Reduction of structural weight of primary constructions in the aerospace, space and automotive industry is an important contribution to decrease development and operating costs. Lower structural weight has also an impact on reduced fuel consumption and therefore also a positive effect on the environment. The use of structures made of CFRP is one promising possibility to reach this goal. Composites are not only lighter than metallics but they allow also designing structures according special functions. One example is the design of laminates which do not have any strains due to temperature.
This presentation gives in the field of composite structures an overview about the state-of-the-art and demonstrates an outlook in the design of future aircraft structures. It shows highlights of research pro-jects of the DLR Institute of Composite Structures and Adaptive Systems. In addition, activities of CFK-Valley, which has more than 90 members (Airbus, VW, …), will be presented.
The use of CFRP is for primary aerospace structures already accepted. The part of that material on the whole aircraft structure is continuously increasing. Boeing brings in the near future the Dreamliner 787 which contains more than 50% of CFRP. Airbus is currently designing the Airbus A350, which will contain a similar part of composites. Although, this is a significant step in the aerospace technology, the first airplane generation will not use the full potential of the composite structures. The reason is that there is still a need for research in the area of Effects of Defects, Structural Health Monitoring or auto-mation of the manufacturing process. The already finished EU Project COCOMAT1 demonstrated that composite lightweight structures have a large potential in the postbuckling area, which is not exploited. Metallic structures use this postbuckling area already for a long time. In the running EU project MAAXIMUS2 the findings are further developed and full composite fuselage barrels are designed ex-ploiting all reserve capacities. The concepts and design tools, which were developed in different re-search projects mainly for the aerospace, are also transferable for structures in the automotive industry. This presentation shows examples from different research projects.
The last section informs about the activities of CFK-Valley Stade e.V.. This network connects the world leading partners in the area composite technology. This concentrated knowledge is a full chain of exper-tise beginning in the material production and ending with the recycling process. It generates for all members high technological innovations and therefore advantages in the very competitive market.


OBJECT
To date, glioma immunotherapy has been focused mostly on stimulating antitumor peripheral lymphocyte responses; however, some data suggest that microglia and/or macrophages (not lymphocytes) are the predominant inflammatory cells infiltrating gliomas. To study this hypothesis further, the authors analyzed inflammatory cell infiltrates in fresh human malignant glioma specimens and primary cultures.

METHODS
Single-cell suspensions from fresh operative malignant glioma specimens, obtained by stereotactic localization, were analyzed for CD11b and CD45 by using flow cytometry. A comparison was made with peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In a subset of patients, a more detailed flow cytometry analysis of Class I and II major histocompatibility complex, B7-1, B7-2, CD11c, and CD14 expression was performed. Macrophage-like cells in primary glioma cultures were similarly assessed.

RESULTS
Operative samples were obtained from 9 newly diagnosed malignant gliomas. The mean percent of CD45(+)/CD11b(-) cells (lymphocytes) was 2.48% (range 0.65-5.50%); CD45(dim)/CD11b(+) cells (microglia), 1.65% (range 0.37-3.92%); and CD45(bright)/CD11b+ (monocytes/macrophages), 6.25% (range 1.56-15.3%). More detailed fluorescence-activated cell sorting suggested that macrophage-like cells expressed Class I and II major histocompatibility complex, B7-2, and CD11c but not CD14 or B7-1. Primary human glioma cultures contained significant numbers of macrophage-like (CD45(bright)/CD11b(+)) cells, but these cells were lost with successive passages. These cells maintained the immunomarker profiles of macrophage-like cells from fresh specimens only if they were cultured in serum-free media.

CONCLUSIONS
The CD45(+)/CD11b(+) cells are the predominant inflammatory cell infiltrating human gliomas. Of this type, the CD45(bright)/CD11b(+) cells, a phenotype compatible with circulating macrophages in rodent models, and not microglia, are the most common. Their immunomarker profile is compatible with an immature antigen-presenting cell. They are present in primary glioma cultures but are lost in successive passages. Their role is enigmatic, and they may prove an important target for future glioma immunotherapy studies.


In this article we propose an ideal typology of reactions to genomics—the study (in complex transnational organisational research arrangements) of the genome, the sum total of the genetic material in any particular organism—from the point of view and perspective of communities that find themselves in marginal positions. Genomics is a particularly important part of 'technoscience'—science mingled with technology. Within genomics the concepts of diversity and difference are paradoxically intermingled. Genetically speaking, the difference between human beings and nature is fading. Homo sapiens, viewed as genetic material, is becoming part and parcel of 'natural resources'. Diversity is the moral dimension of this perspective. At the same time genomics appears to map, mark and thereby define difference; difference between individuals and between groups of people, but also between healthy and ill, and finally between 'normal' and, consequently, 'abnormal', deviant. Difference is the moral dimension of this counterpoint. We argue that genomics is an important field of study for Africa. At the same time, however, we discern a potentially dangerous new divide: a genomics divide between Africa and the West. We argue that more research is needed on contextualisation of 'genomics'.


Twenty patients with a severe form of peritonitis were observed in the postoperative period during intensive treatment and sessions of HBO. The dynamic investigation of the paramecium test, concentration of molecules of middle molecular mass, ammonia, phenol was performed during 7 first postoperative days. Changed dynamics of the paramecium test and concentration of molecules of middle molecular mass and ammonia are indicative signs of the intoxication degree and may be used for the assessment of the detoxication effect of HBO.


Abstract Plastomenidae is a poorly diagnosed clade of extinct soft-shelled turtles (Trionychidae) known from the Campanian to Eocene of North America. Five skulls, a mandible, two carapaces, and numerous plastral remains from the Hell Creek Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) of North Dakota and Montana are referable to Gilmoremys lancensis nov. comb., a taxon previously known from a carapace and xiphiplastron only. Gilmoremys lancensis is diagnosed by a carapace that is covered by elongate sinusoidal grooves, distally expanded second costals, hyoplastral shoulders, an extensive secondary palate with accessory ridges, an extremely elongate mandible, a contribution of the parietal to the wall of the orbit, and a posterior ossified narial canal. A phylogenetic analysis of all well-known plastomenid turtles establishes Gilmoremys lancensis as the most basal known plastomenid and reveals that cranial characters are more reliable in diagnosing plastomenid turtles, in particular the contribution of the parietal to the orbit wall and the extensive secondary palate. All plastomenid turtles with a locked entoplastron are placed in Hutchemys. Assuming that all taxa are monophyletic, the phylogenetic analysis implies that the G. lancensis lineage is the only one to go extinct at the K/T boundary, whereas the four remaining plastomenid lineages survive. Extensive ghost ranges are nevertheless apparent. Taphonomic considerations indicate that G. lancensis was a riverine turtle, whereas more derived plastomenids preferred swampy habitats.


While it has been established that the medial temporal lobe (MTL) is critical for successful memory formation, the precise contribution of one of the key MTL subregions, the perirhinal cortex (PrC), has been the subject of intense focus and debate. Although this region has been implicated in nonassociative item encoding, recent neuroimaging data have revealed that it also contributes to the binding of specific item-related associations (e.g., an object–color association). Based on neuropsychological evidence that associative memory for unitized word pairs does not require the hippocampus, it has been proposed that PrC contributes to associative memory formation by means of unitization. However, the role of PrC in unitization processes remains unclear. Here, we used fMRI to assess the involvement of PrC in object unitization as well as in successful episodic encoding of item-related details. Our results show that while PrC activation linearly tracks the amount of item-related information successfully encoded, it is not modulated by object unitization demands. Instead, the present data reveal that unitization of object fragments may be accomplished in visual/ventral temporal processing stages before PrC. Indeed, we observed a gradual transition from unitization to successful memory formation across the ventral visual pathway. This suggests that PrC may specifically serve to encode item-related event details, whereas their perceptual integration is established along preceding processing stages.


A solid-phase preparation, designated by the authors "plasma pencil", has been developed for rapid measurements of plasma-agglutinating and plasma-coagulating activities of microorganisms. Plasma pencil employed instead of liquid plasma is economic, ready-to-use, may be stored for a long time, makes the procedure more rapid and simple. Measurements of the aforesaid activities in 388 staphylococcal clinical strains, carried out with the use of this pencil, have demonstrated a high efficacy of the preparation; the results coincided with those obtained by the routine methods.


Study of the premanifest period in 65 patients with schizophrenia that first manifested in old age by the "involutional paranoid" syndrome demonstrated that most patients presented signs of a torpid (17.5%) or a latent (68%) course of the schizophrenic process already in young or middle age. In only 14.5% of cases the pre-manifest period was characterized by personality accentuation. Analysis of cases of the latent course of the disease has made it possible to distinguish three main variants of its clinical manifestations: hypoparanoid, psychopathy-like and neurosis-like. On the basis of these findings a conclusion can be drawn that most of the cases of schizophrenia manifested in old age by the syndrome of involutional paranoid belong to a group of diseases with an early onset, prolonged torpid or latent course, and with increased progression of the process in advanced age.


Cathodoluminescence (CL) in the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was performed for both ceramic pellets and thin films of YBaCuO high Tc superconductors. Image processing provided additional quantitative information. For single phase films, we demonstrated the possibility to create thickness maps in real time from the CL pictures. The gradual thickness variation within the sample was revealed by the histogram of the thickness image. The continuity of the film was observed at a few threshold thicknesses values, defined by the fraction of the occupied area. At the conduction threshold value, the location and width of the conducting paths could be estimated. The analysis was of a lateral resolution better than 1 μm and of a submicron thickness resolution. Insulating impurity grains embedded in the YBaCuO ceramic pellet, which could not be recognized by secondary electrons, were revealed by the CL mode in the SEM. Their long luminescence lifetime was recorded at different time scales and provided an estimation of the lifetime and density of generated carriers. This analysis can be applied to any other high Tc superconductors.


