Background: Incidental durotomies (IDs) are frequent complications of spinal surgeries which are mostly posterior or lateral. Anterior IDs are rare; however, they may lead to severe complications. We compared the transthecal approach with the conservative approach for primary closure after durotomy in anterior lumbar dural tear to assess the efficacy of these approaches to decrease postsurgical complications and clinical outcomes. Methods: A total of 21 patients undergoing L2–S1 laminectomy with anterior ID were randomly divided into a transthecal group (n ¼ 9) and a conservative group (n ¼ 12) based on the surgical dural closure technique. Postoperative pseudomeningocele, wound infection, rootlet herniation, pneumocephalus, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, headache, meningitis, in addition to surgery duration and length of hospitalization were examined and compared in both groups. Results: The frequency of pseudomeningocele and CSF leakage in patients undergoing the transthecal approach was significantly lower than those undergoing the conservative approach ( P ¼ .045 and .008, respectively). Furthermore, although the differences in the frequency of meningitis, pneumocephalus, headache, and wound infection were not statistically significant between the 2 groups, the effect sizes of the comparison were obtained as 49.4, 19.8, 7.1, and 2.6, respectively. This indicated that the differences were clinically significant between the 2 groups. Conclusions: We found that the transthecal approach was significantly more successful in managing CSF leakage as well as its complications and clinical outcomes. However, further clinical trials with bigger sample sizes are needed to substantiate this claim.


In order to meet the increasing requirements for express elevator control system and its intelligence and security, ARM chip is applied to construct hardware platform of elevator's main-board in this paper. BootLoader and the uCLinux are transplanted to this platform, and CAN-Bus and other related drivers are designed. A single elevator's operation algorithm is presented to achieve the elevator control logic. And the store and access of parameters of elevator are accomplished by real-time SQLite database. The main high-speed counting circuit is designed based on CPLD while the auxiliary one is based on AVR MCU, which guarantee the stability and reliability of the system. The operational results in elevator simulator verify the feasibility and efficiency of the control system.


Abstract Traditional capitalization-weighted indices generally add stocks with high valuation multiples after persistent outperformance and sell stocks at low valuation multiples after persistent underperformance. It is well known that the price impact of these changes can be large once a change is announced. The subsequent reversal is less well known. For example, in the year after a change in the S&P 500 Index, discretionary deletions beat additions by 22%, on average. Simple rules, such as trading ahead of index funds or delaying reconstitution trades by 3 to 12 months, can add up to 23 basis points a year. This benefit roughly doubles when we cap-weight a portfolio selected based on the fundamental size of a company's business or on its multi-year average market-cap.


Working with contemporary, monolithic desktop Geographical Information Systems can be laborious and confusing, especially for non-experts. An alternative for a more user friendly approach to spatial data edition and spatial analysis may be an "app-based" web application that is offering single tasks for the user—"micro applications". In this paper, a method for determining such "micro applications" based on user stories is presented and applied to a specific use case—the case is centered around an Austrian Governmental Institution that digitizes and edits infrastructure data. The results of this process are implemented in an app-based web application. To measure the impacts of the app-based approach, we evaluate the user experience of the app-based approach in comparison to a desktop Geographical Information System offering the same functionality. For the measurement of the user experience, we used a focus group. The group had to accomplish tasks with the desktop Geographical Information System and with the app-based web application. To measure their user experience, we employed the tool AttrakDiff. The app-based web application achieves significantly better results in terms of user experience. This result is confirmed in a discussion panel carried out afterwards. Test persons responded that positive aspects of the app-based web application were the easy and intuitive handling and reduced user interface that helps the users to focus on their tasks without any distraction.


Utilizing Mariner 10 images of Mercury, we derived a digital elevation model to examine the topography of the large-scale lobate scarps Adventure Rupes, Resolution Rupes, and Discovery Rupes. The thrust faults that formed these landforms occur along a rough arc that extends for over 1000 km. The new topography shows that vertical uplift occurred on the same side of the three structures suggesting that the fault-planes all dip to the concave side of the arc. These data also show that Adventure and Resolution Rupes are topographically continuous, suggesting the two features were formed by a single thrust fault on Mercury. If this is the case, the Adventure-Resolution Rupes thrust fault is comparable in scale to the Discovery Rupes thrust fault. It is generally believed that Mercurian lobate scarps were formed by compressionaY stresses induced in the crust as the planet's interior cooled and shrank. Global contraction models predict that stresses at the planetary surface are horizontally isotropic (horizontal principal stresses being equal) resulting in randomly distributed thrust faults with no perferred orientations. The location, orientation, and geometry of the Discovery and Adventure-Resolution Rupes thrust faults, may not be randomly distributed. Analysis of the inferred stresses that formed these faults suggests that they were influenced by regional stresses or by mechanical discontinuities in the crust possibly caused by buried impact basins. The new topographic data reveal a broad, roughly circular topographic low interpreted to be an ancient impact basin centered near Schubert crater ( 4 3 ° ~ , 5 4 ° ~ ) , not far from an inferred stress center ( 4 8 ' ~ , 5 8 O ~ ) . Thus the Discovery and Adventure-Resolution Rupes thrust faults may have been influenced by mechanical discontinuities in the Mercurian crust introduced by ancient buried impact basins. @ 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.


The current trend to globalize the supply chain in the Integrated Circuits (ICs) industry has raised several security concerns including, among others, IC overproduction. Over the past years, logic locking has grown into a prominent countermeasure to tackle this threat in particular. Logic locking consists of "locking" an IC with an added primary input, the so-called key, which, unless fed with the correct secret value, renders the ICs unusable. One of the first criteria ensuring the quality of a logic locking technique was the output corruption, i.e., the corruption at the outputs of a locked circuit, for any wrong key value. However, since the introduction of SAT-based attacks, resulting countermeasures have compromised this criterion in favor of a better resilience against such attacks. In this work, we propose SKG-Lock+, a Provably Secure Logic Locking scheme that can thwart SAT-based attacks while maintaining significant output corruption. We perform a comprehensive security analysis of SKG-Lock+ and show its resilience against SAT-based attacks, as well as various other state-of-the-art attacks. Compared with related works, SKG-Lock+ provides higher output corruption and incurs acceptable overhead.


Four putative quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that influence susceptibility to the induction of lung adenomas by urethane in an F2 cross between A/J and BALB/cOlaHsd have been mapped. Following microsatellite typing of mice with resistant and susceptible phenotypes at 97 microsatellite marker loci, a major locus was identified on chromosome 18 with a lod score of 15. This was responsible for an 8- to 10-fold increase in tumor multiplicity in males and females, respectively, having the AA and CC genotypes at the D18Mit188 marker locus. It mapped close to Dcc (deleted in colorectal cancer). A locus on chromosome 4 (lod score 6.5) had the resistant allele in strain A/J and the susceptible allele in BALB/c, with a 14-fold difference in tumor multiplicity between mice of the AA and CC genotypes. This mapped close to the Cdkn2a (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A) locus, which is commonly deleted in mouse lung tumors. Two loci with smaller effects (lod scores 3.03 and 3.25) were identified on chromosomes 1 and 11. There was also significant sexual dimorphism in tumor multiplicity both among 151 F2 hybrids and among 52 mice resulting from a backcross to strain A/J, with males having higher tumor counts than females.


Objective. To present preliminary data on incidence of malignancy in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), compared to general population rates. Methods. We examined cancer occurrence within JIA registries at 3 Canadian pediatric rheumatology centers. The subjects in the clinic registries were linked to regional tumor registries to determine the occurrence of invasive cancers over the observation period (spanning 1974–2006). The total number of cancers expected was determined by multiplying the person-years in the cohort by age, sex, and calendar year-specific cancer rates. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR, ratio of cancers observed to expected) was generated, with 95% confidence intervals. Results. The study sample consisted of 1834 patients. The female proportion was 67.6%; average age at entry to cohort was 8.6 years (SD 5.1). The majority were Caucasian. Subjects contributed 22,341 patient-years (average 12.2, SD 7.8). Within this observation period, one invasive cancer occurred, compared to 7.9 expected (SIR 0.12, 95% CI 0.0, 0.70). This was a hematological cancer (Hodgkin's lymphoma), representing a SIR for hematological malignancies of 0.76 (95% CI 0.02, 4.21). Conclusion. Only one invasive cancer was identified in this large sample of individuals with JIA, observed for an average of 12.2 years each. These data suggest that, at least in the initial years following diagnosis of JIA, the risk of invasive cancers overall is not markedly increased. The results do not rule out the possibility of a baseline increased risk of hematological malignancies.


This study was conducted to identify the understanding level and use of the sentences in Tamil Language among the teacher trainees from the Program Persediaan Ijazah Sarjana Muda Perguruan PPISMP (2010 in take) Semester 1 in IPG Kampus Raja Melewar, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. For this study, 50 trainees were chosen as respondents. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect data. The reseach was done using descriptive statistics. Data was obtained analysis through responses of trainees in tests of various types of sentences in the Tamil Language and two essays produced by them.
The set of instruments used in this study was divided into 3 sections and were prepared according to the 'Jadual Spesifikasi Ujian' (JSU). Section A contained 25 multiple choice items, Section B had 10 structured questions and Section C required respondents to choose sentences from an essay given to them. Besides that, respondents were also required to write two essays.
The tests were marked and analyses. The scripts were analyzed based on types of sentences such as simple, compound, complex, direct and indirect speeches, question types and exclamatory sentences to identify the use of such sentences in the respondents' essays. The research finding shows that the respondents' understanding about the types of sentences, 6% of them were gauged at excellent level, 56% 'good' and 38% 'moderate'. This indicates that the respondents still lack knowledge in writing different types of sentences in their essays. They focused mainly on 3 types of sentences: the complex, simple and compound sentences, respectively.
In conclusion, the research found that the respondents have the knowledge about the various types of sentences in the Tamil Language. However, in writing, they are content with using the complex, simple and compound sentences, respectively.


