Decades of research on distributed file systems and storage systems exists. New researchers and engineers have a lot of literature to study, but only a comparatively small number of high-level design choices are available when creating a distributed file system. And within each aspect of the system, typically several common approaches are used. So, rather than surveying distributed file systems, this article presents a survey of important design decisions and, within those decisions, the most commonly used options. It also presents a qualitative exploration of their tradeoffs. We include several relatively recent designs and their variations that illustrate other tradeoff choices in the design space, despite being underexplored. In doing so, we provide a primer on distributed file systems, and we also show areas that are overexplored and underexplored, in the hopes of inspiring new research.


Aim We address the unexplored question of whether the lack of information on intra-specific diversity inherent in species-level niche modelling might bias evaluation of the conservation requirements of species and phylogeographic lineages under changing climates. We test for directional biases that might arise due to these methodological differences in ways of assessing risks from climate change. Location The African continent. Methods We identified from peer-reviewed studies that used both nuclear and plastid markers the distribution of deep phylogeographic divisions within nine species of African mammals and their phylogeographic lineages. We fitted ecological niche models to describe currently suitable, occupied climates and to project the shift of suitable climate to two future time slices. We applied gap analysis to reveal potential changes in the protection of phylogeographic diversity owing to climatic shifts. Results We found that, within species, most phylogeographic lineages differ in the climates they experience and have substantial geographic separation. Models that do not distinguish these subspecific units often fail to identify potential risks of climate change to lineages. Modelled potential effects of climate change on the geographic extent of suitable climate vary in both direction and magnitude. Predictions of the persistence of suitable climate in current protected areas for the resident lineages differ on average by factor of 2 between species and lineage models. Main conclusions Our study develops an original synthetic approach by combining niche modelling, projected climate change, phylogeographic information and gap analysis. We clearly identify the potential benefits of using the new approach to evaluate risks to the conservation of intra-specific genetic diversity that are posed by climate change. Our results suggest that prudent conservation strategies need to incorporate potential differences in climate tolerance among lineages when planning conservation measures for species confronted with environmental change.


This systematic review evaluates the efficacy of various early interventions on maternal emotional outcomes, mother-infant interaction, and subsequent infant outcomes during neonatal intensive care unit admission and postdischarge. Key interventions associated with outcomes in both the neonatal intensive care unit and postdischarge (ie, home) settings are summarized. A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials involving early interventions for infants and their mother published between 1993 and 2013 in the electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and Cochrane was undertaken. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro scale to evaluate internal and external validity of the study. Twelve randomized controlled trials were included in the review, and all used some form of parenting education. The interventions had limited effects on maternal stress and mother-infant interaction and positive effects on maternal anxiety, depressive symptoms, and maternal coping. There were positive effects on infants' short-term outcomes for length of stay and breast-feeding rate. Positive and clinically meaningful effects of early interventions were seen in some physiological/psychological outcomes of mothers and preterm infants. It is important for nurses to foster close mother-infant contact and increase maternal competence during and after the infant's hospitalization period.


Data from the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is expected to be dominated by frequency noise from its lasers. However the noise from any one laser appears more than once in the data and there are combinations of the data that are insensitive to this noise. These combinations, called time delay interferometry (TDI) variables , have received careful study, and point the way to how LISA data analysis may be performed. Here we approach the problem from the direction of statistical inference, and show that these variables are a direct consequence of a principal component analysis of the problem. We present a formal analysis for a simple LISA model and show that there are eigenvectors of the noise covariance matrix that do not depend on laser frequency noise. Importantly, these orthogonal basis vectors correspond to linear combinations of TDI variables. As a result we show that the likelihood function for source parameters using LISA data can be based on TDI combinations of the data without loss of information.


This study explores the date of first otolith increment formation in Baltic sprat Sprattus sprattus and relates the onset of maturity at Age 1 to the larval traits that are tied to the formation of the first increment. From the otolith microstructure analyses in larvae we found that regular deposition of increments is closely related to larval length, the first clear increment being identified at 16 mm length. Otolith distance from the centre to the first clear increment was independent of temperature, whereas the width of subsequent regular increments increased with increasing temperatures. These results are interpreted in the context of the interaction of larval length, somatic growth and environmental temperature. The date of first increment formation was further estimated in mature and immature Age 1 sprat caught from 1998 to 2000 using a technique that we developed, based on the effect of temperature on larval-stage otolith microstructure after first increment formation. The overall result was that larvae that reach the length of 16 mm early (late) in the season in warm years are more (less) likely to mature the following year. In cold years, like 1998, the probability of maturating at Age 1 was independent of the date at which larvae became 16 mm long, and other processes such as juvenile growth rates, feeding conditions and year-class abundance are suggested as factors that may influence the onset of maturity.


Malaysian suggestions for political change have been articulated by diverse societal groups and communities. The
emerging civil society in Southeast Asia is reflected in Malaysia through the power struggles of old and new political
parties and movements. Within this set-ting, the coalition of Islamic and non-Islamic parties is one of the most striking
phenomena to be observed. The paper addresses the question of what theoretical parameters can be applied to
analyse the critical juncture at which Malaysia and other Southeast Asian nation-states have arrived at the turn of the
century (1999-2001). The approach used in the paper is to ana-lyse the interplay of domestic and international influence
factors in order to explain the cur-rent political discourse in Malaysia.


The Shannon cipher system is studied in the context of general sources using a notion of computational secrecy introduced by Merhav & Arikan. Bounds are derived on limiting exponents of guessing moments for general sources. The bounds are shown to be tight for iid, Markov, and unifilar sources, thus recovering some known results. A close relationship between error exponents and correct decoding exponents for fixed rate source compression on the one hand and exponents for guessing moments on the other hand is established.


Polyurethane samples were prepared from rubber seed oil monoglyceride (made by reacting rubber oil with glycerol) and diiosocyanates (hexanethylene and toluene diiosocyanates). Polyurethane composites were made by compression moulding using biofibres; sisal, jute and banana; in random and unidirectional orientations at different fibre lengths and loadings, as reinforcing elements. The composites were characterized in terms of tensile and flexural strengths and moduli, thermal stability and morphology of fractured surface. The values of the measured mechanical properties (tensile and flexural) of the composites were about 3-fold higher than the properties of the unreinforced polyurethane samples, suggesting good reinforcement by the biofibres. The absence of fibre-pull-out on the scanning electron micrographs of the fractured surface provides evidence in support of good adhesion between the biofibres and the polyurethane matrix. The thermal stability of the composites was lower than for the fibre but higher than for the unreinforced polyurethane.


The tension, Charpy notch impact and fracture toughness tests on structural steels Q235B and Q345 were carried out under different prestrains. Ductile to brittle transition curves are investigated using Charpy impact tests. The results indicate that the prestrain decreases the impact toughness of both base metal (BM) and weld metal (WM); and increases the ductile-brittle transition temperature as well as the risk of fracture. The prestrain is also found to have a more significant effect in a less ductile material. River marking, the characteristic of cleavage fracture, is observed in the Q235B WM specimens 10% prestrain conditions at 0°C. The fracture surfaces of Q345 WM specimens are characterized by dimple-like structures. The depth of these dimples is decreased under prestrain applied before welding. The CTOD-prestrain curves are obtained using Boltzmann relation.


Rabbits immunized with freshly isolated homologous thyroid microsomes in complete Freund's adjuvant developed a severe chronic thyroiditis with the concomitant production of antimicrosomal antibodies. The antibody response was measured by indirect immunofluorescence and complement fixation, employing isolated microsomes as the antigen. Microsomes but not thyroglobulin absorbed out the immunologic activity of the rabbit serum.


Based on sharing and lattice-embedding techniques, we present an authentication-recovery method for an image. The recovery data are shared among many shadows, then lattice-embedding is utilized to embed each shadow in the discrete cosine transform domain of an 8×8 block. The proposed method can resist certain content-preserving operations such as JPEG compression, Gaussian noise, and brightness adjustment, up to a tolerance level controlled by a quantization parameter value. The method can also resist certain security attacks such as a cut-and-paste attack, a collage attack, and a vector quantization attack. Compared with previous works, the proposed method has following major advantages and novelty: (1) the method does not require prediction of the tampering trace, and the tampered blocks are always recovered as long as the number of valid blocks reaches a threshold and (2) lattice-embedding yields smaller distortion than does parity-check quantization, and the latter was often used in reported works.


Abstract Nanocomposites have attracted much attention from scientific and industrial areas in recent decades because of their mechanical, physical, thermal and barrier properties and unique design possibilities. These materials have been commercially used in the automotive, electronic, biomedical, packaging etc. industries and their usage areas have been increasing day by day. In this study, nanocomposite adhesives were produced by adding nano graphene and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) particles to a single component epoxy adhesive at the ratios of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 3 and 5 wt.-%. Then, these nanocomposite adhesives were used to prepare single-lap joints. Shear tests were performed to specify their adhesive shear strengths and joint tensile strengths. It was observed that mechanical strength increased to the reinforcement amount of 0.5 wt.-%. After that, the strength values decreased due to a tendency towards agglomeration, viscosity increment and due to a difficulty in homogeneously applying the adhesive. Furthermore, it was found that nano graphene reinforcement improved the mechanical strength of the epoxy-based adhesive slightly more than MWCNT reinforcement.


