Molluscum Contagiosum Lesions A drug-device containing the topical vesicant cantharidin safely and effectively treated molluscum contagiosum in 2 identical phase 3 multicenter US trials published in JAMA Dermatology. The common viral skin infection can last for years and has no approved treatment. Together the 2 trials randomized 528 participants to receive topical application of VP-102 or vehicle treatment every 21 days for a maximum of 4 treatments. VP-102 consists of a glass ampule containing 450 μL of solution with 0.7% cantharidin in a single-use applicator. Most participants were children aged 2 to 11 years. In the 2 trials, complete lesion clearance rates ranged from 46.3% to 54% in the treatment groups and 13.4% to 17.9% in the vehicle groups. Nearly all the participants who received VP-102—96.8%—and 58.8% of the vehicle group had treatment-emergent adverse events that were mild or moderate.


In this study, we analyze the recently proposed charge transfer fluctuations within a finite pseudorapidity space. As the charge transfer fluctuation is a measure of the local charge correlation length, it is capable of detecting inhomogeneity in the hot and dense matter created by heavy ion collisions. We predict that going from peripheral to central collisions, the charge transfer fluctuations at midrapidity should decrease substantially while the charge transfer fluctuations at the edges of the observation window should decrease by a small amount. These are consequences of having a strongly inhomogeneous matter where the QGP component is concentrated around midrapidity. We also show how to constrain the values of the charge correlations lengths in both the hadronic phase and the QGP phase using the charge transfer fluctuations. Current manuscript is based on the preprints hep-ph/0503085 (to appear in Physical Review C) and nucl-th/0506025.


We previously showed that the product of the wbaP gene of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium has two functions: it is involved in the first step of O-antigen synthesis (the galactosyltransferase [GT] function) and in a later step (the T function), first thought to be the flipping of the O-antigen subunit on undecaprenyl pyrophosphate from the cytoplasmic face to the periplasmic face of the cytoplasmic membrane. We now locate two wbaP(T) mutations within the first half of the wbaP gene by sequencing. Both mutants retain GT activity, although one was a frameshift mutation resulting in a stop codon 10 codons after the frameshift to give an open reading frame containing only 138 of the 476 codons in WbaP. We also show that there is a secondary translation starting within the wbaP gene resulting in the synthesis of a polypeptide with GT activity. These results indicate that the N- and C-terminal halves of WbaP are the T and GT functional domains, respectively. We now propose that the T block operates prior to the flippase function, probably at the release of undecaprenyl pyrophosphate-linked galactose from WbaP.


COVID-19 has revealed limitations of existing mechanisms for rationing medical resources under emergency scenarios. Many argue that these mechanisms abandon various ethical values such as equity by discriminating against disadvantaged communities. Illustrating that these limitations are aggravated by a restrictive choice of mechanism, we formulate pandemic rationing of medical resources as a new application of market design and propose a reserve system as a resolution. We develop a general theory of reserve design, introduce new concepts such as cutoff equilibria and smart reserves, extend the analysis of previously-known ones such as sequential reserve matching, relate these concepts to current debates, and present preliminary policy impact.


: After reduction and alkylation of the disulfide bonds of the proteinase inhibitor B from the root of the arrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia L.) followed by CNBr cleavage three peptide fragments with 68, 62 and 11 amino-acid residues could be separated on DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B. The peptides or the inhibitor itself were further specifically cleaved either by trypsin or by the mixture of (CH3)2SO/HCl/HBr at the arginyl- and the tryptophyl-peptide bond, respectively. The complete amino-acid sequences of the peptides were determined by manual solid phase DABITC/PITC double coupling micro-method and the primary structure of the arrowhead inhibitor B consisting of 141 amino-acid residues was then elucidated. Twenty pairs of amino-acid residues are repeated in the molecule of this inhibitor, three of these pairs even occur three times. The possible locations of the reactive sites are discussed. On the basis of sequence comparisons between this inhibitor and all other serine proteinase inhibitors the arrowhead inhibitor may belong to a new family.


We used a yeast one-hybrid complementation screen to identify regions within the cytosolic tails of the mouse α, β, and γ epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) important to protein-protein and/or protein-lipid interactions at the plasma membrane. The cytosolic COOH terminus of αENaC contained a strongly interactive domain just distal to the second transmembrane region (TM2) between Met610 and Val632. Likewise, γENaC contained such a domain just distal to TM2 spanning Gln573–Pro600. Interactive domains were also localized within Met1–Gln54 and the last 17 residues of α- and βENaC, respectively. Confocal images of Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with enhanced green fluorescent fusion proteins of the cytosolic tails of mENaC subunits were consistent with results in yeast. Fusion proteins of the NH2 terminus of αENaC and the COOH termini of all three subunits co-localized with a plasma membrane marker. The functional importance of the membrane interactive domain in the COOH terminus of γENaC was established with whole-cell patch clamp experiments of wild type (α, β, and γ) and mutant (α, β, and γΔQ573-P600) mENaC reconstituted in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Mutant channels had about 13% of the activity of wild type channels with 0.33 ± 0.14 versus 2.5 ± 0.80 nA of amiloridesensitive inward current at –80 mV. Single channel analysis of recombinant channels demonstrated that mutant channels had a decrease in Po with 0.16 ± 0.03 versus 0.67 ± 0.07 for wild type. Mutant γENaC associated normally with the other two subunits in co-immunoprecipitation studies and localized to the plasma membrane in membrane labeling experiments and when visualized with evanescent-field fluorescence microscopy. Similar to deletion of Gln573–Pro600, deletion of Gln573–Arg583 but not Thr584–Pro600 decreased ENaC activity. The current results demonstrate that residues within Gln573–Arg583 of γENaC are necessary for normal channel gating.


Objective To systematically review scientific reports on the effectiveness of acupuncture to treat male sexual dysfunction. Methods The Medline database was searched for published clinical trials of acupuncture for erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE) with English abstracts. Risk of bias was assessed for randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Results Seven studies on two conditions of male sexual dysfunction met the inclusion criteria. Three out of four RCTs were patient-blinded, but all had a high risk of bias. Three suggested that acupuncture has a therapeutic effect as compared with sham acupuncture. Comparisons with paroxetine were inconsistent. Other uncontrolled studies and case series suggested satisfactory improvements of ED and PE after acupuncture. Conclusions Acupuncture appears to have promise for treating male sexual dysfunction, but in view of the small number of studies and their variable quality, doubts remain about its effectiveness. Further studies are justified.


This article examines recent Italian historiography on welfare, with a particular focus on gender-oriented research. It relates recent Italian studies to the international debate, in order to identify acquisitions, open problems and perspectives. Its aim is to show how these studies could improve if a transnational and, broadly speaking, global approach was adopted, and it discusses a series of possible themes and issues to be addressed.


The benefits that resulted in 1985 from the introduction of implantable defibrillators are discussed. Attention is also given to such developments as cochlear implants to help the deaf hear and lithotripters to crumble kidney stones using shock waves. The year 1985 also saw a wider use of magnetic resonance imaging and developments in temporary and permanent ventricular assist devices.


A broad class of scenarios for new physics involving additional strongly interacting fields generically predicts signatures at hadron colliders which consist solely of large numbers of jets and substantial missing transverse energy. In this work, we investigate the prospects for discovery in such scenarios using a search strategy in which jet multiplicity and missing transverse energy are employed as the primary criteria for distinguishing signal from background. We examine the discovery reach this strategy affords in an example theory (a simplified supersymmetric model whose low-energy spectrum consists of a gluino, a light stop, and a light neutralino) and demonstrate that it frequently exceeds the reach obtained via other, alternative strategies.


mortality: age-specific effects in Nijmegen project, 1975-82. Lancet 1985;i:865-6. 10 Collette HJA, Rombach JJ, Day NE, de Waard F. Evaluation of screening for breast cancer in a non-randomised study (the DOM project) by means of a case-control study. Lancet 1984;i: 1224-6. 11 Palli D, del Turco MR, Buiatti E, et al. A case-control study of the efficacy of a non-randomized breast cancer screening program in Florence (Italy). IntJ Cancer 1986;38:501-4.


Organisms with the typical characteristics of mycoplasmas were isolated from joints and lungs of crocodiles. The results of growth inhibition tests and immunobinding assays showed that the 24 mycoplasma strains isolated were identical and distinct from previously described Mycoplasma, Entomoplasma, Mesoplasma, and Acholeplasma species. These organisms represent a new species, for which the name Mycoplasma crocodyli is proposed. M. crocodyli ferments glucose and maltose, does not produce films and spots, does not hydrolyze arginine, esculin, and urea, reduces tetrazolium chloride, and possesses phosphatase activity. It lyses and adsorbs bovine, ovine, and rabbit erythrocytes. Cholesterol or serum is required for growth. The optimum growth temperature is 37 degrees C. The G + C content of the DNA is 27.6 mol%. This organism causes exudative polyarthritis in crocodiles. The type strain of M. crocodyli is strain MP145 (= ATCC 51981).