Main Research Project: Self-critical thinking and overgeneralisation in depression and eating disorders: An experimental study This study investigated the hypothesis that self-critical thinking plays an important role in 'overgeneralisation' where specific negative experiences result in more global negative self-views (sometimes known as 'core beliefs' or 'schemas'). Two experimental tasks, one involving word puzzles of varying difficulty, and one focused on body image, were used to elicit self-critical thoughts in participants with depression (n=26), eating disorders (Anorexia, Bulimia and ED-NOS; n=26) and nonclinical participants (n=26). As predicted, following failure experiences on the word puzzle task, the clinical groups showed greater global negative self-views, controlling for baseline scores, compared to controls. Both habitual and increases in state self-critical thinking was associated with overgeneralisation while negative perfectionism was not. As predicted from Barnard and Teasdale's (1991) Interacting Cognitive Subsystems model, increased global negative self-views were more strongly associated with post-task lowering of mood than self-criticism. Unexpectedly, participants with eating disorders did not report significantly more appearance-related self-criticism or greater global negative self-views after the body image task than the other groups. Overall, the findings are consistent with the suggestion that self-criticism may play an important role in the activation of global negative self-views after a specific negative experience, and this overgeneralisation may in turn result in low mood. Keywords: Self-criticism, depression, eating disorder, overgeneral, failure, perfectionism Service Improvement Project: Service user perspectives on the use of outcome measures in psychological therapy Despite much research into the benefits of outcome measurement, service user opinions on this as part of the therapy process have not been investigated. This study aimed to assess service users' experiences of completing measures during psychological therapy, with a view to exploring how therapists can maximise how helpful measures are in therapy. Fifteen participants completed surveys about the use of measures in their current episode of care. Results showed that despite mixed experiences in how measures were explained and used, service users showed generally favourable attitudes towards their use in therapy, with them being perceived as most helpful when well integrated into sessions by their therapists. Implications for clinical practice, service development, and further research are discussed. Keywords: outcome measures, service user views, questionnaires, therapy, routine outcome measurement Critical Literature Review: Hoarding among older adults: An evaluative review This article presents an evaluative review of the literature on hoarding in older adult populations. Interest in hoarding is growing rapidly, with significant media attention and the inclusion of 'hoarding disorder' in DSM-5. Studies are now beginning to examine the phenomenon within particular client groups. This article aims to synthesise and examine research findings regarding older adults with hoarding problems. Database and journal searching revealed a small but growing body of work in this area, which was reviewed with respect to a number of theoretical issues. The reviewed studies tended to rely on purely descriptive methodologies, meaning that typical case presentations and circumstances are well documented but underlying causal and maintenance mechanisms are less well understood. There is a clear need for longitudinal work and cross-sectional designs comparing age groups, utilising appropriate control groups where possible. Directions for future research in this area are suggested, along with consideration of how the current findings might inform generic theories and models of hoarding. Keywords: Hoarding, ageing, older adults, review


This paper presents the case of Australian government use of Facebook (FB) pages. This research-in-progress paper investigates six Australian Government FB pages to assess visible government and audience online participation. It seeks to provide a general understanding of the types and forms of FB uses by government and audience participation visible in government FB pages. FB page wall posts and comments are analysed quantitatively using genre analysis to determine what type of online participation is visible in these sites and what the agencies are trying to achieve. Findings show that the Facebook page participation varies across the agencies and the pages are being used for the purpose of announcing, informing and involving type of online engagement. The pages are being used for communication, compliance, recruitment, promotion and crowdsourcing. Some pages show strong audience engagement and have successfully served as a platform for its audience to share and communicate and respond to queries. However the engagement of the agencies has been limited. The paper concludes with further insights into agency FB strategies and highlights some concerns that may rise within the usage of these sites as evidenced from wall posts and comments analysis. The paper aims to contribute to better understanding of the government FB phenomenon on the public Social Network Site (SNS) that can lead to useful conclusions for government agency deployment, adoption and usage of SNSs.


The ruling in Petru, although unnoticed by legal doctrine, has a very powerful potential effect on national health systems. The Court accepts that a patient from a Member State where public healthcare is of poor quality may, at the expense of that State, receive treatment in another Member State. In this way it gives priority to individual patient rights over national healthcare systems, which it puts in direct competition with one another.


This study was conducted in the Sericulture Research Laboratory of Melkassa Research Center. Four bivoltine and one polyvoltine silkworm were involved in the crossing experiment and laid out in complete randomized design with four replications. Data was collected on fecundity, pupation rate (%), number of diseased larvae, survival rate (%), cocoon weight (g), cocoon shell weight (g), cocoon shell ratio (%) and filament length (m). Uniform and non-significant numbers of eggs produced by adults and cocooning percentages were recorded for both hybrid and parents in all the generations. Average larval weight significantly (P<0.01) reduced for F1, F2, F3 and F4 generations hybrids than parents but increased in F5, F6 and F7 generations hybrids. Silk ratios and survival rates significantly (P<0.01) increased for all hybrids than parent bivoltine in all hybrid generations. Larval period significantly (P<0.01) reduced in F5, F6 and F7 generations hybrid than parent bivoltines. Filament length significantly (P<0.01) reduced in F1, F2, F3 and F4 generations hybrids than parent bivoltine but significantly increased in F5, F6 and F7 generations hybrids than parent bivoltines. It can be concluded that instead of using parent polyvoltine and bivoltine mulberry silkworms separately for silk production, the farmers can use F5 and above generations hybrids of multivoltine x bivoltine for relatively higher disease resistance and maximum silk productions.

 Key words: Polyvoltine silkworm, bivoltine silkworm, hybrids.


The paper discusses the morphological status and the function of Spanish nominal endings -o and -a (ciel+o 'sky' vs. caj+a 'box'); it is shown that both endings, plus the endings -e and -O, are inflectional suffixes that mark, however, not the values of an inflectional category (like nominal number or verbal tense), but the values of a feature of the syntactics of the noun — the nominal gender. The 'nominal gender' is defined as a cluster concept based on eight properties; it is a particular case of 'agreement class' opposed to 'noun class.' Some particularities of Spanish nominal gender are examined: its interaction with diminutive suffixes, gender conversion, and its "non-prototypical" character (a parallel is drawn between Spanish nominal genders and noun classes in Fula).


The present study deals with the Study of Liquidity, Productivity viz a viz. Financial Efficiency of Birla Group of Companies, which are mainly engaged in production of Cement, Textiles, Automobile, Alluminium Products, Engineering, Tea, Agro Products and Paper etc. This study is aimed at exploring the liquidity, productivity viz a viz-financial efficiency of Birla Group of Companies. The Birla Group of Companies played an important and Multi-dimensional role of uplifting and taking our country out of lamentable state of industries we experienced soon after independence. Our overall progress and around prosperity owe a great deal to the multifaced role performed by some of very important Birla Group's have utilized their resources and to study liquidity, productivity, financial efficiency, and to make the analysis of activity and financial structure and their contribution to the upliftment and betterment of the society. For the purpose of ascertaining liquidity, productivity viz a viz financial efficiency of Birla Group of Companies, sixteen (16) leading companies of Birla Group's having a large plant have been selected. The period covered under the study extends over six years from 1997-98 to 2002-03. Adopting various techniques such as ratio analysis trend analysis has made analysis of selected units. In order to the judge the efficiency and performance of the Birla Group of Companies which the help of published accounting annual reports, some publications and autobiography related with Birla family was also studied. Most useful information has been gathered from the various journals reports, periodicals and daily newspapers. It is hoped that the thesis will be of immense help and use to practicing financial Manger, Management, Government officials, employees, Shareholders, Academicians and research scholars.


BACKGROUND
Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is a frequently used technique that provides total margin visualization for treatment of skin neoplasms.

OBJECTIVE
To provide a comprehensive review of MMS literature, focusing on its origins, evidence behind present-day uses of MMS, and future directions.

METHODS
A literature search was conducted using PubMed to identify articles pertaining to MMS.

RESULTS
The fresh frozen technique led to widespread use of MMS in the 1970s. One randomized controlled trial and several large prospective studies have demonstrated low recurrence rates for treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). MMS, when compared with surgical excision, also achieved a statistically significant higher cure rate for treatment of recurrent NMSC. Studies have demonstrated low recurrence for the treatment of melanoma and melanoma in situ with MMS. MMS has also been shown to effectively treat several rare cutaneous neoplasms. The future of MMS is likely to include the adoption of noninvasive imaging, immunostaining, and digital technology.

CONCLUSION
Mohs micrographic surgery is an effective treatment modality for numerous cutaneous neoplasms. It has achieved statistically significant superiority to surgical excision for the treatment of recurrent and high-risk NMSC. The future is likely to see increased use of noninvasive imaging, immunostaining, and digital technology.


Abstract:In an age of egregious inequality and rising authoritarian, many call for a new "moral economy" and turn to Karl Polanyi's The Great Transformation for inspiration. Yet Polanyi's great insight is that those who cannot reckon with the moral economy of "market justice"—the claim that market outcomes, however unequal, are morally just—fail to understand the power of capitalism. Justified by its original claim to rest on natural science, market justice laid the predicate for democracy as mortal threat. Polanyi reveals market justice as based not on natural law but on predistributive political power, and builds his democratic socialist vision on the "reality of society."