The aim of these experiments is to investigate the potential reduction of U(VI) carbonate and hydroxide complexes by aqueous Fe(II). This reduction phenomenon could be important under the disposal conditions of spent fuel. If groundwater enters the copper/iron canister, alpha radiolysis of the water may locally induce oxidizing conditions on the surface of UO2 fuel, leading to the dissolution of UO2 as more soluble U(VI) species. A potential reducing agent in the intruding water is Fe(II)(aq) from anaerobic corrosion of the copper/iron canister. The reduction of U(VI) to U(IV) would substantially decrease the solubility of U as well as co-precipitate other actinides and radionuclides. The interaction experiments were conducted in 0.01 M NaCl and 0.002 M NaHCO3 solutions using an initial uranium concentration of either 8.4 • 10 or 4.2 • 10 mol/L with an initial Fe(II) concentration of 1.8 • 10 in the NaCl solutions and 1.3 • 10 mol/L in the NaHCO3 solutions. Only after an equilibration period for U(VI) complexation was Fe(II) added to the solutions. The reaction times varied from 1 week to 5 months. For extra protection against O2, even inside a glove-box (N2 atmosphere), the plastic reaction vessels were closed in metallic containers. The concentrations of U, FeTOT and Fe(II) were analysed as a function of time for unfiltered, microand ultrafiltered samples. In addition, the precipitate on the ultrafilters was analysed with ESEM-EDS. The evolution of pH and Eh values was measured. The oxidation state of U in solution was preliminarily analysed for chosen periods. The results of the tests in 0.01 M NaCl showed an initial rapid decrease in U concentration after the addition of Fe(II) to the solution. The U found on test vessel walls at the end of the reaction periods, as well as the ESEM-EDS analyses of the filtered precipitates from the test solutions, showed that precipitation of U had occurred. The oxidation state analyses showed the presence of U(IV) in the solutions after 3 and 6 weeks' reaction time. These results suggest that the reduction of U(VI) by Fe(II) occurred in NaCl solution. The observed change in U concentration in 0.002 M NaHCO3 solution was small and very slow. Uranium(IV) was also found in solution in this test, showing that some reduction occurred in spite of the stabilising effect of carbonates on U(VI) solutions.


Anomaly: something different, abnormal, peculiar, not easily classified or classifiable; a deviation; a detour. Something out of time and out of place. No longer can we read the anomaly without considering the larger global crisis of COVID-19. Where were we if not out of time during the temporal disjunction – time out of joint, after Shakespeare – of worldwide lockdowns, which coincided with the time of proposal and submission, the time of reading and editing this issue? Where were we, as scholars in North America, if not out of place when we set out to curate a collection of essays in a journal which "originated" down under? A related question: what happens when the anomaly becomes standardised as the norm?Daniel Fineman's "The Anomaly of Anomaly of Anomaly" inverts the paradigm of scientific expression, opening the "philosophically unassailable" to "metaphysical, political, and ethical challenge" to make a claim about the anomaly as a reflection of global misrepresentation and the prevailing powers of governance. To accomplish this, Fineman returns to the metrics system, the cooptation of the 18th century's democratic revolutions by "representative" governments, and the so-called "Second Law of Thermodynamics".What happens, moreover, when anomaly falls back onto social practices, and informs the way academia perceives social formations? Christopher Little raises this issue when reviewing the literature produced on "Chav" subculture, and how the anomalous Chav intersects with race, class, ethnicity, and consumer culture.The ways in which social practices inform and intersect with national patterns of belonging and exclusion have never been more apparent than during the current pandemic. In Michelle Aung Thin's contribution, the smartphone is read as an anomalous, hybrid, and foreign object with connotations of fluidity and connection, all dangerous qualities in Myanmar, a conservative, former pariah state. Within the framework of recent scholarship on mixed race identification and affect theory, Aung Thin addresses deeply held fears around ethnic belonging, cultural adeptness, and hybridity, tracing these anxieties to the original scene of colonisation. The smartphone, in her essay, acts as a conduit – between pre-colonial Mandalay and contemporary Yangon – and a reminder of historical trauma.In an essay that unpacks the complexity of a music video by Japanese Breakfast, the solo musical project of Michelle Zauner, Runchao Liu posits identificatory ghostly performances as a locus of confrontation between past and present. In her analysis of what she defines as "ghostly matters: the hanbok and the manicured nails", Liu locates both "the conjuring-up of the Korean diaspora and the troubling of everyday post-racial America", where the connections between ethnic concerns and anomaly are both discomposed and concretised. Starting from the theoretical premises laid out by Gilles Deleuze, who maintained that computational processes were incompatible with anomaly, Emma Stamm sets out to prove the contrary, grounding her analysis on the work of M. Beatrice Fazi, while applying it to the specific field of live-coded music. Through a close treatment of the improvisational techniques involved in the processes of writing audio computer functions for the production of "sound in real time", Stamm herself produces a characterisation of the aesthetic dimensions of live coding that problematises the divisions between discrete and continuous media.The anomalous body of the freak, from its early manifestation to its contemporary manufactured exaggeration of contemporary beauty standards, is the subject of Siobhan Lyons's investigation of the freak as biological anomaly. Drawing on the parallel ascent of "Catwoman" and real-life "Barbie", the author connects earlier manifestations of the biological freak to the mediatic resonance given to what she defines as "the twenty-first century surgical freak".Jasmine Chen's exploration of Pili puppetry, a popular TV series depicting martial arts-based narratives and fight sequences, reveals how this "anomalous media form ... proliferates anomalous media viewing experiences and desires in turn". Her attention to the culture of fandom and cosplay attends to a broader structural shift: the "reversible dialectic between fan-star and flesh-object".Shifting this volume's inquiry from popular culture to architecture, we turn to Patrick Leslie West and Cher Coad, and their close reading of the CCTV Headquarters as "an anomaly within an anomaly in contemporary Beijing's urban landscape", due to the collision of classical China and the "predominantly capitalist and neo-liberalist 'social relationship' of China and the Western world". Recalling Roberto Schwarz's argument, that "forms are the abstract of specific social relationships" (53), the authors conclude that the real "site of this unsettlement" is data.  We end where we begin, with our featured article by Bronwyn Fredericks, who includes architecture among the practices that have evidenced the fraught relationship between Aboriginal and non-Indigenous people, using the University of Queensland and its Great Court as a landscape and a case study. Dismantling the perception of Indigeneity as anomalous, Fredericks articulates the visibility of Indigenous voices and sovereignty, ultimately establishing their presence and power through mixed-media events and collaborative writing productions.Ultimately, our aim for this issue, and the response of its contributions, revolve on this question of power relations, and, indeed, on the politics of presence: to make anomaly visible, not as outlier or aberration, but as meta-textual shift, a symptom of and a reaction to larger conditions encompassing and obscured by the technical processes of logistics and the neoliberal governance that organise our everyday life. We hope that closer consideration to such a performative shift, explored here in its multiple and various facets, might also constitute a critical response.ReferencesSchwarz, Roberto. Misplaced Ideas: Essays on Brazilian Culture. New York: Verso, 1992.


Earthquake and Tsunami are one of the biggest disasters dealing with countries located in disaster-prone areas. A risk management and mitigation system are crucial for those countries to reduce the risk of disasters. Indonesia already started to pay attention to the disaster mitigation system since the tsunami that occurred in Aceh in 2004. Various initiatives to reduce the risk of the disaster have been started, the focus is by Increasing knowledge and raising awareness of hazards and the skills to manage disasters. By then, the mitigation system still not capable enough to reduce the risk of the disaster. This can be seen after the tsunami that occurred in Aceh, Indonesia faced a lot of earthquake and tsunami disasters until 2018 and caused severe damage in each incident. On the other hand, Japan's management and mitigation system facing the same disasters (earthquake and tsunami) had been proven most successful since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995. This research aims to analyze and compare both japan and Indonesia's strategies in disaster management and to find out the risk management and mitigation system that can reduce the risk of the earthquake and tsunami disaster. The result found out there is an application called "Disaster Reduction Class" developed by Prof. Akiyoshi Takagi that needs to be implied in Indonesia to reduce the risk of earthquake and tsunami disaster.


From energy outlooks, it becomes clear that global bioenergy consumption is expected to grow further; specifically the demand for wood for electricity and heating, together with agricultural biomass for liquid biofuels. The EU has an ambitious and integrated policy in order to address climate change and security of energy supply towards 2020.Proposed policies with more stringent goals for the 2030 horizon are: 40% greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reduction, and further increase of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). Further mobilisation of wood within the EU-28 and supplementary supplies from North American and Russian forests could help to fulfil EU's 2020-2030 policies. Specifically for external supplies, the import of wood pellets from outside the EU is expected to significantly contribute to EU's future demand. Based on existing knowledge gaps and the reach of EU's policies, three research questions are addressed: How can the supply of wood pellets and other woody biomass be guaranteed in a sustainable way, following the EU legislation on legal sourcing, sustainable biomass production and efficient re-use of wood wastes (cascading)?Worldwide, a large share of the managed (production) forest area is currently not certified. A risk based approach is used by suppliers to comply with legal sourcing requirements, together with forest certification.This approach may lead to insufficient coverage of sustainability criteria. Obviously, a maximum ceiling for risk based fibers is needed, also to encourage the use of fibers from certified forests. Although technically possible, waste wood is not yet mixed with forest fibers for wood pellet production. Trade seems restricted due to unclear rules in the EU Waste Directive. What are the current and future woody biomass demand & supply market expectations due to-EU's future policies? Future demand and supply of woody biomass need more attention. Wood shortages are expected from 2020 and beyond, based on current forest management and consumption patterns for virgin wood fibres and recycled wood. Future efforts on wood mobilisation should focus on the introduction of state-of-the-art Scandinavian style forest management methods in other EU Member states and the support for recycling of post-consumer wood waste fibres. What is the GHG emission reduction potential of using woody biomass for power and heat (by replacing fossil fuels) in comparison with using harvested wood products for traditional wood and paper products (e.g. construction wood instead of steel and concrete)? Based on EU's future growth in woody biomass needs for energy (77 million tonnes per annum) and elaborated harvested wood product (HWP) scenarios, total annual GHG savings in the EU by producing wood pellets to replace coal may amount in 105 million tonnes CO2eq, which is 9.4% of the EU's absolute reduction goal in 2020. In an optimum savings scenario, harvested wood from high quality trees should be first used for sawn wood, followed by recycling and combustion (cascading), whereas low quality logs can be immediately used for pellets and energy. These extra GHG savings for product cascading before energy use amount to at least 5 million tonnes CO2eq (0.4% of EU's goal).