The combination of the concentration of formic acid and the duration of fumigation (CT product) during indoor treatments of honey bee, Apis mellifera L., colonies to control the varroa mite, Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman, determines the efficacy of the treatment. Because high concentrations can cause queen mortality, we hypothesized that a high CT product given as a low concentration over a long exposure time rather than as a high concentration over a short exposure time would allow effective control of varroa mites without the detrimental effects on queens. The objective of this study was to assess different combinations of formic acid concentration and exposure time with similar CT products in controlling varroa mites while minimizing the effect on worker and queen honey bees. Treated colonies were exposed to a low, medium, or high concentration of formic acid until a mean CT product of 471 ppm*d in room air was realized. The treatments consisted of a long-term low concentration of 19 ppm for 27 d, a medium-term medium concentration of 42 ppm for 10 d, a short-term high concentration of 53 ppm for 9 d, and an untreated control. Both short-term high-concentration and medium-term medium-concentration fumigation with formic acid killed varroa mites, with averages of 93 and 83% mortality, respectively, but both treatments also were associated with an increase in mortality of worker bees, queen bees, or both. Long-term low-concentration fumigation had lower efficacy (60% varroa mite mortality), but it did not increase worker or queen bee mortality. This trend differed slightly in colonies from two different beekeepers. Varroa mite mean abundance was significantly decreased in all three acid treatments relative to the control. Daily worker mortality was significantly increased by the short-term high concentration treatment, which was reflected by a decrease in the size of the worker population, but not an increase in colony mortality. Queen mortality was significantly greater under the medium-term medium concentration and the short-term high concentration treatments than in controls.


We review our strategy to attach polymerization initiators to electrode surfaces by electroreduction of aryl diazonium salts. The ~5 nm‐thick aryl layers efficiently initiate the growth of crosslinked polymer grafts prepared in the presence of template molecules. We address the important parameters in obtaining highly sensitive molecularly imprinted vinylic polymer layers grafted on working electrodes such as glassy carbon, gold and indium tin oxide. Square wave voltammetry is the preferred electroanalytical tool while the limit of detection (LOD) of analytes can be decreased down to subnanomolar detection by synthesizing ultrathin layers in the 20–30 nm thickness. Further improvement can be achieved with molecularly imprinted polymer layers with embedded gold nanoparticles. Rebinding solvent is demonstrated to be another important parameter for lowering LOD. This work highlights XPS as a unique surface sensitive technique for monitoring the chemical composition changes occurring at the electrode surface during the building of the high performance sensing layers as well as for evidencing the reversible complexation of the template molecule by the molecularly imprinted recognition sites. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Unlike the real part of the generalized weak value of an observable, which can in a restricted sense be operationally interpreted as an idealized conditioned average of that observable in the limit of zero measurement disturbance, the imaginary part of the generalized weak value does not provide information pertaining to the observable being measured. What it does provide is direct information about how the initial state would be unitarily disturbed by the observable operator. Specifically, we provide an operational interpretation for the imaginary part of the generalized weak value as the logarithmic directional derivative of the postselection probability along the unitary flow generated by the action of the observable operator. To obtain this interpretation, we revisit the standard von Neumann measurement protocol for obtaining the real and imaginary parts of the weak value and solve it exactly for arbitrary initial states and postselections using the quantum operations formalism, which allows us to understand in detail how each part of the generalized weak value arises in the linear response regime. We also provide exact treatments of qubit measurements and Gaussian detectors as illustrative special cases, and show that the measurement disturbance from a Gaussian detector is purely decohering in the Lindblad sense, which allows the shifts for a Gaussian detector to be completely understood for any coupling strength in terms of a single complex weak value that involves the decohered initial state.


Strategic management is a multi-step approach utilized by leadership to assess and execute the strategic thinking, strategic planning, and manage the strategic momentum of a health care organization. Health care organizations require comprehensive strategic management in order to successfully guide organizations through the dynamic and competitive environment of health care. The formalized rules of strategic management as applied to health care are still in its relative infancy, yet the industry's most successful organizations consistently demonstrated strategic management competencies. In order for an organization in health care to think about, develop, and reach its long-term vision, leadership must recognize and utilize the principles of strategic management. This case study examines Gateway Health LP, a Pittsburgh-based managed care organization serving over 400,000 Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in six states. In the past three years, Gateway has made substantial strides and changes in order to proactively manage its strategic future. These steps involved significant forethought, planning and iterative management in uncertain and changing environments of federal and state health care programs. The goal of this case study analysis is to overlay the recent history of Gateway Health in the context of strategic management principles as outlined by Ginter's Principles of Strategic Management and ultimately map the strategic course of the organization. Ultimately, the larger implication of executing effective strategic management for healthcare organizations is the ability to sustain the public health element of providing access to health services to their defined communities.


Java workloads have two different execution spaces: one in JVM and the other in the native environment. Understanding workload activity in native and non-native (Java) spaces and its impact on the overall resource consumption of Java workloads can be very useful. For example, this knowledge can be exploited in code optimization and for efficient process level scheduling especially in emerging hybrid systems. Existing Java run time tracing tools are quite heavyweight and/or offer limited useful information for understanding Java and native space interactions. We developed an extremely lightweight tracing tool for enterprise Java workloads. The tool captures detailed per-thread statistics related to resource usage and activity in JVM and native spheres. Efficient design based on innovative thread and memory management principles enables us to achieve scalable monitoring with our tool on multi-core systems running enterprise workloads. The information captured by the tool is used to build workload profiles which can then be used for predictive performance of Java workloads in emerging systems and architectures.


Simultaneous plasma dexamethasone and cortisol levels were followed at intervals over 8 hour periods on 40 occasions in 19 subjects who received regular high dosage dexamethasone therapy (rarely less than 12 mg a day) for various neurological and neurosurgical conditions. Lower dexamethasone doses (for example 2 mg daily for 2 days) normally suppress adrenal cortical production of cortisol to below 50 micrograms/l for at least 8 hours. However, in 12 of the 35 studies that did not take place at the first steroid dose or in subjects taking second daily bolus steroid dosage such suppression was not present 8 to 12 hours after dexamethasone intake, though it was shown that dexamethasone could suppress cortisol production in all these cases. Failure of maintained suppression despite the high steroid dose appeared to be related to rapid elimination of dexamethasone. These findings may help explain the relative rarity of adrenal failure in clinical neurological practice after high dosage steroid therapy is ceased.


Using traffic and passenger itinerary data for the European network, the cost resilience of four mechanisms, with phased stakeholder uptake, has been assessed under explicit, local and disperse disturbance: industrial action and weather. A novel cost resilience metric has demonstrated logical properties and captured cost impacts sensitively. Of these mechanisms, only A-CDM has been cost-benefit analysed in SESAR, yet the other three each demonstrate particular utility. Flight-, passenger- and cost-centric metrics are deployed to assess the mechanisms, with fully costed results presented, based on extensive industry consultation. Initial work on assessing mechanism payback periods has begun.


Many women who have higher–risk pregnancies, complications or medical conditions require specialist obstetric or multidisciplinary care. Increasingly women, whose condition deteriorates and becomes critical during childbirth, are being cared for by midwives in obstetric high dependency units within the labour ward, rather than being cared for by nurses in ITU.
Critical Care in Childbearing for Midwives explores all aspects of management, support and care of childbearing women who become critically ill due to pre–existing conditions or who develop critical illness as a result of complications of childbearing. It examines predisposing factors which result in the need for critical care, addresses specialist monitoring technology and skills, and explores autonomous practice and team approaches to providing care for critically ill women in childbearing.


Throughout southwestern Kansas thousands of acres of native grassland have been converted to cropland for agricultural use, reducing native prairie by over 60% in the sandsage prairie. Due to low precipitation and arid conditions, much of these croplands are irrigated by center pivot irrigation systems fed by the Ogallala Aquifer. These fields are abandoned when the aquifers dry up, resulting in erosion of the unused farmland. Conservation programs such as the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) were established to address this problem but have been unsuccessful in restoring native grasslands in abandoned croplands in southwestern Kansas. We hypothesized that insect larvae infestation could be instrumental in the lack of vegetation establishment success. To address this, we investigated whether insecticide use would result in higher seedling survival and plant cover of native grasses. Using a custom seed mixture, we planted three strip plots in an abandoned center pivot located in Kearny County, Kansas and measured seed establishment and canopy cover in two transects per strip plot. The strip plots were divided into halves, with one half sprayed with insecticide and the other half used as a control. We found marginally significant difference in average median seed counts between unsprayed and sprayed plots, with sprayed plots having greater seedling counts. We also found significant difference in Total Plant cover and Planted Grass cover, with more Total Plant cover and Planted Grass cover in sprayed plots. We found that Pivot soil had greater amounts of carbon than Native soil. In 2020, we planted a total of three new strip plots in two new sites in Kearny County, Kansas, with the intent to evaluate which of three different frames worked better for seed counting – A small frame (20 cm x 50 cm), a larger frame (one m x one m), and a three-meter tract of seed row. We found a significant difference between the three frame types, but only the small frame was shown to be inferior to the other two types


AbstractEssay in political science, C-level, by Bo-Josef Eriksson, spring semester 2007Tutor: Susan Marton"Universal morality - does it exist? - A case study of small states foreign policy"The purpose of this essay is to examine how well does realism stand of against idealism when the focus of the study is on small states foreign policy? The essay takes it's starting point at the debate between the two theories of international relations (IR). Realism is the theory that has had the most impact on the study of IR since the second world war. Idealism has been it's greatest opponent and the debate is still active even up til this day.My case study of Danmarks foreign aid policy constitutes a worst critical case scenario for realism and therfore my assumptions were that idealism would be the theory that could explain the core-elements of the Danish foregin aid. Core-elements is the caracteristic of the different theory's and the core-elements of idealism is the oposite of those of realism. The actual examination-material is the policy documnts of Danida. Danida stands for; Danish International Development Assistance, and it's an department under the Danish ministry of foreign affairs.The answer to if Danida's foreign aid policy is based on realistic or idealisti core-elements is that it is based on idealistic core-elements. So to answer the purpose realism didn't stand that well of when the focus were on a small states foreign policy. The limitations of my study lies in the fact that it's an qualitative research which means that you may have som problem with generalisations so to be able to say something about all small states there will have to be more research done in this particular area.