This article focuses on the separation of ferrous impurities from emulsion with micro-hydrocyclone. The relationship of flow rate, pressure and separation efficiency is studied to determine the optimal operation condition. Results show the separation efficiency and the pressure difference increase with the inlet flow rate of the micro-hydrocyclone. When the inlet pressure is 0.4MPa, pressure difference △Pio is 0.26Mpa and the average inlet particle size is 2.719μm, the separation efficiency of the solid particles is 76% and the removal rate of solid particles with the size above 5.5μm is 85.64%, which contributes to the improvement of the quality of cold rolled sheet.


Green areas and urban forests represent important factors of urbanized environment which attracts more and more attention of forest management and silviculture. Recreational load and its types are the most important driving variable for the management framework in which basic silvicultural methods should be applied. The problem of the required combination of natural and social limits is resolved by a matrix which takes into account forest ecosystem quality and recreation. The matrix defines 9 or 27 units (their number depends on the fact if we take into account the age of stand or not) for which basic management rules could be prepared. The basic rules concerning biological aspects are described in a general way in the article.


The effect of verapamil, a calcium antagonist and antiarrhythmic and anti-anginal actions, were studied on the size of infarct in open-chest anesthetized dogs with left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion. Hemodyamic functions were monitored by standard techniques, and infarct size was assessed by epicardial electrocardiography. Myocardial blood flow was measured by radioactive microspheres, and regional metabolism was studied by measuring lactate concentration in the venous drainage of the ischemic myocardium. Verapamil produced a significant reduction to ST segment elevation in the epicardial electrocardiogram and prevented the hemodynamic deterioration seen in the control animals in which ST segment elevation persisted. The drug had no effect on either total collateral blood flow or on the relative distribution of flow to the inner and outer halves of the ventricular wall. No significant differences were found between the levels of coronary venous lactate in the control animals and those in the verapamil-treated group. The results raise the possibility that the apparent protective effect of verapamil in myocardial ischemia may be due to its electrophysiological action on the cardiac membrane in relation to its calcium-antagonistic properites in excitable tissues.


The "root meaning" of the Sixth Amendment's Counsel Clause is the right to retain counsel of one's choice. Yet until just last Term, no criminal defendant had ever persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a conviction on counsel-of-choice grounds; many had tried in vain. I consider in this paper whether there is any satisfying, functional account that can explain the disjuncture between what the Court says about the right and what it does when presented with an asserted violation of that right. The leading theories justify the right to counsel of choice either as securing the effective assistance of counsel, and thus a fair trial, or as a facet of the defendant's prerogative to control his own defense. These theories, however — grounded in majestic-sounding notions of fairness and autonomy, respectively — struggle to explain counsel-of-choice doctrine. For one thing, indigent defendants simply have no right to choose their counsel at all. And while criminal procedure rights are seldom absolute, balancing the defendant's fairness and autonomy interests against the government's countervailing needs cannot explain the pattern of Court decisions in anything but the most ad hoc manner. My claim is that something very different explains the Court's counsel-of-choice decisions. The right to counsel of choice functions not as a powerful individual entitlement, but rather as a weak, system-level safeguard against socialization of the criminal defense bar. I use "socialization" here in the political and not the social psychological sense, to refer to "the action or process of bringing" an institution "under state ownership or public control." Only when the government advances a theory for restraining defendant choice that, if accepted, would allow it to strangle the private defense bar and socialize criminal defense does this anti-socialization principle require that the right to counsel of choice prevail. This means that even a weak government interest — like a judge's desire to push a case to trial quickly — can overcome the right as long as that interest is meaningfully bounded in its reach across the criminal docket.


Shape is a defining feature of objects. Yet, no image-computable model accurately predicts how similar or different shapes appear to human observers. To address this, we developed a model ('ShapeComp'), based on over 100 shape features (e.g., area, compactness, Fourier descriptors). When trained to capture the variance in a database of >25,000 animal silhouettes, ShapeComp predicts human shape similarity judgments almost perfectly (r2>0.99) without fitting any parameters to human data. To test the model, we created carefully selected arrays of complex novel shapes using a Generative Adversarial Network trained on the animal silhouettes, which we presented to observers in a wide range of tasks. Our findings show that human shape perception is inherently multidimensional and optimized for comparing natural shapes. ShapeComp outperforms conventional metrics, and can also be used to generate perceptually uniform stimulus sets, making it a powerful tool for investigating shape and object representations in the human brain.


An axle shaft supports rotating elements, and is fitted to the housing by means of bearings. It mostly does not transmit torque, with exceptions such as in train axles. Non-rotating axles are subjected to bending moments due to dynamic transverse loads. Axles such as in automobiles are marked with occasional failures due to fatigue cracks, which can prove serious, if the cracks are not detected early. Vibration based condition monitoring is the field concerned with crack detection based on the dynamic responses of the system. In this light, the present paper discusses the vibration analysis of a cracked axle. The cracked shaft is modelled using finite element method, for transverse vibration conditions. The shaft is modelled based on Euler-Bernoulli theory for bending, while the crack is modelled based on fracture mechanics approach. After modelling, modal analysis of the system is carried out, with the consideration of proportional hysteretic damping. The Eigen value problem provides the natural frequencies and mode shapes. The Frequency Response Functions (FRF's) magnitude and phase plots are obtained, from which the natural frequencies and structural damping loss factors can be calculated. Further, the free vibration and forced vibration system time responses are obtained, using numerical integration methods. The corresponding responses in frequency domain are obtained using Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT). The FRF's and dynamic responses of the shaft without and with crack are comparatively studied. The study provides the platform for condition monitoring of shaft cracks.


Background: The global spread of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has been sudden shock to the world and resulted in many questions that remain unanswered. Limited data has been published in low-middle-income country settings (LMICS) Objectives: To describe the clinical characteristics and outcome of mothers and neonates delivered from COVID-19 positive mothers, and to identify the incidence of COVID-19 positive neonates.Methods: A prospective, descriptive study, from 1 August 2020 to 31 March 2021 conducted at a tertiary hospital, in JohannesburgAll neonates born to mothers that were COVID-19 positive and that required admission to the neonatal unit were included. Informed consent was obtained from mothers prior to enrolment.Results: A total of 111 COVID-19 positive pregnant women delivered neonates at the tertiary hospital. In this study, only 28 of the 111 (25%) neonates born to COVID-19 positive mothers were admitted. The majority of the COVID-19 pregnant mothers were asymptomatic or had mild symptomatic disease (80%). Two (2/111 (2%) mothers required ICU admission and three (3/111 (3%) of them demised. In relation to neonatal outcomes, the majority of the neonates were delivered at a gestational age of 35 weeks with a birth weight of 2400 grams .The most common symptom was respiratory distress (89 %). The one (3%) neonate that tested positive for COVID-19 was born moderately preterm with a low birth weight and respiratory distress syndrome. Two (2/28 (7%) neonates demised, however the cause of death was not related to COVID-19. All the remaining (26/28 (93%) neonates were discharged and were well on follow up. Conclusion: Our study has shown that the risk of neonatal transmission from pregnant COVID-19 mothers is relatively low, and the majority of neonatal disease ranged from asymptomatic to mildly symptomatic disease. Further research efforts are essential to improve neonatal care in LMICS.


Incubation of Rhizobium japonicum with the cultured soybean cell line SB-1, originally derived from the roots of Glycine max, resulted in specific adhesion of the bacteria to the plant cells. This binding interaction appears to be mediated via carbohydrate recognition, since galactose can inhibit the heterotypic adhesion but glucose cannot. Affinity chromatography, on a Sepharose column derivatized with N- caproyl-galactosamine, of the supernatant fraction of a SB-1 cell suspension after enzymatic removal of cell wall yielded a single polypeptide (Mr approximately 30,000) on immunoblotting analysis with rabbit antibodies directed against seed soybean agglutinin. Fluorescently labeled rabbit anti-seed soybean agglutinin also yielded specific immunofluorescent staining on the cell wall and plasma membrane of the SB-1 cells. These results suggest that one likely candidate that may mediate the recognition between the Rhizobium and the soybean cells is the endogenously produced SB-1 lectin. This notion is supported by the observation that rabbit anti-seed soybean agglutinin blocked the Rhizobium-soybean cell adhesion, whereas control antibodies did not.


Background In the last few decades, mobile technologies have been widely adopted in the field of health care services to improve the accessibility to and the quality of health services received. Mobile health (mHealth) has emerged as a field of research with increasing attention being paid to it by scientific researchers and a rapid increase in related literature being reported. Objective The purpose of this study was to analyze the current state of research, including publication outputs, in the field of mHealth to uncover in-depth collaboration characteristics and topic burst of international mHealth research. Methods The authors collected literature that has been published in the last 20 years and indexed by Thomson Reuters Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Various statistical techniques and bibliometric measures were employed, including publication growth analysis; journal distribution; and collaboration network analysis at the author, institution, and country collaboration level. The temporal visualization map of burst terms was drawn, and the co-occurrence matrix of these burst terms was analyzed by hierarchical cluster analysis and social network analysis. Results A total of 2704 bibliographic records on mHealth were collected. The earliest paper centered on mHealth was published in 1997, with the number of papers rising continuously since then. A total of 21.28% (2318/10,895) of authors publishing mHealth research were first author, whereas only 1.29% (141/10,895) of authors had published one paper. The total degree of author collaboration was 4.42 (11,958/2704) and there are 266 core authors who have collectively published 53.07% (1435/2704) of the total number of publications, which means that the core group of authors has fundamentally been formed based on the Law of Price. The University of Michigan published the highest number of mHealth-related publications, but less collaboration among institutions exits. The United States is the most productive country in the field and plays a leading role in collaborative research on mHealth. There are 5543 different identified keywords in the cleaned records. The temporal bar graph clearly presents overall topic evolutionary process over time. There are 12 important research directions identified, which are in the imbalanced development. Moreover, the density of the network was 0.007, a relatively low level. These 12 topics can be categorized into 4 areas: (1) patient engagement and patient intervention, (2) health monitoring and self-care, (3) mobile device and mobile computing, and (4) security and privacy. Conclusions The collaboration of core authors on mHealth research is not tight and stable. Furthermore, collaboration between institutions mainly occurs in the United States, although country collaboration is seen as relatively scarce. The focus of research topics on mHealth is decentralized. Our study might provide a potential guide for future research in mHealth.