Trade and use of Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) has often been suggested as a means through which forest dependent people can improve their livelihoods to overcome poverty. Many projects have indeed promoted trade and use of NTFPs as a means of achieving development and conservation goals. One of the earliest large-scale initiatives to explore this was the Bwindi's Multiple Use programme (MUP) in Southwest Uganda that began in 1994. The MUP allows limited park access by local people for medicine and basketry plants, and beekeeping. Here, we assess the development benefits obtained by local people through the MUP two decades after its introduction. Using data from 384 randomly sampled households and repeated market surveys over a 1-year period, we determined household preferences, dependency and incomes from NTFPs. The NTFPs that are most preferred by local people are those prohibited by park management. Furthermore, the highest income per household from NTFPs trade was estimated at 119 US $ per annum (14% of total household income). Restrictive policies on NTFPs extraction curtail tangible benefits to the local people. Restrictions ensure that NTFPs use cannot be increased, thus, despite their significant contribution to welfare, Bwindi's NTFPs remain of negligible value for improving livelihoods.


This research guide covers issues related to legal education and distance learning, including: delivery methods, asynchronous and synchronous learning, MOOCs, mind mapping, law office management and other related topics. #distancelearning #legaleducation


TRANSFUSION IN THE EDINBURGH ROYAL INFIRMARY. SiR,-I would wish to supplement the important paper of my friend and colleague, Dr. John Duncan, which appeared in the JouRNAL of January 30th, by stating that, among other good results which I have recently obtained by transfusion of blood, according to Dr. Pavy's principle, and with the aid of antiseptic precautions, has been the relief of acute traumatic pyaemia. A case of severe injury, the result of an explosion of dynamite, was admitted into my wards about a month ago, and upon the fifth day after the injury, acute pysemia, with a temperature of 1070, was present. Transfusion has been performed upon four different occasions, and the patient is now making a slow but good recovery, notwithstanding that he has lost by amputation a thigh and forearm, has had his femoral artery tied in Scarpa's triangle, and has had several large abscesses in different parts of his body. An interesting fact in connection with the case is that, before the first transfusion, he had a severe secondary hnmorrhage, which rendered him almost pulseless. Dr. Cotterill, who has shared the treatment of the patient with me, hopes soon to publish a detailed account of this interesting case.-I am, etc.. To0rAs ANKNAND.-DALE. Edinburgh.


In Turkey congenital hypothyroidism (CH) occurs with a prevalence of one in 2,736 newborns while the worldwide incidence is one in 3,000-4,000 newborns. 85-90% of these cases are due to dysgenesis of the thyroid gland, whereas defects in thyroid hormone synthesis account for 10-15%. The majority of patients with dyshormonogenesis have a defect in thyroid peroxidase (TPO). To date, more than 60 different mutations have been described in the TPO gene, mostly single nucleotide substitutions. Five children from three consanguineous families were diagnosed with CH on the basis of clinical symptoms and signs--goiter, macroglossia and prolonged jaundice at newborn age. Two different mutations in the TPO gene were identified. Affected children in families I and II had a nonsense mutation in exon 10 (R540X). Genotyping of polymorphic markers within the TPO gene revealed that these families shared a common haplotype, suggesting a founder effect. In the third family, a novel mutation (G319R) in exon 8 was identified.


Anarchism is strongly opposed to racism and bigotry, and celebrates cultural pluralism and the endless diversity of the human race. At the same time, anarchists are very critical of modern "multiculturalism" as a state-driven population and immigration management agenda. The chapter examines this critique, while offering an account of original anarchist approaches to identity and community conceived on an ethno-cultural basis. The anarchist critique of multiculturalism has several dimensions, including its continued reliance on the state, and its obviation of social antagonism in favour of competing demands for status and resources within existing arrangements of power. On this reading, multiculturalism dissolves the potential for solidarities that would challenge the given society by redefining which identities enjoy first-order relevance (namely, ethnic or religious ones) and allowing the state, and its technocratic machinations of coercive urban governance, to engage with groups (or their declared leaders) on that basis. In addition, anarchists have criticised multiculturalism as a privileged liberal ideology that pushed sections of the white working class population "left behind" by neoliberal globalisation into the hands of the far right. At the same time, anarchists celebrate the grassroots, quotidian, non-state-sanctioned forms of "multiculturalism" that people arguably practice on a daily basis – trying to get along with people from other backgrounds and avoiding cultural imposition. These have a long history in the Left, although under other names ("working class internationalism", "transnational solidarity", "cosmopolitanism" etc.). A fair amount of "classical" anarchist writing thus engaged with topics akin to multiculturalism, albeit in terms of "nations," "nationalities," or "peoples." The chapter surveys some of these, from Bakunin's writings on the rights of "nationalities" to exist and exercise their independence, through Kropotkin's discussions of national liberation, and on to Rocker's wide-ranging considerations on state-driven identity in Nationalism and Culture. Many anarchists wrote positively of non-Western cultures and their equality, especially Elisee Reclus, Peter Kropotkin and Jean Grave. These anarchist notions of cultural pluralism engage explicitly with class conflict in a way that contemporary liberal conceptions of multiculturalism do not. Finally, the chapter looks at anarchist responses to contemporary cultural pluralism. The chief argument here is that rather than seeking a blueprint for social relations among diverse groups in the absence of the state, anarchist theory should focus on present-tense questions relevant to its emergent strategic outlooks on social transformation, asking how encounters in mixed communities impact on political-cultural dynamics and how anarchists can use grassroots forms of encounter to push forward radical agendas. Here, the main issue remains the politics of solidarity across difference and asymmetric power. Dilemmas surrounding this issue are explored in two key contexts: settler-colonial societies and societies absorbing immigration.


In early September during its 78th World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) released the results from the largest retrospective study on pharmaceutical workforce capacity. The publication describes trends of the workforce relating to gender distribution and capacity growth by taking into account figures from 2006 to 2016.

Overall, the analysis suggests an increase in the global capacity of pharmacists by 40% in the coming 12 years. The WHO Europe and Eastern Mediterranean regions displayed the highest absolute changes over the 10-year period assessed in the report. Growth appears to be slower in low-income countries. Other key trends described in the report include a steady increase in the proportion of women in the pharmacy workforce. Due to the growth of the workforce until 2030, the report highlights the need for further investigation to inform national strategic pharmacy workforce planning.

In response to a call from the Council and European Parliament, the European Commission (EC) collected evidence from 27 European Union (EU) Member States and Norway to monitor the obligation of marketing authorisation holders to ensure continuous supply of medicines laid down in the EU legislation. The paper on the obligation of continuous supply to tackle the problem of shortages of medicines summarises the findings of this exercise. It addresses the responsibilities of both manufacturers and wholesalers and bases itself on Member State responses to a questionnaire on measures implemented in the Member State territories in the context of Article 81 of Directive 2001/83/EC, which was launched in autumn 2017.

Marketing authorisation holders are obliged to ensure supply sufficiently in advance and in adequate quantities to cover demand from patients. Vigilance is needed for products whose manufacturing is dependent on a single facility and for which no or only limited alternatives are available. For products whose discontinuation of …


Abstract
Purpose – This study aims to empirically examine whether there is any optimal Shari'ah supervisory
board's (SSB) size that maximizes performance of Islamic banks (IBs). Apparently, IBs adopt different SSB
size based on their different regulations across jurisdictions, and then it is still questionable whether there is
any optimal SSB size that can fit all and be recommended to IBs.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper investigates the impact of different SSB size on IBs
performance using a sample of 113 banks over 23 countries for the period 2007-2015 based on the generalized
method of moments estimator.
Findings – The empirical evidence documented in this study strongly highlights the importance of small
SSB size in enhancing the performance of IBs as compared to the large board size. The findings confirm that
the SSB size of IBs should neither be lesser than three nor greater than six. More specifically, it is found that
the optimal SSB size seems to be five.
Research limitations/implications – First, the study does not investigate whether the findings are
constant during crisis and non-crisis periods. Second, the optimal SSB size in IBs should be confirmed from
the risk-taking perspective besides performance.
Practical implications – For both the IBs and the regulators, they should give due importance to small
SSB size as an important element for improving the IBs performance. It is strongly recommended for the IBs
to have a SSB size between three and six, and five is the most recommended. The Accounting and Auditing
Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions also should revise their existing standards that only suggest
the minimumSSB size of three to include the maximum size of six and the optimal size of five.
Originality/value – Despite the SSB size plays an important role in affecting the performance of IBs, it
seems there are no empirical studies attempting to address whether there is any optimal SSB size that can
enhance the IBs performance so far.
Keywords Performance, Islamic banks, Shari'ah governance, Shari'ah supervisory board,
Optimal board size
Paper type Research paper


This articel discuse about values educations in surah Ad Dhuha, Surat Ad Dhuha cannot use the results of the translation only or based on the final text. If the surah is understood using a literal translation or just a text from a verse, the results of the understanding obtained may be confused. Education values in surah Ad dhuha we will find a lot in interpretations, in the discussion verse by verse then we will gain an understanding of the meaning contained in the surah ad dhuha, the educational values that we can get as first, do not dissolve in worldly affairs because worldly affairs can defeat, secondly, the afterlife of pleasure is more important than world affairs and therefore do not get lost in temporary world life. Third, apply gentleness to orphans, do not act harshly even rebuke him, fourth, always remember the favors of God that have been given and do not associate partners.