The advent of online advertising has simultaneously created unprecedented opportunities for advertisers to target consumers and prompted privacy concerns among consumers and regulators. This paper estimates the financial impact of privacy policies on the online display ad industry by applying an empirical model to a proprietary auction dataset. Two challenges complicate the analysis. First, while the advertisers are assumed to publicly observe tracking profiles, the econometrician does not see this data. My model overcomes this challenge by disentangling the unobserved premium paid for certain users from the observed bids. In order to simulate a market in which advertisers can no longer track users, I set the unobserved bid premium's variance to zero. Second, the data provider uses a novel auction mechanism in which first-price bidders and second-price bidders operate concurrently. I develop new techniques to analyze these hybrid auctions. I consider three privacy policies that vary by the degree of user choice. My results suggest that online publisher revenues drop by 3.9% under an opt-out policy, 34.6% under an opt-in policy, and 38.5% under a tracking ban. Total advertiser surplus drops by 4.6%, 4'39%, and 45.5% respectively.


Remotely piloted aircrafts (RPAs or "drones") have become important tools in military surveillance and combat, border protection, police and disaster management. In particular, the use of weaponized RPAs has led to a discussion on the ethical, strategic and legal implications of using such systems in warfare. In this context, studies suggest that RPA pilots experience similar exposure to post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety disorders compared to fighter pilots, although the flight and combat experiences are completely different. In order to investigate this phenomenon, we created an experiment that intends to measure the "moral stress" RPA pilots may experience when the operation of such systems leads to human casualties. "Moral stress" refers to the possibility that deciding upon moral dilemmas may not only cause physiological stress, but may also lead to (unconscious) changes in the evaluation of values and reasons that are relevant to problem solving. The experiment includes an RPA simulation based on a game engine and novel measurement tools to assess moral reasoning. In this contribution, we outline the design of the experiment and the results of pretests that demonstrate the sensitivity of our measures. We close by arguing for the need of such studies to better understand novel forms of human-computer interaction.


The South Pacific is home to the world's largest and most valuable tuna fishery. Despite this, the Pacific island countries have found it tremendously difficult to capture significant economic rents from the resource. It is argued in this paper that poor economic policy partly explains this. However, poor policies are preventing the implementation of strong, cost-effective institutions for the governance of the fishery which, coupled with strong institutions for broad social and economic governance, are required for development of the industry. Opportunities for policy reform that is likely to lead to significant gains from the fishery are highlighted.


This thesis examines communication processes in public libraries. Public libraries present an interesting dilemma: they are considered as agents of communication in society by the profession of librarianship, but they also function as formal institutions of the State. The duality of their role presents a complex communication model, because these institutions have a professional ideology of community service but are obliged to communicate within the context of a set of power bases. As previous semiotic studies indicate (Goffman, 1961; Foucault, 1980) when power is an issue there will be dysfunctional acts of communication. Thus it becomes useful to ask whether there are any dysfunctional communication processes in public libraries as institutions of the State. This thesis is primarily concerned with one factor that affects communication: the possible systemic dysfunctional acts of communication in public libraries.

The research problem focused on the questions of: What forces construct this possible dysfunctional communication? What forms does it take? How does possible dysfunctional communication prevent public libraries from achieving their professional objectives as agents of communication in society? This universal problem was examined by taking the Perth metropolitan region public library system in Western Australia as an example. In resolving the research problem three primary communication nodes were identified: (1) the "public face" of these institutions; (2) the agents of communication: staff and users (including non-users); and (3) the State Library, represented by its headquarters, the Alexander Library Building, as an exemplary site where the State's power is most strongly expressed.

Semiotics, the discipline whose central point is the study of meaning, is applied to the examination of the possible communication dysfunction in public libraries. The resolution of any communication problems in these institutions was studied against two semiotic dimensions : space and time. The grounded theory method has provided the necessary research strategy for formulating theories from data systematically obtained for this semiotic analysis. As both of these approaches to research are based on inductive methods, data were collected by three surveys: (1) a staff questionnaire involving all executive librarians or their deputies in the Perth metropolitan region; (2) a user survey based on interviews with 112 users; and (3) telephone interviews with 56 non-users. Differences of meaning stemming from differences in codes of users are important in semiotic research, thus an analysis of four public libraries located in higher and lower income suburbs added a comparative dimension to the study. In addition to questionnaire surveys and various interviews, data were collected through observations during the field research. Various sign generating "texts" created by these institutions, such as architectural briefs and floor plans, job descriptions and various other official documents were also examined.

The sustaining functionality of dysfunctional communication was disclosed as a complex dimension of communication processes in these institutions. The implications of this first study of semiotics of public libraries is that it demonstrates a way to recognise unwanted dysfunctional and systemic communication acts, i.e., alienating functions of signifiers of power, in these institutions. It also points out the crucial need to balance any possibly negative meanings by incorporating into their communication systems the ideology of public libraries, which aim to disseminate the recorded culture of a society as widely as possible.


Learning curves are extensively used in policy and scenario studies. Progress ratios (PRs) are derived from historical data and are used for forecasting cost development of many technologies, including photovoltaics (PV). Forecasts are highly sensitive to uncertainties in the PR. A PR usually is determined together with the coefficient of determination R2, which should approach unity for a good fit of the available data. Although the R2 is instructive, we recommend using the error in the PR determined from the fit because it is a direct measure of the range in PR values that is recommended to be used in sensitivity analyses within scenario studies. We present a simple equation to calculate the error in PR from the fit parameters. In the case of crystalline PV module technology development we find a PR = 0·794 ± 0·003 by fitting price data of the period 1976–2006. A moving average approach with a 10‐year time window shows that PR varies from 0·818 ± 0·017 up to a starting year of 1987, and is reduced considerably to a minimum value of 0·704 ± 0·014 for the starting year 1991. For the most recent starting year 1997, the average PR is considerably higher at 0·884 ± 0·022, highlighting the recent silicon feedstock supply problem. When available, error in individual data points can be used to perform weighted fits in order to decrease fitting errors. To illustrate this approach, an analysis of Dutch PV system price development over the period 1992–2002 shows that PR is 0·876 ± 0·010, where the error is decreased with respect to unweighted fitting. The PR = 0·794 has been used to analyze the cost targets stated in the Strategic Research Agenda as formulated by the European PV Technology Platform for the years 2013, 2020 and 2030. Assuming that such a PR is maintained, it is concluded that these targets may be attained at sustained annual growth rates of 21–42%, which seems feasible. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


BACKGROUND
Acute mesenteric ischemia is still fatal in 50% to 70% of cases. This consensus paper was written with the participation of physicians from all of the involved specialties for the purpose of improving outcomes. Mesenteric ischemia must be recognized as a vascular emergency requiring rapid and efficient clinical evaluation and treatment.

METHODS
We reviewed pertinent literature that was retrieved by a PubMed search on the terms "mesenteric ischemia" AND "arterial" OR "venous" OR "clinical presentation" OR "diagnosis" OR "therapy" OR "surgery" OR " interventional radiology." Our review also took account of the existing guidelines of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association. Intensive discussions among the participating physicians, representing all of the specialties involved in the management of mesenteric ischemia, led to the creation of this interdisciplinary paper.

RESULTS
Biphasic contrast-enhanced computerized tomography is the diagnostic tool of choice for the detection of arterial or venous occlusion. If non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia is suspected, angiography should be performed, with the option of intraarterial pharmacotherapy to induce local vasodilation. Endovascular techniques have become increasingly important in the treatment of arterial occlusion. Embolic central mesenteric artery occlusion requires surgical treatment; surgery is also needed in case of peritonitis. Portal-vein thrombosis can be treated by local thrombolysis through a transhepatically placed catheter. This should be done within 3 to 4 weeks of the event to prevent later complications of portal hypertension.

CONCLUSION
Rapid diagnosis (within 4 to 6 hours of symptom onset) and interdisciplinary cooperation in the provision of treatment are required if the poor outcome of this condition is to be improved.


For many decades, it has been stated that renewable energy, RE, needs subsidy, otherwise it will not be able to compete or sustain. For a certain level, this statement was valid. In this period, the investment costs for both wind and photovoltaic, PV, were high. In other words, production costs of both of them reached around 7.0 and 13.0 Cent US$ per kWh. On the other hand, oil and natural gas, NG, prices were low; i.e. less than US$ 30.0 per oil barrel and around US$ 4.0 per million British thermal unit, MMBTU, of NG. Also, policies of promoting RE were limited; almost there are two main policies, Feed-in-Tariff, FiT, in limited developed countries and international tenders. As a result, investment in RE was usually led by developed countries and minor share from the developing countries. This was the scene of RE before around 10 years. Nowadays, the scene of RE totally differs. Starting from the policies side, through auctions in both solar and wind energies, new records of prices have been reached. In numbers, in the field of wind energy Morocco and Egypt already signed contracts with prices lower than 4.0 US$ Cents/kWh. For PV, there is a dramatic devaluation in the prices. Now we are speaking for less than 0.7 million US$ per MW for turnkey projects.  As a result, during the last couple of years, the global RE market witnessed a bundle of an outstanding prices, El-Sewihan Project at Abu Dhabi, 2.42 US$ Cent/kWh. Mexico and Dubai projects, 3.6 and 3.0 US$ Cent/kWh. Few days ago, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, received $9.45 cents per kilowatt-hour for its 200MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plant. All these figures, and others, gave us important messages; 1) Despite low prices of oil and NG, RE is able to compete and offer outstanding prices, 2) Wind and PV technologies do not need any kind of subsidy, rather than they need a real free market to compete, 3) CSP is a low hanging fruit and it will witness a frog-leap during the coming couple of years, 4) Even CSP still high, compared with both PV and wind, but is a dispatchable energy. So, it is a game changer. 5) There is a need for more RD i.e. biomass and PV, still need further development in the developing countries. 7) Most of the outstanding recent prices have been fulfilled by developing countries, which means that their role in promoting RE applications, grow year by year.