In the petroleum and gas industry corrosion inhibitors are used primarily to counteract the corrosive processes related to the action of H2S, CO2 and acids used in stimulation operations reservoir and / or removal of fouling of pipes. The majority of inhibitors used has nitrogenous groups, however other non-nitrogened inhibitors containing phosphorus, sulfur or oxygen atoms, although less often, are also used. Different techniques for applying the corrosion inhibitor system in the production of oil and gas may be used depending on the application point. This paper aims to review existing literature on key concepts and best practices related to the use of corrosion inhibitors in the oil industry. Keywords: Corrosion, Inhibitors, Oil.


Background: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need to ensure that the education provided meets the student's and employer's requirements, for today and the future. However, in addition to the challenges of teaching and learning, internationalisation, globalisation and world university rankings are rearing their heads thus increasing the demands made on many HEIs. Objective: One of the ways in which HEIs can make their mark is through world university rankings. This may be achieved by exposing more information on new and innovative research knowledge to the broader community in the global market via research publications that attract citations on open access platforms, hence influencing the university's ranking. For this purpose and intent, a 'simple' and 'easy-to-use' online web tool was developed at a HEI. The aim was to have research publications submitted via the Online Research Output Submission System (OROSS) tool, screened and deposited in the institution's open access database. Method: Training was provided to the relevant participants and a survey was conducted to ascertain the participants' perceptions about the utilisation of the OROSS tool and the training provided. Conclusion: This article reflects on the pilot phase of a longitudinal study. Results of an evaluation conducted by the researcher of the OROSS application from a user perspective (process) are highlighted. In general, users rated OROSS favourably in terms of it being a useful, simple and easy-to-use web-based tool. The findings of this study may assist University of Johannesburg's executive management in deciding the fate of the OROSS tool for future use.


The purpose of this study was to verify the polymerization efficiency of two curing units through a ceramic barrier. Forty specimens apiece of two resin luting cements (AllCem and RelyX U100) were made in a stainless steel mold. The experimental group was photocured through a ceramic barrier, while the control group was photocured without a barrier. The specimens were stored in deionized water or 75% ethanol for 28 days and submitted to tests of sorption and solubility (ISO 4049:2000). Values obtained were subjected to ANOVA and Tukey multiple comparison tests (P < 0.05). RelyX U100 suffered more sorption and solubility than AllCem. The light sources did not influence sorption and solubility values, except for the specimens of RelyX U100 that were photocured with an LED unit through ceramic and stored in ethanol; these specimens demonstrated higher values than those photocured using a halogen lamp.


Several authors have shown that angiotensin II stimulates hepatic angiotensinogen synthesis in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro. In previous studies we have demonstrated that this effect of angiotensin II depends mainly on a transient inhibition of adenylyl cyclase and is the consequence of a stabilization of angiotensinogen mRNA. In the present study we describe the isolation of a polysomal 12 kDa protein which, in band shift and cross link assays, shows a specific affinity to the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) of angiotensinogen mRNA and prevents enzymatic degradation of angiotensinogen mRNA in a cell-free incubation system. [32P]UTP-labelled or unlabelled 3' fragments of angiotensinogen mRNA were synthesized on a transcription vector (pGEM5zf+) into which the corresponding DNA sequence was cloned after restriction from vector pRAG 16. Binding of the 12 kDa protein to the radioactively labelled 3' UTR of angiotensinogen mRNA could be displaced by unlabelled 3' UTR mRNA fragments but not by a renin mRNA of comparable length derived from the coding region. The RNA-binding protein appears to be derived from a higher molecular mass precursor (45 kDa) which is preferentially present under reducing conditions in vitro; the active low molecular mass form is evident in the absence of reducing agents. In a cross link experiment we established that a band shift signal which was obtained in the presence of the 45 kDa protein preparation exclusively depends on RNA binding of the active 12 kDa protein. In addition, a phosphorylation step may be involved in the activation of the 12 kDa protein, since its molecular mass and isoelectric point correlate with proteins which were phosphorylated in response to transient decreases of cAMP (induced by guanfacine or angiotensin II) or in response to a direct inhibition of protein kinase A by the cAMP antagonist Rp-cAMP. The importance of phosphorylation reactions for the stabilization of angiotensinogen mRNA was further assessed in a cell-free incubation system of rat liver parenchymal cells. These studies demonstrated that in the presence of acid phosphatase (1 U/ml) the half-life of angiotensinogen was significantly decreased. In the same incubation system the 12 kDa protein increased the half-life of endogenous as well as of exogenous angiotensinogen mRNA three- to fourfold, while no stabilizing effect was apparent when exogenous angiotensinogen mRNA from which the 3' tail had been deleted was added.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Background: Diabetic neuropathy leads to skeletal muscle atrophy; however atrophy signaling mechanisms are not well documented. The aim of the present study was to investigate Sunday Driver (Syd) gene expression in soleus muscle of Wistar male rats with diabetic neuropathy. Methods: Twelve male Wistar rats were randomly assigned in 3 groups: diabetic trained, diabetic untrained and healthy control. Two weeks after STZ injection (45 mg/Kg), diabetic neuropathy was demonstrated with mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia tests and after which moderate endurance training protocol was performed for 6 weeks. 48 hours after final training session, the rats were dissected and soleus muscle tissues were removed. Also Sydgene expression was measured with Real time- PCR methods. Results: Soleus muscle weight was decreased in diabetic groups (P=0.001), but compared with diabetic untrained group, was higher in diabetic trained group (P=0.001). Sydgene expression in diabetic untrained group was higher than healthy control group (P=0.001). Also, compared with diabetic untrained group, training significantly decreased Sydgene expression and blood glucose levels in diabetic trained group. (P=0.001 and P=0.0001, respectively). Conclusion: In soleus muscle of diabetic rats, Sydm RNAup-regulation is involved in development of muscle atrophy and training as a non-pharmacotherapy strategy can modulate and get it close to normal levels. So, it is suggested that Syd should be noted as a novel treatment in diabetes disease.


Background: Hospital readmission is commonly identified as one of the primary causative factors for morbidity and mortality in the geriatric population. With acute medical beds costing up to $800 per day, Australia's healthcare system is one of increasing financial constraints, and with hospital readmissions exacerbating overall length of stay, identification of key factors contributing to risk of readmissions is crucial in terms of formulating a targeted approach to minimising readmissions in the elderly. At this stage, there are several comparative studies that have taken place in Spain and United Kingdom, however, none have been undertaken in Australia at this stage. Garcia-Perez et al concluded that length of stay and frequent prior admissions were significant risk factors, while morbidity and functional disability were the most common factors. Campbell et al assessed multiple areas, and when determining risks for readmission rates; functional status scores, illness severity, comorbidity, polypharmacy, diagnosis or presenting illness, and age were the relevant risk factors. Given the contextual variance evident between different countries and healthcare systems, extrapolation to the Australian geriatric population is not feasible, therefore, conducting a similar study in Australia would beneficial.


In this study, a new approach to reduce the environmental effects of end of life and waste rubber and, at the same time, to minimize the ZnO levels in rubber compounds is presented. The use of tire crumb as activator for sulfur vulcanization is investigated. To give an insight into the reaction mechanism, the approach is tested using model compound vulcanization (MCV) with squalene as a model molecule. The results showed that the use of the new recipe does not alter the kinetics of the vulcanization and that the cross-link degree achieved is nearly equivalent to using ZnO. However, in real rubber mixtures [natural rubber (NR), butadiene rubber (BR), and styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR)], there is not a correlation between the promising characteristics seen in MCV and the actual performance of tire crumb. The extent of cross-linking is significantly lower and the mechanical properties are worst in most of the cases. In spite of that, the results found in MCV suggest that further research should be carried out in order to take advantage of the features observed by improving or facilitating the interaction between the chemicals present in the tire crumb and the ingredients added to the rubber matrix. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2809–2820, 2013


Adrenomedullin (AM) is a peptide with potent vasodilatory and hypotensive properties. Plasma AM levels in rats with experimentally induced hypertension, such as Dahl salt-sensitive rats and two-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rats, are higher than those in normotensive rats. We previously noted, however, that plasma AM levels in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) are similar to those in Wistar-Kyoto rats. To define the role of AM in rats with severe hypertension, we investigated changes in circulating and tissue AM levels in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP/Izm). The immunoreactive rat AM levels in plasma, urine, and tissue measured with a sensitive radioimmunoassay, and the AM mRNA levels in various tissues in 15-wk-old SHRSP/Izm were compared with those in age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY/Izm). The plasma and urinary AM levels in SHRSP/Izm were significantly lower than those in WKY/Izm [plasma AM, 2.14+/-0.06 (SE) vs. 3.24+/-0.16 fmol/ml, p< 0.001; urinary AM, 16.36+/-3.21 vs. 36.12+/-6.09 fmol/ml, p< 0.01]. A negative correlation was found between the plasma AM level and the systolic blood pressure in both SHRSP/Izm and WKY/Izm. Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography showed that the molecular components of plasma immunoreactive AM in SHRSP/Izm were similar to those in WKY/Izm. Furthermore, tissue AM levels in various organs in SHRSP/Izm were not lower than those in WKY/Izm. In conclusion, low levels of circulating AM may contribute to the maintenance of high blood pressure in 15-wk-old SHRSP/Izm. These low plasma AM levels may be caused by accelerated metabolism of circulating AM in SHRSP/Izm.


Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly has emerged as the leading non-vacuum technology for the fabrication of transparent, super gas barrier films. The super gas barrier performance of LbL deposited films has been demonstrated in numerous studies, with a variety of polyelectrolytes, to rival that of metal and metal oxide-based barrier films. This Feature Article is a mini-review of LbL-based multilayer thin films with a 'nanobrick wall' microstructure comprising polymeric mortar and nano-platelet bricks that impart high gas barrier to otherwise permeable polymer substrates. These transparent, water-based thin films exhibit oxygen transmission rates below 5 × 10(-3) cm(3) m(-2) day(-1) atm(-1) and lower permeability than any other barrier material reported. In an effort to put this technology in the proper context, incumbent technologies such as metallized plastics, metal oxides, and flake-filled polymers are briefly reviewed.


Abstract Lapilli formed by a Strombolian eruption are associated with the formation of a large lava flow of natrocarbonatite on or about 21-22 July, 2000 at Oldoinyo Lengai volcano, Tanzania. Fresh lapilli consist of vesicular natrocarbonatite similar to that occurring in rapidly quenched lavas. The lapilli were altered at low temperature (<50°C) by degassing to aggregates of sodian sylvite, potassian halite, trona, thermonatrite and a novel F-bearing sodium phosphate-carbonate. The latter is considered to be a new mineral as it has a composition (Na5-4.5PO4(CO3,F,Cl) that is not similar to that of nahpoite (Na2HPO4), dorfmanite [Na2(PO3OH)·2H2O] or natrophosphate [Na7(PO4)2F.19H2O]. However, in common with these minerals, it is ephemeral and undergoes rapid decomposition under normal atmospheric conditions. The sodium phosphate-carbonate and associated halide-sodium carbonate assemblages are considered to be a part of a previously unrecognized hyperagpaitic assemblage forming as sublimates at Oldoinyo Lengai.


This study consists in better understanding of the influence of the temperature variations on softwood morphological and structural properties. In this context, the X-ray tomography protocol has been used to follow the property variations, a specific tomographic platinum was used to generate thermal flows and to solicit the sample during scans. The study was carried out for temperatures between -5°C and 40°C. The numerical treatments allowed us to investigate the evolution of three microstructural properties of the wood: porosity, specific surface and the pores diameter. In addition, the material exhibits hysteresis behavior along a heating and cooling cycle caused by the anisotropic changes expressed by the swelling / shrinkage of the wooden cell walls. To better quantify these morphological variations, a Digital Image Correlation (DIC) were investigated and the deformation field were calculated function of the wood anatomical structure for both earlywood and latewood. In the tangential direction, the deformation presents a maximum of 1.5 times larger than the radial one. In addition, the deformations caused by heating are larger than those of the cooling cycle. This study provides the literature and future research with promising results especially on the evolution of the wood morphology for better prediction of its macroscopic hygro-thermal behavior.


Temperature is one of the most important proximate factors affecting the biology of ectothermal organisms. In the sea urchin, Lytechimts variegatrts, the reproductive cycle in wild populations is correlated with changing water temperature, suggesting that reproduction may be dependent, in part, on temperature. Adult L. variegatllS (ca. 35.63 ± 1.24 g wet weight, 40-mm diameter) were collected in October 2001 from St. Joseph Bay, FL (30"N, 85.5°W) and transported to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sea urchins were placed into nine SO-liter aquaria (n = eight sea urchins per aquarium) maintained in enclosed incubators (n =three aquaria per incubator) at a specific constant temperature of 16, 22, or 28oC and 32 ppt salinity synthetic seawater (Instant Ocean). Within each aquarium, individuals were maintained in1-liter containers with recirculation and were fed daily a formulated feed ad libitum for 8 wk. At the end of week 8, final measurements of each individual were recorded, individuals were dissected, gonads were measured, and gonad histology and biochemistry were analyzed. Gonad weights were highest for individuals held at the 22oC treatment, but did not vary between individuals held at 16 or 28°C, The acinus volume in the gonad was occupied primarily by nutritive phagocytes at all temperature treatments. In females, gamete volumes were highest for females held at 22oC, whereas gamete volumes were not different for females held at 16 or 28°C, In males, gamete volumes were significantly lower at 28"C, and gamete volumes were not different between males held at 16 or 22"C, Gamete volumes were small in all temperature treatments, suggesting that gamete production had not substantially advanced within the 8-wk study period. The cellular ultrastructure of the nutritive phagocytes varied with temperature. Vacuolated nutritive phagocytes were common in the acini of individuals held at 16oC, and globulated nutritive phagocytes were common in the acini of individuals held at 28°C, Females held at 22"C had the highest protein content in the gonad, and protein content was not different between females held at 16 or 28°C, The amount of lipid was highest for males held at 16"C and did not differ between males held at 22 or 28"C. These data lead us to suggest that L. variegattts utilize different nutrient allocation strategies in the gonad in response to temperature, which could affect the reproductive success of the species if subjected to long-tenn changes in seawater temperature.


Abstract. Current disruption (CD) and the related kinetic instabilities in the near-Earth magnetosphere represent physical mechanisms which can trigger multi-scale substorm activity including global reorganizations of the magnetosphere. Lui et al. (2008) proposed a CD scenario in which the kinetic scale linear modes grow and reach the typical dipolarization scales through an inverse cascade. The experimental verification of the inverse nonlinear cascade is based on wavelet analysis. In this paper the Hilbert-Huang transform is used which is suitable for nonlinear systems and allows to reconstruct the time-frequency representation of empirical decomposed modes in an adaptive manner. It was found that, in the Lui et al. (2008) event, the modes evolve globally from high-frequencies to low-frequencies. However, there are also local frequency evolution trends oriented towards high-frequencies, indicating that the underlying processes involve multi-scale physics and non-stationary fluctuations for which the simple inverse cascade scenario is not correct.


One of the most important British graphic artists of the nineteenth century, George Cruikshank (1792-1878) illustrated over 860 books, including several by Charles Dickens, and produced a vast number of etchings, paintings, and caricatures. The ten essays collected here first appeared in a special limited edition. In a new preface written for this paperback edition, Robert Patten shows how the insights of these seminal essays have been amplified by recent exhibitions and scholarship. The introduction by John Fowles has been retained and an index has been added. In addition to the many Cruikshank illustrations reproduced in the volume, there are original drawings by contemporary artists David Levine and Ronald Searle.


Background: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (CSCC) are very common. Localized CSCC are cured by surgery and/or radiotherapy and have a better prognosis than locally inoperable advanced CSCC. Cetuximab has recently been proposed to treat locally advanced CSCC when surgery or radiotherapy cannot be offered. Objective: The authors report results of a pilot study conducted in inoperable CSCC patients treated with cetuximab alone or combined with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Material and methods: This study was conducted in 20 CSCC patients. RECIST criteria were used to evaluate clinical and radiological responses. Results: Five patients received cetuximab associated with radiotherapy (CR), nine with carboplatin (CC) and six as monotherapy (CM) over 1-month cycle treatment. Response to treatment was evaluated every two cycles. After 2 months of treatment, the authors observed nine partial responses, six stabilizations and four progressions. Disease control rate was of 78% (100% for CR, 87.5% for CC and 50% for CM) with a 47% response rate (80% for CR, 37.5% for CC and 33% for CM). Conclusion: The authors confirm the potential interest of cetuximab to treat unresectable advanced CSCC alone or combined with CC and CM. These results justify discussing a further randomized study combining radiotherapy and cetuximab.


Proteins often assemble into functional complexes, the structures of which are more difficult to obtain than those of the individual protein molecules. Given the structures of the subunits, it is possible to predict plausible complex models via computational methods such as molecular docking. Assessing the quality of the predicted models is crucial to obtain correct complex structures. Here, an energy-scoring function was developed based on the interfacial residues of structures in the Protein Data Bank. The statistically derived energy function (Nepre) imitates the neighborhood preferences of amino acids, including the types and relative positions of neighboring residues. Based on the preference statistics, a program iNepre was implemented and its performance was evaluated with several benchmarking decoy data sets. The results show that iNepre scores are powerful in model ranking to select the best protein complex structures.


This dissertation comprises a series of close readings of music written and performed in intimate devotional contexts by nun composers Sulpitia Cesis, Alba Tressina, and Lucrezia Vizzana in seventeenth-century convents in Modena, Vicenza, and Bologna, respectively. I argue that in singing music written by their sisters, nuns were able to use their voices to mediate a space between their own corporeal bodies and an ephemeral Divine presence. In so doing, these nuns were able to engage in practices conducive to the experience of ecstasy for both singers and listeners, cultivate an outlet for creativity and entertainment, and strengthen their relationships with one another and with the Divine. This mediation also functioned as an act of self-empowerment, as nuns derived agency through composing, performing, and listening to this music. Nuns' voices therefore occupied a queer and transgressive space that threatened patriarchal control over women's sexualities, allowing for more autonomous nurturing of their own identities and spiritualities. Through musicking, nuns were able to communicate with each other, with God, and with the outside world through choice of text, musical setting thereof, manipulation of performance space, and subtle relational cues between singers and audience members.I draw from a range of disciplines: historical musicology, sound studies, queer studies, theater and art history, liturgical history, and Renaissance medicine. My methodologies are similarly multivalent and include thick description of the real-time experience of musical performance, sonic space, and the role of the listener; close examination of texts and their relationship to the music; hermeneutical analysis of the musical scores; and analysis of the gestures, bodily movements, and non-verbal cues that occur between singers and audience members during performance.