Changes in contraction amplitudes, contraction peak time and relaxation time were evaluated at 50% and 80% of contraction peak, with adrenaline or strophanthin acting on the myocardium pretreated with antiarrhythmic substances, using atrial specimens from patients with acquired heart diseases and septal defects. Etmozin and ethacizine were shown to have a negative inotropic effect, reducing contraction intensity by about 50%. Adrenaline and strophanthin are capable of restoring myocardial contractility in the presence of antiarrhythmic effects without actually inducing spontaneous auto-arrhythmic activity. Causes of the recovery of myocardial mechanical activity, effectuated by adrenaline or strophanthin in the presence of antiarrhythmic agents are discussed. It is suggested that a combination of effective antiarrhythmic properties and negative inotropic effect of phenothiazines is significant for cases of arrhythmias with and without signs of heart failure.


The maximum installed capacity mathematic model has been set up and analysis about surface water source heat pump using at large scale. The maximum installed capacity of Nu River China has been calculated by the equations as an example. In the mean time, the key coefficients have been simplified while practical application in engineering. A general conclusion of the maximum water source heat pump installed capacity has obtained for different surface water characteristic. The value from the general conclusion can use in the plan and the layout on the surface water source heat pump system large-scale use. That will protect ecological environment and against creates the destruction.


Composition, systematics, distribution and bionomics of the poorly known primarily Oriental genus Anchocerus Fauvel, 1905 is reviewed, with an annotated list and identification key provided for all 13 named species of the genus. The poorly known species from Papua New Guinea, A. punctus Last, 1980, A. similis Last, 1980 and A. wilhelmensis Last, 1980 are redescribed. Three new species, A. aparamerus sp.n. from Borneo, A. grandis sp.n. and A. thailandicus sp.n., both from Thailand are described. One species is transferred to Anchocerus from the genus Acylophorus Nordmann, 1837: Anchocerus tenuipes (Lea, 1929) comb. n., and also redescribed. Two species of Anchocerus are moved to Acylophorus: Acylophorus novaguinensis (Last, 1975) comb. n. and Acylophorus okasaensis (Last, 1975) comb. n. Morphological characters distinguishing the genera Anchocerus and Acylophorus are summarized. Type material was examined for all insufficiently known species.


One of the unresolved legal issues in Indonesia is corruption. The problem of law enforcement is not yet optimal so that the assets resulting from criminal acts of corruption which are often more than national territory make it difficult to return. Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, abbreviated as MLA, which is expected to help law enforcement is not yet optimal. Indonesia, as a participant country of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), does not yet have a regulatory framework that comprehensively regulates the aspects recommended by the convention. This study aims to find out about efforts and mechanisms to optimize the role of MLA in the recovery of assets resulting from criminal acts of corruption in Indonesia, especially those abroad. This research is normative juridical research conducted by library research and interviews with informants related to the legislation and comparison approach. This article concludes that optimizing the role of MLA requires several steps such as implementing MLA in a more detailed technical format, optimizing the role of law enforcement as the implementer, and adopting the concept of Non-Conviction Based Asset Forfeiture (NCB).


Raed A. Al-Dabbagh Mustafa Z. Al-Dabbagh  College of Administration and Economics University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq Received on: 09/06/2011 Accepted on: 03/10/2011 ABSTRACT  The aim of the current study is to employing ICT in a way that supports management by establishing an electronic transmission system characterized with some features different from the previous ones through depending on open source programs which give the ability of continuous development without any costs. In addition, this system also has additional features such as operating under different operating systems. This proposed model consists of two programs. The first one is an e-mail server provides a number of features and characteristics. The second program enables the user to apply some of the features for mailing data with big size, with high speed and secured depending on the internal mailing system (intranet) of Mosul University. The system provides a special account with a password for each user on the services network and can also provide some features represented in stopping the undesired e-mails, checking the inbox and making sure that it is empty of viruses, resend some received e-mails for unlimited number of users on the same network, in addition to doing its normal tasks of sending and receiving e-mails; such as (writing a letters, editing and deleting). These programs can be downloaded from the internet for free and without any cost.


Nano‐sized Pt colloids were prepared using the polyol method and supported on Ketjen black EC 600J (KB), Vulcan XC‐72 (VC) and high surface area graphite 300 (HG). The effects of the Nafion ionomer content, and the Pt loading of the cathode catalyst layer as well as the Pt loading on the support on the performance of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), were studied. The membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) were analysed using current–voltage curves, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and adsorbed CO stripping voltammetry. Optimum Nafion to carbon (N/C) ratios (N/C being defined as the weight ratio of the Nafion ionomer to the carbon) were determined. The optimum N/C ratios were found to depend on the support as follows, 1.4, 0.7 and 0.5 for Pt/KB, Pt/VC and Pt/HG, respectively and to be independent of the Pt/C loading range of 20–80 wt% tested in this work. The highest DMFC performances, as well as the highest electrochemical active surface areas, and improved gas diffusivities, were achieved using these ratios. For the catalysts prepared in this work, the average Pt crystallite size was found to decrease with increasing surface area of the support for a particular Pt loading. MEAs made using KB as support and the optimal N/C ratio of 1.4 showed the best performances, i.e. higher than the VC and HG supports for any N/C ratio. The highest DMFC performance was observed using 60 wt% Pt on KB cathode electrodes of 1 mg Pt cm–2 loading and an N/C value of 1.4. For all three supports studied, the 60 wt% Pt on carbon loading resulted in the best DMFC performance. This may be linked to the Pt particle size and catalyst preparation method used in this work. In comparison to literature results, high DMFC performances were achieved using relatively 'low' Pt and Ru loadings. For example, a maximum power density of >100 mW cm–2 at 60 °C was observed using a 1 mg Pt cm–2 cathode loading and a 2 mg PtRu cm–2 anode loading.


This in-depth monograph is devoted to one of the leading United States architects on the contemporary scene: Steven Holl (b.1947). Illustrated by a large portfolio of photographs, the book introduces the artist's personality and works, and the studio he founded in 1976, Steven Holl architects. Holl studied architecture at the University of Washington at Seattle, and later in Rome and at the Architectural Association in London. He has worked both in the United States and in Europe, and a great deal in the East, especially in Japan. His most important designs, outstanding in their respect for the cultural and historical environment in which they are set, include the Makuhari residential complex in Japan, the St. Ignatius chapel at the University of Seattle, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki and the extension of the Cranbrook Institute of Science at Bloomfield Hills in Michigan. A professor at the Graduate School of Architecture of Columbia University, Holl has held courses and given lectures in several other institutions in the United States. He has won many awards, including the Arnold W Brunner prize for architecture in 1990, and the Alvar Aalto medal in 1998.


Axl and Mer kinases belong to the TAM family that was first identified as a transforming gene in chronic myeloid leukemia. Its intracellular region has the typical receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) structure and its extracellular domain is similar to cadherin-type adhesion molecules in that it is composed of fibronectin type II and immunoglobulin (Ig) motifs. Axl binds various growth factors, with vitamin K-dependent protein growth-arrest-specific gene 6 (GAS6) being the best studied. Axl is involved in mesenchymal and neuronal development as well as in cell survival, adhesion and blood vessel function. High levels of Axl are found in various tumors, including malignant glioma and metastatic colon, ovarian and breast cancers, and it plays a role in cancer invasion. Recent development of Axl inhibitors suggested that inhibition of Axl activity may be impact both tumor angiogenesis and tumor growth. We describe here the design, synthesis, molecular modeling, and biological evaluation of a series of small molecule, inhibitors of Axl and Mer kinases. Our initial lead compound was identified via cross-docking experiments utilizing the homology model of Axl kinase and screening of a diverse in-house chemical library. We subsequently carried out structure-activity relationship studies and optimized the lead structure which has 2 to 6.1 μM inhibition activity to 2-fold improvement in the Axl and Mer kinase activities to 730 nM. As a starting point for further optimization, it was considered that the modest of these series could be improved by introducing a spacer at the aryl piperazine moiety and focused on maximizing the in vitro potency, addressing the SAR and molecular properties. We further explored Leu620, hydrophobic, Gly543, Phe547 and DFG motif sites through scaffold hoping lead to the identification of an electron-withdrawing functional groups lead to the compound HCI-2084 and HCI-2091 which exhibited potent Axl kinase inhibition activity of 7 and 12 nM in Axl kinase assay and 30-50 nM is panel of cancer cell lines. These novel series of compounds were synthesized in two-step procedure via a standard cross-coupling reaction or with various substituted aryl amine derivatives under amination conditions. In a subsequent step we employed Buchwald-Hartwig amination reaction to prepare target molecules. Due to the ready synthesis accessibility, we extensively investigated the SAR improving the RO5, solubility and permeability parameters. The details of these results will be presented. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3609. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3609


Rapid globalization has led to increased flows of capital, services, ideas, information, and people between countries. As such, problems and challenges that face one nation often have a rippling impact throughout the region and globally. The growing list of cross-border issues cannot be resolved by isolated policy action at the national or subnational levels. It is essential to forge strategic alliances at the regional level that support the development of consolidated approaches for dialogue and action. This book discusses regional governance mechanisms and institutional arrangements to respond to emerging cross-border issues and trends in Asia and the Pacific, such as the movement of people including refugees and illegal migrants, regional trade integration for human development, effective and efficient water management, human trafficking, and health issues focusing on infectious disease surveillance and response. While examining the impact of governance on these issues, the book considers these questions: What are the key cross-border governance issues in Asia? What are the regional governance mechanisms to cope with these issues? How effective are the regional mechanisms and national institutional capacities in responding to these issues? What factors contribute to the success or failure of the mechanisms for regional cooperation? Contributors include Graeme Hugo (University of Adelaide), William J. Long (Sam Nunn School of International Affairs), Mike Douglass (University of Hawaii —Manoa), Taeho Bark (Seoul National University), and Mely Caballero-Anthony (S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies).