ABSTRACT Expansion of our knowledge of the microbial world continues to progress at a rapid rate and carries with it an associated need for recognizing and understanding the implications of those changes. Here, we describe additions of novel taxa from domestic animals published in 2022 that are validly published per the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. These included new members of Staphylococcaceae, Moraxella nasovis sp. nov. in sheep with respiratory disease, three additions to Campylobacteraceae (including one from chickens with spotty liver disease), and multiple additions of organisms from the microbiota of dogs, pigs, and especially honeybees and other important pollinators. Noteworthy additions were associated with diseases of cattle, including mastitis, endocarditis, orchitis, and endometritis. Also described in 2022 was Pseudochrobactrum algeriense sp. nov., a member of the Brucellaceae family, isolated from the mammary lymph nodes of cows.


The fundamental purpose of reliability centred maintenance (RCM) at Florida Power Corporation (FPC) is to increase reliability, optimize operating costs, and extend the useful life of its bulk power assets. At Florida Power, reliability centered maintenance (RCM) program is dependent on a condition assessment of the asset. The program is based on an automated CMMS application with ability to: identify and organize system equipment groups and components; include equipment and maintenance activity costs; record a complete maintenance history and condition of specific equipment; trigger and rank maintenance tasks based on a condition assessment; and to link to other databases and corporate systems for "intelligent decision making".


typically, electric power companies employ a group of employees known as power meter readers to collect data on the customer's energy consumption. This activity is carried out manually, which can lead to errors and cause financial and physical losses. There are several approaches with the aim at minimizing the aforementioned problems. These approaches propose different methodologies to discover routes that are more efficient for the power meter readers while performing their tasks. However, the problems associated with manual readings may occur even when the routes are more efficient. In addition, there are some proposals to achieve the automatic meter readings using cars. However, these proposals are limited to traffic congestions and present a high cost in terms of fuel. To overcome these challenges and limitations in the literature efforts, we propose an automatic meter reading system based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The results show that our approach has two key contributions compared to other solutions in the literature: (i) power meter readers are no longer necessary; (ii) it reduces the time to perform the readings from the electric meters.


Sediments delivered to the South Atlantic Ocean by the Orange River are fractionated and dispersed northwards and westwards by a vigorous longshore drift system and a number of ocean currents. Gravels are accreted to the coastline for a distance >300 km north from the Orange River mouth. Sands are transported alongshore for >700 km but are, in places along this transport path, returned onshore by coastal winds to form the main Namib Sand Sea and other smaller dune fields. Mud is more widely dispersed westwards, northwards and southwards, probably by slow-moving, ocean-scale currents into basins on the shelf and onto the continental shelf edge. This dispersal system, operating since at least Eocene times, is believed to have originated during a time when there was a Late Cretaceous–Early Cenozoic uplift of southern Africa, which resulted in: (1) intensification of the existing southerly wind system; (2) incision of the Orange River, which, coupled with a shift in climate, resulted in a coarsening of its sediment load delivered to the coast; (3) a broad, weakly subsiding or mildly uplifting inner continental shelf with little accommodation space for the sediment load of the incising Orange River.


STUDY DESIGN: The progression of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) follows anterolateral "stab" of adult rabbit lumbar discs by 16-gauge hypodermic needle to a limited (5-mm) depth was studied for up to 24 weeks using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).OBJECTIVES: To develop a slowly progressive, reproducible rabbit model of IDD suitable for studying pathogenesis and pathopysiology of intervertebral disc degeneration. Moreover, to improve the MRI methods and achieve improved MRIs a custom quad coil tuned and matched for 3.0T was developed. Higher SNR achievable with this coil allowed the acquisition of higher resolution images.METHODS: Part1 - The L2-L3, L3-L4, and L4-L5 lumbar intervertebral discs of 18 skeletally mature female New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits were stabbed by 16-gauge hypodermic needle to a depth of 5-mm in the left anterolateral annulus fibrosis (AF). Serial MRI scans of the stabbed discs and intact L1-2 and L5-6 control discs were performed at 3, 6, 12, and 24 weeks post surgery and compared with preoperative MRIs. Development of the quad coil at 3.0T was competed with reference phantom to demonstrate the advantages over the 5 inch surface coil at 1.5T. To further illustrate the coils advantages in-vivo rabbit MRIs were obtained with the custom coil and compared to the 5 inch surface coil at 1.5TRESULTS: The stabbed discs exhibited a progressive decrease in "MRI Index" (the product of nucleus pulposus (NP) area and signal intensity from T2-weighted midsagittal plane images) starting at 3 weeks post stab and continuing through 24 weeks, with no evidence of spontaneous recovery or reversal of MRI changes. In addition, the constructed quad coil at 3.0T demonstrated the ability to obtain high resolution scans with SNR comparable to the 5 inch surface coil at 1.5T.CONCLUSIONS: Stabbing the anterolateral AF of adult rabbit lumbar discs with a 16-gauge hypodermic needle to a limited (5-mm) depth results in a number of slowly progressive and reproducible MRI changes over 24 weeks that show a similarity to changes seen in human IDD. This model would appear suitable for studying pathogenesis and pathophysiology of IDD and testing safety and efficacy of novel treatments of IDD.


Jean-Luc Godard's interest in pedagogy, and in the pedagogical capacities of the image in particular, led him in works of the late 1960s to confront some of the main theoretical problems concerning image, language, and knowledge, problems that have been at the core of his films ever since. Despite the "scientific" claims made by films like Masculin féminin (1965) and 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1967), Godard's enthusiasm for a pedagogical usage of the image was quickly undercut by serious doubts about the adequacy of any verbal or visual signs. This doubt, in turn, led Godard to associate the possibility of adequate signification with a utopian condition to be brought about by Communist revolution. Such a condition, in which an image could successfully express an idea, is imagined hypothetically in the "images claires" of La Chinoise (1967). Le gai savoir (1969), meanwhile, acknowledges our distance from this condition and considers how knowledge might be arrived at through images despite their shortcomings. Nonetheless, the latter film continues to posit the possibility of a future state in which language will be capable of fully manifesting truth, but imagines that this truth will reside in the embodied voice rather than in the image.


The Colles' fracture is probably the most common fracture seen in the Emergency Department. Although there are several different methods of reduction and fixation, the goal of any treatment plan is to return the patient to normal function. Depending on the complexity, the Colles' fracture can be successfully treated open or closed. This article reviews the mechanism of injury, assessment, conservative or operative treatment, and rehabilitation of these fractures.


A critical analysis of a thermal inertia approach to map surface soil water content on bare and sparsely vegetated soils by means of remotely sensed data is reported. The study area is an experimental field located in Barrax, Spain. In situ data were acquired within the Barrax 2011 research project. An advanced hyperspectral scanner airborne imager provides images in the visible/near-infrared and thermal infrared bands. Images were acquired both in day and night times by the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial between 12th and 13th of June 2011. The scene covers a corn irrigation pivot surrounded by bare soil, where a set of in situ data have been collected both previously and simultaneously to overpasses. To validate remotely sensed estimations, an ad hoc dataset has been produced by measuring spectra, radiometric temperatures, surface soil water content, and soil thermal properties. These data were collected on two transects covering bare and sparsely vegetated soils. This ground dataset was used (1) to verify if a thermal inertia method can be applied to map the water content on soil covered by sparse vegetation and (2) to quantify a correction factor accounting for solar radiation reduction due to sky cloudiness. The experiment intended to test a spatially constant and a spatially distributed approach to estimate the phase difference. Both methods were then applied to the airborne images collected during the following days to obtain the spatial distribution of surface soil water content. Results confirm that the thermal inertia method can be applied to sparsely vegetated soil characterized by low fractional cover if the solar radiation reaching the ground is accurately estimated. A spatially constant value of the phase difference allows a good assessment of thermal inertia, whereas the comparison with the three-temperature approach did not give conclusive responses. Results also show that clear sky, only at the time of the acquisition, does not provide a sufficient condition to obtain accurate estimates of soil water content. A corrective coefficient taking into account actual sky cloudiness throughout the day allows better estimates of thermal inertia and, thus, of soil water content. © 2013 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) [DOI: 10 .1117/1.JRS.7.073548]


90–95% of vitamin D which has the supreme function of regulating many metabolisms in tissues and organs, is taken from the sunlight through skin. Since wrestling is performed in sun-protected sports halls, we think that a vitamin D replacement will improve the performance of wrestlers, especially as the limited exposure to sunlight is compared to outdoor sports branches. The aim of our study is to increase the strength and endurance of male wrestlers by applying 25-Hydroxy vitamin D replacement together with general and wrestling-specific trainings for 8 weeks.

36 wrestlers participated in the study and were divided into two groups as subject and control groups. Group A (n: 18) was the exercise-subject group with a 25-hydroxy vitamin D replacement and group B (n: 18) was the exercise-control group without the vitamin D replacement applied. In the subject group, Devit-3 oral ampoule 1 ml (300,000 I.U.) replacement was applied to the wrestlers whose 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels were below 20 ng/mL. Wrestlers were pre-tested one week before the replacement. After 8 weeks, they were post-tested and their vitamin D levels were measured again. Wrestlers in the control group were tested at the beginning and end of the 8-week training program without the vitamin D supplementation. In the analysis of the data, a Wilcoxon test and Mann Whitney test (one of the nonparametric tests) was used in accordance with the distribution width when the averages of the groups were evaluated in terms of significance with each other. The values that were p < 0.05 as the significance level of the data were accepted as statistically significant and the evaluations were made accordingly.