Abstract. Recent summer heat waves in Europe were found to be preceded by precipitation deficits in winter. Numerical studies suggest that these phenomena are dynamically linked by land-atmosphere interactions. However, there exists as yet no complete observational evidence that connects summer climate variability to winter precipitation and the relevant circulation patterns. In this paper, we investigate the functional responses of summer mean and maximum temperature (June–August, Tmean and Tmax) as well as soil moisture proxied by the self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index (scPDSI) to preceding winter precipitation (January–March, PJFM) for the period 1901–2005. All the analyzed summer fields show distinctive responses to PJFM over the Mediterranean. We estimate that 10 ~ 15% of the interannual variability of Tmax and Tmean over the Mediterranean is statistically forced by PJFM. For the scPDSI this amounts to 10 ~ 25%. Further analysis shows that these responses are highly correlated to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) regime over the Mediterranean. We suggest that NAO modulates European summer temperature by controlling winter precipitation that initializes the moisture states that subsequently interact with temperature. This picture of relations between European summer climate and NAO as well as winter precipitation suggests potential for improved seasonal prediction of summer climate for particular extreme events.


Title of Document: FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ENGAGEMENT OF WHITE UNDERGRADUATES ATTENDING PUBLIC HISTORICALLY BLACK UNIVERSITIES Joelle Isabeth Davis Carter, Doctor of Philosophy, 2010 Directed By: Associate Professor, Dr. Sharon Fries-Britt Department of Education Leadership, Higher Education, and International Studies (EDHI) The purpose of this study was to identify factors that influence the engagement of White, undergraduate students attending public HBCUs. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have experienced an increase in White, undergraduate student enrollment since the early 1980s (American Association of University Professors, 2007; Libarkin, 1984; Standley, 1978). Student engagement has been consistently linked to positive student outcomes such as cognitive and social development, college adjustment, and persistence rates (Berger & Milem, 1999; Cabrera, Nora, Terenzini, Pascarella & Hagedorn, 1999; Harper, 2004; Kuh, 1995; Pike, 2000). However relatively little is known about student engagement on HBCU campuses and even less is known about the engagement of non-Black students on HBCU campuses. HBCUs have been known for their ability to provide support resulting in academic success for African American students (DeSousa & Kuh, 1996; Fleming, 1984; Flowers & Pascarella, 1999), but little research has examined their ability in providing such support for other student populations, like White undergraduates. Thus, the primary research question guiding this study was: what factors influence the engagement of White, undergraduate students attending public HBCUs? This qualitative multiple case study explored the experiences of 22 White undergraduate students attending two, public HBCUs, located in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern parts of the United States. While all the of the participants' experiences were unique and distinctive, the results from document analysis and individual and focus group interviews revealed five factors influenced their engagement: (1) faculty-student interactions, (2) staff-student interactions, (3) involvement in co-curricular activities and university-sponsored programs, (4) prior diversity experiences, and (5) first-year experiences. Based on these findings, recommendations for future research and practice


Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is one of the leading causes of death due to cirrhosis. Dyslipidemia is a common finding in ALD and lipid parameters are shown to be associated with disease severity. However the effect of alcohol drinking pattern on lipid abnormalities is still unclear. Hence this cross sectional study was planned to estimate the serum lipid profile in ALD patients and to determine the association of lipid parameters with alcohol drinking pattern and the severity of liver disease.50 male patients with ALD and 50 age matched controls were enrolled. AUDIT score was used to assess their drinking pattern. Serum lipid profile and liver parameters were estimated and compared between the cases and controls. The patients were grouped based on severity into Child Pugh's group A, B and C and the study parameters were compared between the groups. All statistical analyses were done using SPSS v20.0. The mean total cholesterol level (126.98±45.06 vs 163.2±24.38 mg/dL), LDL and HDL cholesterol was significantly less in ALD compared to controls. Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels were low in Child Pugh's Score C group. Mean AUDIT score was18 ± 4. Low Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels correlate with disease severity and are markers of poor prognosis. Lipid parameters do not correlate with alcohol drinking patterns in ALD.


Background: Uterine leiomyosarcoma (LMS) has a poor prognosis even after early-stage diagnosis. Because there are no accurate diagnostic tools for preoperatively distinguishing LMS from uterine leiomyoma, surgeons might opt for partial surgical procedures such as myomectomy or subtotal hysterectomy. We sought to determine whether a surgical procedure that cuts through the tumor influences prognosis. Materials and Methods: Demographic and clinical data of consecutive patients with stage I LMS treated between 1969 and 2005 were reviewed. The study population was divided into group A: patients whose first surgical intervention was total hysterectomy (n = 21); and group B: patients who underwent procedures involving tumor injury, for example, myomectomy, laparoscopic hysterectomy with a morcellator knife, or hysteroscopic myomectomy (n = 16). Survival rates were analyzed and compared. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the association between variables of interest and prognosis. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 50 years (range, 30-74 years). Median follow-up duration was 44 months. The 2 groups did not differ significantly in age at diagnosis, menopausal status, gravidity, parity, postoperative radiotherapy, or time to last follow-up. Kaplan-Meier curves showed significantly better survival rates (P = 0.04) and a significant advantage in recurrence rate (P = 0.03) for group A compared with group B. Survival in group A was 2.8-fold better than that in group B (95% confidence interval, 1.02-7.67). These estimates remained stable after adjustment for age, menopausal status, and radiotherapy. Conclusions: In patients with stage I LMS, primary surgery involving tumor injury seems to be associated with a worse prognosis than total hysterectomy as a primary intervention.


The problem of graph matching (GM) in general is nondeterministic polynomial-complete and many approximate pairwise matching techniques have been proposed. For a general setting in real applications, it typically requires to find the consistent matching across a batch of graphs. Sequentially performing pairwise matching is prone to error propagation along the pairwise matching sequence, and the sequences generated in different pairwise matching orders can lead to contradictory solutions. Motivated by devising a robust and consistent multiple-GM model, we propose a unified alternating optimization framework for multi-GM. In addition, we define and use two metrics related to graphwise and pairwise consistencies. The former is used to find an appropriate reference graph, which induces a set of basis variables and launches the iteration procedure. The latter defines the order in which the considered graphs in the iterations are manipulated. We show two embodiments under the proposed framework that can cope with the nonfactorized and factorized affinity matrix, respectively. Our multi-GM model has two major characters: 1) the affinity information across multiple graphs are explored in each iteration by fixing part of the matching variables via a consistency-driven mechanism and 2) the framework is flexible to incorporate various existing pairwise GM solvers in an out-of-box fashion, and also can proceed with the output of other multi-GM methods. The experimental results on both synthetic data and real images empirically show that the proposed framework performs competitively with the state-of-the-art.


In this paper we describe the steering, suspension and control systems of the rover Zoë, a solar-powered robot designed to explore the Mars-like landscapes of the Atacama Desert in Chile. We are developing the Zoë chassis as an alternative to the traditional six-wheeled, rocker-bogie system used by Mars rovers flown in the past ten years. Zoë travels over rough terrain using only four independent drive motors. Steering is accomplished by differentially driving pairs of these motors to passively articulate front and rear steering axles. In this paper we present a detailed mechanical design of the chassis, a description of Zoë's steering controller and results of steering controller tests that validate this design. We also include lessons learned after field experiments in the Atacama Desert of Chile.


GCDFP(gross-cystic-disease-fluid protein)-24, a progesterone-binding protein present in large amounts in cyst fluid from human breast gross cystic disease, was purified in a one-step procedure by size-exclusion h.p.l.c. Peptide fragments obtained by trypsin digestion of the intact protein were purified by reverse-phase h.p.l.c. and analysed for their amino acid composition and subjected to automated Edman degradation. A search of the National Biomedical Research Foundation Data Bank revealed that all the sequenced tryptic peptides from protein GCDFP-24 matched perfectly with regions present in the amino acid sequence determined for human apolipoprotein D. Additional data on N-terminal sequence of the unblocked proteins, carbohydrate-attachment sites, amino acid composition and molecular-mass estimations supported the identity between both molecules. On the basis of this identity a possible role of apolipoprotein D in progesterone transport is proposed.


To determine salt tolerance of four American grape rootstocks, 1103 P, 41 B, 140 Ru and 5 BB, characteristics measured were fresh and dry weight of root, fresh and dry weight of shoot, fresh and dry weight of plant, plant moisture, cutting moisture, shoot length, node number and leaf number. Salt tolerance of the rootstocks was determined by both tolerance rate and index values on the basis of shoot and root dry weights, and interpreted with plant viability. Results obtained indicated that 41 B was the most resistant rootstock, followed by 140 Ru and 1103 P, and the least resistant was 5 BB.


In this paper, we introduce a new algorithm based on archetypal analysis for blind hyperspectral unmixing, assuming linear mixing of endmembers. Archetypal analysis is a natural formulation for this task. This method does not require the presence of pure pixels (i.e., pixels containing a single material) but instead represents endmembers as convex combinations of a few pixels present in the original hyperspectral image. Our approach leverages an entropic gradient descent strategy, which (i) provides better solutions for hyperspectral unmixing than traditional archetypal analysis algorithms, and (ii) leads to efficient GPU implementations. Since running a single instance of our algorithm is fast, we also propose an ensembling mechanism along with an appropriate model selection procedure that make our method robust to hyper-parameter choices while keeping the computational complexity reasonable. By using six standard real datasets, we show that our approach outperforms state-of-the-art matrix factorization and recent deep learning methods. We also provide an open-source PyTorch implementation: https://github.com/inria-thoth/EDAA.