Invisible near-infrared (NIR) to visible (VIS) upconversion (UC) emission of rareearth doped ceramics is receiving much attention for transparent display applications. In this study, a new dual-wavelength (DW) NIR excitation scheme for the VIS-UC emission of Er3+ doped NaYF4 (NaYF4:Er) was proposed to achieve a high green color purity and was applied to non-projection-type transparent displays. For the optimization of green color purity, various rare-earth ions (RE3+) were co-doped into NaYF4:Er (NaYF4:Er, RE3+). Among those, NaYF4 co-doped with Er3+ and Ce3+ (NaYF4:Er, Ce3+) showed the highest green color purity under DW-NIR excitation. Furthermore, the excitation wavelengths of DW-UC were also investigated. Moreover, a NaYF4:Er, Ce3+ embedded transparent and flexible polymer composite was prepared, which emitted a strong "point emission" at the cross point of the DW-NIR excitation lights that were introduced from the side surface of the composite sheet. Therefore, the obtained polymer/NaYF4:Er, Ce3+ composite is an attractive candidate material for non-projection-type transparent and flexible displays.


Nontraumatic spontaneous retropharyngeal hematoma is rarely encountered. Clinical diagnosis of retropharyngeal hematoma can be difficult and may be infrequently misdiagnosed with acute pharyngitis. A careful history taking is also an important process to diagnose this disease entity. Because of its rarity and difficulty of early diagnosis, retropharyngeal hematoma may rapidly progress to airway compromise. A 51-year-old woman suddenly developed neck pain and dyspnea after vomiting. Examination showed anterior bulging of the posterior oropharyngeal wall without ecchymosis around neck. No underlying medical conditions, medications, or trauma were found. Cervical magnetic resonance imaging revealed retropharyngeal hematoma collection from nasopharynx to laryngopharynx. We report a case of spontaneous retropharyngeal hematoma with increased intrathoracic pressure caused by vomiting. J Med Cases. 2015;6(2):81-83 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc2038w


Background: One of the human and animal models of migraine is the systemic administration of the nitric oxide donor (NO) nitroglycerin (NTG). NO can provoke migraine-like attacks in migraineurs and initiates a self-amplifying process in the trigeminal system, probably leading to central sensitization. Recent studies suggest that the endocannabinoid system is involved in nociceptive signal processing and cannabinoid receptor (CB) agonists are able to attenuate nociception in animal models of pain. Aim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the modulatory effects of a CB agonist anandamide (AEA) on the NTG-induced expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and kynurenine aminotransferase-II (KAT-II) in the upper cervical spinal cord (C1–C2) of the rat, where most of the trigeminal nociceptive afferents convey. Methods: A half hour before and one hour after NTG (10mg/kg) or placebo injection, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (n1⁄4 44) were treated with AEA (2 5mg/kg). Four hours after placebo/NTG injection, the animals were perfused and the cervical spinal cords were removed for immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Results and conclusion: Our results show that NTG is able to increase TRPV1, nNOS, NF-kB and COX-2 and decrease KAT-II expression in the C1–C2 segments. On the other hand, we have found that AEA modulates the NTGinduced changes, thus it influences the activation and central sensitization process in the trigeminal system, probably via CBs.


The effectiveness of Official Development Assistance is heavily debated. The emergence of new donors and the recent establishment of novel development actors, such as the BRICS-powered New Development Bank, will complement or substitute traditional financial flows and development cooperation. This transition in the geo-political landscape of development assistance presents an opportunity for traditional donors and recipients of ODA to reassess and possibly refine development cooperation, ultimately leading to improved ODA delivery and an opening of the black box of development assistance. Inside the Black Box presents ideas from future leaders and university students on how to best improve ODAs effectiveness despite the intertwined maze of aid ineffectiveness. Essays included in this compilation cover topics addressing transparency and accountability, the barrier between ODA workers and community members, cross-sector collaboration, under-reporting, procurement and issues underlying the levels of governance amongst others.


BACKGROUND
It remains controversial whether metastasectomy is still feasible in patients with pulmonary recurrence from colorectal cancer, after initial metastasectomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes of repeated metastasectomy in these patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
From 1995 to 2007, 202 patients had received a pulmonary metastasectomy from colorectal cancer at our institution. Over a median follow-up of 28.9 months, 48 patients received second metastasectomy (29 wedge resections, 5 segmentectomies, 13 lobectomies, and 1 completion pneumonectomy). The median disease-free interval was 9.6 months. Among these 48 patients, 28 showed pulmonary recurrence again and of those, 10 patients received third metastasectomy (two wedge resections, two segmentectomies, four lobectomies, and two completion pneumonectomies).

RESULTS
There was no postoperative mortality. Of the 48 patients who underwent second metastasectomy, overall and disease-free 5-year survivals were 79% and 49%, respectively, after second operation. Of the 10 patients who received third metastasectomy, overall survival was 78% at 5 years after last operation.

CONCLUSIONS
Repeated resection after initial metastasectomy can be carried out safely and provides long-term survival in patients with recurrent pulmonary metastasis from colorectal cancer. Our findings indicate that close follow-up for the early detection of recurrence and parenchyma-saving resection can improve the results after repeated resection.


Noninvasive reconstruction of cardiac electrical activity has a great potential to support clinical decision making, planning, and treatment. Recently, significant progress has been made in the estimation of the cardiac activation from body surface potential maps (BSPMs) using boundary element method (BEM) with the equivalent double layer (EDL) as a source model. In this formulation, noninvasive assessment of activation times results in a nonlinear optimization problem with an initial estimate calculated with the fastest route algorithm (FRA). Each FRA-simulated activation sequence is converted into the ECG. The best initialization is determined by the sequence providing the highest correlation between predicted and measured potentials. We quantitatively assess the effects of the forward modeling errors on the FRA-based initialization. We present three simulation setups to investigate the effects of volume conductor model simplifications, neglecting the cardiac anisotropy and geometrical errors on the localization of ectopic beats starting on the ventricular surface. For the analysis, 12-lead ECG and 99 electrodes BSPM system were used. The areas in the heart exposing the largest localization errors were volume conductor model and electrode configuration specific with an average error <;10 mm. The results show the robustness of the FRA-based initialization with respect to the considered modeling errors.


CONTEXT
Medical research conducted in academic medical centers is often dependent on support from clinical revenues generated in these institutions. Anecdotal evidence suggests that managed care has the potential to affect research conducted in academic medical centers by challenging these clinical revenues.

OBJECTIVE
To examine whether empirical evidence supports a relationship between managed care and the ability of US medical schools to sustain biomedical research.

DESIGN
Data on annual extramural research grants awarded to US medical schools by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from fiscal years 1986 to 1995 were obtained, and each medical school was matched to a market for which information about health maintenance organization (HMO) penetration in 1995 was available.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Growth in total NIH awards, traditional research project (R01) awards, R01 awards to clinical and basic science departments, and changes in institutional ranking by NIH awards were compared among schools located in markets with low, medium, and high managed care penetration.

RESULTS
Medical schools in all markets had comparable rates of growth in NIH awards from 1986 to 1990. Thereafter, medical schools in markets with high managed care penetration had slower growth in the dollar amounts and numbers of NIH awards compared with schools in markets with low or medium managed care penetration. This slower growth for schools in high managed care markets was associated with loss of share of NIH awards, equal to $98 million in 1995, and lower institutional ranking by NIH awards. Much of this revenue loss can be explained by the slower growth of R01 awards to clinical departments in medical schools in high managed care markets.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings provide evidence of an inverse relationship between growth in NIH awards during the past decade and managed care penetration among US medical schools. Whether this association is causal remains to be determined.


OBJECTIVE
This study examined whether characteristics of Medicaid beneficiaries were associated with receipt of follow-up care after discharge from the emergency department (ED) following a visit for mental or substance use disorders.

METHODS
Medicaid fee-for-service claims from 15 states and the District of Columbia in 2008 were used to calculate whether adults received follow-up (seven and 30 days) after being discharged from the ED following a visit for mental disorders (N=31,952 discharges) or substance use disorders (N=13,337 discharges). Random-effects logistic regression was used to model the odds of receiving follow-up as a function of beneficiary characteristics.

RESULTS
Receipt of follow-up varied widely across states and by beneficiary characteristics. The odds of seven- and 30-day follow-up after mental health ED discharges were lower among males; African Americans versus whites; and beneficiaries who qualified for Medicaid on the basis of income rather than disability, beneficiaries with depression and other mood disorders compared with other psychiatric diagnoses, and (at seven-day follow-up) beneficiaries who lived in rural versus metropolitan areas. In contrast, the odds of follow-up after substance use disorder ED discharges were lower among whites (seven-day follow-up) and among beneficiaries who qualified for Medicaid on the basis of disability rather than income, who were diagnosed as having drug use disorders rather than alcohol use disorders, or who lived in metropolitan versus suburban areas (seven- and 30-day follow-ups).

CONCLUSIONS
State Medicaid programs have an opportunity to improve follow-up after ED visits for mental and substance use disorders, perhaps by focusing on groups of beneficiaries who are less likely to receive follow-up.