When the results of the analysis were examined, it was seen that 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels of the wrestlers increased from 13.85 ng/ml to 26.28 ng/ml after the replacement applied to the wrestlers in the subject group. It was observed that while vitamin D levels of the group increased, their aerobic endurance decreased to 132.22 ± 9.69 from 150.33 ± 20.98 (p < 0.05). Thus, their aerobic endurance improved statistically significant. No statistically significant value was obtained in the test analysis of the wrestlers in the control group.

The analysis results obtained from the study showed that the 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels in athletes increased and their aerobic capacity also increased after vitamin D induction. It is possible to say that vitamin supplementation together with 8 weeks training program is more effective for athletes to improve their strength and endurance.


Background
About 80% of the patients experience enough post-operative pain to require analgesia. Adequate pain relief  is needed after caesarean section to assist ambulation , mother / baby bonding & above all, a  pleasant experience of being a mother. Different analgesics with  various routes of administrations are available for pain relief which include opioids and NSAIDS. Opiods are known for their undesireable side effects . Diclofenac sodium is an NSAID & acts via blocking prostaglandin production. The WHO recommends diclofenac as a first line drug in pain relief. It  is available in various preparations which include injections, tablets and suppositories.
We  compared the mean pain experienced by the women after use of diclofenac suppositories and intramuscular diclofenac sodium after elective cesarean section in first 24 hours.
Methodology
This RCT was done in  the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, --removed for blind review---from 1st March 2018 till 30th August 2018. Total of 100  antenatal women already planned for elective caesarean section ,who fulfilled inclusion criteria were selected after taking  informed consent & ethical approval by employing non probability consecutive sampling . The age , parity ,gestational age, weight  ,BMI & ASA status of all women was documented. 50 women were randomly assigned to the each group A & B. Group A was given 75 mg intramuscular diclofenac injection  immediately & then 8 hrly for the first 24 hrs after caesarean section while group B was given  100 mg rectal diclofenac suppository immediately & then  after 12 hrs  post caesarean for the first 24 hrs. if needed ,50 mg tramadol I/V was given to the women as rescue analgesia, Visual analogue pain  (VAS) score was used to assess the pain intensity of post operative  women after 24 hrs of caesarean and poltted  in the proforma. The number  of women needing rescue analgesia  in each group was also documented. & compared between the two groups.
RESULTS:
            Data was analyzed on the SPSS version 23.  In group A; mean age was 26.34 years with STD of 3.69. Mean gestational age was 37.82 weeks with STD of 1.79. In group B; mean age was 25.3 years with STD of 3.47. Mean gestational age was 37.70 weeks with STD of 1.59. In group A; mean weight was 84.62 kgs with STD of 5.76 and mean BMI was 32.18 with STD of 3.16. In group B; mean weight was 84.84 kgs with STD of 7.27 and mean BMI was 31.13 with STD of 3.57. In group A (intramuscular diclofenic injection group) the mean score of pain was 3.72 with STD of 0.57.  In group B (Diclofenic Suppository Group) the mean score of pain was 1.84 with STD of 0.68. P-value was significant. 26 women (52%) in group A (I/M diclofenac group) and 20 women (40%) in group B (rectal diclofenac suppository group) needed rescue analgesia with I/V Tramadol .P value was not significant.

CONCLUSION:
            Dicolofenac is an effective post caesarean analgesic . Rectal route of diclofenac  is more effective than the intramuscular route as post caesarean analgesia . Almost less than half number of post caesarean women needed rescue analgesia after using diclofenac suppository .


The aircraft industry has been at the forefront in developing design optimization strategies ever since the advent of high performance computing. Thanks to the large computational resources now available, many new as well as more mature optimization methods have become well established. However, the same cannot be said for other stages along the optimization process - chiefly, and this is where the present thesis seeks to make its first main contribution, at the geometry parameterization stage. The first major part of the thesis is dedicated to the goal of reducing the size of the search space by reducing the dimensionality of existing parameterization schemes, thus improving the effectiveness of search strategies based upon them. Specifically, a refinement to the Kulfan parameterization method is presented, based on using Genetic Programming and a local search within a Baldwinian learning strategy to evolve a set of analytical expressions to replace the standard 'class function' at the basis of the Kulfan method. The method is shown to significantly reduce the number of parameters and improves optimization performance - this is demonstrated using a simple aerodynamic design case study. The second part describes an industrial level case study, combining sophisticated, high fidelity, as well as fast, low fidelity numerical analysis with a complex physical experiment. The objective is the analysis of a topical design question relating to reducing the environmental impact of aviation: what is the optimum layout of an over-the-wing turbofan engine installation designed to enable the airframe to shield near-airport communities on the ground from fan noise. An experiment in an anechoic chamber reveals that a simple half-barrier noise model can be used as a first order approximation to the change of inlet broadband noise shielding by the airframe with engine position, which can be used within design activities. Moreover, the experimental results are condensed into an acoustic shielding performance metric to be used in a Multidisciplinary Design Optimization study, together with drag and engine performance values acquired through CFD. By using surrogate models of these three performance metrics we are able to find a set of non-dominated engine positions comprising a Pareto Front of these objectives. This may give designers of future aircraft an insight into an appropriate engine position above a wing, as well as a template for blending multiple levels of computational analysis with physical experiments into a multidisciplinary design optimization framework.


Technical change has been considered as one of the most important determinants of economic growth. In developed economies, a proportionately higher percentage of GDP growth is attributable to technological progress and technical efficiency. However, technical change in developing countries is in its early stages and increased use of factor inputs is still the dominant source of economic growth. An attempt has been made in this paper to analyse technological progress and technical efficiency and their contribution to economic growth along with other factors of production by using more efficient methods in the manufacturing and agriculture sectors of Pakistan. There are a few studies on technological growth and technical efficiency change in Pakistan but they suffer from certain limitations. Most of them use the terms of technical change and productivity synonymously. Further, all of them use Hicks's formula of neutral technical change and assume that technical change is happening at a constant rate. We have attempted to measure technical change, technical efficiency, and productivity in the form of the Hicks neutral technical change as well as in the form of variable and continuous and discrete technical change. Besides, this paper also analyses the impact of technical change on input demand (i.e., its impact on labour and capital demand) and examines the issue of technical change being either labour-saving or capital-saving. We found that technical change was taking place at a continuous and variable rate. The major contributor to the growth of output and value-added in both sectors was capital, contributing over 50 percent. Labour share was about 20 percent in the agriculture sector and about 10 percent in the manufacturing sector. Technical change share was very significant in manufacturing but not so in agriculture. The manufacturing sector in Pakistan has grown at an annual rate of about 6 percent during 1970s and at 8.7 percent during 1980s, and its share in GDP has increased from 16.5 percent to about 19 percent, but it has failed to generate new employment opportunities for the labour force. The employment growth rate is only about 2 percent.


Dynamic changes in intracellular calcium concentration in response to various stimuli regulates many cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis1. During apoptosis, calcium accumulation in mitochondria promotes the release of pro-apoptotic factors from the mitochondria into the cytosol2. It is therefore of interest to directly measure mitochondrial calcium in living cells in situ during apoptosis. High-resolution fluorescent imaging of cells loaded with dual-excitation ratiometric and non-ratiometric synthetic calcium indicator dyes has been proven to be a reliable and versatile tool to study various aspects of intracellular calcium signaling. Measuring cytosolic calcium fluxes using these techniques is relatively straightforward. However, measuring intramitochondrial calcium levels in intact cells using synthetic calcium indicators such as rhod-2 and rhod-FF is more challenging. Synthetic indicators targeted to mitochondria have blunted responses to repetitive increases in mitochondrial calcium, and disrupt mitochondrial morphology3. Additionally, synthetic indicators tend to leak out of mitochondria over several hours which makes them unsuitable for long-term experiments. Thus, genetically encoded calcium indicators based upon green fluorescent protein (GFP)4 or aequorin5 targeted to mitochondria have greatly facilitated measurement of mitochondrial calcium dynamics. Here, we describe a simple method for real-time measurement of mitochondrial calcium fluxes in response to different stimuli. The method is based on fluorescence microscopy of 'ratiometric-pericam' which is selectively targeted to mitochondria. Ratiometric pericam is a calcium indicator based on a fusion of circularly permuted yellow fluorescent protein and calmodulin4. Binding of calcium to ratiometric pericam causes a shift of its excitation peak from 415 nm to 494 nm, while the emission spectrum, which peaks around 515 nm, remains unchanged. Ratiometric pericam binds a single calcium ion with a dissociation constant in vitro of ~1.7 μM4. These properties of ratiometric pericam allow the quantification of rapid and long-term changes in mitochondrial calcium concentration. Furthermore, we describe adaptation of this methodology to a standard wide-field calcium imaging microscope with commonly available filter sets. Using two distinct agonists, the purinergic agonist ATP and apoptosis-inducing drug staurosporine, we demonstrate that this method is appropriate for monitoring changes in mitochondrial calcium concentration with a temporal resolution of seconds to hours. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that ratiometric pericam is also useful for measuring mitochondrial fission/fragmentation during apoptosis. Thus, ratiometric pericam is particularly well suited for continuous long-term measurement of mitochondrial calcium dynamics during apoptosis.