This article proposes a concept called Condensed Electromagnetic Radiation (CER) as the electromagnetic origin of mass particles. An overwhelming amount of experimental evidence is consistent with the CER concept as a fundamental explanation for the physical properties of mass particles. Among many others cited, two well-established physical phenomena offer especially compelling evidence: parametric down conversion of photons, and generation of leptons and quarks.


Participants and nonparticipants in a primary care preceptorship experience were compared on self-reported competencies in basic skills and performance of clinical procedures. A pre--post analysis of participating students was done, documenting the effect of the preceptorship experience on the students' career choices, practice site selections, and competencies in basic skills and in performance of clinical procedures. The experience tended to give precepting students more than nonprecepting students a feeling of confidence in skill areas and in performance of clinical procedures.


The ophthalmic manifestations of a 51-year-old man with multiple myeloma included exudative retinal detachments and multiple epibulbar plasmacytomas. The retinal changes resolved with treatment for systemic effects, and the IgA-producing plasmacytomas rapidly resolved with local irradiation. The young age of onset (37 years), the prolonged course (14 years), and the IgA M protein and epibulbar involvement were, collectively, unusual findings in multiple myeloma. The presence of epibulbar, gastrointestinal tract, and prostate involvement suggested a homing mechanism of IgA-committed cells to mucosal surfaces.


Hollow BiFeO3 nanoparticles were synthesized by an electrospray route for the first time. The phase purity and structure have been investigated by x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Transmission and scanning electron microscope investigations revealed that the as-obtained BiFeO3 hollow spheres were polycrystalline, with a shell thickness of 35 nm. The formation mechanism can be possibly explained by Ostwald ripening. Raman spectra have verified decreased vibrational frequencies in BiFeO3 nanoparticles. These hollow and core-shell multiferroic nanoparticles exhibit significantly enhanced ferromagnetism from 5 to 600 K due to a broken spiral spin structure. The ferroelectricity of hollow BiFeO3 particles exhibits a lower switching electric field, which is confirmed by Kelvin probe force microscopy.


For the past few years, regionalism has been progressing in East Asia with the likes of China, Japan, and Korea (CJK) as the most prominent actors. Unfortunately, with the absence of trade arrangement amongst the CJK, the present regional trade scheme is not sufficient to reach sustainability. This paper uncovers the inefficient scheme through Engle-Granger Cointegration and Error Correction Mechanism. Moreover, the paper underlines the importance of triangular trade agreement for accelerating the phase of growth in CJK which eventually create a spillover effect to East Asia as a whole. Employing Two Stage Least Squares in a static panel fixed effect model, the paper argues that the spillover effect will function as an impetus for creating region-wide FTA. Furthermore, the paper also identifies a number of economic and political factors that can support the formation of East Asian Regionalism. JEL Classification: F15, C13, C22, C33


Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a worldwide epidemic affecting more than 30 million individuals today. Since its initial outbreak, an estimated 20 million deaths have resulted and nearly 3 million new cases arise annually in adults and children. Combinational antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been highly effective at controlling infection to those fortunate enough to have access, but no drug is able to clear infection and thus treatment must be given lifelong. This is particularly challenging given that nearly 70% of infected individuals live in Sub-Saharan Africa and in regions where adequate delivery infrastructure may not exist. Thus, only about 25% of infected individuals in Africa currently receive treatment. Clinical screens of HIV-resistant individuals have identified a class of broadly-neutralizing antibodies (BNAs) that have significant potential for passive immunotherapy. This project serves to engineer and construct new antibody-like reagents inspired from BNAs with improved HIV neutralization efficiencies. When expressed using adeno-associated virus, a long-term supply of these reagents could be generated to provide a potent alternative to costly conventional drug therapy to individuals all over the world. By utilizing concepts of molecular biology and structural biology, over 60 new antibody-like reagents have been synthesized. These reagents utilize the powerful binding affinities of some of best natural antibody fragments to date, while at the same time, are designed to be better suited to binding to HIV virions compared to the immunoglobulin G (IgG) form of native antibodies. One key modification is the removal of the constant fragment region of the IgGs through molecular cloning and the addition of a rigid, stable, and length-variable protein linker joining two antigen-binding fragments (Fabs) at either end. Secondly, non-canonical combinations of different Fabs are coupled at the ends of the linker, generating bi-specific and completely new proteins. One promising bi-specific protein has an IC50 of 33nM, compared to 97nM and infinite nanomolar IC50s of the individual Fabs when not linked together. Another bi-specific construct has an IC50 of 0.56nM, compared to 2.1nM and 14.4nM of the individual Fabs, a 4 to 25-fold improvement. This project overall has validated the use of a structural linker in the design of HIV-neutralizing antibodies.


Introduction Simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplant remains the gold standard treatment renal failure secondary to Type 1 diabetes. Thrombosis in the early post-transplant period is an early complication with devastating outcomes, including multiple procedures, return to the operating theatre and in many cases graft loss. This is the first study to comprehensively examine the potential role of numerous risk factors for thrombosis in SPK transplant recipients. Materials and Methods We reviewed all simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplants (SPK) performed at our institution over the past 10 years (2008-2017) including 235 patients. Risk factors for thrombosis including donor factors (age, gender, BMI, smoking status, hypoxia in cause of death), recipient factors (age, gender, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, vascular disease and smoking status) and operative factors (vasopressor use, blood pressure, ischemic time, anastomotic time, fluid boluses, arterial or venous grafts) were examined. Adjusting for possible confounders, a multivariate logistic regression model was used to assess the risk and predictors of thrombosis using SPSS v. 22.0. Results and Discussion Of the 235 patients, 41 (17.4%) experienced thrombosis of the pancreas graft. Of the total patients, 16 (6.8%) lost the pancreas graft as a consequence of the thrombosis. The risks of thrombosis increases by 25.6 fold in male donors (compared to females) (OR: 25.6; 95% CI: 2.2-303.1; P=0.01). The presence of hypoxia increases the odds of thrombosis by as much as 4.0 fold (OR: 4.0; 95% CI: 0.8-21.4; P=0.102). The age of the donor plays a significant role. Patients between 26 to 35 years have a 2.7 fold increased risk compared to those less than 20 years (OR: 2.7; 95% CI: 0.4-18.7; P=0.32). This risk almost doubles in donors >36 years (OR: 5.3; 95% CI: 0.6-47.3; P=0.14). A recipient between the age of 37 to 42 years is at 10.6 times greater risk of thrombosis compared to those <36 years (OR: 10.6; 95% CI: 1.4-79.2; P=0.02). Conclusions Results of this work suggest that careful selection of donors for pancreas transplantation is paramount to reducing the risk of thrombosis. Donor gender, age, and cause of death can be used to decide which donors are at highest risk. Female donors, younger donors and those with a cause of death that does not involve hypoxia can be considered the lowest risk donors. In higher risk donors, the use of interventions that reduce the risk of thrombosis or more careful vigilance may aid prevention of graft loss due to this challenging complication.


Both sleep and glutamatergic signaling in the brain are tightly controlled and homeostatically regulated. Sleep homeostasis is reliably reflected by predictable changes in brain electrical activity in waking and sleep, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Current hypotheses posit that recovery sleep following prolonged waking restores efficient functioning of the brain, for example by keeping glutamatergic signaling in a homeostatic range. We recently provided evidence in humans and mice that metabotropic glutamate receptors of subtype-5 (mGluR5) contribute to the brain's coping mechanisms with sleep deprivation. Here we combined in 31 healthy men, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure the levels of glutamate (Glu), GLX (glutamate-to-glutamine ratio) and GABA (γ-amino-butyric-acid) in basal ganglia (BG) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, simultaneous positron emission tomography to quantify mGluR5 availability with the novel radioligand, [18F]PSS232, and quantification in blood plasma of the mGluR5-regulated proteins, fragile-X mental retardation protein (FMRP) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). All measurements were conducted at the same circadian time in baseline, following sleep deprivation and after recovery sleep. We found that Glu and GLX in BG (pall < 0.01), but not in prefrontal cortex, and the plasma concentration of FMRP (p < 0.02), were increased after sleep loss and tended to normalize following recovery sleep (pall < 0.1). Furthermore, a night without sleep enhanced whole-brain and striatal mGluR5 availability and was normalized by recovery sleep (pall < 0.05). By contrast, other brain metabolites and plasma BDNF levels were not altered. The findings demonstrate convergent changes in distinct markers of glutamatergic signaling across prolonged wakefulness and recovery sleep in humans. They warrant further studies to elucidate the underlying mechanisms that link the homeostatic regulation of sleep and glutamatergic system activity in health and disease. One-sentence summary Sleep-dependent recovery of wakefulness-induced changes in, cerebral glutamatergic signaling Major subject area Neuroscience; Human Biology & Medicine


