfermagem; Mucosa nasal/microbiologia; Staphylococcus; Nasofaringe/microbiologia; Pacientes internados


Both systolic and diastolic dysfunction have been described during pacing-induced ischemia, but the temporal sequence of systolic and diastolic impairment has not been established. Accordingly, 22 patients with coronary artery disease were paced at increasing heart rates and studied with simultaneous hemodynamic monitoring, electrocardiographic recording, and radionuclide ventriculography. In addition, with synchronized left ventricular pressure tracings and radionuclide volume curves, three sequential pressure-volume diagrams were constructed for each patient corresponding to baseline, intermediate, and maximum pacing levels. Eleven patients (group I) demonstrated a nonischemic response to pacing tachycardia without chest pain, significant electrocardiographic changes, or significant rise in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) in the immediate postpacing period. These patients demonstrated a progressive decrease in LVEDP, end-diastolic volume, and end-systolic volume, no change in cardiac output or left ventricular ejection fraction, and a progressive increase in left ventricular diastolic peak filling rate and the end-systolic pressure-volume ratio. Pressure-volume diagrams shifted progressively leftward and slightly downward, suggesting both an increase in contractility and a mild increase in left ventricular distensibility. The remaining 11 patients (group II) exhibited an ischemic response to pacing tachycardia, with each patient experiencing angina pectoris, demonstrating greater than 1 mm ST segment depression on the electrocardiogram, and exhibiting greater than 5 mm Hg rise in LVEDP immediately after pacing. LVEDP, end-diastolic volume, and end-systolic volume in these patients initially decreased and then subsequently increased during angina, with no change in cardiac output but a decrease in ejection fraction. Left ventricular peak diastolic filling rate and the left ventricular end-systolic pressure-volume ratio both increased at the intermediate pacing rate but fell at maximum pacing. Pressure-volume diagrams for these patients shifted leftward initially, then back to the right, during intermediate and peak pacing levels, often with an upward shift in the diastolic pressure-volume relationship. LVEDP in group II was significantly higher than that in group I at the intermediate pacing level with no difference in end-diastolic or end-systolic volumes, suggesting decreased left ventricular distensibility in these patients before the onset of systolic dysfunction at the maximum pacing level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Abstract Species richness is not evenly distributed across the tree of life and a limited number of lineages comprise an extraordinarily large number of species. In lichen-forming fungi, only two genera are known to be 'ultradiverse' (>500 species), with the most diverse genus, Xanthoparmelia, consisting of c. 820 species. While Australia and South Africa are known as current centres of diversity for Xanthoparmelia, it is not well known when and where this massive diversity arose. To better understand the geographical and temporal context of diversification in this diverse genus, we sampled 191 Xanthoparmelia specimens representing c. 124 species/species-level lineages from populations worldwide. From these specimens, we generated a multi-locus sequence data set using Sanger and high-throughput sequencing to reconstruct evolutionary relationships in Xanthoparmelia, estimate divergence times and reconstruct biogeographical histories in a maximum likelihood and Bayesian framework. This study corroborated the phylogenetic placement of several morphologically or chemically diverse taxa within Xanthoparmelia, such as Almbornia, Chondropsis, Karoowia, Namakwa, Neofuscelia, Omphalodiella, Paraparmelia, Placoparmelia and Xanthomaculina, in addition to improved phylogenetic resolution and reconstruction of previously unsampled lineages within Xanthoparmelia. Our data indicate that Xanthoparmelia most likely originated in Africa during the early Miocene, coinciding with global aridification and development of open habitats. Reconstructed biogeographical histories of Xanthoparmelia reveal diversification restricted to continents with infrequent intercontinental exchange by long-distance dispersal. While likely mechanisms by which Xanthoparmelia obtained strikingly high levels of species richness in Australia and South Africa remain uncertain, this study provides a framework for ongoing research into diverse lineages of lichen-forming fungi. Finally, our study highlights a novel approach for generating locus-specific molecular sequence data sets from high throughput metagenomic reads.


In stochastic bandit problems, a Bayesian policy called Thompson sampling (TS) has recently attracted much attention for its excellent empirical performance. However, the theoretical analysis of this policy is difficult and its asymptotic optimality is only proved for one-parameter models. In this paper we discuss the optimality of TS for the model of normal distributions with unknown means and variances as one of the most fundamental example of multiparameter models. First we prove that the expected regret of TS with the uniform prior achieves the theoretical bound, which is the first result to show that the asymptotic bound is achievable for the normal distribution model. Next we prove that TS with Jeffreys prior and reference prior cannot achieve the theoretical bound. Therefore the choice of priors is important for TS and non-informative priors are sometimes risky in cases of multiparameter models.


Antimeasles antibody was detected in the saliva of 14 patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Immunofluorescent staining showed antibody in salvary gland biopsy of 7 patients.