This article provides an ethnographic insight into how the daily realities of state performance along the South Sudanese most Southern border of Magwi County are an outcome of negotiations between traders and state officials. It is argued that the 'practical norms' of taxation, meaning the actual rules that govern the actions of state officials, are largely framed by the way in which state officials and traders are embedded in different networks. The analysis distinguishes between regional trade networks of accumulation based on associative ties that appropriate elements of state performance and SPLM/A authority into their business practices, and local trade networks of survival based on communal ties that relate to state performance more through the informal institutions of kinship and subsistence security. It is demonstrated that the types of network ties and their embedded institutional content that connect traders and state officials yield very different practical norms with different implications for South Sudan's state-building process 'from below'.


The dynamics of resonant Rayleigh scattering (RRS) from excitons localized in a disorder potential with large monolayer islands is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Experimentally, the coherent RRS dynamics from GaAs single quantum wells (SQWs) is deduced by means of passively stabilized spectral interferometry. The new technique is discussed in detail. The results retrieved by spectral interferometry are complemented by data obtained by time‐resolved and spectral speckle analysis. A strong dependence of the monolayer thickness of the SQW on the RRS spectra and the RRS dynamics is found. Changes in the well width corresponding to a fraction of one monolayer lead to drastic changes in the spectral and time‐resolved RRS intensity. A comparison between spectra and dynamics contradicts the assumption of uncorrelated exciton levels. The RRS intensity is derived theoretically by solving the Schrödinger equation for the center‐of‐mass motion of the 1s‐exciton in a disorder potential taking into account both interfaces with monolayer islands, the short range correlated disorder by segregation, and a correlation between the interfaces. The simulations reproduce qualitatively all observed features, determining in this way the characteristic disorder parameters like island sizes and interface roughness.


We investigate deuterium chemistry coupled with the nuclear spin-state chemistry of H2 and in protoplanetary disks. Multiple paths of deuterium fractionation are found; exchange reactions with D atoms, such as HCO+ + D, are effective in addition to those with HD. In a disk model with grain sizes appropriate for dark clouds, the freeze-out of molecules is severe in the outer midplane, while the disk surface is shielded from UV radiation. Gaseous molecules, including DCO+, thus become abundant at the disk surface, which tends to make their column density distribution relatively flat. If the dust grains have grown to millimeter size, the freeze-out rate of neutral species is reduced and the abundances of gaseous molecules, including DCO+ and N2D+, are enhanced in the cold midplane. Turbulent diffusion transports D atoms and radicals at the disk surface to the midplane, and stable ice species in the midplane to the disk surface. The effects of turbulence on chemistry are thus multifold; while DCO+ and N2D+ abundances increase or decrease depending on the regions, HCN and DCN in the gas and ice are greatly reduced at the innermost radii, compared to the model without turbulence. When cosmic rays penetrate the disk, the ortho-to-para ratio (OPR) of H2 is found to be thermal in the disk, except in the cold (≲10 K) midplane. We also analyze the OPR of and H2D+, as well as the main reactions of H2D+, DCO+, and N2D+, in order to analytically derive their abundances in the cold midplane.


The effect of transverse magnetic fields on surface high harmonic generation in intense laser-solid interactions is investigated. It is shown that the longitudinal motion of electrons can be coupled with the transverse motion via the magnetic fields, which lead to even-order harmonics under normal laser incidence. The dependence of the coupling efficiency and hence even harmonic generation with preplasma scalelength and magnetic field strength are presented based upon particle-in-cell simulations. When the magnetic field is parallel to the laser electric field, the spectral intensity of the second harmonic is proportional to the magnetic field strength in a wide range up to 160MG, while the situation with the magnetic field perpendicular to the laser electric field is more complicated. The second harmonic generation due to the magnetic field also tends to increase with the plasma density scalelengths, which is different from the high harmonics generation by the oscillating mirror mechanism. With the increase of the laser spot size from a laser wavelength λL, both the magnetic field induced harmonics and oscillating mirror high harmonics tend to increase first and then become saturated after 3λL. The magnetic field induced second harmonic may be used to evaluate large self-generated magnetic fields developed near the critical density region and the preplasma conditions.


The aim of this work was to evaluate whether acute phase protein (APP) determinations could assist Official Veterinarians carrying out work in slaughterhouses. To test this hypothesis, the diagnostic accuracy of APP determinations in meat juice of pigs was analysed to differentiate between healthy and diseased pigs. One hundred and one pigs of two different origins were classified into two groups according to their health status (healthy and diseased pigs), which was determined by a veterinary clinical examination on the farm. To assess the pigs' immune status, against the main porcine diseases, serological analyses were monitored. A general idea of the degree of disease coverage was analysed by examining organ lesions postmortem. Haptoglobin (Hp) and C reactive protein (CRP) were measured in meat juice samples. 72.13 per cent of pigs appeared to be seropositive for the porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus, and almost 86.2 per cent of them had concomitant infections with other pathogens, such as Porcine circovirus type 2 or Swine influenza virus. Median Hp and CRP concentrations were significantly higher in diseased animals at different stages of the production chain, when compared with levels found in healthy finishing pigs (P<0.0001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed the highest sensitivity–specificity pairs, nearly 80–90 per cent, at cut-off levels of 83 and 10 µg/ml for Hp and CRP determinations, respectively, with high AUCs 0.9. This cut-off could be useful for veterinary inspections at the time of slaughter, to differentiate between the carcase of a healthy animal and the carcase of an animal suffering from a systemic disease, which should be completely condemned.


In the world of continuous globalization, technical standards and industry norms play a crucial role in transnational economic development. For the past few decades, increased digitalization and emergence of new technologies gave due prominence to ICT standards: our future is closely linked to the Internet of Things and 5G technologies that are expected to penetrate an enormous range of economic sectors and by this means affect our quotidian life. At the same time, the introduction of these new technologies is accompanied by concerns such as privacy and security. Especially the latter has been recently subjected to a wider political debate, which was largely fueled by national security concerns voiced by Western governments regarding the involvement of China-based companies, Huawei and ZTE, in standardization of 5G technologies. In this context, the paper discusses whether the current regulatory landscape can address the variety of concerns raised in relation to the development of ICT standards through the well-established procedural principles for standard-setting, such as openness, transparency and consensus, and whether these principles ensure that ICT standardization, while delivering cutting-edge technological solutions, remains balanced and inclusive.


Young stars show variability on di?erent time-scales from hours to decades, with a range of amplitudes. We studied two young stars, which triggered the Gaia Science Alerts system due to brightenings on a time-scale of a year. Gaia20bwa brightened by about half a magnitude, whereas Gaia20fgx brightened by about two and half magnitudes. We analyzed the Gaia light curves, additional photometry, and spectra taken with the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo and the Gran Telescopio Canarias. Several emission lines were detected toward Gaia20bwa, including hydrogen lines from Hα to Hδ, Paβ, Brγ, and lines of Ca ii, O i, and Na i. The Hα and Brγ lines were detected toward Gaia20fgx in emission in its bright state, with additional CO lines in absorption, and the Paβ line with an inverse P Cygni pro?le during its fading. Based on the Brγ lines the accretion rate was (2.4 − 3.1) × 10−8 M⊙ yr−1 for Gaia20bwa and (4.5 − 6.6) × 10−8 M⊙ yr−1 for Gaia20fgx during their bright state. The accretion rate of Gaia20fgx dropped by almost a factor of 10 on a time-scale of half a year. The accretion parameters of both stars were found to be similar to those of classical T Tauri stars, lower than those of young eruptive stars. However, the amplitude and time-scale of these brightenings place these stars to a region of the parameter space, which is rarely populated by young stars. This suggests a new class of young stars, which produce outbursts on a time-scale similar to young eruptive stars, but with smaller amplitudes.


Manually extracting relevant aspects and opinions from large volumes of user-generated text is a time-consuming process. Summaries, on the other hand, help readers with limited time budgets to quickly consume the key ideas from the data. State-of-the-art approaches for multi-document summarization, however, do not consider user preferences while generating summaries. In this work, we argue the need and propose a solution for generating personalized aspect-based opinion summaries from large collections of online tourist reviews. We let our readers decide and control several attributes of the summary such as the length and specific aspects of interest among others. Specifically, we take an unsupervised approach to extract coherent aspects from tourist reviews posted onTripAdvisor. We then propose an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) based extractive technique to select an informative subset of opinions around the identified aspects while respecting the user-specified values for various control parameters. Finally, we evaluate and compare our summaries using crowdsourcing and ROUGE-based metrics and obtain competitive results.


Commentators have recently turned their attention to the Confucian notion of the mandate of heaven. The question is: Is the ruler legitimate because Heaven says so, or does Heaven say so because he is qualified as a legitimate ruler (i.e., by the way he benefits the people)? The answer depends on how the notion of mandate of heaven is interpreted. In what might be called the liberal interpretation, the mandate of heaven lies in the will of the people. In what might be called the conservative reading, the mandate to rule lies in a heaven that transcends the people. To subscribe to the latter is to subscribe to what might be called the "Divine Command Theory of political legitimacy," analogous to the Divine Command Theory of morality. By contrast, the liberal reading of "mandate of heaven" is analogous to the "moral autonomy" position. Mencius' view on political legitimacy will be discussed in terms of the Divine Command Theory so as to permit a comparison with Kant's account of moral judgments. It will be argued that Kant manages to avoid being impaled on either horn of the Euthyphro dilemma by grasping both horns. In the same way, Mencius' view can be read as one that incorporates both the liberal and the conservative positions. It will be argued that such reading is more consistent with textual evidence and renders Mencius' position more coherent.