In their influential work, Harlow and Rawlings defined "pressure through law" as the "use of the law and legal techniques as an instrument for obtaining wider collective objectives." They observed that the use of the courts by civil society organisations seeking reform was not just an American trend and nor was it new. In recent years, there has been a growing literature which has shown how some civil society organisations deployed the law and legal techniques to pursue wider reform objective. Much of the debate around this "mobilisation of law" considers why groups turn to the courts and why they do not. A common thread in this literature is how the availability of financial resources often determines the fate of public interest litigation.
In the context of judicial review in the UK, resources have become an increasingly tricky issue. The relationship between money and access to judicial review is a densely complex one, but many now claim that funding a judicial review is increasingly difficult. In this article, I explore whether crowdfunding—using an online platform to raise third party funding for a judicial review—is a possible answer to the issue of lack of resources in the context of public interest litigation. In other words, can crowdfunding support legal reform through the provision of resources for public interest litigation? I argue that crowdfunding can—in certain cases—solve the resource dilemma and be key in procuring reform via public interest litigation. However, it is far from a foolproof solution and there are multiple risks inherent in its use. The nature and extent of such risks are such that the crowdfunding of public interest litigation should be approached with great caution. In this respect, there is a role for civil society organisations that have engaged in public interest litigation to advocate for sensible and cautious use of crowdfunding methods.


The objective of the present study is to observe the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of Tripterygium wilfordii extract on LPS-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in rats, and to explore its protective mechanism against ALI. And quantitative determination was performed on the extract. 120 rats were randomly divided into normal control group (saline), model group, dexamethasone group (5 mg/kg, ip), and Tripterygium wilfordii extract low-, mediumand high-dose groups (100, 150, 200 mg/kg, ip), n = 20 in each group. The rats were administered for 3 d, 1 h after the last ip administration, ALI model was induced by ip endotoxin (LPS), 6 h later, the rats were sacrificed, BALF WBC count and protein content, nuclear transcription factor (NF-κB) p65 expression in lung tissue, levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, interleukin (IL)-10, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as neutrophil myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in each group were observed. Total triterpenoid content in Tripterygium wilfordii extract was determined by UV-V is spectrophotometry with tripterine as the reference. Compared with the control group, in the Tripterygium wilfordii extract medium- and high-dose groups, lung tissue NF-κB p65 expressions were (38.03 ± 4.19)% and (30.69 ± 3.99)%, MDA levels were (1.76 ± 0.21) and (1.36 ± 0.12) nmol/mg, TNF-α levels were (263.66 ± 39.65) and (210.78 ± 30.25) μg/L, IL-6 levels were (289.47 ± 99.99) and (226.58 ± 96.25) ng/L, and MPO activities (2.76 ± 0.54) and (2.43 ± 0.42) U/g, all of which were significantly lower (P<0.05~P<0.01) than those of the model group; IL-10 levels were (17.89 ± 3.89) and (17.29 ± 3.68) μg/L, SOD levels were (69.47 ± 9.23) and (73.65 ± 8.12) U/mg, BALF WBC count and protein content in the model group significantly increased (P<0.05~P<0.01); all of which were significantly higher (P<0.05~P<0.01) than those of the model group. Total triterpenoid content in Tripterygium wilfordii extract was 27.379. Tripterygium wilfordii extract can decrease the pulmonary vascular permeability caused by LPS-induced ALI, reduce inflammation exudation, and lower the degree of oxidative stress injury.


In 107 cases of facial contact dermatitis, routine Finn chamber epicutaneous tests with TROLAB European Standard Allergens (ESAs) were performed. Sixty-one (57%) had positive reaction. The most frequent contact allergens were paraphenylenediamine dihydrochloride (16%), followed by fragrance mix (15%), and nickel sulfate (13%). The major sensitized contactants were rims of spectacles, hair dyes, cosmetic creams, and topical medications. Among the cases caused by cosmetic cream, the positive allergens were fragrance mix, formaldehyde, wood alcohols, and balsam of Peru. In ten season-incidence cases in which ESAs and cosmetic cream epicutaneous tests were negative, the chamber and scratch-chamber tests were performed using five kinds of pollen. The results show that all chamber tests were negative, but two cases with scratch-chamber tests were positive.


Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease that causes various cardiovascular complications. Plaque formation in atherosclerosis is considered similar to the pathogenesis of other autoimmune diseases; thus, immunomodulation and immunosuppression may present strategies for the treatment and prevention of these diseases. Interestingly helminth infection was found to inhibit T helper 1-mediated autoimmune diseases and T helper 2-mediated allergy and asthma, indicating significant potential for clinical application. Some study even found that therapeutic efficacy of the viable tapeworm was superior to dexamethasone treatment. Recently, some studies have shown an inverse association between helminth infections and inflammatory diseases, including diabetes mellitus, lipid abnormality, and atherosclerosis. Will the underlying mechanism bring us a new idea on the treatment for these diseases? We tried to find an answer by reviewing recent articles. investigate the exact mechanisms and


The purpose of this retrospective, matched case-control study (two controls [healthy control and high- risk control] vs. COVID-19 cases) was to compare the maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnant women with and without COVID-19. A total of 261 pregnant women from three different countries with and without COVID-19 were included in this study. Several pregnancy complications were more common in high-risk pregnant women compared to COVID-19 cases and healthy pregnant women. These include preeclampsia (p < .01), vaginal bleeding (p < .05), preterm labor (p < .05), premature rupture of membrane (p < .01), requiring induction of labor (p < .05), have lower gestational age on delivery (F (2) = 3.1, p < .05), requiring cesarean section (p < .01), neonatal admission in the NICU (p < .01), and low neonatal Apgar score (p < .01). Nurses are advised to provide equal attention to pregnant women with underlying health issues and to pregnant women infected with COVID-19 in terms of the risk assessment, health care, and follow-up for optimal maternal and neonatal outcomes.


Brazil is home to the largest tracts of tropical vegetation in the world, harbouring high levels of biodiversity and carbon. Several biomass maps have been produced for Brazil, using different approaches and methods, and for different purposes. These maps have been used to estimate historic, recent, and future carbon emissions from land use change (LUC). It can be difficult to determine which map to use for what purpose. The implications of using an unsuitable map can be significant, since the maps have large differences, both in terms of total carbon storage and its spatial distribution. This paper presents comparisons of Brazil's new 'official' carbon map; that is, the map used in the third national communication to the UNFCCC in 2016, with the former official map, and four carbon maps from the scientific literature. General strengths and weaknesses of the different maps are identified, including their suitability for different types of studies. No carbon map was found suitable for studies concerned with existing land use/cover (LULC) and LUC outside of existing forests, partly because they do not represent the current LULC sufficiently well, and partly because they generally overestimate carbon values for agricultural land. A new map of aboveground carbon is presented, which was created based on data from existing maps and an up- to-date LULC map. This new map reflects current LULC, has high accuracy and resolution (50 m), and a national coverage. It can be a useful alternative for scientific studies and policy initiatives concerned with existing LULC and LUC outside of existing forests, especially at local scales when high resolution is necessary, and/or outside the Amazon biome. We identify five ongoing climate policy initiatives in Brazil that can benefit from using this map.


A lthough nationwide trends like obesity and violence have gradually interwoven themselves into pediatric health care, we have been struck recently by the seemingly familial relationship among these disease entities. A young man visiting his cousin shortly after her gastric bypass operation recalls meeting the surgeon years earlier, as a victim of child abuse; as his stab wound is explored in the emergency department, another teenager remembers his brother's treatment in the same room for an acute asthma exacerbation. While seemingly unrelated, these entities—obesity, asthma, and violence—all share the common trait of being heavily influenced by environmental factors. The incidence of crime, including violent crime, is known to be increased in poor neighborhoods, and low socioeconomic status has long been known to be associated with poor health throughout an individual's lifespan. However, it is only recently that a direct correlation between crime and health disparity has been described. In Chicago, Illinois, neighborhoods marred by the highest rates of violent crime also have the highest rates of infant mortality. Again, while this connection at first glance seems obvious, the block-by-block spatial relationship of these 2 entities is striking. More than 75% of census tracts with high homicide rates contain a high level of clustering for infant mortality and low birth weight. The same neighborhoods exhibit poverty, increased high school attrition rates, and joblessness. However, the incidence of several seemingly unrelated pediatric illnesses, including obesity, asthma, and unintentional injuries, is also increased in these areas. These neighborhoods represent microcosms of "new urban poverty," demonstrating the previously described relationship between poverty, crime, and now poor health care on the street level. Similar results have been duplicated in Cincinnati, Ohio, which recently has possessed both the highest homicide rate in the Midwest (89 per 100 000 in 2006) and the highest infant mortality in the state of Ohio (17 deaths per 1000 births in 2004). As in Chicago, violent crime and high infant mortality cluster in several historically black poor neighborhoods; our pediatric patients presenting with asthma and obesity likewise predominantly live in these same neighborhoods. Ironically, several of these areas geographically abut one of the world's premier pediatric medical centers. Now that the relationship between poor health and new urban poverty has been described, the next logical steps are to further dissect the specific factors that perpetuate the cycle, determine how pediatric illness is related, and devise solutions that address this entity in its entirety, rather than tackling its individual components. Programs to decrease infant mortality or child abuse through education may be marginally successful, but counteracting the altered reproductive timing observed among young women in these communities would make a long-standing impact on both disease processes. Likewise, nutrition and exercise goals, while instructional, are hopelessly unattainable on a block where grocery stores, gym or recreation facilities, andpharmacieshavebeendrivenoutbyhighcrime rates and decreased property values. As caretakers of children, we strive to polish our clinical acumen, advance accepted therapies through research, and pass our acquired wisdom and passion to new generations of providers, all in the name of delivering optimum care to our young patients. Although these ideals have advanced pediatric care and treated innumerable children in our hospitals and clinics, new urban poverty erects barriers to both halting epidemics of asthma, childhood obesity, and other pediatric diseases that threaten national pediatric health and to advancing the well-being of these same children as they grow into adulthood. Our resources and intellectual energy must be turned toward solving the problems of new urban poverty if we hope to truly impact the health and well-being of children.