Einstein's general relativity is based on a tensorial, nonlinear equation for the spacetime metric. The gravitational interaction is however so weak that, in most circumstances, the equations can be solved perturbatively. This is true in early-time cosmology, for the inspiral of binary systems, and even after black holes merge, releasing the equivalent of multiple solar masses in gravitational waves. In this thesis, we analyze a range of problems that can be addressed assuming a background gravitational field and small fluctuations over it. We will progress from problems where the perturbative hypothesis can be tested and holds, to ones that begin to show nonlinear effects, ending with an application of perturbation theory to quantum gravity, where it is only a working hypothesis.We first analyze the dynamics of black hole binaries immersed in a dense gas environment or interacting with a stellar companion. For binaries in a dense environment, we study the effect of accretion and dynamical friction on the gravitational wave emission. We derive the modification of the gravitational wave phase in the assumption of small accretion rates, and assess whether future gravitational wave observatories could detect this effect. For black holes in a binary with a white dwarf, we identify new evolutionary relations and propose a method to infer the black hole and white dwarf masses and their luminosity distance from the gravitational wave signal alone.Next, we study how isolated black holes react to perturbations, in the simplified setting of spherical symmetry and negative cosmological constant. We show that modes belonging to the linear spectrum can be excited nonlinearly. We further find that nonlinear effects can change the black hole mass at percent level, and that this effect can be explained by the flux of characteristic excitations through the black hole horizon.Finally, we propose a new definition of the semiclassical Einstein equations for cosmological spacetimes. We propose that the source on the right hand side of the Einstein equations could be the amount of stress-energy above the instantaneous ground state. In this more speculative application, the linear order semiclassical approximation is not guaranteed to hold. If our hypothesis were confirmed, however, the vacuum stress-energy above the instantaneous ground state would not renormalize the cosmological constant, hinting at a resolution of the longstanding problem connected to its observed value.


At a time when Napoleon needed all his forces to reassert French dominance in Central Europe, why did he fixate on the Prussian capital of Berlin? Instead of concentrating his forces for a decisive showdown with the enemy, he repeatedly detached large numbers of troops, under ineffective commanders, toward the capture of Berlin. In Napoleon and Berlin, Michael V. Leggiere explores Napoleon's almost obsessive desire to capture Berlin and how this strategy ultimately lost him all of Germany.Napoleon's motives have remained a subject of controversy from his own day until ours. He may have hoped to deliver a tremendous blow to Prussia's war-making capacity and morale. Ironically, the heavy losses and strategic reverses sustained by the French left Napoleon's Grande Armee vulnerable to an Allied coalition that eventually drove Napoleon from Central Europe forever.


Flashing yellow warning lights notify drivers about the presence of work along the road. Current standards for these lights address performance of the individual light but not how lights should function when multiple lights are used. In the present study, warning lights were used to delineate a lane change taper in a simulated work zone. Lights flashed with varying intensities and either randomly or in sequence, with lights flashing in turn along the length of the lane change taper, either to the right or to the left. In half of the trials, a flashing police light bar was used on a vehicle located within the simulated work zone. Participants were asked to drive a vehicle approaching the work zone and to identify, as quickly as possible, in which direction the taper's lane change was (either to the right or left). Drivers were able to correctly identify the taper from farther away when the lights flashed in a sequential pattern than when the flash pattern was random; and the presence of a police light bar resulted in shorter identification distances. The results, along with previous research, can inform standards for the use of flashing lights and police lights in work zones for the safety of drivers and workers.


OBJECTIVE
To report the rate of surgical site infections (SSIs) after clean-contaminated and dirty gastrointestinal surgery in dogs and cats that did and did not receive incisional infiltration of Nocita and report the bacteria isolated.

ANIMALS
Client-owned dogs (n = 211) and cats (78).

METHODS
Records of dogs and cats that underwent gastrointestinal surgery at the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital between July 1, 2020, and April 1, 2023, were reviewed for surgical procedures, presence of preoperative septic peritonitis, use of Nocita, perioperative antibiotics administered, postoperative antibiotic use, SSI development postoperatively, and aerobic bacteria isolated.

RESULTS
7 of 124 (5.6%) dogs that received Nocita and 9 of 87 (10.2%) that did not receive Nocita developed an SSI. No dogs presenting with septic peritonitis and given Nocita (n = 5) developed an SSI. Two of 55 (3.6%) cats that received Nocita and 1 of 23 (4%) that did not receive Nocita developed an SSI. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli was the most common aerobic bacteria isolated from SSIs (n = 3), and MDR bacteria were isolated commonly from both groups (4).

CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Use of Nocita for gastrointestinal surgery in dogs and cats is not associated with higher rates of SSI than published rates of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery. Use of Nocita in dogs with preoperative septic peritonitis is not associated with the development of SSI. MDR bacteria are commonly isolated via culture from both dogs that received Nocita and those that did not.