Microgrids are energy systems that aggregate distributed energy resources, loads and power electronics devices in a stable and balanced way. They rely on energy management systems to schedule optimally the distributed energy resources. Conventionally, many scheduling problems have been solved by using complex algorithms that, even so, do not consider the operation of the distributed energy resources. This paper presents the modeling and design of a modular energy management system and its integration to a grid-connected battery-based microgrid. The scheduling model is a power generation-side strategy, defined as a general mixed-integer linear programming by taking into account two stages for proper charging of the storage units. This model is considered as a deterministic problem that aims to minimize operating costs and promote self-consumption based on 24-hour ahead forecast data. The operation of the microgrid is complemented with a supervisory control stage that compensates any mismatch between the offline scheduling process and the real time microgrid operation. The proposal has been tested experimentally in a hybrid microgrid at the Microgrid Research Laboratory in Aalborg University.


In 1932, at the worst point in the Great Depression, the small city of Anaheim, California, pioneered an experiment in self-liquidating stamp scrip. It was intended as a means of reducing unemployment while stimulating participating businesses. The Anaheim Plan put 157 men to work for a total of 8,750 hours, but proved problematical as a means of exchange. The experiment only lasted three months. Later, Anaheim9s experiment was overshadowed by a Yale professor9s advocacy of a similar plan and an experiment in Iowa. This article analyzes the Anaheim Plan9s potential and its shortcomings while bringing long-overdue credit to this trail-blazing attempt to add to the circulating media of exchange and to increase productive employment in a small Southern California city prior to the New Deal.


Paul Debreczeny. The Social Functions of Literature: Alexander Pushkin and Russian Culture. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997. 282 PP. This is a scholarly work by a literary historian who uses theory as explication rather than purpose and allows the exigencies of history and the availability of research materials to shape his presentation. Upon first consideration it might seem to be a random assemblage stitched together from previous articles. History seldom obliges, and the sheer bulk of materials yielded by history ensures complexity. Part One, The Reader's Response to the Text, is divided into three chapters: The Writer as Engineer of Human Souls; Literature and the Formation of Self; and Catharsis. Each chapter in its turn is subdivided by topic, and the same organization pattern shapes Part Two, Social Determinants of Aesthetic Norms: Social Groups and Their "Strategies for Living"; Measurements of Popularity; Mass Culture and the Literary Elite and Part Three: The Myth of a Poet: The Elevation of Pushkin to Sainthood; and Pushkin Lives. The subject of this work-the reception of Pushkin in his time and since-is logically developed, and the significantly large corpus of information derived from research has been made to work with, rather than against, this logic. Historicity has been served by the condition that the work was subjected to criticism in its previous forms. The earlier versions have matured and now become chapters or contributions to parts of chapters. The reader obtains an overall rather than partial view. As the title states, Debreczeny is concerned with the social function of literature in a nationalcultural framework. He argues that aesthetic responses are conditioned by social environment, which in its turn is shaped by individual psychological needs for meaning and beauty. The logic that shapes Debreczeny's historical approach is predicated on identification of possible kinds of reader reception. The kinds of reception he identifies are treated dualistically. First, Pushkin's perception of himself-how he received his own works and the process by which he created them-is paired with the ways he hoped or strove to be received by others. Important to an understanding of his view of himself are his relationships to the "crowd," to "fashion," to romantic conventions, to the reading public as he judged or hoped it to be, both in his time when it grew from scant to estimably large and in the future when posterity would grant him the immortality he sought. Countered to this self-perception are the ways Pushkin was actually received. As Debreczeny shows, the "in" status of his sophisticated literary aristocrat allies enabled them to decode the subtle devices that passed others by. The Decembrists received an equally selective, but quite different "radical" Pushkin. For his imitators Pushkin provided models on the story level where they could change his characters and plots to satisfy literary conventions (or their perceptions of them). Important here are the romantic conventions that made his early works popular because he abided by them, and which in his later works he worked to disappoint. …


The natural textile fibres are prone to be attacked by various micro organisms and provide room for their growth and infestation. Human being can easily be crops infected by these micro organisms. Natural antimicrobial and bioactive agents are available in plenty that will not harm the skin and are found to be very effective against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. To minimise the risk factor of microbial infections, the study was aimed to provide the natural flax waste fibres an antimicrobial efficiency that can stop the microbial infestation and their growth completely. Waste fibres from various spinning mills are either used in low grade fabrics or as filler into the beddings etc. which can easily attacked by microorganism which are available in environment everywhere. Fibres were treated with alovera gel extract in 10 different concentrations from 100 to 10% and tested for its microbial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and fungi. The samples were found to be very effective against these micro organisms.


Background A fundamental problem in cancer research is identifying the cell type that is capable of sustaining neoplastic growth and its origin from normal tissue cells. Recent investigations of a variety of tumor types have shown that phenotypically identifiable and isolable subfractions of cells possess the tumor-forming ability. In the present paper, using two lineage-related human melanoma cell lines, primary melanoma line IGR39 and its metastatic derivative line IGR37, two main observations are reported. The first one is the first phenotypic evidence to support the origin of melanoma cancer stem cells (CSCs) from mutated tissue-specific stem cells; and the second one is the identification of a more aggressive subpopulation of CSCs in melanoma that are CXCR6+. Methods/Findings We defined CXCR6 as a new biomarker for tissue-specific stem cell asymmetric self-renewal. Thus, the relationship between melanoma formation and ABCG2 and CXCR6 expression was investigated. Consistent with their non-metastatic character, unsorted IGR39 cells formed significantly smaller tumors than unsorted IGR37 cells. In addition, ABCG2+ cells produced tumors that had a 2-fold greater mass than tumors produced by unsorted cells or ABCG2- cells. CXCR6+ cells produced more aggressive tumors. CXCR6 identifies a more discrete subpopulation of cultured human melanoma cells with a more aggressive MCSC phenotype than cells selected on the basis of the ABCG2+ phenotype alone. Conclusions/Significance The association of a more aggressive tumor phenotype with asymmetric self-renewal phenotype reveals a previously unrecognized aspect of tumor cell physiology. Namely, the retention of some tissue-specific stem cell attributes, like the ability to asymmetrically self-renew, impacts the natural history of human tumor development. Knowledge of this new aspect of tumor development and progression may provide new targets for cancer prevention and treatment.


This study simulates North Korean food supply and demand using an econometric regression based upon neo-classical economic theory. In doing so, this study at first describes the autarky condition that exists in the closed economy of North Korea and the relationship between pro-military oriented economic policy and deficiency in the dietary needs required by the average North Korean. This study then quantifies the impact agricultural resources and policy have had on the production of food for the sample period of 1995 to 2008. Results show that food production decreases along with a decrease in agricultural input factors and with the implementation of a more pro-military oriented economic policy. Finally, this study simulates ex ante food balance. In order to meet food demand, the rate at which agricultural input factors are made available should be much more greater than the increasing rate of population, regardless of whether pro-market oriented economic policy reforms are implemented or not. And if a more pro-market approach is implemented by North Korea, the food balance appears to recover more quickly from food deficiency to food surplus given a specific level of agricultural resources.


Aims. Supernova remnant (SNR) RX J0852.0-4622 is one of the youngest and is most likely the closest among known Galactic SNRs. It was detected in X-rays, the (44)Ti gamma-line, and radio. We obtain and analyze medium-resolution spectra of 14 stars in the direction towards the SNR RX J0852.0-4622 in an attempt to detect broad absorption lines of unshocked ejecta against background stars. Methods. Spectral synthesis is performed for all the stars in the wavelength range of 3740-4020 angstrom to extract the broad absorption lines of Ca II related to the SNR RX J0852.0-4622. Results. We do not detect any broad absorption line and place a 3 sigma upper limit on the relative depths of <0.04 for the broad Ca II absorption produced by the SNR. We detect narrow low and high velocity absorption components of Ca II. High velocity vertical bar V(LSR)vertical bar similar to 100-140 km s(-1) components are attributed to radiative shocks in clouds engulfed by the old Vela SNR. The upper limit to the absorption line strength combined with the width and flux of the (44)Ti gamma-ray line 1.16 MeV lead us to conclude that SNR RX J0852.0-4622 was probably produced by an energetic SN Ic explosion.


Experimental transmission of Ehrlichia canis was conducted using laboratory-reared Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks that were fed as nymphs on dogs infected with low passage field isolates, or by experimental injection of replete nymphs with white blood cells isolated from infected dogs. After molting, 30 naturally infected and 70-150 injected ticks were applied to E.canis negative dogs. The ticks infected by feeding successfully transmitted E.canis to dogs demonstrated by the development of clinical signs typical of Ehrlichiosis (12 of 12 dogs) and by PCR (10 of 12 dogs). E.canis transmission to dogs was also demonstrated with the experimentally injected ticks through analysis of clinical signs (4 of 4 dogs) and PCR (3 of 4 dogs). This study accomplished successful transstadial and horizontal transmission of E.canis using low numbers of ticks infected with E.canis field isolates that were not laboratory cultured. This study also demonstrated for the first time, successful transmission of E.canis by ticks that were experimentally injected with the bacterium as engorged nymphs.