The concept of sustainable development cannot be imagined without ownership, innovation, empowerment, and sustainability itself. In the same manner, it is not possible to achieve objectives of catchphrases like ownership, innovation, empowerment, and sustainability without ensuring genuine participation in the development projects. Genuine participation refers to a participatory process that takes place based on well-informed participants. A well-being outcome of participation relies on participants with sufficient knowledge of the issue and development process (Hussain, Khuhro, 2019). It is different from mobilisation campaign that emphasis on particular project objectives. In order to achieve goals of sustainable development, well-being participation is an essential step to take. This paper argues that a lack of real participation potentially restricts a sustainable development project to achieve objectives of ownership, innovation, empowerment, and sustainability, respectively.


For 80 years the infectivity of salmonid whirling disease has eluded discovery. New findings now show that this myxosporean disease of fish is initiated by what is regarded as an actinosporean produced in a tubificid oligochaete. Experimental results provide evidence that, instead of being considered as representatives of separate classes in the phylum Myxozoa, the myxosporean and actinosporean are alternating life forms of a single organism.


Given the complex nature of Six Sigma project (SSP) prioritization and selection processes, multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) methods may help organizations identify the most effective projects. Considering potential limitations of subjective methods and advantages of MCDM methods, this article proposes a model that integrates analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and combinative distance-based assessment (CODAS) in SSP prioritization and selection process. In the proposed approach, AHP is employed to assign criteria weights, and CODAS is performed to determine priorities of SSPs. CODAS was advanced in term of its threshold function. Differences between Euclidean distances of two alternatives were compared, based on the standard deviation of Euclidean distances of all alternatives to overcome the subjectivity. This is the first study that combines AHP and CODAS methods for SSP selection, and CODAS is used with objective threshold value computation, and developed for the healthcare industry. In this article, ten SSPs were evaluated for four key criteria groups as financial, operational, patient centric, and organizational main criteria groups. In total, 18 subcriteria were considered under these four main criteria groups. This article provides a support for executives who make implementation plans for the potential SSPs.


A framework to integrate different artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms is combined with an execution framework to create a powerful cloud computing system development platform. By providing an execution framework and control software that is native to cloud architectures and supports interactivity and time synchronization, the true utility of cloud computing and "big data systems" can be increased. Many "big data" software systems are not interactive, automated, or can run in real-time.


ABSTRACT Cytokinetic abscission is the terminal step of cell division, leading to the physical separation of the two daughter cells. The exact mechanism mediating the final scission of the intercellular bridge connecting the dividing cells is not fully understood, but requires the local constriction of endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT)-III-dependent helices, as well as remodelling of lipids and the cytoskeleton at the site of abscission. In particular, microtubules and actin filaments must be locally disassembled for successful abscission. However, the mechanism that actively removes actin during abscission is poorly understood. In this Commentary, we will focus on the latest findings regarding the emerging role of the MICAL family of oxidoreductases in F-actin disassembly and describe how Rab GTPases regulate their enzymatic activity. We will also discuss the recently reported role of MICAL1 in controlling F-actin clearance in the ESCRT-III-mediated step of cytokinetic abscission. In addition, we will highlight how two other members of the MICAL family (MICAL3 and MICAL-L1) contribute to cytokinesis by regulating membrane trafficking. Taken together, these findings establish the MICAL family as a key regulator of actin cytoskeleton dynamics and membrane trafficking during cell division. Summary: MICAL proteins are oxidoreductases that depolymerize F-actin in various cellular processes. We describe the emerging roles of MICALs, together with Rab GTPases, in F-actin clearance and membrane trafficking during cytokinesis.


The earned income tax credit (EITC) has become a major source of income support for low-income rural workers and their families, especially in the South, where the rural poor are concentrated. Program benefits for rural areas are expected to total about $6 billion in 1996, nearly double the 1992 amount, providing benefits to an estimated 4.5 million low-income rural workers and their families. Increasing concerns about escalating costs and the targeting of benefits may result in changes to the EITC program that would reduce both benefit levels and the number of eligible low-income rural workers. Proposed changes to improve the targeting of benefits would exclude many farmers from the program.


We demonstrated in the present study that with bacterial stimulation, an increased number of alpha/beta T cells proliferated in the liver of mice and that even T cells bearing self-reactive T cell receptor (TCR) (or forbidden T cell clones), as estimated by anti-V beta monoclonal antibodies in conjunction with immunofluorescence tests, appeared in the liver and, to some extent, in the periphery. The majority (greater than 80%) of forbidden clones induced had double-negative CD4-8- phenotype. In a syngeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction, these T cells appear to be self-reactive. Such forbidden clones and normal T cells in the liver showed a two-peak pattern of TCR expression, which consisted of alpha/beta TCR dull and bright positive cells, as seen in the thymus. A systematic analysis of TCR staining patterns in the various organs was then carried out. T cells from not only the thymus but also the liver had the two-peak pattern of alpha/beta TCR, whereas all of the other peripheral lymphoid organs had a single-peak pattern of TCR. However, T cells in the liver were not comprised of double-positive CD4+8+ cells, which predominantly reside in the thymus. The present results therefore suggest that T cell proliferation in the liver might reflect a major extrathymic pathway for T cell differentiation and that this hepatic pathway has the ability to produce T cells bearing self- reactive TCR under bacterial stimulation, probably due to the lack of a double-positive stage for negative selection.


In this paper, an asymmetric double circular arc gear which is suitable for large-scale high-pressure gear pumps is introduced. While demonstrated its superiority, the displacement formula of the double circular arc gear pump is derived and the gear parameters are identified. The asymmetric double circular arc gear can meet the needs of large displacement and high pressure. There are advantages such as constant flow, no pulse, and no topping, which make this kind of gear has a bright future.


In this article, we draw on previous reports from physics, science education, and women's studies to propose a more nuanced treatment of gender in physics education research (PER). A growing body of PER examines gender differences in participation, performance, and attitudes toward physics. We have three critiques of this work: (1) it does not question whether the achievements of men are the most appropriate standard, (2) individual experiences and student identities are undervalued, and (3) the binary model of gender is not questioned. Driven by these critiques, we propose a conception of gender that is more up-to-date with other fields and discuss gender-as-performance as an extended example. We also discuss work on the intersection of identities [e.g., gender with race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) status], much of which has been conducted outside of physics. Within PER, some studies examine the intersection of gender and race, and identify the lack of a single identity as a key challenge of "belonging" in physics. Acknowledging this complexity enables us to further critique what we term a binary gender deficit model. This framework, which is implicit in much of the gender-based PER, casts gender as a fixed binary trait and suggests that women are deficient in characteristics necessary to succeed. Alternative models of gender allow a greater range and fluidity of gender identities, and highlight deficiencies in data that exclude women's experiences. We suggest new investigations that diverge from this expanded gender framework in PER. PACS: 01.40.Fk, 01.75.+m


IKM-159 was developed and identified as a member of a new class of heterotricyclic glutamate analogues that act as AMPA receptor-selective antagonists. However, it was not known which enantiomer of IKM-159 was responsible for its pharmacological activities. Here, we report in vivo and in vitro neuronal activities of both enantiomers of IKM-159 prepared by enantioselective asymmetric synthesis. By employment of (R)-2-amino-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethanol as a chiral auxiliary, (2R)-IKM-159 and the (2S)-counterpart were successfully synthesized in 0.70% and 1.5% yields, respectively, over a total of 18 steps. Both behavioral and electrophysiological assays showed that the biological activity observed for the racemic mixture was reproduced only with (2R)-IKM-159, whereas the (2S)-counterpart was inactive in both assays. Racemic IKM-159 was crystallized with the ligand-binding domain of GluA2, and the structure revealed a complex containing (2R)-IKM-159 at the glutamate binding site. (2R)-IKM-159 locks the GluA2 in an open form, consistent with a pharmacological action as competitive antagonist of AMPA receptors.


Background The addition of targeted treatment to chemotherapy and first and second line treatment significantly improves patient outcomes, raising the response rate with an increase of resectability in patients with metastasis and improving the long-term survival, as demonstrated by several randomised clinical trials. Purpose To evaluate the cost and effectiveness of treatment with bevacizumab or cetuximab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, in particular in maintenance treatment. Materials and Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted in two Sicilian cancer centres, in patients treated between 01/01/2008 and 30/06/2012, to assess the median time to progression (TTP) and the corresponding cost of maintenance treatment with bevacizumab and cetuximab. Results were compared using the log-rank test. Results Of 167 patients treated with bevacizumab plus chemotherapy, 41 (24.5%) responded and continued with maintenance treatment: 36 patients on first-line treatment (TTP 412.5 days) and 5 patients on second-line treatment (TTP 314.7 days). Of 71 patients treated with cetuximab plus chemotherapy, 15 (21.1%) responded and continued with maintenance treatment: 9 patients on first-line treatment (TTP 271.2 days), 6 patients on second-line treatment (TTP 366.5 days). Maintenance treatment showed an increase in TTP of 258.2 and 159.3 days on first-line treatment, 188.1 and 243 days on second-line treatment for bevacizumab and cetuximab, respectively. The additional cost of maintenance treatment with bevacizumab and cetuximab, for a standard 70 kg, 1.7 m² patient is €84/day and €118/day for each day of progression-free survival, respectively. Conclusions In patients responding to maintenance treatment, bevacizumab is more advantageous as TTP in first-line treatment gains about 100 days vs. cetuximab, while cetuximab is more advantageous as second-line treatment, with a gain of about 55 days in TTP vs. bevacizumab. From the economic analysis the most advantageous is bevacizumab, costing €34/day less than cetuximab. A study is in progress to consider the use of targeted treatment with different chemotherapy regimens. No conflict of interest.


Magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction (MAT-MI) is an emerging approach for noninvasively imaging electrical impedance properties of biological tissues. The MAT-MI imaging system measures ultrasound waves generated by the Lorentz force, having been induced by magnetic stimulation, which is related to the electrical conductivity distribution in tissue samples. MAT-MI promises to provide fine spatial resolution for biological tissue imaging as compared to ultrasound resolution. In the present study, we first estimated the imaging spatial resolution by calculating the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the system point spread function (PSF). The actual spatial resolution of our MAT-MI system was experimentally determined to be 1.51 mm by a parallel-line-source phantom with Rayleigh criterion. Reconstructed images made from tissue-mimicking gel phantoms, as well as animal tissue samples, were consistent with the morphological structures of the samples. The electrical conductivity value of the samples was determined directly by a calibrated four-electrode system. It has been demonstrated that MAT-MI is able to image the electrical impedance properties of biological tissues with better than 2 mm spatial resolution. These results suggest the potential of MAT-MI for application to early detection of small-size diseased tissues (e.g. small breast cancer).


We present aluminium abundances for a sample of about 100 red giant stars in each of the Galactic globular clusters 47 Tuc (NGC 104) and M 4 (NGC 6121). We have derived homogeneous abundances from intermediate-resolution FLAMES/GIRAFFE spectra. Aluminium abundances are from the strong doublet Al i 8772-8773 A, as in previous works done for giants in NGC 6752 and NGC 1851, and nitrogen abundances are extracted from a large number of features of the CN molecules by assuming a suitable carbon abundance. We added previous homogeneous abundances of O and Na and newly derived abundances of Mg and Si for our samples of 83 stars in M 4 and 116 stars in 47 Tuc to obtain the full set of elements from proton-capture reactions produced by different stellar generations in these clusters. By simultaneously studying the Ne-Na and Mg-Al cycles of H-burning at high temperature, our main aims are to understand the nature of the polluters at work in the first generation and to ascertain whether the second generation of cluster stars was formed in one or, rather, several episodes of star formation. Our data confirm that in M 4 only two stellar populations are visible. On the other hand, for 47 Tuc a cluster analysis performed on our full dataset suggests that at least three distinct groups of stars are present on the giant branch. The abundances of O, Na, Mg, and Al in the intermediate group can be produced within a pollution scenario; results for N are ambiguous, depending on the C abundance we adopt for the three groups.


Two male patients aged 40 and 45 years with HIV infection and paraplegia are presented. The two had sub-acute onset paraplegia with a sensory level, which developed 10 days after herpes zoster dermatomal rash. They both had asymmetrically involvement of the lower limbs. Investigation including imaging of the spinal cord did not reveal any other cause of the neurological deficit. The two responded very well to treatment with acyclovir. Herpes zoster myelitis is a condition likely to rise with the upsurge of HIV infection and there is a need to identify the condition early. We also review the literature on the subject.


An understanding of the rheological behaviour of polymer melt suspensions is crucial in pharmaceutical manufacturing, especially when processed by spray congealing or melt extruding. However, a detailed comparison of the viscosities at each and every temperature and concentration between the various grades of adjuvants in the formulation will be tedious and time-consuming. Therefore, the statistical method, principal component analysis (PCA), was explored in this study. The composite formulations comprising polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3350 and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) of ten different grades (K100 LV, K4M, K15M, K100M, E15 LV, E50 LV, E4M, F50 LV, F4M and Methocel VLV) at various concentrations were prepared and their viscosities at different temperatures determined. Surface plots showed that concentration of HPMC had a greater effect on the viscosity compared to temperature. Particle size and size distribution of HPMC played an important role in the viscosity of melt suspensions. Smaller particles led to a greater viscosity than larger particles. PCA was used to evaluate formulations of different viscosities. The complex viscosity profiles of the various formulations containing HPMC were successfully classified into three clusters of low, moderate and high viscosity. Formulations within each group showed similar viscosities despite differences in grade or concentration of HPMC. Formulations in the low viscosity cluster were found to be sprayable. PCA was able to differentiate the complex viscosity profiles of different formulations containing HPMC in an efficient and time-saving manner and provided an excellent visualisation of the data.


The problem of finding a nonrandomised control law that minimises an instantaneous index for a nonlinear discrete-time stochastic system is considered. Both the state and observation equations are taken to be nonlinear, and the optimisation index is chosen to be the variance of the control error. Some of the recent results in nonlinear estimation theory are utilised for deriving approximations to the optimal-control law. The results are illustrated with the help of numerical examples.


Climate changes have a high impact on river discharges and therefore on floods. There are a few different methods we can use to predict discharge changes in the future. In this paper we used the complex HBV model for the Vipava River and simple correlation between discharge and precipitation data for the Soca River. The discharge prediction is based on the E-OBS precipitation data for three future time periods (2011–2040, 2041–2070 and 2071–2100). Estimated discharges for those three future periods are presented for both rivers. But a special situation occurs at the confluence where the two rivers with rather different catchments unite, and this requires an additional probability analysis.


Purpose

A social learning management system (social LMS) is a tool which favors social interactions and allows scholastic institutions to supervise and guide the learning process. The inclusion of the social feature to a "normal" LMS leads to the creation of educational social networks (EduSN), where the students interact and learn. The advantages derived from an augmented student-student interaction are counterbalanced by the difficulty to control the quality of the information. For this reason, the purpose of this study is to understand who is a source of reliable and high quality knowledge among the students.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors suggest to categorize the actions of the students within roles where the most natural formal role regards the academic performance of a student. Within the EduSN, a student can produce information − social contribution role − and evaluate the contents provided by other peers − social judge role. Aside from the free production, it provides a publication workflow which allows to certify and improve the quality of the material created by the peers. The publication workflow naturally leads to the definition of two additional roles – the editorial and leader roles.

Findings

The paper provides a new definition of expertise within a social LMS, where the key feature of an expert in an EduSN is to improve the quality and quantity of the knowledge flow in the network. The indicators which stem from the roles naturally lead to the definition of the figure of the anti-expert.

Originality/value

At variance with the spectrum of values usually associated with expertise (which ranges from novice to expert), in a social LMS, it becomes clear the need of the definition of a new figure – the anti-expert, who has a negative impact on the overall knowledge flow of the EduSN.


Despite its potential benefits, financial globalization also carries some risks, especially for developing countries. The recent 1997 Asian financial crisis is such episode associated with a globalized financial system. In this paper, I examine whether there is any significant impact of the 1997 Asian crisis on the risk exposures of the banking sector for a group of Asia Pacific emerging markets. Using a conditional multi-factor asset-pricing model that allows time variation in the risk premiums, I find that the risk exposure increased during the crisis, with the greatest increase occurring for the crisis countries. However, the incremental increase in the risk exposure has diminished after the crisis. The evidence provided here indicates that the 1997 Asian crisis does not appear to have a permanent effect on the riskiness international banking industries, implying that the financial globalization is still beneficial, at least in the long run. Consequently, the main challenge for policy makers is to manage the integration process as to take full advantage of the opportunities, while minimizing its risks.


BACKGROUND
Since a unique matrix tablet formulation that independently controls the release of various drug types is in a great demand, the objective of this research was to develop a sustained release matrix tablet as a universal dosage form using a binary mixture of the salt forms of Eudragit polymers rather than their interpolyelectrolyte complexes.

METHODS
Tablets were prepared by wet granulation and compressed at different compression forces, depending on drug type. Dissolution tests were conducted using USP XXII rotating paddle apparatus at 50 rpm at 37°C in consecutive pH stages.

RESULTS
Tablets containing Ibuprofen (IB) as a model acidic drug and Metronidazole (MD) as a model basic drug showed controlled/sustained release behavior. For IB tablets containing 80% Ibuprofen and 5% (w/w) polymeric combination; the time for 50% of the drug release was about 24 hours compared to 8.5 hours for plain tablets containing 80% IB. In case of MD, the drug release extended to about 7 hours for tablets containing 80% MD and 5% (w/w) polymeric combination, compared to about 1 hour for plain tablets containing 80% MD. In terms of extending the release of medications, the dissolution profiles of the tablets containing polymeric salts forms were found to be statistically superior to tablets prepared by direct compression of the polymers in their powdered base forms, and superior to tablets containing the same polymers granulated using isopropyl alcohol.

CONCLUSION
The findings indicated the significance of combining the polymers in their salt forms in controlling the release of various drug types from matrices.