Abstract Encroachment of woody species is a significant threat in native grasslands. This study exams the interaction between shrub-sapling overstory and ground layer species and functional group (FG) cover, richness, and diversity along a woody encroachment gradient. The study area is a 65 ha mosaic of tallgrass prairie and shrubland in northeastern Illinois. The study questions were: (1) how do plant species and FG cover, richness, and diversity respond to increasing levels of woody encroachment, (2) are there levels of encroachment relevant to restoration opportunities, and (3) are there patterns of FGs associated with increasing levels of encroachment that can serve as ecological indicators? Data on ground layer and overstory structure including stem density, canopy cover, and leaf area index (LAI) were recorded; LAI explained the most variance in the ground layer data. There was a significant decline in several ground layer species and FG parameters with increasing woody encroachment (LAI) and percent bare ground increased. For most parameters, change followed a linear response; however, native species diversity and FG density declined only after LAI reached intermediate levels and the changes are best fit by a quadratic function. Cover and species richness of perennial dicot (PD) forbs, C3 and C4 grasses, legumes and hemi-parasites declined with increasing LAI. Native FGs most strongly associated with the lowest LAI levels were hemi-parasites, C4 grasses, legumes, and PD forbs. Efficacious opportunities for restoration remain at this site following low-to-intermediate levels of woody encroachment and results highlight ordered patterns of decline in cover and richness of FGs that may guide evaluating restoration potential of sites undergoing woody encroachment.


Chaos theory is the study of change over time, specifically of highly volatile, seemingly random situations that are highly sensitive to changes in initial conditions. Fractals are self-similar objects with non integer dimensions. In this paper, I will explore the history of chaos theory, fractals, and the relationship between them.


Due to technological advances in sensor technologies, Wireless Sensor Networks are widely used for location monitoring. In such systems monitoring personal locations is done through Internet server. As the server is untrusted, it may cause threats pertaining to privacy of individuals being monitored. This is the potential risk to be addressed. This paper presents two algorithms to address this problem. These algorithms achieve two purposes. The first one is that they can improve quality of monitoring locations while the second one is for location anonymization so as to preserving personal location privacy. The first algorithm is resource – aware which is aimed at reducing computational and communicational cost while the quality – aware algorithm is aimed at improving the quality of monitoring locations. Both are having a feature that preserves personal location privacy. The system is evaluated with simulation experiments using NS2. The empirical results revealed that the proposed system can provide high quality monitoring besides preserving personal location privacy.


The purpose of this project was to examine pathways to depression care and preceived barriers to care amoung African Americans who have experienced a recent depressive episode. The framework for developing specific aims and focus group questions is informed by collaborative models of care. The foundation of collaborative models of care lies in a shared understanding between consumer and provider of the nature of the problem, and agreement on treatment options and treatment plans. With this in mind, we examine factors influencing the provider-consumer encounter by evaluating the sociocultural meaning of depression for both consumers and providers. Expanding our knowledge about consumers' perception of depression, its treatment, and life-circumstances that may influence treatment-seeking behavior will enable us to inform providers about the culturally meaningful perceptions of depression that consumers bring to the encounter. Given that prior research has suggested that providers and consumers often focus on different elements of care, it is particularly important to examine the congruence between consumers and providers on perceptions of depression and its treatment. Information regarding consumers' perception of depression and its treatment, and divergence between consumers and providers can help us to develop more effective collaborative approaches for engaging depressed African Americans in treatment.


The Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council established, in 2004, common rules on compensation and assistance to air passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights. The Article 5(3) of the Regulation states that the operating air carrier shall not be obliged to pay compensation if it can prove that the cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all rea-sonable measures had been taken. Thus, it was up to the Jurisprudence to analyze the situations brought to the court to exempt (or not) the air carriers from compensating their passengers. This text presents an analysis of the judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union, as well as Portuguese courts, through identification of which situations are considered extraordinary and, therefore, exempted from compensation to the passenger/consumer.


Neural network analysis provides for a powerful means for non-linear regression analysis that can be applied to a wide variety of problems. This paper describes the application of neural networks to two welding areas. The general approach for the development of the back propagation neural networks is described, including the method that was used to identify the optimum neural network architecture and the best neural network. The first application considers the weld profile shape in pulsed laser aluminum welds and the prediction of the profiles as a function of weld process conditions. It is shown that the neural network predictions are reasonably accurate in most cases, in spite of the fact that the training data set was quite small. The second application considers the prediction of Ferrite Number in stainless steel welds as a function of weld composition. For this application an extensive training data set was available. The neural network that was developed was compared to conventional means for predicting Ferrite Number and it was shown that the neural network was considerably more accurate than other currently available methods.


Prolonged morphine treatment induces extensive desensitization of the μ-opioid receptor (μOR) which is the G-protein-coupled receptor that primarily mediates the cellular response to morphine. To date, the molecular mechanism underlying this process is unknown. Here, we have used live cell fluorescence imaging to investigate whether prolonged morphine treatment affects the physical environment of μOR, or its coupling with G-proteins, in two neuronal cell lines. We find that chronic morphine treatment does not change the amount of enhanced yellow fluorescence protein (eYFP)-tagged μOR on the plasma membrane, and only slightly decreases its association with G-protein subunits. Additionally, morphine treatment does not have a detectable effect on the diffusion coefficient of eYFP-μOR. However, in the presence of another family member, the δ-opioid receptor (δOR), prolonged morphine exposure results in a significant increase in the diffusion rate of μOR. Number and brightness measurements suggest that μOR exists primarily as a dimer that will oligomerize with δOR into tetramers, and morphine promotes the dissociation of these tetramers. To provide a plausible structural context to these data, we used homology modeling techniques to generate putative configurations of μOR-δOR tetramers. Overall, our studies provide a possible rationale for morphine sensitivity.