Background As e-cigarette use rapidly increases in popularity, data from online social systems (Twitter, Instagram, Google Web Search) can be used to capture and describe the social and environmental context in which individuals use, perceive, and are marketed this tobacco product. Social media data may serve as a massive focus group where people organically discuss e-cigarettes unprimed by a researcher, without instrument bias, captured in near real time and at low costs. Objective This study documents e-cigarette–related discussions on Twitter, describing themes of conversations and locations where Twitter users often discuss e-cigarettes, to identify priority areas for e-cigarette education campaigns. Additionally, this study demonstrates the importance of distinguishing between social bots and human users when attempting to understand public health–related behaviors and attitudes. Methods E-cigarette–related posts on Twitter (N=6,185,153) were collected from December 24, 2016, to April 21, 2017. Techniques drawn from network science were used to determine discussions of e-cigarettes by describing which hashtags co-occur (concept clusters) in a Twitter network. Posts and metadata were used to describe where geographically e-cigarette–related discussions in the United States occurred. Machine learning models were used to distinguish between Twitter posts reflecting attitudes and behaviors of genuine human users from those of social bots. Odds ratios were computed from 2x2 contingency tables to detect if hashtags varied by source (social bot vs human user) using the Fisher exact test to determine statistical significance. Results Clusters found in the corpus of hashtags from human users included behaviors (eg, #vaping), vaping identity (eg, #vapelife), and vaping community (eg, #vapenation). Additional clusters included products (eg, #eliquids), dual tobacco use (eg, #hookah), and polysubstance use (eg, #marijuana). Clusters found in the corpus of hashtags from social bots included health (eg, #health), smoking cessation (eg, #quitsmoking), and new products (eg, #ismog). Social bots were significantly more likely to post hashtags that referenced smoking cessation and new products compared to human users. The volume of tweets was highest in the Mid-Atlantic (eg, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and New York), followed by the West Coast and Southwest (eg, California, Arizona and Nevada). Conclusions Social media data may be used to complement and extend the surveillance of health behaviors including tobacco product use. Public health researchers could harness these data and methods to identify new products or devices. Furthermore, findings from this study demonstrate the importance of distinguishing between Twitter posts from social bots and humans when attempting to understand attitudes and behaviors. Social bots may be used to perpetuate the idea that e-cigarettes are helpful in cessation and to promote new products as they enter the marketplace.


Nowadays the automotive industry and the motor development are one of the most dynamically developing industries. One solution to the diagnostic systems providing reliability is the acoustic and vibration measurement system, which can indicate and predict a variety of malfunctions after signal processing. The purpose of this experiment is to analyze the effect of the air-fuel equivalence ratio on the vibration components of an internal-combustion engine (ICE) which is a part of the in question measurement system. In the focus of the experiments are the analysis of the time signal, its spectra, and the power content of the signal. With the increment of the air-fuel ratio the amplitudes of the measured signal and its spectral amplitudes showed a downward trend as the RMS values. In addition, certain frequency components disappeared during the actuation of the ICE with an electromotor, so the characterization of the combustion could be come to the front.


Placement of dredged spoils in a slurry form and allowing self-weight consolidation is common in land reclamation works carried out adjacent to water bodies. The influence of the settling behavior of soil particles in clay-water slurry on the homogeneity and consolidation properties of the final sediment were assessed in the current study. Standard one-dimensional and radial consolidation tests were conducted on Port of Brisbane dredged mud, which was remolded at various water contents and salt concentrations and reconstituted. Particle-size distribution curves show the various degrees of segregation that occurred during settlement of soil particles in flocculated and dispersed slurry, prepared and placed in saltwater and freshwater environments, respectively. The vertical and horizontal consolidation coefficients (cv, ch) and the vertical permeability (kv) were found to be fairly uniform throughout the flocculated sediment, whereas for the dispersed sediment significant variation could be observed at various depth levels. The consolidation properties in the horizontal direction (ch, kh) were considerably larger than in the vertical direction (cv, kv) for both the flocculated and dispersed sediment. The degree of anisotropy in the consolidation coefficient, measured by ch/cv, was generally larger for the flocculated sediment than for the dispersed sediment. Proper understanding of the consolidation process and the variability of the consolidation and permeability coefficients with depth is important for the reliable prediction of settlement and the degree of consolidation achieved in the reclamation fill.


Boron carbide is a material which has wide application areas in industry including nuclear technology. Titanium diboride reinforced boron carbide‐silicon carbide composites were studied for searching of the behaviour against the gamma ray. It has been adopted that depending on their properties such improved materials can be used in nuclear technology. For the investigation of the gamma radiation behaviour of these materials, Cs-137 radioisotope was used as gamma source in the experiments which have a single gamma-peak at 0.662 MeV. Gamma transmission technique was used for the measurements. Dierent reinforcing ratios, titanium diboride reinforced boron carbide‐silicon carbide composites were evaluated in relation to gamma transmission and the results of the experiments were interpreted and compared with each other. It could be understood that the increasing ratio of titanium diboride in boron carbide‐silicon carbide composites causes higher hardness, strength and linear attenuation coecient values but decrease the mass attenuation coecient.


Twenty one strains of bifidobacteria belonging to various species were studied with respect to their sensitivity to antibacterial drugs most widely used in medical practice. The strains were isolated from practically healthy persons and from persons in contact with antibiotics in their production. It was found that sensitivity of the strains was the highest with respect to penicillins and tetracyclines. With respect to kanamycin, monomycin and levomycetin the strains were resistant. Strain differences in resistance to separate antibacterial drugs were observed. Increased streptomycin and tetracycline resistance of the strains isolated from the persons being for a prolonged period in contact with these antibiotics in their production, was stated.


The Toll-like receptors (TLR) are vitally important pattern recognition receptors linking innate and adaptive immunity. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in human TLR genes have been associated with disease. There are few studies on associations between polymorphisms in TLR genes and disease in pigs, but the TLR2/TLR6 heterodimer is activated by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, and the expression of TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9 is modulated in the presence of different Salmonella serovars. Porcine TLR1, TLR6, and TLR10 are located in a cluster on the p arm of chromosome 8, while TLR2 resides on the q arm. Previously, we identified quantitative trait loci (QTL) for immune-related traits on pig chromosome 8, close to the KIT gene and the microsatellite S0225, respectively. In order to explore polymorphism in some TLR genes in European wild boars and domestic pigs, TLR1, TLR2, and TLR6 were sequenced in 25 wild boars, representing three populations, and in 15 domestic pigs of Hampshire, Landrace, and Large White origin. Similarly, TLR10 was sequenced in 15 wild boars and 15 domestic pigs. In TLR1 and TLR2, more SNP were present in the domestic pigs than in the wild boars. In TLR6, SNP numbers were similar in both animal groups, but the level of heterozygosity was higher in the domestic pigs than in the wild boars. In TLR10, again, more SNP were present in the domestic pigs, and a higher number of nonsynonymous SNP were detected in TLR10 compared to the other genes. This may suggest redundancy for TLR10 in pigs.


This dissertation contains essays in macroeconomics and public economics. In the first essay, I analyze the interaction between student debt and occupational choice. In recent times, student debt has grown the most among any other types of debt in the US. Student debt can have distortionary behavioral effects and one such effect is in occupational choice. In this paper, I construct a model of occupational choice between being an entrepreneur and a worker and examine how occupational choice is affected by repayment plans available to students. Since entrepreneurship is inherently riskier than becoming a worker, a debt repayment plan that takes into account the income level of the borrower can have an effect on occupational choice. I find that while repayment plans do not change the rate of entrepreneurship in the aggregate, there is substantial change in the composition of entrepreneurs by age.

In the second essay, I study the quantitative effects of the decline in price of investment goods on the process of structural change and economic growth. Using the Korean economy to calibrate a canonical two-sector model of growth, I study labor allocations in agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. The model is able to match several features of the economy and has implications for sectoral value-added and employment shares, GDP per capita and investment. In particular, I find that the decline in the price of investment goods decreases the value-added and employment shares in the agricultural sector and increases the level of GDP per capita and investment.

In the third essay, I provide estimates for the elasticity of taxable income with respect to marginal tax rates using the publicly available Current Population Survey (CPS) dataset. In contrast to studies that use datasets on tax returns that are not publicly available, I use the panel structure of the CPS and exploit tax reforms in the US to employ an instrumental variables approach to study how taxable income responds to changes in tax rates. I find that the elasticity of taxable income is 0.65 for married couples.


Research fashion history, designers, menswear, forecasting, product development and pattern making, footwear, deconstruction, software help and standards. A comprehensive list of online databases for Fashion and Textiles


Introduction Advanced practice providers (APP), including physicians' assistants and nurse practitioners, have been increasingly incorporated into emergency department (ED) staffing over the past decade. There is scant literature examining resource utilization and the cost benefit of having APPs in the ED. The objectives of this study were to compare resource utilization in EDs that use APPs in their staffing model with those that do not and to estimate costs associated with the utilized resources. Methods In this five-year retrospective secondary data analysis of the Emergency Department Benchmarking Alliance (EDBA), we compared resource utilization rates in EDs with and without APPs in non-academic EDs. Primary outcomes were hospital admission and use of computed tomography (CT), radiography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Costs were estimated using the 2014 physician fee schedule and inpatient payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. We measured outcomes as rates per 100 visits. Data were analyzed using a mixed linear model with repeated measures, adjusted for annual volume, patient acuity, and attending hours. We used the adjusted net difference to project utilization costs between the two groups per 1000 visits. Results Of the 1054 EDs included in this study, 79% employed APPs. Relative to EDs without APPs, EDs staffing APPs had higher resource utilization rates (use per 100 visits): 3.0 more admissions (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0–4.1), 1.7 more CTs (95% CI, 0.2–3.1), 4.5 more radiographs (95% CI, 2.2–6.9), and 1.0 more ultrasound (95% CI, 0.3–1.7) but comparable MRI use 0.1 (95% CI, −0.2–0.3). Projected costs of these differences varied among the resource utilized. Compared to EDs without APPs, EDs with APPs were estimated to have 30.4 more admissions per 1000 visits, which could accrue $414,717 in utilization costs. Conclusion EDs staffing APPs were associated with modest increases in resource utilization as measured by admissions and imaging studies.