Today, the presence of a hepatic tumor can be diagnosed with considerable accuracy by means of isotope scans, arteriogram and ultrasonic imaging. Its localization to one lobe or other lobes is also generally achievable but with less accuracy because it is not yet possible to visualize the interlobar fissure by a noninvasive technique. Exploratory laparotomy with a view to resection is the preferred approach if the patient is in good general condition. Percutaneous biopsy of a hepatic lesion should be avoided unless laparotomy is not contemplated. Resection is the mainstay of therapy for all forms of hepatic malignant tumors and is the only modality that gives some prospect of cure. The prohibitively high operative mortality rate of former years, mostly due to hemorrhage, has gradually decreased with improved understanding of hepatic anatomy and innovations in surgical technique. By means of adequate vascular control and, if necessary, parenchymal cold perfusion, major resections of difficult and bulky lesions can now be accomplished with safety. Systemic chemotherapy with single agents, intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy and hepatic dearterialization have each been found to be of modest therapeutic value in a variable proportion of patients with diffuse unresectable cancer of the liver. The results of current experience indicate that the response rate is not high and long term control of tumor is rare. Multiple drug combinations with or without infusion therapy or dearterialization are being tried in many centers. Therapeutic strategy and end results for the different forms of benign and malignant neoplasms of the liver are discussed.


. This research explores individual and family reliance on non-homeless family members in coping with homelessness in a rural area. Drawing on 114 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with homeless adults and families in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, we found that almost all participants relied on non-homeless family members for assistance, but with variation in the amount of help sought and received. Some participants displayed high thresholds for help-seeking, only relying on family under extreme circumstances and generally asking for modest assistance. This was common among childless single homeless adults who often had different support. Other participants displayed low thresholds for help-seeking, frequently asking for and requiring much assistance from non-homeless family members. This was especially common among homeless persons with children. Implications for policy and services are presented.


Taraxacum koksaghyz, the Russian dandelion, produces latex in its taproots and is an alternative to Hevea brasiliensis as a source for rubber. Studying the inheritance of rubber content and yield as well as breeding of T. koksaghyz could strongly benefit from haploid or doubled haploid techniques. Therefore, this study aimed at establishing the conditions to produce haploid and/or double haploid T. koksaghyz plants. This study focused on gynogenesis because analysis of microsporogenesis showed that very small (young) inflorescences already contain mature pollen and that the development of the microspores is not synchronous in different flowers in one inflorescence. Therefore, a surface disinfection protocol, culture media, and culture conditions were established resulting in shoot formation from ovules. Diploid and triploid Taraxacum officinale were also included in the experiments. Depending on the genotype, 0 to 2.6% of the ovules regenerated shoots via callus. These shoots could be rooted and acclimatized to greenhouse conditions without losses. Eleven plants from ovule cultures were analysed for their ploidy level and compared genetically to the donor material using simple sequence repeats (SSRs) to confirm their origin from either haploid or diploid/triploid donor tissues. All regenerated plants had the same ploidy level and were heterozygous at the same loci as their respective donor plants, and thus originated from somatic tissue.

 Key words: Flow cytometry, gynogenesis, haploids, microsatellite markers, ovule culture, Russian dandelion.


In this chapter, a hybrid active and semi-active seat suspension for heavy-duty vehicles is experimentally investigated to fill the performance gap between the two kinds of seat suspensions. An active actuator with low continuous force output, which is insufficient for an active seat suspension system, is applied together with a semi-active MRF damper. It has several advantages. First, the energy consumption will be less than a merely active seat suspension. Second, the benefits of active and semi-active seat suspension in vibration control will be integrated. The MRF damper can assist the active actuator to suppress the high resonance vibration with low energy consumption, and at the higher frequency (2-4 Hz) vibration, the semiactive seat suspension cannot further improve the seat suspension performance, but the active actuator further reduces the vibration with small force output. Third, it is a fail-safe system because of the semi-active actuator; the failure of the active actuator will have less influence on the system security. Additionally, the low-power active actuator has a small size and a low current requirement which can benefit the installation and application of the hybrid system in an existing semiactive seat suspension. In this study, the proposed hybrid controller only applies measurable variables in practical application.


Studies of clastic sediments have documented the formation and transformation of clay mineral assemblages during burial diagenesis. The transformation of smectite to illite in shale by its reaction with the decomposition products of detrital K-feldspar and mica results in the production of new pore water at depth. The overall reaction mobilizes all the major chemical components in the shale, most of which are consumed in the formation of the diagenetic assemblage illite/smectite -Ichlorite 4quartz. However, part of all the components is undoubtedly transported from the shale to sandstone units and is involved in cementation, replacement, and diagenetic clay mineral formation in these reservoir rocks. In contrast to burial diagenetic reactions in shale, where the sequence is monotonic and reasonably predictable, diagenetic reactions in sandstone are frequently variable. This variabihty is probably attributable to the fact that sandstones are open systems in which the reactions that proceed are controlled in part by the influx of new pore water, the chemistry of which is determined by an outside source. The useful understanding role of clay minerals in hydrocarbon exploration will follow from a determination of the system shale/sandstone/organic material. We need to tie in the nature and timing of shale mineral reactions and their control on the fluid and mass transfer from shale to sandstone.


The purpose of this article on the policy legacies from Australia's early telecommunications history is not to present a counterfactual to Australia's choice of public monopoly provision of early telecommunications services, but rather to indicate the extent that politics limited the private sector's role in deploying early telegraph and telephone infrastructure in Australia. The article begins by outlining a theoretical framework for analysing government's role in deploying new telecommunications technologies, before investigating some of the less familiar literature on the historical impact of government intervention on the private sector in the early Australian telegraph and telephone industries. It then discusses some of the political issues relating to the subsequent liberalisation of the telecommunications industry in Australia and concludes with a discussion of the historical legacies of government intervention on the private sector in the Australian telecommunications industry.


Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a red or scaly patch of skin. In those with distant spread of the disease, there may be bone pain, swollen lymph nodes, shortness of breath, or yellow skin.


Background The outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia is very serious, and no effective antiviral treatment has been confirmed. The fresh drug research and development cycle is too long to meet clinical emergency needs, and "old drugs and brand new applications" have a huge therapeutic potential. During our previous treatment, we found that the lopinavir/ritonavir treatment recommended in the Fifth edition of the treatment plan had little effect. Earlier studies have shown that chloroquine can inhibit coronavirus replication through multiple mechanisms. Our previous use of chloroquine to treat patients with SARS-CoV-2(novel coronavirus)-infected pneumonia has a higher negative rate of nucleic acid in throat swabs within 5 days after administration than that using lopinavir/ritonavir. However, the half-life and side effects of chloroquine vary greatly among individuals. Methods/design We plan to conduct a prospective, open-label, multicenter randomized controlled, comprehensive treatment clinical study. The study consisted of three phases: a screening period of 1-110 days, a treatment period of no more than 28 days, and a follow-up period of 1 month. Participants will be assessed at baseline and on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 21, and 28 after the intervention begins. In this study, chloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir tablets were used to treat patients with eligible novel coronavirus pneumonia diagnosed at various centers between February 12, 2020 and May 31, 2020. The efficacy and safety of chloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir are to be evaluated. At the same time, explore the correlation between patient genetic polymorphisms and chloroquine steady-state concentration, therapeutic effects and adverse reactions in the body. It is an anti-virus for pneumonitis caused by novel coronavirus. The optimization and update of the antiviral treatment plan provides evidence-based evidence. Disscussion Our study is a prospective, open-label, multicenter randomized controlled, comprehensive treatment clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of chloroquine phosphate and lopinavir/ritonavir in patients with mild/general COVID-2019. The results of this study will provide valuable clinical evidence for the treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia.


In this report charts are given showing the relation between time, velocities, and altitude for airplanes having various terminal velocities diving in a standard atmosphere. The range of starting altitudes is from 8,000 to 32,000 feet, and the terminal velocities vary from 150 to 550 miles per hour. A comparison is made between an experimental case and the results obtained from the charts. Examples pointing out the use of the charts are included.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an application of spatial decision support system tools (SDSS) for assessing management option to reduce the nitrogen load from agricultural sources. The SDSS has been developed within a case study for the drainage basin of the Grado and Marano Lagoon (N‐E Italy). Design/methodology/approach – The problem is at least partially solvable replacing some actual cash crops with alternative crops requiring lower nitrogen input but which are economically profitable. The decision support was designed with two components: a non‐spatial one (DSS) to support the choice among alternative crops (within different scenarios), and a spatial one (SDSS) to analyse and evaluate the spatial distribution of the cash crops finding suitable areas for the alternative crops. Findings – The use of alternative crops for reducing nitrogen loads to the Grado and Marano lagoon waters seems feasible and appropriate. A mosaic of poplar, grassland and cash crop areas in these areas of the pollution risk is the best alternative both in terms of total nitrogen reduction and in terms of farmers' income. Research limitations/implications – The paper proposes a SDSS to implement alternative crops in an area where the cash crops constitute a very strong consolidated agricultural system. The feasibility of the alternatives is dependent on the willingness of farmers to participate in the research and then to exploit its results. The availability of data only at municipal level limited the research, thus imposing a spatial resolution constraint. Originality/value – It is so far the first attempt, in Friuli Venezia Giulia region, to develop a spatial decision support system to mitigate the pollution of a lagoon from agricultural sources by trying to find suitable alternatives to well consolidated agricultural practices. It also constitutes a model that can be applied in similar contexts by coupling ecological and economic considerations.


We study tax-driven intergenerational asset shifting using a salient tax discontinuity and rich data on both donors and recipients. When the Swedish inheritance tax was in place, heirs could lower their inheritance tax bills by passing on part of the inheritance to their children. We present evidence on strong and precise responses to this incentive. We quantify optimization frictions, and we show that they are small in this setting. Both intensive and extensive margin policy responses can be rationalized by a simple model in which agents face small frictions at the extensive margin. Descriptive evidence suggests that the policy response is associated with the abundant supply of cheap legal advice on tax planning.