Abstract : The overall goal of this project is to determine if prostate cancer (PCa) bone metastases increase intramedullary pressure (ImP). The central hypothesis to be tested is that tumors promote increased pressure thereby creating a more pro-tumorigenic environment. We have tested this hypothesis in vivo observing that tumors with an osteoblastic component do indeed lead to increased ImP. We have then utilized the pathologic pressures determined in vivo to perform in vitro experiments on PCa and bone cell lines. In vitro experiments have shown that increased pressure leads to altered PCa proliferation. Osteocytes, physiologic monitors of pressure in bone that regulate bone homeostasis, were observed to increase proliferation in the presence of pressure. The role of osteocytes in bone metastases has not yet been explored. Conditioned media isolated from osteocytes promotes an aggressive tumor phenotype by inducing PCa proliferation, migration, and invasion. We have identified increased expression of CCL5/RANTES and MMPs in OCy due to application of hydrostatic pressure. Inhibition of CCL5 and MMPs mitigates the pro-tumorigenic effects of OCy on PCa. These results provide evidence that tumor induced pressure leads to a pro-tumorigenic environment and is the center of ongoing studies.


The efforts of many advocacy organizations to advance their preferred policies despite conflicting evidence of the effectiveness of these policies raise questions about factors that shape successful policy promotion. While many may like to think that expertise on an issue in question is an essential prerequisite for influence in public policy discussions, there is a traditional disconnect between research evidence and policymaking in many fields, including education. Moreover, the efforts of many policy advocates suggest that they see advantages in other factors besides research expertise in advancing their interpretation of evidence for use in policymaking processes. We hypothesize that some of the most influential education-focused organizations are advancing their agendas by engaging media and drawing on individuals who possess substantial media acumen, yet may not possess traditionally defined educational expertise. Thus, we hypothesize that media impact is loosely coupled with educational expertise. In fact, in analyzing various indicators of expertise and media penetration, we find a weak relationship between expertise and media impact, but find significantly elevated media penetration for individuals working at a sub-sample of organizations promoting what we term "incentivist" education reforms, in spite of their generally lower levels of expertise. We find these organizations are particularly effective in engaging new media forms by going directly to their audience. We consider the policy implications in the concluding discussion.


We apply methods of quantum mechanics for mathematical modeling of price dynamics at the financial market. We propose to describe behavioral financial factors (e.g., expectations of traders) by using the pilot wave (Bohmian) model of quantum mechanics. Trajectories of prices are determined by two financial potentials: classical-like V(q) ("hard" market conditions, e.g., natural resources) and quantum-like U(q) (behavioral market conditions). On the one hand, our Bohmian model is a quantum-like model for the financial market, cf. with works of W. Segal, I. E. Segal, E. Haven, E. W. Piotrowski, J. Sladkowski. On the other hand, (since Bohmian mechanics provides the possibility to describe individual price trajectories) it belongs to the domain of extended research on deterministic dynamics for financial assets (C.W.J. Granger, W.A. Barnett, A. J. Benhabib, W.A. Brock, C. Sayers, J. Y. Campbell, A. W. Lo, A. C. MacKinlay, A. Serletis, S. Kuchta, M. Frank, R. Gencay, T. Stengos, M. J. Hinich, D. Patterson, D. A. Hsieh, D. T. Caplan, J.A. Scheinkman, B. LeBaron and many others).


Background: The elderly has a high risk of cardiovascular disease, which is often accompanied by platelet hyperactivity. Tomato extracts can inhibit platelet activation and have beneficial health effects. We aimed to investigate the effect of Fruitflow® (FF), a water-soluble tomato extract, on platelet function in elderly participants.Methods: This randomized group study was conducted with people over 50 years old. The participants were randomly divided into four groups: placebo (150 mg/day), FF (150 mg/day), acetylsalicylic acid (ASA; 100 mg/day), and FF (150 mg/day) + ASA (100 mg/day). These groups received the respective supplements after dinner daily for 7 days. Fasting blood was collected from the participants on days 0 and 8 to analyze platelet aggregation and the content of thromboxane B2 (TXB2), 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α, and platelet factor 4 (PF4). Results: One hundred ninety elderly participants were recruited and completed this clinical trial. The results showed that the FF intervention for 7 days decreased platelet aggregation by 7.7% in adenosine diphosphate-stimulated platelets, which was similar to the effect of ASA, which decreased platelet aggregation by 9.4%. FF reduced platelet aggregation by 10.2% in collagen-stimulated platelets, and ASA reduced platelet aggregation by 38.3% in collagen-activated platelets. This suggests that ASA exerts a stronger inhibitory effect than FF on collagen-stimulated platelet aggregation. The combination of FF + ASA did not exert a synergistic inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation. Treatment with FF significantly decreased plasma TXB2, 6-keto-PGF1α, and PF4 levels, and its effects were similar to ASA. Conclusion: Fruitflow® suppressed platelet aggregation and decreased TXB2, 6-keto-PGF1α, and PF4 levels in elderly participants. These findings indicate that FF might reduce the risk of thrombosis in cardiovascular diseases.Trial registration code: ChiCTR2000034647 at www.clinicaltrials.gov.


Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by eosinophilic hyaline intranuclear inclusions in neuronal and somatic cells. The wide range of clinical manifestations in NIID makes ante-mortem diagnosis difficult 1–8, but skin biopsy realized its ante-mortem diagnosis 9,10 and many NIID cases have been diagnosed by skin biopsy11,12. Most cases of NIID are sporadic, but several familial cases are known. Using a large NIID family, we conducted linkage mapping, found a 58.1-Mb linked-region at 1p22.1-q21.3 with a maximum logarithm of odds (LOD) score of 4.21, and successfully identified a GGC repeat expansion in the 5' portion of NOTCH2NLC in all affected members by long-read sequencing, but not in unaffected members. We further found the similar expansions in additional 8 unrelated families with NIID as well as 39 sporadic NIID patients. Repeat-primed PCR consistently detected the GGC repeat expansion in all the familial and sporadic patients diagnosed by skin biopsy, but never in unaffected family members nor 200 controls. This shows that pathogenic changes in a human-specific gene evolutionarily generated by segmental duplication indeed causes a human disease.


This article examines the relationship between gender, hostile sexism, benevolent sexism and reactions to a seemingly innocuous genre of sexist humor, the dumb blonde joke. After hearing an audiotaped conversation in which two students swapped dumb blonde jokes, participants high in hostile sexism rated the jokes as more amusing and less offensive than those low in hostile sexism. Among individuals low in hostile sexism, however, benevolent sexism interacted with gender. Specifically, men high in benevolent sexism found the jokes significantly more amusing and less offensive than either women in the same group or men low in both hostile and benevolent sexism. This study replicates and extends previous research examining the relationship between hostile sexism and the enjoyment of sexist humor, and underscores the possibility that benevolent sexism may represent qualitatively distinct attitudes for men and women.


This paper presents a new method of dynamic sub-population genetic algorithm combined with modified dynamic penalty function to solve constrained optimization problems. The new method ensures the final optimal solution yields all constraints through re-organizing all individuals of each generation into two sub-populations according to the feasibility of individuals. And the modified dynamic penalty function gradually increases the punishment to bad individuals with the development of the evolution. With the help of the penalty function and other improvements, the new algorithm prevents local convergence and iteration wandering fluctuations. Typical instances are used to evaluate the optimizing performance of this new method; and the result shows that it can deal with constrained optimization problems well.


Objective: Our goal was to evaluate prevalence of foot pain and lesions in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and their association with other organ involvements. Materials and methods: In this cross-section study 133 scleroderma patients were probed throughout a survey in which both forms of digital and non-digital plantar lesions were included. Chi-square test and student's t-test were used to determine the associations of foot pain and lesion with clinical features and serologic findings of the disease. multivariate analysis was used for determining independent factors associated with foot lesion and pain. Results: Of all patients, 119 (89%) were women with a mean age +Standard Deviation (SD) of 39.3 + 13.1 years, 32 (24.1%) patients had foot pain, and 40.6% were classified as having diffuse cutaneous SSc. Mean disease duration was 6.7 ± 5.8 years. Foot lesions were found in 47 (35%) of patients; from which 30 (93.8%) patients reported foot pain. In univariate analysis, Foot lesion were associated with vascular lesion, such as Raynaud 's phenomenon on the foot (p < 0.001), digital ulcer/gangrene (p < 0.005), calcinosis (p < 0.00 1), and high pulmonary arterial pressure on echocardiography (PAP), (p < 0.05). Additionally, we noticed the association of foot lesion with inflammatory disease, such as arthritis (p < 0.001), tendon friction rub (p < 0.004), pericardial effusion (p < 0.003), and esophageal dysmotility (p < 0.03) for vascular foot lesion. In the multivariate model, the diffuse subtype of the disease, presence of telangiectasia, calcinosis and Raynaud's on foot showed a significant association with vascular foot lesion. Conclusion: Foot pain and lesion are common in Scleroderma patients, the diffuse subtype of the diseases, foot's Raynaud's, calcinosis, and telangiectasia were independently associated factors with foot lesion.


The density and total population size of harbor porpoise along the coasts of California, Oregon. and Washington are estimated from ship surveys using line transect methods. Surveys were completed between September 1984 and May 1986 using teams of 3-5 fJbservers. Data include 852 pfJrpoise groups sighted during 6,590 km fJf transects. Sighting rates varied more due to effects of sea state than due to the presence of rain, fog, or sun glare. Experiments using additional observers indicate that approx imately 22% of trackline groups were missed by a team of 5 observers. Harbor porpoise density is calculated from transects along the 18 m isobath and is extrapolated to other depth zones based on a model of porpoise abundance as a function of depth. Total population size is estimated as 45,713 (SE = 7,865) animals.