An automated flying-insect detection system (AFIDS) was developed as a proof-of-concept instrument for real-time detection and identification of flying insects. This type of system has use in public health and homeland-security decision support, agriculture and military pest management, and/or entomological research. Insects are first lured into the AFIDS integrated sphere by insect attractants. Once inside the sphere, the insect s wing beats cause alterations in light intensity that is detected by a photoelectric sensor. Following detection, the insects are encouraged (with the use of a small fan) to move out of the sphere and into a designated insect trap where they are held for taxonomic identification or serological testing. The acquired electronic wing-beat signatures are preprocessed (Fourier transformed) in real time to display a periodic signal. These signals are sent to the end user where they are graphically. All AFIDS data are preprocessed in the field with the use of a laptop computer equipped with LabVIEW. The AFIDS software can be programmed to run continuously or at specific time intervals when insects are prevalent. A special DC-restored transimpedance amplifier reduces the contributions of low-frequency background light signals, and affords approximately two orders of magnitude greater AC gain than conventional amplifiers. This greatly increases the signal-to-noise ratio and enables the detection of small changes in light intensity. The AFIDS light source consists of high-intensity Al-GaInP light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The AFIDS circuitry minimizes brightness fluctuations in the LEDs and when integrated with an integrating sphere, creates a diffuse uniform light field. The insect wing beats isotropically scatter the diffuse light in the sphere and create wing-beat signatures that are detected by the sensor. This configuration minimizes variations in signal associated with insect flight orientation. Preliminary data indicate that AFIDS has sufficient sensitivity and frequency measuring capability to differentiate between male and female mosquitoes (Figure 1, bottom panel) and fruit flies (data not shown). Similar studies show that AFIDS can be utilized to detect discrete differences between two mosquito species, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. When fully deployable, a wireless network of AFIDS monitors could be used in combination with other remotely sensed data and visually displayed in a geographic information system (GIS) to provide real-time surveillance (see Figure 2). More accurate and sensitive insect population forecasts and effective rapid response and mitigation of insect issues would then be possible.


The pervasive use of multiple technological tools to engage with media and political content (i.e., TV sets, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.) has deeply altered the way citizens around the world consume information and discuss public affair issues. Many are using 2, or even several "screens" at the same time to do so, a phenomenon known as second or dual screening. The goal of this article is twofold. First, it introduces a set of novel studies published as a special section devoted to second screening. Second, based on nationally representative original survey data collected in twenty societies (N = 22.033), the study depicts a snapshot of second screening habits for news and politics around the world. Findings reveal that young people tend to second screen more than older counterparts. Similarly, there are also differences in political behaviors between groups of high and low frequency second screen users. More intensive users tend to politically express themselves in social media, and participate more often in offline political activities. On the other hand, results indicate little or no differences between these two groups in terms of their voting behavior.


Dimethyl sulphide (DMS) plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry and climate change. Ambient DMS is monitored in a global network and reported at sub-nanomole per mole (nmol/mol) levels. Developing traceable, accurate DMS standards at ambient levels is essential for tracking the long-term trends and understanding the role of DMS in the atmosphere. Gravimetrically prepared gas standards in cylinders are widely used for calibrating instruments. Therefore, a stable primary standard gas mixture (PSM) is required for traceable ambient DMS measurement at remote sites. In this study, to evaluate adsorption loss on the internal surface of the gas cylinder, 6 nmol mol−1 DMS gas mixtures were prepared in three types of aluminium cylinders: a cylinder without a special coating on its internal surface (AL), an Aculife IV  +  III-treated cylinder (AC), and an Experis-treated cylinder (EX). There was little adsorption loss on the EX cylinder, whereas there was substantial adsorption loss on the other two cylinders. The EX cylinder was used to prepare 0.5, 2, 5, and 7 nmol mol−1 DMS PSMs with relative expanded uncertainties of less than 0.4%. The DMS PSMs were analytically verified and consistent within a relative expanded uncertainty of less than 1.2%. The long-term stability of the 7 nmol mol−1 DMS PSM was assessed by tracking the ratio of the DMS to the internal standard, benzene. The results showed that the DMS was stable for about seven months and it was projected to be stable for more than 60 months within a relative expanded uncertainty of 3%.


This paper explores the relationships between basic cultural characteristics of countries and some economic indexes. As cultural characteristics, the data from The Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Research Program (GLOBE) about the 9 cultural dimensions for 60 countries were used. Two facets of cultural dimensions were measured: the perceptions of actual practices and the perceptions of preferred values. On the other hand, the data about different economic indexes were taken from archival sources such as Human Development Report. Results show that some cultural practices and preferences are related to the development of countries as measured by Human Development Index (HDI). The implications of these results are discussed.


Wagner, M., I. Hermanns, F. Bittinger, and C. J. Kirkpatrick. Induction of stress proteins in human endothelial cells by heavy metal ions and heat shock. Am. J. Physiol. 277 (Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol. 21): L1026–L1033, 1999.—In the present study, we compared the induction of heat shock proteins (HSPs) by heat and heavy metal ions in three different endothelial cell types, namely, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells, and the cell line EA.hy 926. Our results show that especially Zn21 and Cd21 are inducers of 70-kDa (HSP70), 60-kDa (HSP60), 32-kDa (HSP32), and 27-kDa (HSP27) HSPs. The strength of inducibility is specific for each HSP. Ni21 and Co21 only show an inducible effect at very high concentrations, that is, in the clearly cytotoxic range. Furthermore, we investigated the time course of HSP expression and the involvement of heat shock factor-1. Our study demonstrates that the three endothelial cell types that were under investigation show comparable stress protein expression when treated with heavy metal ions or heat shock. The expression of stress proteins may be used as an early marker for the toxic damage of cells. This damage can be an inducer of acute respiratory distress syndrome in which microvascular endothelial lesions occur early. Our study provides evidence that human umbilical vein endothelial cells or EA.hy 926 cells, which are much more easily isolated and/or cultivated than pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells, could be used as alternative cell culture systems for studies on cellular dysfunction in the lung caused by toxic substances, certainly with respect to the expression of HSPs.


A bisimulation for a coalgebra of a functor on the category of sets can be
described via a coalgebra in the category of relations, of a lifted functor. A
final coalgebra then gives rise to the coinduction principle, which states that
two bisimilar elements are equal. For polynomial functors, this leads to
well-known descriptions. In the present paper we look at the dual notion of
"apartness". Intuitively, two elements are apart if there is a positive way to
distinguish them. Phrased differently: two elements are apart if and only if
they are not bisimilar. Since apartness is an inductive notion, described by a
least fixed point, we can give a proof system, to derive that two elements are
apart. This proof system has derivation rules and two elements are apart if and
only if there is a finite derivation (using the rules) of this fact.
 We study apartness versus bisimulation in two separate ways. First, for weak
forms of bisimulation on labelled transition systems, where silent (tau) steps
are included, we define an apartness notion that corresponds to weak
bisimulation and another apartness that corresponds to branching bisimulation.
The rules for apartness can be used to show that two states of a labelled
transition system are not branching bismilar. To support the apartness view on
labelled transition systems, we cast a number of well-known properties of
branching bisimulation in terms of branching apartness and prove them. Next, we
also study the more general categorical situation and show that indeed,
apartness is the dual of bisimilarity in a precise categorical sense: apartness
is an initial algebra and gives rise to an induction principle. In this
analogy, we include the powerset functor, which gives a semantics to
non-deterministic choice in process-theory.


Objectives: The main target of this research is to assess the evolution of urban accessibility offered by the transport infrastructure network of the city of Manizales, Colombia, between the years 2010 and 2017. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The research methodology addressed includes the development of 4 phases: i) updating of the transport infrastructure network, where two scenarios were analyzed, the transport network for years 2010 and 2017; ii) calculation of urban accessibility in average global terms, based on isochrone curves obtained from travel time analysis and ordinary Kriging model with linear semivariograma as geostatistical method; iii) calculation of the percentage savings in travel times; and iv) calculation of sociodemographic variables coverage. Findings: Accessibility results in scenario 1 (2010 year) evidences the intention of resolving mobility issues within the city without considering the different peripheral sectors; concluding that high economic income neigborhoods had better accessibility conditions. The infrastructure interventions made by the municipal administration in scenario 2 (2017 year) improve the connection between Central Business District with peripheral sectors. The travel time savings obtained for the peripheral sectors, evidence the inclusion of resident citizenship in the different activities that take place in the city, improving the quality of life. However, this improvement in accessibility is practically limited to the private transport mode, which is contrary to what is sought in terms of sustainability. A middle income neighborhood presents the greatest benefits with a travel time saving of up to 15% in more than 60% of its population. Finally, close to 50% of the population perceives savings of up to 15% relataed with travel times in 2010. Application/Improvements: The methodological approach is a support for urban planning, because it is technical supports that show the impact over population by transport network transformations in travel time terms.
Keywords: Accessibility, Coverage, Development, Mobility, Transport Infrastructure