Punicalagin (PUN), a major bioactive component in pomegranate juice, has been proven to exert neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) insult via anti-oxidant properties. This study aims to investigate whether PUN provides cardioprotection against myocardial I/R (MI/R) injury and the underlying mechanisms. PUN (30[Formula: see text]mg/kg/d) or vehicle was intragastrically administered to Sprague-Dawley rats for one week before the operation. MI/R was induced by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30[Formula: see text]min and subsequent reperfusion for 3[Formula: see text]h. PUN pretreatment conferred cardioprotective effects against MI/R injury by improving cardiac function, limiting infarct size, reducing serum creatine kinase-MB and lactate dehydrogenase activities, and suppressing cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Moreover, PUN pretreatment inhibited I/R-induced myocardial oxidative stress as evidenced by decreased generation of superoxide content and malonaldialdehyde formation and increased antioxidant capability. Furthermore, PUN pretreatment increased adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) phosphorylation in I/R hearts. AMPK inhibitor compound c inhibited PUN-enhanced AMPK phosphorylation, and blunted PUN-mediated anti-oxidative effects and cardioprotection. These results indicate for the first time that PUN pretreatment protect against I/R-induced oxidative stress and myocardial injury via activation of AMPK.


Ground-based analog facilities have had wide use in mimicking some of the features of spaceflight in a more-controlled and less-expensive manner. One such analog is parabolic flight, in which an aircraft flies repeated parabolic trajectories that provide short-duration periods of free fall (0 g) alternating with high-g pullout or recovery phases. Parabolic flight is unique in being able to provide true 0 g in a ground-based facility. Accordingly, it lends itself well to the investigation of specific areas of human spaceflight that can benefit from this capability, which predominantly includes neurovestibular effects, but also others such as human factors, locomotion, and medical procedures. Applications to research in artificial gravity and to effects likely to occur in upcoming commercial suborbital flights are also possible.


It is important to engage children with ASD and the families that support them in research. However, it is often challenging for researchers to engage this population in time- and/or labor-intensive research due to the many barriers caregivers of children with ASD face. From a researcher's perspective, this challenge ultimately inhibits research designs and compromises the learning and understanding needed to identify meaningful research questions, solve relevant problems, and implement solutions into practice. One way researchers can support families with ASD to participate in research is through the building of academic-community partnerships. Academic-community partnerships can serve as both a solution to increasing participation in research and a complementary practice benefiting the child with ASD throughout the research process. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to describe how researchers might leverage academic-community partnerships to effectively engage children and families of children with ASD in research. Subscribe to Palaestra


ABSTRACT A pilot study on the detection of DNA in fingermarks using fluorescent in situ detection after different time periods since hand washing was undertaken by Flinders University. Collaboration was sought to show the ability to obtain similar results within different laboratories. The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) was involved in this inter-laboratory study in collaboration with Flinders University. The newly developed method involves the use of Diamond Nucleic Acid dye for the staining of fingermarks (20× concentration in 75% ethanol) using a hand-held microscope (Dino-Lite Edge Digital Microscope). Fingermarks were deposited by volunteers onto glass slides at varying time intervals after hand washing (2, 5, 15, 30, 60 and 180 minutes). The amount of cellular debris was calculated by counting the fluorescent dots present in three fields of view and estimating the amount of transferred cellular material for each fingermark. This article will outline the results obtained from ESR and how they compare with results already collated from Flinders University.


The influence of homogeneity of sol-gel precursors on mullite (AleSi2013) formation was examined with a combination of structural and thermodynamic characterization by NMR, X-ray diffraction, and drop solution calorimetry. The most homogeneous gels crystallize to mullite at 980 "C. Gels with distinct silica and alumina phases crystallize to mullite above 1250 "C. Crystallization at 980 "C and the nature of the dominant crystalline phase, spinel or mullite, were related to the abundance of pentacoordinated aluminum atoms in the amorphous phase at 900 "C. The enthalpy of crystallization to mullite from the gels varies from -112 kJ/mol(A&Si2013) for complete mullite formation at 980 "C from a homogeneous gel formed by controlled hydrolysis of TEOS and aluminum isopropoxide, to -33 kJ/mol for mullitization at 1250 "C from a heterogeneous gel made of boehmite in hydrolyzed TEOS. Gels with intermediate mixing formed an alumina-rich spinel phase at 980 "C, which contained 7 wt 5% Si02 as shown by 29Si MAS NMR. Mullite formed at 980 "C is aluminum-rich with an Al/Si ratio of 5, with the excess silica phase separating as amorphous silica. Between 950 and 1200 "C the silica and mullite react increasing the silicon content in mullite crystals. The enthalpy of the substitution reaction, AP+ + liZ vacancy - Si4+ + 1/202-, was determined to be -52 kJ/mol. The enthalpy of formation of mullite from mixtures of a-alumina and quartz varied with the Al/Si ratio and was a minimum at Al/Si = 3.2.


The surface of the urinary bladder of the rat appeared to have a very well-ordered arrangement when viewed with the help of the scanning electron microscope. Intercellular junctions were well demarcated by prominent ridges. The majority of cells appeared to have a pentagonal or hexagonal shape. The surface morphology of the epithelial cells appeared to be consistent throughout the whole population of cells. It was made up of small ridges and some short microvilli. Comments on the significance of the surface specialization were made.


In a rheumatological hospital, quality assurance has many aspects. Diagnostic as well as classification criteria are essential; however, they should not be regarded as a strait-jacket. The very important radiological diagnostics require optimal technology. All x-ray-pictures should only be interpreted by experienced rheumatologists. Also of importance is the documentation of all relevant data, sometimes for decades, especially the kind of drugs, their effectiveness and side effects and the assessment of activity, stage, progression and functional ability. Very important is also a close communication with other medical disciplines. Nursing in rheumatology is mostly underestimated quantitatively and qualitatively as well; it cannot be compared with nursing in other patients. Physical and occupational therapy are indispensable parts of treatment of in-patients; under certain conditions, they may have priority in comparison to other treatments. For chronobiological reasons, physical therapy has a definite time requirement. A duration of 3 weeks is necessary to get therapeutically desired adaptation processes. Thus, the duration of stay in rheumatological departments must be longer than in other disciplines. An actual questionnaire, which has been sent to 50 rheumatological departments, asked the question, which reasons and indications will make future in-patient treatment necessary. As main reason, the comprehensive treatment options and induction of a special pharmacotherapy have been mentioned. Also an element of quality assurance in a rheumatological hospital is warmheartedness and humanity.


The objective of this study is to evaluate the creep compliance (D(t)) of asphalt concrete (AC) mixtures for thermal cracking prediction of flexible pavements. Various AC overlay design factors influencing the thermal cracking resistance of flexible pavements, such as mixture properties and pavement structure, were included in the evaluation. Two sources of D(t) data were considered: (1) measurement from indirect tensile test and (2) numerical interconversion of complex modulus E*. Design input levels in the mechanistic–empirical design guide software do significantly impact the predicted thermal cracking distresses. For AC maintenance overlay design purposes, level 1 and 2 analyses yield very similar thermal cracking predictions, whereas level 3 analysis significantly underpredicts the extent of cracking when compared with to level 1 analysis. Some discrepancy exists in the thermal cracking predicted from measured and interconverted D(t) due to the inherent approximation nature of numerical interconversion methods. However, level 1 and 2 analyses using interconverted D(t) values provide results closer to the predictions from measured D(t) values than does level 3. Three mixtures are used in this study. The various analyses indicate that using a more ductile AC mixture for the surface layer significantly reduces the amount of thermal cracking at failure.


Identifying thinly bedded reservoirs is important in exploration, appraisal, and development. The thin beds that we are referring to are of meter scale or less. Conventional seismic attributes are not able to resolve thin-bed effects. A new frequency-dependent amplitude variation with offset (FAVO) seismic attribute is developed for the prediction of thin beds. It is based on seismic wave scattering theory for vertically inhomogeneous media, in which the seismic response from a laterally homogeneous interval is represented by the Born series. The Born series characterizes the P-P and P-SV wave reflections, transmissions, and interbed multiples within the target interval with different order terms. The newly derived attribute corresponds to the second-order term of the Born series, in which P-S wave reflection and transmission energy is taken into consideration, and it is called the second-order FAVO gradient attribute. In a thinly bedded interval where sand/shale interfaces are abundant, the P-SV wave mode conversions are numerous. This leads to a strong second-order FAVO gradient attribute response compared to that of a blocky sand, silt, or shale interval under the assumption that there is no significant rock- and fluid-property differences between the intervals. Therefore, the new seismic attribute has the potential to be a thin-bed interval indicator. We have adopted a strategy to estimate the new attribute using conventional P-wave seismic data. The attribute is extracted from seismic data at the frequency range at which the second-order scattering effect is the most prominent. Synthetic and field data examples from offshore Trinidad are studied to demonstrate the second-order scattering effect and the potential usage of the second-order FAVO attribute for thin-bed reservoir characterization.


The authors have studied the rate of malignant head and neck tumors morbidity among the population of Vinnitsa Province for 1960--1974 as well as the condition of stationary medical service, frequency of hospitalization, and average terms of patients' stay at the hospital. The index for specialized hospital beds for patients with malignant head and neck tumors was found to be 2.6 per 100 000 population. Within a 15-year period an average annual utilization of hospital beds for every 100 patients with lip cancer rated 7.2 beds, with cancer of the tongue--22.4, salivary glands--11.7, oral mucosa--19.7, pharynx--15.6, nose and sinuses--15.3, larynx--20.7, jaw--20.9, skin--5.3. These data may be rather helpful for the planned development of specialized hospitals at any site of the country.