Absttack A collision resolution scheme that accounts for the spatial aspects of co-channel interference is analyzed for multiple access packet communications with application in Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS). In wireless networks with interacting base stations, co-channel interference and collisions are diminished by using discontinuous transmissions and coordination: a base station is silenced (or powercontrolled) by a neighboring station in order to improve the latter's chance of successful transmission and decrease retransmission attempts. The performance of this Spatial Collision Resolution scheme is studied with a priori knowledge packet capture probabilities


Thermal spray coatings are more often being demanding process at the recent stages of industrial design processes to become fundamental element of the engineering system. The aim of the present paper is to develop a model-based estimation and control for regulating the coating adhesion strength, by using neural network. This proposed model permits cost reduction by the possibility of adjusting the parameter of the process for each of the desired properties, which can directly act as a quality control process. By this artificial neural network (ANN) technique, the possibility of adhesion strength of the mixture of flyash, quartz and illmenite (which is deposited on the mild steel and copper substrates) can be predicted as well as adhesion strength, merits of ease of fabrication, and high quality deposits, which optimize the amount of specified coating materials to achieve the desired properties. This technique involves database training to optimize the property parameter evolutions in processes having a large number of interdependent variables such as plasma current, voltage, powder feed rate and travel speed in this plasma spray coating deposition. By this neural network, it is observed that the coating adhesion strength largely depends on arc current, voltage, torch to base distance, powder size, etc.


Based on the coupling of laser beam and double arcs, a novel process was investigated. This research set up the laser-double wire pulsed MIG hybrid welding system. Meanwhile the current and voltage sensors were used to detect welding current and arc voltage wave-form and high-speed videography system was used to observe the metal transfer process and arc behavior. The three signals were acquired synchronously. The results showed that the synergic action of the three different heat sources leads to a change in metal transfer mode. It was revealed that the metal transfer mode was two droplets per pulse in laser-double wire hybrid welding process while one droplet per pulse in double wire welding process with the same certain experiment parameters. And we also discovered that the arcs were attracted strongly by the laser beam.


This paper identifies factors that influence the demand for a black bass fishing trip taken in the Southeastern U.S. using a double hurdle negative binomial count data model. The probability of fishing for a black bass is estimated in the first stage and the trip frequency for fishing a black bass is estimated in the second stage given that the individual has a positive probability towards undertaking a black bass fishing trip in the Southeast. The applied approach allows the decomposition of the effects of factors responsible for the decision of taking a fishing trip and the number of trips.


In the colliding wind region of early-type binaries, electrons can be accelerated up to relativistic energies displaying power-law spectra, as demonstrated by the detection of non-thermal radio emission from several WR+OB systems. The particle acceleration region, located between the stars, is exposed to strong photon fields in such a way that inverse Compton cooling of the electrons could result in a substantial high-energy non-thermal flux. In particular cases, the ratio of the energy densities of magnetic to photon fields in the colliding wind region will determine whether a given source can produce or not significant gamma-ray emission. We present here a study of the binaries WR 140, WR 146, and WR 147 in the light of recent radio and gamma-ray observations. We show that with reasonable assumptions for the magnetic field strength WR 140 can produce the gamma-ray flux from the EGRET source 3EG J2022+4317. WR 146 and WR 147 are below the detection threshold, but new and forthcoming instruments like INTEGRAL and GLAST might detect non-thermal emission from them.


A batch process with cold seeding was developed, which considerably reduces the production cost of various melt-processed LREBa2Cu3Oy (where LRE represents a light rare earth element) compounds. The key prerequisite for successful batch production is novel thin film Nd-123 seeds grown on MgO crystals, compatible with all LRE-123 materials and verified on large Gd-123 and NEG-123 single grains. The samples exhibit a sharp superconducting transition (around 1 K wide) with the onset Tc around 93.5 K. The trapped field measurements showed that all the samples in the batch were single domain and of good pinning performance. The trapped field of nearly 1 and 1.2 T was observed in the best 24 mm single-grain pucks of Gd-123 and NEG-123, respectively. The trapped field in the best 45 mm Gd-123 single-grain pucks reached 1.35 T and 0.35 T at 77 K and 87 K, respectively. Using these batch-processed Gd-123 bulks, we constructed a middle-sized levitation disk. This proved that the present approach leads to production of melt-processed LRE-123 materials with a reasonable cost and high performance suitable for superconducting super-magnets.


This paper will demonstrate that the lack of quantitative, data-based research about nonlinguistic symbol sets that still have internal structure is already adversely affecting linguistics itself. We will survey recent attempts to distinguish between written languages and nonlinguistic inscriptions using information-theoretic, physical and usage-based metrics. We will also provide a list of nonlinguistic corpuses used in current research alongside their shortcomings. Finally, we will propose a possible new framework and a continuum-based concept of language-ness.