The purpose of this dissertation was to address the degree to which social media can be utilized as a tool for stakeholder communication by not-for-profit sport organizations. Delimited to national sport organizations, specifically those in a Canadian context, and using a stakeholder theory approach, the project advanced three major research objectives: (1) determine what not-for-profit sport organizations are communicating to their stakeholders via social media, including identifying forces and pressures that impact content and messaging; (2) identify which stakeholders are positioned and advantaged in the social network of not-for-profit sport organizations; and (3) uncover the contextual factors that have enabled the use of social media channels by not-for-profit sport organizations. In order to accomplish these objectives, the dissertation was structured into three interconnected stages parsed into three research articles – each with its own supporting theoretical framework (i.e., institutional theory, network theory, and the contextualist approach to organizational change) – providing findings discussed using a stakeholder perspective. In the first article, the results found social media communication was predominantly used for promoting, reporting, and informing purposes, attributable to the coercive (e.g., funding partners), mimetic (e.g., salient organization routines), and normative (e.g., best practices) pressures at play. In the second article, fans, elite athletes, photographers, competing sport organizations, and local sport clubs were identified as key stakeholders with significant advantage given their position in the social media network of not-for-profit organizations. The final article revealed social media has yet to radically impact the operations of these organizations, highlighting some of the challenges related to social media communication. SOCIAL MEDIA AND SPORT ORGANIZATIONS iii Cumulatively, the findings illustrate not-for-profit sport organizations can improve upon their current use of social media as a stakeholder communications tool. Through the implementation of a unique social media strategy composed of multiple philosophies, notfor-profit sport organizations could consider the variance in stakeholder groups while incorporating the immediacy and engagement social media requires. In doing so, organizations may create the conditions to satisfy stakeholder expectations and increase organizational capacity simultaneously. Concurrently, the findings represent a basis for future research using organizational theory frameworks to explain new trends and phenomena in the social media and sport domain. SOCIAL MEDIA AND SPORT ORGANIZATIONS iv


The utilisation of carbon dioxide and renewable resources as feedstocks for the chemical industry is highly desirable due to fossil fuel depletion and climate change. Chemicals directly produced from these substrates could lead to a circular economy. In this regard, the synthesis of organic carbonates directly from an alcohol and CO2 is a sustainable target transformation since alcohols are readily available from renewable resources. Organic carbonates then can be used as greener alternatives for existing high-boiling polar solvents, carbonation sources or monomers for polycarbonates. The present thesis investigated the direct synthesis of cyclic carbonates and, in particular, glycerol carbonate from glycerol and carbon dioxide by Brønstedt base catalysis. Glycerol is a trivalent alcohol that is a by-product from different biomass conversion processes especially of the biodiesel production and is currently considered as a waste product. The synthesis of the corresponding five-membered cyclic carbonate leads to a value-added compound as it possesses two different functional groups, a hydroxyl group and a 2-oxa-1,3-dioxolane group, leading to a wide reactivity and a broad range of industrial applications. The aim of this thesis is to provide a better understanding of the direct synthesis of glycerol carbonate from glycerol and CO2. The reaction produces water as by-product which should be removed to shift the equilibrium towards the product side. Two different approaches to remove H2O were investigated: I) the reactive dehydration by acetonitrile, and II) the water extraction by a continuous carbon dioxide flow. For both water removal methods, the influence of reaction parameters such as temperature, catalyst, CO2 pressure or additives on the product yield was studied. Furthermore, the reaction mechanism and the formation of side products were investigated. In the case of reactive water removal with acetonitrile as dehydration agent, glycerol carbonate was synthesised in 17 % yield from glycerol and carbon dioxide with potassium carbonate as catalyst. It was found that the glycerol carbonate yield reaches a maximum depending on the reaction conditions due to a complex reaction network leading to side and decomposition reactions. For the non-reactive water removal in the synthesis of glycerol carbonate, a new semicontinuous process was developed with CO2 acting both as reagent and stripping gas. Glycerol carbonate was synthesised in 13 % yield. Investigations on the reaction mechanism identified glycerol hemi-carbonate as intermediate and the subsequent cyclisation to the cyclic carbonate as rate-determining step.


Considering human capability for spatial orientation and navigation, the visualization used to support the localization of off-screen targets inevitably influences the visual-spatial processing that relies on two frameworks. So far it is not proven which frame of reference, egocentric or exocentric, contributes most to efficient viewpoint guidance in a head-mounted Augmented Reality environment. This could be justified by the lack of objectively assessing the allocation of attention and mental workload demanded by the guidance method. This paper presents a user study investigating the effect of egocentric and exocentric viewpoint guidance on visual attention and mental workload. In parallel to a localization task, participants had to complete a divided attention task using the oddball paradigm. During task fulfilment, the heart rate variability was measured to determine the physiological stress level. The objective assessment of mental workload was supplemented by subjective ratings using the NASA TLX. The results show that egocentric viewpoint guidance leads to most efficient target cueing in terms of faster localization, higher accuracy and slower self-reported workload. In addition, egocentric target cueing causes a slight decrease in physiological stress and enables faster recognition of simultaneous events, although visual attention seemed to be covertly oriented.


Coastal defence structures are often constructed to prevent beach erosion. However, poorly designed structures may cause serious erosion problems in the downdrift direction. Morphological models are useful tools to predict such 10 impacts and assess the efficiency of defence structures for different scenarios. Nevertheless, morphological modelling is still a topic under intense research effort. The processes simulated by a morphological model depend on model complexity. For instance, undertow currents are neglected in coastal area models (2DH), which is a limitation for simulating the evolution of beach profiles for long periods. Model limitations are generally overcome by predefining invariant equilibrium profiles that are allowed to shift offshore or onshore. A more flexible approach is described in this paper, which can be generalised to 3D 15 models. The present work is based on the coupling of the MOHID modelling system and SWAN wave model. The impacts of different designs of detached breakwaters and groynes were simulated in a schematic beach configuration following a 2DH approach. The results of bathymetry evolution are in agreement with the patterns found in the literature for several existing structures. The model was also tested in a 3D test case to simulate the formation of sandbars by undertow currents. The findings of this work confirmed the applicability of the MOHID modelling system to study sediment transport and 20 morphological changes in coastal zones under the combined action of waves and currents. The same modelling methodology was applied to a coastal zone (Costa da Caparica) located at the mouth of a mesotidal estuary (Tagus Estuary, Portugal) to evaluate the hydrodynamics and sediment transport both in calm water conditions and during events of highly energetic waves. 25


Until Irina Metzler published her first volume on medieval disability in 2006 (1), the lives of the physically impaired in the Middle Ages had received relatively little scholarly attention. Happily, in the past seven years the body of literature on this topic has increased substantially, and now includes a number of monographs (2) and several essay collections.(3) In addition, Metzler herself has now produced a second volume, A Social History of Disability in the Middle Ages: Cultural Considerations of Physical Impairment, in which she sets out to explore the social and cultural factors which affected the lives of medieval crippled, deaf, mute and blind people through a detailed examination of four key themes: 'Law', 'Work', 'Ageing' and 'Charity'.


: The authors provide the data on the effect of emotional painful stress (EPS) of varying duration on the activity of natural killers (NK) of August rats' spleen 1 to 9 days after exposure to stress is discontinued. The activity of NK was tested against target cells K 562 labeled with 51Cr in a 14-hour test. The effect of stress was found to depend on the duration of the stressor reaction. 1 1/2- and 3-hour stress activated NK, while prolonged 6-hour stress suppressed the activity of natural killers within the first 2 days, followed by the recovery by day 7-9 of the activity of lymphocytes having natural cytotoxicity. Tiloron, a synthetic inducer of endogenous interferon, corrected the post-stressor depression of NK activity.


In this paper, we recast the subspace clustering as a verification problem. Our idea comes from an assumption that the distribution between a given sample x and cluster centers Omega is invariant to different distance metrics on the manifold, where each distribution is defined as a probability map (i.e. soft-assignment) between x and Omega. To verify this so-called invariance of distribution, we propose a deep learning based subspace clustering method which simultaneously learns a compact representation using a neural network and a clustering assignment by minimizing the discrepancy between pair-wise sample-centers distributions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to reformulate clustering as a verification problem. Moreover, the proposed method is also one of the first several cascade clustering models which jointly learn representation and clustering in end-to-end manner. Extensive experimental results show the effectiveness of our algorithm comparing with 11 state-of-the-art clustering approaches on four data sets regarding to four evaluation metrics.


On December 26, 1847, a small group of Aboriginal people sat in the Lieutenant-Governor's box at Hobart's Theatre Royal watching a new pantomime. A local newspaper reported how "the natives … seemed gratified at their first public introduction to society in a place of amusement". The Aboriginal spectators commanded as much, if not more, public attention than the performance itself.


This article examines websites where patients rate and evaluate healthcare services as mechanisms for transforming citizens into surveillers of public services in order to generate knowledge about the everyday performance of professionals and institutions. Using post-panoptic theories about the use of information and communication technologies in daily life, it questions how such sites, and the knowledge they generate, relate to existing surveillance structures. It begins with a review of current surveillance literature before turning to the empirical case of the Dutch website Zoekdokter. It situates the site in its specific national health and policy context, which enables not only an analysis of the site, but also the existing rules, norms and structures for monitoring performance and the dynamic between multiple types of surveillance that occur simultaneously in practice. Zoekdokter.nl is one of six cases in this research project and is the only case where patients are encouraged to evaluate individual professionals identified by name and location. I analyze website texts and 15 stakeholder interviews using the post-panoptic concepts of sousveillance, coveillance and infoveillance. In the discussion, I use the case to reflect on several assumptions made in current post-panoptic theory and, more specifically, on the transferability of these ideas to specific sectors, such as healthcare.