Patients with inherited anemia and hemoglobinopathies (such as sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia) are treated with red blood cell (RBC) transfusions to alleviate their symptoms. Some of these patients may have rare blood group types or go on to develop alloimmune reactions, which can make it difficult to source compatible blood in the donor population. Laboratory-grown RBC represent a particularly attractive alternative which could satisfy an unmet clinical need. The challenge, however, is to produce - from a limited number of stem cells - the 2x1012 RBC required for a standard adult therapeutic dose. Encouraging progress has been made in RBC production from adult stem cells under good manufacturing practice. In 2011, the Douay group conducted a successful proof-of-principle mini-transfusion of autologous manufactured RBC in a single volunteer. In the UK, a trial is planned to assess whether manufactured RBC are equivalent to RBC produced naturally in donors, by testing an allogeneic mini-dose of laboratory-grown manufactured RBC in multiple volunteers. This review discusses recent progress in the erythroid culture field as well as opportunities for further scaling up of manufactured RBC production for transfusion practice.


The present study was designed to assess the balance between antioxidant and prooxidant components and the oxidative stability of beef from cattle fed exclusively grazed pasture (PAS) or a barley-based concentrate offered indoors (CONC) for 11 mo, or fed grass silage indoors for a 5-mo winter period, followed for the remaining 6-mo summer period by grazed pasture (SiP) or by grazed pasture plus concentrate at 50% of the dietary DM (SiPC). Muscle prooxidant and antioxidant components were determined by measuring fatty acids and α-tocopherol concentration of LM, respectively. Lipid oxidation and color stability were monitored in ground LM, packaged in a high-oxygen modified atmosphere, over 11 d of refrigerated storage. Vitamin E concentration decreased (P < 0.0005) with an increasing proportion of concentrate in the diet (2.59, 2.45, 1.76, and 1.15 μg/g for PAS, SiP, SiPC, and CONC, respectively). A greater proportion of PUFA was found in LM from cattle in the PAS, SiP, and SiPC groups compared with animals in the CONC group (9.62, 11.04, 8.96, and 6.94%, respectively; P < 0.0005). A greater concentration of highly peroxidizable PUFA was found in LM from heifers in the PAS, SiP, and SiPC groups compared with those in the CONC group (0.84, 0.85, 0.87, and 0.65 mg/g of muscle, respectively; P = 0.02). Dietary treatment affected lipid oxidation (P < 0.0005), with greater 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substance values in beef from heifers in the SiPC group than in beef from those in the PAS, SiP, and CONC groups. Dietary treatment affected myoglobin oxidation (P = 0.002) during storage, with greater metmyoglobin accumulation in beef from animals receiving concentrate (CONC and SiPC treatments) than in beef from cattle in the PAS and SiP groups. Consequently, feeding concentrate impaired meat color stability over the storage duration, with greater H* (hue angle) values (P < 0.0005) in meat from heifers in the SiPC and CONC groups compared with meat from those in the PAS and SiP groups. The results of the present study confirm a positive effect of grass-based feeding systems on meat color stability compared with concentrate-based dietary strategies. It appears that vitamin E in muscle alone does not explain the resistance of meat to oxidative deterioration because a clear interaction with highly peroxidizable PUFA exists.


In current high bit rate long haul point to point optical communication system, the chromatic dispersion of a single mode fibre is the main limitation to increase the bit rate. This paper proposes a promising technique to compensate chromatic dispersion, hence improving the bit error rate and repeater-less span. This compensation scheme uses an optical all pass filter equaliser that is optimised by minimum mean square error technique. The practical implementation of an optical all pass filter using passive infinite impulse response digital filter structure is also introduced. The simulated results showed that a dispersed rectangular pulse is fully compensated at full-width half at maximum after propagating 160 km of SMF and the resultant eye pattern showed an improvement to the bit error rate when the proposed optical all pass filter equaliser is used. (6 pages)


Hispaniola, comprising Haiti and the Dominican Republic, has been identified as a candidate for malaria elimination. However, incomplete surveillance data in Haiti hamper efforts to assess the impact of ongoing malaria control interventions. Characteristics of the genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum populations can be used to assess parasite transmission, which is information vital to evaluating malaria elimination efforts. Here we characterize the genetic diversity of P. falciparum samples collected from patients at seven sites in Haiti using 12 microsatellite markers previously employed in population genetic analyses of global P. falciparum populations. We measured multiplicity of infections, level of genetic diversity, degree of population geographic substructure, and linkage disequilibrium (defined as non-random association of alleles from different loci). For low transmission populations like Haiti, we expect to see few multiple infections, low levels of genetic diversity, high degree of population structure, and high linkage disequilibrium. In Haiti, we found low levels of multiple infections (12.9%), moderate to high levels of genetic diversity (mean number of alleles per locus = 4.9, heterozygosity = 0.61), low levels of population structure (highest pairwise Fst = 0.09 and no clustering in principal components analysis), and moderate linkage disequilibrium (ISA = 0.05, P<0.0001). In addition, population bottleneck analysis revealed no evidence for a reduction in the P. falciparum population size in Haiti. We conclude that the high level of genetic diversity and lack of evidence for a population bottleneck may suggest that Haiti's P. falciparum population has been stable and discuss the implications of our results for understanding the impact of malaria control interventions. We also discuss the relevance of parasite population history and other host and vector factors when assessing transmission intensity from genetic diversity data.


The pathophysiology of gait under the influence of cerebral-spastic leg musculature and the resulting biomechanical effects are demonstrated. The latter must be taken into account for successful treatment of functional disturbances and in the shape of the feet in children with cerebral-spastic disturbances in movement. Co-contractions in antagonistic muscle groups of the lower extremities during the second half of the stance phase, the propulsion period of the step, are the main obstacles to achieving efficient gait. The causes lie in the spastic increase of the muscle stretch reflex as well as in a defect in the reciprocal inhibition of antagonistic muscle groups. Moderate equinus gait and an increase in the normal differences in the development of force by the dorsal and plantar flexing muscles represent effective physiological compensation for these disturbances. The common secondary changes in the shape of the foot resulting from spasticity and contractures of the muscles require long-term planning of treatment, including physiotherapy, plaster casts, plastic orthoses, orthopedic shoes and, in some cases, operations, which should be delayed as long as possible during the growth phase. Premature lengthening of the Achilles tendon regularly results in iatrogenic foot deformities.


With the semantic Web relying on ontologies to establish online machine- interpretable information, the Internet is growing into a semantically aware computing paradigm that facilitates Web entities' discovery of the knowledge and resources they need. Ambient intelligence aims to enable smart interaction beyond the Internet by embedding intelligence into our environment to unobtrusively support users' daily activities. To accomplish these goals, ontologies and semantic awareness are crucial for better understanding a user's context. While interest in the Semantic Web has spurred the development of large-scale semantic grid architectures, expanding the Semantic Web to the other side of the computing spectrum is a complex undertaking. The techniques and tools that support the semantic Web aren't designed to deal with the resource-constrained devices with which people frequently interact in an ambient-intelligence environment. To counter this disadvantage, we developed a coding scheme for ontologies that embeds semantic awareness in devices with limited memory and processing capabilities, such as sensory nodes and smart phones. This scheme provides a compact representation of an ontology and is enhanced with an efficient and effective semantic-matching algorithm.


Over the last decade, advances in medical imaging have led to a 75% increase in early diagnosis of cerebral aneurysms (CAs) along with a growing arsenal of medical devices that can now treat a wider range of CA cases. Endovascular treatment planning has shown limited progress. Current treatment planning is driven by prior training, convention and experience. Despite the best of plans, the process can involve an element of trial and error during treatment that increases procedural time, treatment costs, and the risk of procedural complications. Further, treatment planning can be unsuccessful in many cases with recurrence rates as high as 21.9% and retreatment rates of 11.0%. Therefore, there is a critical need to improve endovascular treatment planning. Here we present a novel simulation algorithm that enhances clinical capabilities for personalised pre-surgical treatment planning. In the first step of the algorithm, a computational anatomy is generated from MR or CT image data. Next, the computational anatomy is used to simulate treatment using novel device-specific finite element (FE) models that consider the structural properties of the treatment device, its mechanics, and the clinical deployment strategy. Changes in blood flow are then simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Lastly, mechanical and fluid dynamic simulation results are used to evaluate the outcomes of different treatment options. The simulation algorithm was validated against in-vitro deployments of embolic coils, stents, and the Pipeline embolization device in 3 idealised and 2 anatomical CA models. Results showed excellent agreement between FE device simulations and physical device deployments. Fluid dynamics were also compared between CFD simulations and in-vitro flow velocity and pressure measurements in the treated CA models. Results showed good agreement in mean aneurysmal velocity magnitude and intra-aneurysmal pressure. Detailed 3D structural validations against microCT data will also be presented. The value of the simulation algorithm for treatment planning is demonstrated for 3 patient cases. In case 1, stent-assisted coiling (Figure 1a) and flow diverter treatment options (Figure 1b) are evaluated for a wide-neck posterior communicating artery (PCA) aneurysm (Figure 1). In case 2, the simulation algorithm is used to predict changes in fluid dynamics after 12 coil deployments in a large basilar-tip aneurysm. Clinical and simulations results of that case showed a persisting flow jet into the aneurysmal sac after treatment. In case 3, the simulation algorithm is used to compare stent-assisted coiling and coiling-alone in a basilar tip aneurysm. Abstract E-061 Figure 1 Disclosures B. Chong: 1; C; Mayo Clinic Center for Individualised Medicine, Arizona State University. 4; C; Endovantage LLC. H. Babiker: 4; C; Endovantage LLC. D. Frakes: 4; C; Endovantage, LLC. J. Ryan: 5; C; Endovantage LLC. F. Gonzalez: 4; C; Endovantage LLC.