The work described is concerned with investigations into the fortification of dried molassed sugar beet pulp with non-protein nitrogen, phosphorus, trace elements and vitamins. Materials containing between 3 and 11 % of added urea and with up to 17 and 40% crude protein and 0.55 % phosphorus were manufactured. The cubed products were evaluated in a wide range of nutritional studies with ruminants. The General Introduction gives an account of the metabolism of urea in the ruminant together with a review of the methods available for reducing the potential toxicity of dietary non-protein nitrogen. Section 1 describes investigations into the release rate properties of urea-containing molassed sugar beet pulp cubes. Experiments in vivo indicated that both the size and hardness of the cubes were important factors determining the rate and degree of ammonia production in the rumen. Whole hard molassed sugar beet pulp cubes were shown to have superior slow release properties to those of either a softer cube or a smaller barley based product containing similar quantities of urea. In Section 2 urea phosphate, mono-ammonium phosphate and a granular ammonium polyphosphate were evaluated in balance trials with growing sheep as possible combined phosphorus and nitrogen supplements for inclusion in molassed sugar beet pulp" When mixed with additional urea and compared with equivalent amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen supplied as dicalcium phosphate and urea each material promoted similarly improved nitrogen and phosphorus retentions. Section 3 describes the evaluation using growing sheep of a magnesium phosphate and a calcium magnesium phosphate as combined phosphorus and magnesium supplements. Comparisons were made with equivalent amounts of phosphorus and magnesium given as dicalcium phosphate and magnesium oxide. All three phosphorus sources promoted comparable daily retentions of phosphorus. The magnesium of both combined phosphorus and magnesium supplements was as well utilised as that of magnesium oxide, Magnesium phosphate was shown to be an effective prophylactic agent for the prevention of hypomagnesaeinic tetany in lactating beef cows. In Section 4 the effect of urea and phosphorus contained in molassed sugar beet pulp on the voluntary consumption of low-protein roughage feeds was studied. Inclusion of either 3.0 or 7.8 % urea in 1 kg per day of molassed sugar beet pulp containing 0.55 % phosphorus similarly increased the voluntary intake of oat straw by steers by about 20 %, Increased straw intake was accompanied by an improvement in the digestibility of the dry matter and crude fibre of the straw. The addition of 3.0 % urea to 2.7 kg per day of molassed sugar beet pulp increased the voluntary consumption of oat straw by pregnant beef heifers by about 21 %. Increasing the total phosphorus intake of the heifers from about 6 to 17 g P/day with dicalcium phosphate did not increase straw intake in either the presence or absence of additional urea. Supplementation with urea tended to increase the digestibility of the straw and the concentration of glucose in the blood plasma. The voluntary consumption of hay was reduced by about 20% in late pregnancy when no supplementary urea was given. A continued low protein intake in late pregnancy did not influence the immune lactoglobulin concentration in the colostrum of the heifers or the birth weight or quantity of immune lactoglobulin absorbed by their newborn calves. Section 5 describes experiments in which a molassed sugar beet pulp product containing 32 % crude protein was compared with a mixture of equal parts of decorticated groundnut and cottonseed meals as a protein source for rapidly growing 100 kg steers. Both forms of supplementation equally and significantly increased live-weight gains and improved food conversion ratios compared with those recorded for an unsupplemented diet. A high urea molassed sugar beet pulp product was somewhat less effective than a conventional protein source as a supplement for rapidly growing 20 kg sheep. In Section 6 molassed sugar beet pulp materials containing either 2.7 or 7.8 % of added urea were used to replace about one- half of the additional protein derived from vegetable protein sources in a milk production concentrate given to dairy cows. The concentrate mixture containing the high urea molassed sugar beet pulp material presented considerable palatability problems and was associated with a marked decline in milk yield. Fully satisfactory milk yields were obtained with the milk production concentrate which included 50 % of the molassed sugar beet pulp material supplemented with 2.7 % urea.


We discuss rotation-vibration coupling in the geometric representation of the interacting boson model (IBM). The Hamiltonian, the relations between the IBM parameters and geometric parameters, and the method of calculation are given so that practical applications of geometric representation may become possible.


This work focuses on cost reduction methods, applied on forest species recognition systems as a case-study. Current state-of-the-art shows that the accuracy of these systems, generally employing texture recognition approaches, have increased considerably in the past years. However, the cost in time to perform the recognition of input samples has also increased proportionally. By taking into account previous research that demonstrated that cost reduction at classification level can provide much faster systems, in this work we focus on proposing metrics to measure the impact of cost reduction at another important module of image recognition system, i.e the feature extraction stage, and on how to measure cost reduction at global level, i.e. combining cost reduction at both feature extraction and classification. The evaluation of the proposed metrics on a forest species dataset demonstrated that, with global cost reduction, not only the cost of the system can be reduced to less than 1/20, but also the recognition rates can be improved.


Heterogeneous, multicore SoC architectures are a critical component of today's computing landscape. However, supporting both increasing heterogeneity and multicore execution are significant design challenges. Meanwhile, the growing RISC-V and open-source hardware (OSH) movements have resulted in an increased number of open-source RISC-V processor implementations; however, there are fewer open source SoC design platforms that integrate these processor cores. We present modifications to ESP, an open-source SoC design platform, to enable multicore execution with the RISC-V CVA6 processor. Our implementation is modular and based on standardized interfaces. These properties simplify the integration of new cores. Our modifications enable RISC-V-based SoCs designed with ESP for FPGA to boot Linux SMP and execute multithreaded applications. Coupled with ESP's emphasis on accelerator-centric architectures, our contributions enable the seamless design of a wide range of heterogeneous, multicore SoCs.


ABSTRACT The understanding of what makes a question difficult is a crucial concern in assessment. To study the difficulty of test questions, we focus on the case of PISA, which assesses to what degree 15-year-old students have acquired knowledge and skills essential for full participation in society. Our research question is to identify PISA science item characteristics that could influence the item's proficiency level. It is based on an a-priori item analysis and a statistical analysis. Results show that only the cognitive complexity and the format out of the different characteristics of PISA science items determined in our a-priori analysis have an explanatory power on an item's proficiency levels. The proficiency level cannot be explained by the dependence/independence of the information provided in the unit and/or item introduction and the competence. We conclude that in PISA, it appears possible to anticipate a high proficiency level, that is, students' low scores for items displaying a high cognitive complexity. In the case of a middle or low cognitive complexity level item, the cognitive complexity level is not sufficient to predict item difficulty. Other characteristics play a crucial role in item difficulty. We discuss anticipating the difficulties in assessment in a broader perspective.


Background: 2019 Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is turning into a pandemic globally lately. There were few reports illustrated the expression of Angiotensin II (AngII) in COVID-19. This study aimed to demonstrate the expression of AngII in COVID-19 and how it correlated to the disease. Methods and Results: We enrolled 55 patients with COVID-19 admitted to Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 21st to February 21st, 2020. Demographic data were collected upon admission. COVID-19 nuclear acid, plasma AngII, Renin and aldosterone in the lying position without sodium restriction, and other laboratory indicators were together measured by the laboratory department of our hospital. Of the 55 patients with COVID-19, 34(61.8%) had an increased level of AngII. The severity of COVID-19 and male is positively related with the level of AngII. The level of blood lymphocyte, PCT, ALT, and AST were remarkably severe with those of normal level of AngII (P < 0.05). CD4/CD8 cells ratio was signi�cantly higher than those of normal level of AngII (P < 0.05). The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that the severity of COVID-19 (OR=4.123) and CD4/CD8 ratio(OR=4.050) were the co-directional impact factor while female(OR=0.146) was inverse impact factor of elevated AngII level. Conclusion: High rate of increased level of AngII and its gender differences were detected in COVID-19 patients. Elevated AngII level were correlated with the severity of COVID-19 and CD4/CD8 ratio.


The U.S. business cycle typically leads the European cycle by a few quarters and this can be used to forecast euro area GDP. We investigate whether financial variables carry additional information. We use vector autoregressions (VARs) which include the U.S. and the euro area GDPs as a minimal set of variables as well as growth in the Rest of the World (an aggregation of seven small countries) and selected combinations of financial variables. Impulse responses (in-sample) show that shocks to financial variables influence real activity. However, according to out-of-sample forecast exercises using the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) metric, this macro-financial linkage would be weak: financial indicators do not improve short and medium term forecasts of real activity in the euro area, even when their timely availability, relative to GDP, is exploited. This result is partly due to the 'average' nature of the RMSE metric: when forecasting ability is assessed as if in real time (conditionally on the information available at the time of the forecast), we find that models using financial variables would have been preferred, ex ante, in several episodes, in particular between 1999 and 2002. This result suggests that one should not discard, on the basis of RMSE statistics, the use of predictive models that include financial variables if there is a theoretical prior that a financial shock is affecting growth.


0031-9007= Electron paramagnetic resonance and ab initio supercell calculations suggest that the P6=P7 centers, which were previously assigned to the photoexcited triplet states of the carbon vacancy-antisite pairs in the double positive charge state, are related to the triplet ground states of the neutral divacancy. The spin density is found to be located mainly on three nearest C neighbors of the silicon vacancy, whereas it is negligible on the nearest Si neighbors of the carbon vacancy.


We study sampling from a target distribution $\nu_* = e^{-f}$ using the unadjusted Langevin Monte Carlo (LMC) algorithm when the potential $f$ satisfies a strong dissipativity condition and it is first-order smooth with a Lipschitz gradient. We prove that, initialized with a Gaussian random vector that has sufficiently small variance, iterating the LMC algorithm for $\widetilde{\mathcal{O}}(\lambda^2 d\epsilon^{-1})$ steps is sufficient to reach $\epsilon$-neighborhood of the target in both Chi-squared and Renyi divergence, where $\lambda$ is the logarithmic Sobolev constant of $\nu_*$. Our results do not require warm-start to deal with the exponential dimension dependency in Chi-squared divergence at initialization. In particular, for strongly convex and first-order smooth potentials, we show that the LMC algorithm achieves the rate estimate $\widetilde{\mathcal{O}}(d\epsilon^{-1})$ which improves the previously known rates in both of these metrics, under the same assumptions. Translating this rate to other metrics, our results also recover the state-of-the-art rate estimates in KL divergence, total variation and $2$-Wasserstein distance in the same setup. Finally, as we rely on the logarithmic Sobolev inequality, our framework covers a range of non-convex potentials that are first-order smooth and exhibit strong convexity outside of a compact region.


We have previously described a monoclonal antibody, referred to as 38.13, reacting with most Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) derived lines, either containing the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or not, but not reacting with EBV-positive lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL). (PNAS 78: 6485, 1981; Int. J. Cancer 29: 653, 1982). The antibody reacted with 41 BL lines out of 57 tested so far. The target antigen. BLA, was shown to be a neutral glycolipid, identified as globotriaosylceramide (Gal alpha 1----4 Gal beta 1----4 Glc beta 1----1 Ceramide). This substance is known as Pk blood group antigen, a normal intermediate in the P substance synthesis. Pk antigen is detectable only on the erythrocytes of very rare individuals with the Pk phenotype. We showed that 38.13 antibody stained erythrocytes and fibroblasts from 2 Pk subjects, whereas it was unreactive with erythrocytes and fibroblasts of all the other individuals tested. The accumulation of globotriaosylceramide on BL cells could reflect some functional disturbance of the enzymes in the P substance synthesis pathway.