The authors consider a packet radio network with two nodes both of which access a single channel using the slotted-Aloha protocol. This model results in a network of two interfering queues. Such networks seldom have closed-form expressions for the equilibrium probabilities. However, if fixed arrival probabilities are assumed and it is also assumed that one node uses a constant transmission probability, a product-form-solution control (PFS-control) can be found which controls the other node's transmission probability. This is done using the consistency graph method. Under PFS-control, the transmission probabilities approach asymptotic values as the packet backlog increases. It is noted that the PFS-control is intuitively satisfying; the network under PFS-control tends to adjust its transmission probabilities to reduce large unequal packet backlogs. Using the asymptotic values for the transmission probabilities, they also find a set of necessary conditions for network stability.<<ETX>>


The weight ratio of either cholesterol or phospholipid to protein contents in 7 different cell lines, growing exponentially at 37 degrees, correlates positively with increasing resistance of the cells to subsequent hyperthermic cell killing. The relative heat resistance of each cell line is derived from survival curves obtained when the different cell lines are exposed to 43 degrees. Cholesterol and phospholipid amounts in the particulate fraction correlate with survival sensitivity to 43 degrees when the values are expressed per mg protein but not when expressed per cell number. Also, cholesterol:phospholipid molar ratios and the amount of protein in the particulate fraction do not display linear correlations with sensitivity of the respective cell lines to 43 degrees-induced cell killing. The relative degree of fatty acid saturation at 37 degrees also is independent of whether cells show a higher degree of heat resistance. These data suggest that lipid (both cholesterol and phospholipid):protein weight ratios correlate with increasing resistance of cells to an elevation in temperature. The major implication of these data is that major membrane components can influence and perhaps predict cellular survival to hyperthermia.


Various monoacrylic compounds containing a hindered phenol function (e.g.3,5-di-tert.-butyl-4-hydroxy benzyl alcohol, DBBA and vinyl-3-[3',5'-di-tert.-butyl-4-hydroxy phenyl] propionate, VDBP), and a benzophenone function (2-hydroxy-4-[beta hydroxy ethoxy] benzophenone, HAEB) were synthesised and used as reactive antioxidants (AO's) for polypropylene (PP). These compounds were reacted with PP melt in the presence of low concentration of a free radical generator such a peroxide (reactive processing) to produce bound-antioxidant concentrates. The binding reaction of these AO's onto PP was found to be low and this was shown to be mainly due to competing reactions such as homopolymerisation of the antioxidant. At high concentrations of peroxide, higher binding efficiency resulted, but, this was accompanied by melt degradation of the polymer. In a special reactive processing procedure, a di- or a trifunctional reactant (referred to as coagent), e.g.tri-methylol propane tri-acrylate, Tris, and Divinyl benzene, DVB, were used with the antioxidant and this has led to an enhanced efficiency of the grating reaction of antioxidants on the polymer in the melt. The evidence suggests that this is due to copolymerisation of the antioxidants with the coagent as well as grafting of the copolymers onto the polymer backbone. Although the 'bound' AO's containing a UV stabilising function showed lower overall stabilisation effect than the unbound analogues before extraction, they were still much more effective when subjected to exhaustive solvent extraction. Furthermore, a very effective synergistic stabilising activity when two reactive AO's containing thermal and UV stabilising functions e.g. DBBA and HAEB, were reactively processed with PP in the presence of a coagent. The stabilising effectiveness of such a synergist was much higher than that of the unbound analogues both before and after extraction. Analysis using the GPC technique of concentrates containing bound-DBBA processed in the presence of Tris coagent showed higher molecular weight (Mn), compared to that of a polymer processed without the coagent, but was still lower than that of the control processed PP with no additives. This indicates that Tris coagent may inhibit further melt degradation of the polymer. Model reactions of DBBA in liquid hydrocarbon (decalin) and analysis of the products using FTIR and NMR spectroscopy showed the formation of grafted DBBA onto decalin molecules as well as homopolymerisation of the AO. In the presence of Tris coagent, copolymerisation of DBBA with the Tris inevitably occured; which was followed by grafting of the copolymer onto the decalin, FTIR and NMR results of the polymer concentrates containing bound-DBBA processed with and without Tris, showed similar behaviour as the above model reactions. This evidence supports the effect of Tris in enhancing the efficiency of the reaction of DBBA in the polymer melt. Reactive procesing of HAEB in polymer melts exhibited crosslinking formation In the early stages of the reaction, however, in the final stage, the crosslinked structure was 'broken down' or rearranged to give an almost gel free polymer with high antioxidant binding efficiency.


PURPOSE
To retrospectively review the 64-slice computed tomography (CT) appearance of coronary artery anatomic variants and anomalies and determine their incidence in 700 patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
CT data of 700 patients who underwent 64-slice CT angiography (CTA) because of known or suspected coronary artery disease were retrospectively reviewed by two radiologists experienced in cardiovascular radiology. In each study, anatomic variants and anomalies were investigated.

RESULTS
The coronary artery system was right dominant in 76%, left dominant in 9.1% and co-dominant in 14.8% of the cases. Ramus intermedius was present in 31%. Conus artery with a separate ostium in the right sinus Valsalva was observed in 22%, and in 0.2% two conus arteries originating with separate ostia were visualized. The sinus node artery (SNA) originated from the right coronary artery (RCA) in 79%, from the circumflex artery (Cx) in 20%, and from the left main coronary artery (LMCA) in 0.4%. In 0.4% of the cases SNA originating from the right sinus Valsalva with a separate ostium was seen. LMCA was absent in 0.4%. Cx was absent in 0.1%, and diagonals were absent in 0.1%. High takeoff of LMCA and RCA were observed in 0.7% and 0.1%, respectively. Myocardial bridging was observed in 37%. Anomalous origin of the coronary artery from the opposite sinus was observed in 1% of the cases.

CONCLUSION
Complex anatomy of the coronary artery system can accurately be depicted by 64-slice CTA. This modality is useful in detecting coronary artery variants and anomalies and is a valid alternative to conventional coronary angiography in their diagnosis.


This paper explores the ability to tailor the mechanical properties of composite compliant shell mechanisms, by exploiting the thermal prestress introduced during the composite laminate cure. An extension of an analytical tape spring model with composite thermal analysis is presented, and the effect of the thermal prestress is studied by means of energy landscapes for the cylindrical composite shells. Tape springs that would otherwise be monostable structures become bistable and exhibit greater ranges of low-energy twisting with thermally induced prestress. Predicted shell geometries are compared with finite element (FE) results and manufactured samples, showing good agreement between all approaches. Wider challenges around the manufacture of prestressed composite compliant mechanisms are discussed.


The State of Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) produced a digital surface model (DSM) and an orthorectified aerial image (orthoimagery, fig. 1) over an ice-dammed lake formed by Valdez Glacier. Aerial photographs and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data were collected on October 15, 2014, and were processed using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetric techniques to create a DSM and orthoimagery. For the purpose of enabling open access to geospatial datasets in Alaska, this collection is being released as a Raw Data File with an open end-user license. All files can be downloaded free of charge from the DGGS website (http://doi.org/10.14509/30181).


In colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, metastasis to the regional lymph node (LN) is an important first step in the dissemination of cancers. To identify the genes possibly involved in LN metastasis of CRC, we analyzed LN metastases in an orthotopic implantation mouse model with 22 CRC cell lines using Matrigel, an extracellular matrix protein derived from mice sarcoma, and combined the data with gene expression profiles of cDNA microarray of those cell lines. With this implantation analysis, the incidence of LN metastasis was 60% in 228 orthotopically implanted mice and varied from 100% to 0% among the cell lines. KM12c and Clone A showed LN metastasis in all orthotopically implanted mice, but DLD‐1, HCT‐8, and SW948 did not show LN metastases at all. In contrast, the incidence of liver and lung metastasis in 22 CRC cell lines was 13% and 1%, respectively. Combining those data with cDNA microarray in vitro, we isolated 636 genes that were differentially expressed depending on the incidence of LN metastasis. Among those genes, the expression level of ring finger protein 125 (RNF125), previously known as an E3 ubiquitin ligase in T cell activation, was significantly different between primary tumors in Stage III CRC patients with LN metastasis and Stage II patients without LN metastasis. In conclusion, the orthotopic implantation mice model with Matrigel was useful, and we isolated candidate genes such as RNF125 that possibly play an important role in LN metastasis of CRC cells. (Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 711–719)


High-pressure annealing (HPA) affected the thermodynamics of the formation of a solution-processed oxide film through the simultaneous modification of thermal decomposition and compression, and enabled the use of lower annealing temperatures, which was favourable for device implementation. HPA also reduced the film thickness and decreased the porosity, resulting in enhanced device characteristics at low temperature. Surface and depth profile characterization using X-ray reflectivity (XRR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), and ellipsometry suggested that the HPA process supported the effective decomposition of commercial metal-nitrate and/or -salt precursors and strong bonding between oxygen and the metal ions, ultimately reducing the amount of organic residue. The as-optimized HPA process allowed for high-performance solution-processed flexible InZnO (IZO) TFTs on a polymeric substrate at 220 °C with low sub-threshold voltage swing (as low as 0.56 V dec−1), high on–off ratio of over 106, and field-effect mobility as high as 1.78 cm2 V−1 s−1, respectively. These results demonstrate that this is a simple and efficient promising approach for improving the performance of solution-processed electronic devices at low temperatures.