The one-dimensional advection-diffusion-reaction equation is a mathematical model describing transport and diffusion problems such as pollutants and suspended matter in a stream or canal. If the pollutant concentration at the discharge point is not uniform, then numerical methods and data analysis techniques were introduced. In this research, a numerical simulation of the one-dimensional water-quality model in a stream is proposed. The governing equation is advection-diffusion-reaction equation with nonuniform boundary condition functions. The approximated pollutant concentrations are obtained by a Saulyev finite difference technique. The boundary condition functions due to nonuniform pollutant concentrations at the discharge point are defined by the quadratic interpolation technique. The approximated solutions to the model are verified by a comparison with the analytical solution. The proposed numerical technique worked very well to give dependable and accurate solutions to these kinds of several real-world applications.


Objective: Evaluate the microtensile bond strength (µTBS) in different dentin thicknesses, under simulated pulpal pressure (SPP), submitted to an adhesive technique using laser irradiation. Material and methods: Forty sound human molars were sectioned and randomly divided into two groups (n=20): Group 1 – 1 mm of dentin thickness; Group 2 – 2 mm of dentin thickness. Each group was divided into two subgroups (n=10): Subgroup A – Absence of SPP; Subgroup P – Presence of SPP (15 cm H 2 O). The samples were sequentially treated with: 37% phosphoric acid, adhesive system (Adper Single Bond 2), Nd:YAG laser irradiation (60 s, 1064 nm, 10 Hz) using 60 and 100 mJ/pulse energy parameters and photopolymerization (10 s). A composite resin block (Filtek Z350) was built up onto the irradiated area. After 30 days stored in water, the samples were sectioned and submitted to microtensile test (10 kgf load cell, 0.5mm/min). Data were analyzed by three-way ANOVA and Tukey tests. Results: Three-way ANOVA revealed no significant differences for SPP (p=0.0821) and for dentin thickness p= 0.9405) on bond strength. The laser energy parameters (p=0.001) indicated that 100 mJ showed greater µTBS means compared to the group irradiated with 60 mJ. Dentin thickness did not affect on µTBS. The presence of SPP reduced the mean µTBS values. Conclusions: Simulated pulpal pressure did not affect the µTBS using 60 mJ of laser energy parameter. At 100 mJ, the presence of SPP negatively influenced the bond strength, regardless of dentin thickness. KEYWORDS Bond strength; Dentin; Intrapulpal pressure; Nd:YAG laser.


At the beginning of each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports the change in payroll employment for the previous month. This estimate of jobs gained or lost over the month is closely watched by policymakers and those who work in financial markets and the media. When the estimate is revised in subsequent months, however, data users sometimes perceive a very different picture of the job market than what was initially reported. Data users frequently ask why the number was revised. The short answer is, the revised estimate includes additional information that was not available at the time of the initial release— information that makes the revised estimate more accurate. This BEYOND THE NUMBERS article explains the data collection process that BLS conducts every month to produce the estimate of U.S. employment. The article also should help clarify why BLS releases revisions to the initial estimate so that users will understand the change, if any, in the data.


In most inpatient psychiatric care systems it is permissible in certain situations for staff to forcibly inject patients with psychotropic medication. The aim of this study is to describe what precedes and follows a coerced intramuscular injection within a nursing shift. Data were collected on the sequence of conflict (aggression, absconding, etc.) and containment (seclusion, restraint, etc.) for the first 2 weeks of 522 acute admissions on 84 wards in 31 UK hospitals. Injections were given to 9% of patients. Aggression, regular medication refusal and pro re nata (PRN) medication refusal preceded injections. The giving of coerced medication concluded most crises. Coerced medication effectively resolves crises in the short term. Staff should offer oral PRN as an alternative, unless this is unsafe. Where only verbal violence has occurred staff should try to resolve the crisis without enforcing medication. More research on the best way to respond to inpatients' medication refusal is required.


Abstract. Debris-covered glaciers generally exhibit large,
gently sloping, slow-flowing tongues. At present, many of these glaciers
show high thinning rates despite thick debris cover. Due to the lack of
observations, most existing studies have neglected the dynamic interactions
between debris cover and glacier evolution over longer time periods. The
main aim of this study is to reveal such interactions by reconstructing
changes of debris cover, glacier geometry, flow velocities, and surface
features of Zmuttgletscher (Switzerland), based on historic maps, satellite
images, aerial photographs, and field observations. We show that debris
cover extent has increased from ∼13 % to ∼32 % of the total glacier surface since 1859 and that in 2017 the debris
is sufficiently thick to reduce ablation compared to bare ice over much of
the ablation area. Despite the debris cover, the glacier-wide mass balance
of Zmuttgletscher is comparable to that of debris-free glaciers located in
similar settings, whereas changes in length and area have been small and
delayed by comparison. Increased ice mass input in the 1970s and 1980s
resulted in a temporary velocity increase, which led to a local decrease in
debris cover extent, a lowering of the upper boundary of the ice-cliff zone,
and a strong reduction in ice-cliff area, indicating a dynamic link between
flow velocities, debris cover, and surface morphology. Since 2005, the
lowermost 1.5 km of the glacier has been quasi-stagnant, despite a slight
increase in the surface slope of the glacier tongue. We conclude that the
long-term glacier-wide mass balance is mainly governed by climate. The
debris cover governs the spatial pattern of elevation change without
changing its glacier-wide magnitude, which we explain by the extended
ablation area and the enhanced thinning in regions with thin debris further
up-glacier and in areas with abundant meltwater channels and ice cliffs. At
the same time rising temperatures lead to increasing debris cover and
decreasing ice flux, thereby attenuating length and area losses.