ABSTRACT The complex relationship between human mobility and global climate change remains contested. In this viewpoint, the themes of human mobility, adaptation and climate change are explored from a political ecology perspective. A framework of political ecology of human mobility in relation to climate change is applied to the context of Vietnam's Mekong Delta (MKD). The Vietnamese government, popular media and academic studies often present the MKD in dystopian ways in which there is sometimes no more place for poor and landless farmers as a direct result of climate change. In 2019 and 2020, the MKD faced one of its most severe droughts in recent history largely tied to upstream hydropower development. In this viewpoint article, we contend that future studies can no longer establish a direct and causal relationship between climate change and human mobility, especially in light of these recent events. The underlying drivers as well as the broader context, which are shaped by political economy, market structures and forces, power relations, government policy, geopolitics, and transboundary water issues deserve a more prominent role in the analysis of human mobility patterns in the MKD and beyond.


Foreign Direct Investment, play a huge role in the growth of the global businesses. They can provide to a firm, new markets where the firm can operate, new marketing channels, manufacturing facilities, access to technology and to the products, and they also provide techniques and funds previously unknown. For the host country, this source of technologies, capital, processes, techniques, and managerial skills can provide an important impetus to the economic development of the country. Through this study, it has been analyzed how FDI are affected by the distance and by the economic size of the country. Given that such a gravity model (size and distance) on FDI already exists, this research has examined particularly the impact of these two factors on FDI of the EU member states. Through an econometric model it has been examined how economic size and distance affect foreign investment of EU leading countries in some of the world states and which of two factors have had the greatest impact. The hypothesis raised in this paper is related to the fact that the gravity model with its factors is extremely important for the volume of FDI, the size playing a more important role than the distance. By using statistical judgment and econometric analysis it has been explored if the hypothesis rose above, is statistically valid or not. From the model resulted that the impact of the size coefficient on FDI is 0.0042 million Euros, while the distance coefficient is – 0.36 millions. It shows that with the increase of GDP and the distance between countries, FDI increase and decrease respectively with the above coefficients. According to statistical methods of control, economic size was a more determinant factor than the distance, giving us the idea that in recent years with the increased role of globalization the importance of distance has significantly decreased. In this paper it is recommended the gravity models should consider a lot other factors besides size and distance. JEL classification: A1, C01, C12, C31, C51, F21 Keywords: FDI, international trade, gravity model, EU countries, econometric model.


OBJECTIVE
To assess whether hyperinoculation of cats with a feline herpesvirus-1, calicivirus, and panleukopenia virus (FVRCP) vaccine could be used as a model to study interstitial nephritis and to assess humoral and cell-mediated immune responses toward vaccinal α-enolase.

ANIMALS
6 healthy young adult purpose-bred research cats.

PROCEDURES
Baseline renal cortical biopsies, whole blood, serum, and urine were collected prior to administration of a commercial FVRCP parenteral vaccine. Vaccine hyperinoculation was defined as a total of 8 vaccinations given at 2-week intervals over a 14-week period. Blood samples were collected immediately prior to each vaccination, and a second renal biopsy was performed 2 weeks after hyperinoculation (week 16). Renal histopathology, renal α-enolase immunohistochemistry, and assays to detect humoral and cell-mediated immune reactions against Crandell-Rees feline kidney (CRFK) cell lysates and α-enolase were performed. An α-enolase immunoreactivity score for renal tubules and glomeruli based on signal intensity was determined by a blinded pathologist.

RESULTS
Hyperinoculation with the vaccine was not associated with clinicopathologic evidence of renal dysfunction, and interstitial nephritis was not recognized by light microscopy in the time studied. The mean serum absorbance values for antibodies against CRFK antigen and α-enolase were significantly (P < 0.001) higher at weeks 4, 8, and 16 versus week 0. Renal tubular and glomerular α-enolase immunoreactivity scores were higher at week 16 compared to baseline.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Findings suggested that systemic immunological reactions occurred and renal tissues were affected by vaccine hyperinoculation; however, short-term FVRCP vaccine hyperinoculation cannot be used to study interstitial nephritis in cats.


E.H. Carr was one of Europe's preeminent thinkers in the field of international affairs. Yet his contribution to International Relations theory is continually questioned. Realists depict Carr as a quintessential realist; revisionists draw from his wider corpus to qualify his contribution. Although not inaccurate, the revisionist literature is incomplete as it neglects a number of Carr's diplomatic histories. Refocusing on these, especially the manner in which traces of Ranke's the primacy of foreign affairs tradition are evident, this paper points to a more conservative and less critical Carr. Utilising an interpretivist framework, this shift in traditions of thought is explained by the dilemmas Carr faced. Although works of history rather than theory, the paper contends that Carr's diplomatic histories remain relevant, particularly with regard to the embedded criticism of realpolitik they contain. This realisation is made evident through a reading of Carr in parallel with the concept of tragedy.


Objective. Over the past decade, the therapeutic approach used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has considerably changed. It remains unclear whether these changes have been accompanied by decreased disease severity and surgical treatment burden at the population level. Therefore, we investigated time trends in antirheumatic drug consumption, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and use of orthopedic surgery among Danish patients with RA. Methods. Using medical databases, we identified all patients with RA living in Northern Denmark during 1996–2012. For each calendar year, we computed the annual rate of antirheumatic drug use (1996–2010), the median CRP value in mg/l (1996–2011), and the proportions of patients who underwent hip replacement and other orthopedic procedures (1996–2012). Results. Antirheumatic drug consumption per patient increased 5-fold, from 145.0 defined daily doses (DDD) in 1996 to 695.4 DDD in 2010. Median CRP declined from 20.5 mg/l [interquartile range (IQR), 10.0 to 43.5 mg/l] in 1996 to 10.0 mg/l (IQR, 4.2–17.8 mg/l) in 2011. From 1996 to 2012, declining proportions of patients with RA underwent hip replacement (14.9% to 10.1%) and other joint operations (29.1% to 23.4%), while the annual proportion of patients who underwent soft tissue procedures increased from 20.7% to 23.4%. Conclusion. Antirheumatic drug consumption has substantially increased among patients with RA since 1996, in association with reduced disease activity (i.e., lower CRP levels), fewer joint procedures (including hip replacements), and more soft tissue procedures.


The Colebrook–White formulation of the friction factor is implicit and requires some iterations to be solved given a correct initial search value and a target accuracy. Some new explicit formulations to efficiently calculate the Colebrook–White friction factor are presented herein. The aim of this investigation is twofold: (i) to preserve the accuracy of estimates while (ii) reducing the computational burden (i.e. speed). On the one hand, the computational effectiveness is important when the intensive calculation of the friction factor (e.g. large-size water distribution networks (WDN) in optimization problems, flooding software, etc.) is required together with its derivative. On the other hand, the accuracy of the developing formula should be realistically chosen considering the remaining uncertainties surrounding the model where the friction factor is used. In the following, three strategies for friction factor mapping are proposed which were achieved by using the Evolutionary Polynomial Regression (EPR). The result is the encapsulation of some pieces of


Stable Cyclopropenium-Based Radicals Zack M. Strater Stable radicals have enjoyed widespread use in a variety of fields including synthetic chemistry, materials chemistry, energy storage, and biochemistry. This thesis outlines our investigations of cyclopropenium-based stable radicals and their application as redox mediators, redox-active ligands, catalysts, and materials for energy storage. The first chapter gives a brief overview of the use of radicals in synthetic chemistry. The principles that govern the stability of radicals is discussed and notable examples are highlighted. The second section of the first chapter reviews the aromatic platforms that have been developed by the Lambert group and how they might be converted into stable radical species. The second chapter details our study of 2,3-diaminocyclpropenones as stable radicals. These electron rich cyclopropenium derivatives undergo facile oxidation to yield a radical cation species. The origin of the stability of this oxygen-centered radical was elucidated by density functional theory calculations and analysis of the crystal structure. Diaminocyclopropenones were also found to be effective neutral L-type ligands in Ce(IV) complexes. EPR and UV-VIS experiments revealed that these complexes exhibited reversible homolytic dissociation of their diaminocyclopropenone ligands. The third chapter describes the use of trisaminocyclopropeniums as catholytes for nonaqueous redox flow batteries. A newly designed trisaminocyclopropenium structure could be accessed in large quantities and showed long lasting stability in its oxidized state. A new composite polyionic material was developed for use as a membrane suitable for organic solvent and high voltages. Cycling in combination with a perylenediimide anolyte yielded a 1.7 V battery that exhibited excellent coulombic efficiency and capacity retention. Using a spirobis(phthalimido) anolyte afforded a battery with an open circuit voltage of 2.8 V. The fourth chapter details how our battery studies with trisaminocyclopropenium radical dications led us to discover their photoinduced reactivity. We developed an electrophotocatalytic platform using trisaminocyclopropeniums as a species capable of being activated by both photochemical and electrochemical energy. The excited state oxidation potential of the doubly activated species was found to be +3.33 V, which was capable of effecting oxidative coupling reactions using both arenes and ethers as substrates. Density functional theory calculations and spectroscopic experiments revealed that the photoreactivity was due to a SOMO-inversion event. The trisaminocyclopropenium radical dication could be prepared on scale via direct electrolysis and subsequently used in high throughput screening.