Thirty years ago, the group of Baulieu and colleagues discovered that certain steroid hormones were present in higher amounts in the brain than in the plasma, and also found that suppression of circulating steroids by adrenalectomy and castration does not affect the concentration of pregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, and their sulfate esters in the rat brain. These seminal observations led to the concept that the brain, in very much the same way as the adrenal cortex, testis, ovary, and placenta, is capable of synthesizing steroids. These brain born steroids, called neurosteroids, have been found to exert a vast array of biological activities. A number of steroidogenic enzymes have now been identified in the central nervous system by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, and the neuronal and hormonal mechanisms regulating the biosynthesis of neurosteroids have been partially elucidated. The aim of this Research Topic is to celebrate three decades of research on neurosteroids by gathering a bouquet of review papers and original articles from leading scientists in the flourishing field of neurosteroids. We are deeply indebted to all the authors who have contributed to this Research Topic and to the dedicated reviewers who helped us reaching the highest quality standards. We gratefully acknowledge the valuable support of the Frontiers team and Mrs. Catherine Beau for her invaluable help in the processing of manuscripts.


Although this first step of anthropometric measurements indicates the Arabs have narrower faces than typically found among North Americans, it does not immediately follow that adequate fits cannot be achieved with full-face respirators presently available. The second step then will be to perform qualitative and quantitative fit tests. The survey does imply, however, that where full-facepiece respirators are available in wide and narrow sizes, the ratio of narrow to wide ones purchased should be adjusted to reflect the underlying population.


Background: Functional neurological disorders (FNDs) are neurological symptoms that cannot be explained by an underlying neurological lesion or other medical illness and that do not have clear neuropathological correlates. Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are a common and highly disabling form of FND, characterized by paroxysmal episodes of involuntary movements and altered consciousness that can appear clinically similar to epileptic seizures. PNES are unique among FNDs in that they are diagnosed by video electroencephalo-graphic (VEEG), a well-established biomarker for the disorder. The course of illness and response to treatment of PNES remain controversial. This study aims to describe the epidemiology of PNES in the Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (VA), evaluate outcomes of veterans offered different treatments, and compare models of care for PNES. Methods: This electronic health record (EHR) cohort study utilizes an informatics search tool and a natural language processing algorithm to identify cases of PNES nationally. We will use VA inpatient, outpatient, pharmacy, and chart abstraction data across all 170 medical centers to identify cases in fi scal years 2002 – 2018. Outcome measurements such as seizure frequency, emergency room visits, hospital admissions, suicide-related behavior, and the utilization of psychotherapy prior to and after PNES diagnosis will be used to assess the effectiveness of models of care. Discussion: This study will describe the risk factors and course of treatment of a large cohort of people with PNES. Since PNES are cared for by a variety of different modalities, treatment orientations, and models of care, effectiveness outcomes such as seizure outcomes and utilization of emergency visits for seizures will be assessed. Outcome measurements such as seizure frequency, emergency room visits, hospital admissions, suicide-related behavior, and psychotherapy prior to and after PNES diagnosis will be used to assess the effectiveness of models of care.


The aims of this study were to elucidate the kinetics of Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) DNA load in serially collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with primary EBV infection, and to determine the correlated host factors. Blood samples were collected from 24 patients with primary EBV infection. EBV DNA copy numbers were measured using real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Based on the kinetics of EBV DNA load, the 24 patients were divided into two groups: rapid regression and slow regression. Eighteen of the 24 patients (75%) were included in the slow regression and 6 (25%) in the rapid regression group. No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in clinical features and laboratory findings. However, acute phase (3 to 10 days after the onset of the illness) serum samples from six children in the slow regression and four in the rapid regression group revealed significantly higher serum interleukin (IL)‐1β (P= 0.018), IL‐12 (P= 0.009), tumor necrosis factor‐α (P= 0.019), interferon‐inducible protein 10, and monokine induced by interferon γ concentrations in the rapid regression than the slow regression group. On the other hand, sera from six children in the slow regression and four in the rapid regression group in the convalescent phase (14 to 21 days after the onset of the illness) showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups in these biomarker concentrations. Based on this, it was concluded that the kinetics of EBV DNA load can be divided to two different patterns after primary EBV infection, and immune response might be associated with viral clearance.